Club Benefits
In case you're in graciously warmer climates and have somehow missed it, Winter Storm Fern has officially crashed down on the United States, with large swaths of the country covered in significant snow and ice, affecting over 220 million people stateside. And along with all of the usual snowstorm-related tips, one vital part of getting through a snow day is, of course, planning what you're going to watch next.
Helpfully, we've compiled five great cold-weather Netflix shows that will more than hold your attention as those flakes fall outside, from Nordic noir dramas to modern Japanese romances to British spy thrillers.
'Midnight Mass'
This gothic miniseries from "The Haunting of Hill House" creator Mike Flanagan transports viewers to the isolated, wintry Crockett Island, which sees the arrival of two men to the island community: Zach Gilford as Riley Flynn, a Crockett local who returns to his hometown after spending four years in prison for killing a woman in a drunk driving crash, and Hamish Linklater as Father Paul Hill, the enigmatic new priest at St. Patrick's Church, who arrives to replace the aging monsignor.
However, as seemingly miraculous events and frightening omens begin to appear following the priest's arrival, religious fervor sweeps over the small town, amplifying already existing divisions in the community.
With an 87% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the site's critical consensus praises "Midnight Mass" as "an ambitious meditation on grief and faith that is as gorgeous as it is unsettling" and "a triumph of terror that will leave viewers shaking — and thinking — long after the credits roll."
Watch "Midnight Mass" on Netflix now
'Sounds of Winter'
Directed and written by Rikiya Imaizumi ("Call Me Chihiro," "Just Only Love"), this intimate and understated Japanese romance series centers on Ayana Tsuchida (Hana Sugisaki), a twentysomething novelist who's had her fair share of past breakups and unfulfilled romances. However, her lack of luck in love might just be changing while at the laundromat one winter's night, when she meets a man who initiates a friendly conversation after hearing the music coming from her earphones.
The ten-episode drama reunites Hana with Amane Okayama, her co-star from "Unmet: A Neurosurgeon's Diary"; the "Sounds of Winter" cast also includes Ryo Narita, Rintaro Mizusawa, Maru Nouchi, Sara Shida and Yuki Kura, among others.
Watch "Sounds of Winter" on Netflix now
'The Åre Murders'
Few people do snow-covered murder mysteries better than the Swedes, and that's certainly true of this gritty, Stockholm-set noir series based on the Vivica Sten novels "Hidden in Snow" and "Hidden in the Shadows."
Carla Sehn stars as detective Hanna Ahlander, who gets suspended from the Stockholm police and relocates to the Swedish ski resort of Åre for a fresh start. However, she's soon pulled into a harrowing new investigation after the disappearance of a young girl, leading Hanna to reluctantly team up with local cop Daniel Lindskog (Kardo Razzazi) to uncover dark secrets in the tight-knit community
The 2025 detective series has a solid 86% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, where critics like Decider's Johnny Loftus praise the show for having "all the hallmarks of the Nordic Noir genre as it turns two differently-wired cops loose on the mystery of a teen’s disappearance," with some "fantastic location shots of Sweden’s mountainous north" for good measure.
Watch "The Åre Murders" on Netflix now
'Black Doves'
One of Netflix's biggest hits of 2025, the six-episode espionage drama "Black Doves" sees Keira Knightley as Helen Webb, a seemingly ordinary housewife who is publicly the spouse of the U.K. Secretary of State for Defence (Andrew Buchan) but is secretly a British spy for the Black Doves, a high-stakes undercover agency that sells political and diplomatic secrets to the highest bidder.
After her lover (Andrew Koji) is murdered by members of London's underworld, Helen’s spymaster (Sarah Lancashire) recruits her estranged friend Sam Young (Ben Whishaw) to protect her. Along with plenty of heart-pounding action, it's the chemistry and banter between Knightley and Whishaw that adds warmth to the suspenseful story.
Watch "Black Doves" on Netflix now
'The Snow Girl'
Adapting the nail-biting novel of the same name by Javier Castillo, "The Snow Girl" is a gripping Spanish crime thriller focused on Miren Rojo (played by Milena Smit), a trainee journalist who launches a relentless, years-long investigation into the 2010 disappearance of five-year-old Amaya Martín during a crowded winter parade in Málaga.
Miren is helped by veteran reporter Eduardo (José Coronado), with their search running parallel to that of police inspector Belén Millán (Aixa Villagrán).
Atmospheric and absorbing, the first season boasts a perfect 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. And the compelling police work continues in season two, which adapts Castillo’s 2021 novel "The Soul Game."
Watch "The Snow Girl" on Netflix now
Follow Tom's Guide on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds.
More from Tom's Guide
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
