Is Back to Life the next best series on Netflix?

If you've been enthralled with wondering whether The Crown is fact or fiction (opens in new tab) and have binge-watched new drama Bridgerton, we've discovered another Netflix gem that deserves your attention.

Back to Life, the series, which originally aired on BBC One in 2019 is now on Netflix and it's getting rave reviews.

Critics on rating reviews site Rotten Tomatoes have given the show a 100% average rating which is unusually high. And while this could be due to the low number of reviewers, the series was renewed for a second series based on the show’s initial success so we're thinking it's a sure-fire hit.

Episode one sees the main character Miri Matteson, played by Daisy Haggard, leave prison after 18 years to head back to the seaside Hamlet she used to live in.

The shows six episodes follow Miri as she navigates her new life alongside Billy, her love interest, played by Adeel Akhtar.  

The show has drawn comparisons to another BBC smash hit Fleabag. Dustin Rowles writes in a review for Pajiba: “it’s an alternatingly funny/sombre but always emotionally affecting series with something of a Fleabag vibe”

This Fleabag comparison could also be due to the 18+ age rating and numerous sexual scenes and references, but also could be because the executive producers for the Phoebe Waller-Bridge tragicomedy - Harry and Jack Williams - also produced Back to Life. 

The show also draws comparison to the Netflix series Afterlife. Starring Ricky Gervais, this British comedy shares sombre storylines mixed with a deadpan sense of humour in a rural English setting. 

Like Afterlife, the season has just six 25 minute episodes, meaning the whole series can be easily binge watched on Netflix in just two and a half hours. 

Fans of the show have celebrated main character and writer of Back to Life Daisy Haggard, stating: “Haggard’s performance (she’s also a co-writer) is a marvel, whether she’s exuding vulnerability or dishing the sass. Used and abused but never quite de-fused, she propels Back to Life to the top tier of this season’s newcomers, with ample help from a crackerjack ensemble.”

Reviewers have also lauded the show’s announcement of a second series, stating: “If Back to Life can commit to exploring its deeper ideas about identity, forgiveness, and mortality in its second season, it could quickly become one of the best shows on television.”