26 Sad TV Shows on Netflix That Are Guaranteed to Make You Ugly-Cry
A good ugly-cry can be a beautiful thing. Crying can sometimes be just as cathartic as exercise and will release just as many endorphins (while also leaving you red-faced and out of breath), and TBH, everyone should do it more often. If you’re in the mood to get in your feels, then a few episodes (or a…
A good ugly-cry can be a beautiful thing. Crying can sometimes be just as cathartic as exercise and will release just as many endorphins (while also leaving you red-faced and out of breath), and TBH, everyone should do it more often. If you’re in the mood to get in your feels, then a few episodes (or a whole season) of a sad TV show might be just the thing you need. From medical melodramas to family soap operas, we’ve rounded up the most harrowing, heart-rending TV series Netflix has to offer. Be sure you keep a box of tissues handy — you’ll need them.
Sometimes you’re just in the mood to cry but can’t muster up the emotions. That’s where the best tearjerkers on Netflix come in. Hear me out. At times, a problem arises when you want to cry, need to cry, but can’t seem to get there. This stifling state of purgatory is beyond frustrating: All you want to do is release, but your eyes are on the fritz.
The good news: Moving TV shows and sad love movies on Netflix can help. With their emotionally taxing plots and weepy protagonists, the best tearjerkers on Netflix have the ability to unlock even the most ironclad tear ducts. From series like Grey’s Anatomy (a tear-inducing stalwart) and modern classics (hello, Queer Eye) to documentaries like Miss Americana (we love you, Taylor Swift), you’ll find something to tug at your heart on the streaming service.
These angsty TV shows and sad love movies on Netflix have a 100% success rate for the Glamour team. Gallons of tears guaranteed. Stock up on tissues accordingly, my friends.
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Linda Kallerus / NetflixIrreplaceable You (2018)
Oof, this one is really going to get you. Just read the tagline on IMDB: “A couple who have known each other since eight are destined to be together until death do them apart [sic].” Abbie (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Sam (Michiel Huisman) have been best friends since childhood and are engaged to be married when Abbie is suddenly given a terminal cancer diagnosis. Obviously, her next move is to go on the hunt for Sam’s next love before she goes. You know, as one does. If this movie doesn’t make you cry (and somehow laugh), then you might have a problem.
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Miss Americana (2020)
Frankly, your feelings about Taylor Swift—whether you’re a superfan or find her completely intolerable—are irrelevant when it comes to this documentary. Swift’s vulnerable confessions about body-image issues, impostor syndrome, and her at-times debilitating need to be liked in Miss Americana are beyond relatable. The number of times you’ll tear up and whisper “same” will probably surprise you. Brace yourself for some heavy moments, like when Swift discusses her sexual assault trial and fight with disordered eating. But if you’re hoping for Joe Alwyn cameos or a certain rumored engagement ring, you’re out of luck.
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Courtesy of NetflixCheer (2020)
Tears of relief, joy, and catharsis are still tears, okay? We dare you to watch all six episodes of the Navarro cheerleaders fighting through trauma, injury, and stress to (hopefully) take home the trophy at nationals for their leader/queen Monica without shedding a few drops of the salty stuff. It can’t be done. By the same director of Last Chance U, Cheer will take you on a journey of seemingly insurmountable struggle and unwavering friendship that will have you wondering why cheerleading wasn’t an Olympic sport years ago. Plus, you’ll start to gain an entirely new set of motivational vocabulary to help you through any obstacle. LET’S GOOOOOO!
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Wilson WebbMarriage Story (2019)
Is there anything sadder than watching the crumpled remains of a marriage between two people who used to be in love? In Marriage Story, Nicole (Scarlett Johansson) and Charlie (Adam Driver) have a hard time remembering what brought them together in the first place as they fight for custody over where to raise their son: in L.A., where Nicole is reinventing her acting career, or NYC, where Charlie runs a theater company. Let’s just say there’s a reason the film and both leads were up for the big awards at the Oscars that year. Oh, and despite what that viral meme might suggest, that big fight scene will wreck you.
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EverettAbout Time (2013)
From the makers of Love, Actually, About Time follows Tim (Domhnall Gleeson), a 21-year-old Brit who discovers he can travel in time (in his own timeline) and change his future. His powers help (and hinder) him to find the love of his life, Mary (Rachel McAdams), as well as spend a little more time with those who matter to him. What could stand on its own as a gorgeous love story that will make you want to get bangs and move to London also manages to also dive into Tim’s relationships with his family in ways that will squeeze your heart until you’re balling your eyes out. (Special bonus: About Time features a baby Margot Robbie before she made it big.)
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NetflixDead to Me (2019)
The foundational premise of this Netflix original is dealing with grief. (Christina Applegate’s and Linda Cardellini’s characters meet at a grief counseling group.) But like grief itself, the show is layered and complex. It’s never just sad. Yes, you’ll probably cry—but you’ll also laugh a lot and be surprised by all the show’s plot twists. Dead to Me is rather hard to categorize, which is one of the things that makes it so great. Try to stay spoiler-free before you dive in—it will really enhance the viewing experience.
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Everett CollectionPose (2018–present)
If you haven’t caught up on Pose and the world of ballroom it re-creates, do so immediately. The story follows a group of characters that television has never focused on before and it’s such a treat. There is much joy and music and laughter, but Pose doesn’t shy away from the emotional struggles of its trans and queer characters. They are often marginalized by society, unwelcome in their biological families, and sometimes face clear and present physical danger. Not to mention that this is a period in New York when queer people were being ravaged by the AIDS epidemic. But the show is also a testament to the families we choose and how they can lift us up in times of need.
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Christopher Smith/NetflixQueer Eye (2018–present)
When Netflix first announced they were bringing back the Queer Eye franchise, I wasn’t sure quite what to think. Would it look like the Bravo show that turned Carson Kressley into a star for a spell, or something totally different? The new version draws on the DNA of the original, but it definitely has a lot more heart—and doesn’t solely focus on remaking the lives and homes of straight men. The new crew—Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, and Bobby Berk—are all about lessons of inclusivity and personal growth. If you don’t cry during every episode of Queer Eye, are you even really alive?
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Steve Dietl/NetflixThe Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Yes, The Haunting of Hill House, based on the 1959 Shirley Jackson novel, is ostensibly a horror series, and it is incredibly frightening. (Hello, Bent Neck Lady!) But it’s also a story about how one family processes the grief of a tragic loss that follows them through their lives. The story flashes back and forth between the past, where we learn what happened to traumatize the Crain family, and the present, where they are all struggling with their emotional demons in very different ways. I’d honestly be surprised if the show doesn’t make you cry more than once.
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Paul Schiraldi/NetflixOrange Is the New Black (2013–2019)
Orange Is the New Black really changed the streaming game when it premiered in 2013 as one of Netflix’s first original shows, and there were many emotional moments across OITNB‘s eight seasons. Don’t even get us started on the Poussey of it all or the storyline around Lorna’s baby. But the final batch of episodes was particularly heartbreaking, especially the ones focused on the current immigration crisis and its effects on families and children.
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©Netflix/Courtesy Everett CollectionAmerican Son (2019)
Kerry Washington is the emotional heart of this drama as the concerned mother of a son who has suddenly gone missing after an incident involving police officers. “I understood her so clearly,” Washington says of the role, per Variety. “I’ve been that black woman who’s having big feelings in an appropriate moment and being stereotyped to be something other. And I wanted to bring her to our canon.”
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©Netflix/Courtesy Everett CollectionPieces of a Woman (2020)
On a list full of movies and shows that can be hard to watch, this one might be the toughest. Vanessa Kirby is outstanding as a woman navigating her grief after the loss of her baby during a home birth gone wrong.
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Everett Collection / Everett CollectionThe Florida Project (2017)
Beautiful and heartbreaking, this slice-of-life film follows a six-year-old girl, her single mother, and the other residents of a cheap motel in Kissimmee, Florida. On the verge of living without a home, their hardships come in stark contrast with the shiny exterior of the nearby Walt Disney World.
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NETFLIXSelena: The Series (2020)
You know the outcome to this one, but that doesn’t make it any less sad. Selena: The Series is an in-depth look at the rise of Tejano singer Selena before her untimely death in 1995.
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courtesy Everett CollectionStepmom (1998)
Susan Sarandon and Julia Roberts’ onscreen chemistry is unparalleled in the heartfelt drama—even though it’s volatile at times. Roberts plays a woman trying to win over her fiancé’s children despite how much their mother (Sarandon) dislikes her. The movie’s plot twist changes the dynamic for all the characters and will leave you teary-eyed by the time the credits roll.
©20thCentFox/Courtesy Everett CollectionTitanic (1997)
If you’re able to watch Titanic without sobbing, then props to you. Honestly, just meeting someone with the name “Jack” makes us sniffle. Whether or not you believe Leonardo DiCaprio’s character could fit on the door, his demise was heartbreaking—for us and Rose.
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©Universal/Courtesy Everett CollectionLes Misérables (2012)
I dreamed a dream that watching Les Misérables wouldn’t leave me puffy-eyed, but life has killed that dream. Dramatic? Maybe. Inaccurate? Absolutely not. The film version of the musical stars big names like Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Amanda Seyfried, and Eddie Redmayne, among others. The star power combined with the music makes the movie unforgettable.
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©Screen Gems/Courtesy Everett CollectionDear John (2010)
Seyfried stars in another sad flick, but this time she acts opposite Channing Tatum. The Nicholas Sparks movie is based on the book of the same title and follows a soldier after he falls in love with a college student. What couldn’ve been a happy story takes a turn after one life-changing letter.
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Apparition/courtesy Everett CollectionBright Star (2009)
This film written, directed, and produced by Jane Campion is based on the life of poet John Keats and his romantic relationship with Fanny Brawne. The film is categorized as “biographical fiction,” which might seem like an oxymoron, but it basically means it’s based on real people, but made with a fictional storyline.
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©Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett CollectionMy Girl (1991)
The coming-of-age movie stars Macaulay Culkin and Anna Chlumsky in this beautiful story about two 11-year-old friends during the summer of 1972. Despite the film’s ending (no spoilers here!), the heartwarming message of friendship remains.
10 Tv Shows that will make you cry
10 Netflix Shows that will make you laugh
