Netflix's Underrated Dystopian Series Breaks Records in 2025

1 week ago 11

Published Jan 27, 2026, 3:04 PM EST

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Carolyn Jenkins is a voracious consumer of film and television. She graduated from Long Island University with an MFA in Screenwriting and Producing where she learned the art of character, plot, and structure. The best teacher is absorbing media and she spends her time reading about different worlds from teen angst to the universe of Stephen King.

The Netflix Originals landscape can seem overwhelming because of how much content the streamer has. However, every once in a while, there is a show that transcends language barriers and becomes a record-breaking series. The Brazilian series, 3%, was one of these standouts when it premiered in 2016, before the German series Dark caught the world’s attention. 3% was the first Portuguese-language original series on Netflix and continues to perform very well. In 2025, the series reached over 15 million views. Like with many dystopian stories, the show envisioned an allegedly perfect society that ultimately had many pitfalls.

3% follows Michele Santana (Bianca Comparato), one of the many who yearn to join the Offshore, a utopia only open to a small percentage of the population. When citizens turn 20, they may undergo the Process, an intensive test that can qualify them to be among the 3% admitted to the Offshore. These tests assess personality traits and intelligence that are essential to maintaining the integrity of their supposedly perfect society. While Michele and her neighbors fight to stay in contention, the Offshore has other concerns. For the first time since its inception, a murder occurs, and the leaders start to question if they really have a perfect society. This setup is the perfect storm of a post-apocalyptic series that drives home many compelling themes.

‘3%’ Is an Underrated Dystopian Gem

Numbers don’t lie, and viewership for 3% is through the roof. The first episode is enough to grab the attention of anyone who watches it. The show starts out simply enough as a group of 20-year-olds makes the pilgrimage to the Process. Setup isn’t enough, however. 3% really shines when it comes to its characters. Each person who makes it through the first round of tests is interesting in their own right.

Fernando (Michel Gomes) seems like he would be the first to go since he uses a wheelchair, but his tenacity allows him to continue. Rafael (Rodolfo Valente) fakes his registration and is the type of person to win by any means necessary. Joana (Vaneza Oliveira) is another dark horse who surprises the testers of the Process with her intelligence. Marco (Rafael Lozano) seems to be a shoo-in since all of his family members passed the Process, and he expects to do the same.

Michele is the fascinating character who is the glue that brings them together. Though she seems timid and emotional at first, she has surprises of her own. Michele is actually a mole for the Cause, a group of rebels who understand that the Offshore isn’t as fair as it seems. She chooses to go through the Process as revenge for the death of her brother, André. She believes he was killed by the head of the Process, Ezequiel (João Miguel), and vows to bring the entire system down.

This reveal was a shocking twist at the end of Episode 1 and shows how determined she is to survive. These types of character dynamics are hallmarks of other dystopian tales, such as Squid Game or The Hunger Games. Fully fleshed-out characters are a requirement for any good high-concept series, and 3% did all while flying under the radar.