Do you remember the first ever Netflix series to be aired?

If you want to talk about Netflix, you have to talk about series in general, because one of the best-known streaming platforms in the world has built its success on this product. A company with more than 200 million subscribers has also changed the way audiovisual content is consumed globally.

Netflix was not always a streaming giant. In fact, in its early days, its business model was to send DVDs to its customers by post and, once they had watched the film or series in question, they returned them. The arrival of streaming led to a giant leap in the business model though.

The arrival of streaming and, of course, some of its first original productions, helped to make the platform well-known. Those first episodes seem like a long time ago, but it's been less time than you might think. Do you remember the first Netflix series?

It's worth noting what the first series produced by Netflix was a piece of fiction that nobody really noticed. It is the history of streaming television: 'Lilyhammer'. Does anyone remember it?

This Norwegian-American production premiered in January 2012, ran for three seasons, 24 episodes and ended in December 2014. Three seasons in which Stevie Van Zandt, the guitarist of the 'E Street Band' (also known for his presence in 'The Sopranos'), played Frank Tagliano, a mafia boss in the United States who, after testifying against his superior, is sent to Lilyhammer, a small town in Norway, under the Witness Protection Program. It wasn't long before he was back to his shady business, thousands of miles away from his native USA.

Success for Netflix came through another series. On 1st February 2013, Netflix surprised everyone with 'House of Cards'. The line-up was unbeatable, headed by Kevin Spacey (before he plunged into the controversial abyss) and Robin Wright, both with direct access to the West Wing of the White House. When the world saw Frank and Claire Underwood in action, the public's love affair was instantaneous.

Watching Kevin Spacey speak to the camera was blood-chilling. The production, the scripts, the plots, the performances? Everything was perfect in 'House of Cards' and it was, without a doubt, the platform's first big success. So much so, that it became the first original streaming series to compete at the Emmys, and it did so with nine nominations for its first season. But it did not win any awards. Too soon for the industry.

In the end, Kevin Spacey fell out of favour, he was fired outright and its sixth and final season did not have the farewell that the characters so deserved. And so, 'House of Cards' said goodbye, in November 2018, with the feeling of duty fulfilled as being one of the Netflix original series that will go down in history as a pioneer in many aspects.

Five months after the premiere of 'House of Cards', in July 2013, came one of Netflix's most celebrated hits: 'Orange is the New Black'. The series, directed by Jenji Kohan, told the true story of Piper Chapman, a middle-class woman who was sentenced to 15 months in prison for smuggling drug money.

For seven seasons, 'Orange is the New Black' was a voice for racial and gender issues and, above all, an LGTBIQ+ benchmark. The main cast was made up almost 100% of women in a series which combined comedy, drama and romance like few others.

Fiction, as Kate Mulgrew (Red in the series) told The Guardian in an interview, helped to break down many walls and many historical prejudices: "Television, until now, has been afraid to show this side of women".

Uzo Aduba has the honour of giving Netflix its first Emmy. She received it for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Suzanne 'Crazy Eyes'. You can't take your eyes off her in the series.

Premiered in March 2017, the series (based on the young adult novel by Jay Asher) has been one of the stories with the greatest impact on the platform's teen audience. The story told the day-to-day life of Hannah Baker, a high school student, and the reasons that led her to take her own life.

The story was told in the first person by Hannah Baker herself, played masterfully by Katherine Langford. In each of the 13 episodes of the first imposing season, the lead character dedicated a cassette tape to those she considered responsible for having reached her decision.

'13 Reasons Why' managed to shed light on the controversial teenage topic of one's own life-taking. It mobilised a large part of the educational sector around the world in the face of a problem that, in many cases, had been covered up in one way or another. And it did so in a direct way, without taboos and respecting its teenage audience as intelligent and educated people.

'Stranger Things' was released in July 2016 and it seems like a life time ago. Back then, its main actors were unknown prepubescents, their voices still childlike. Five years later, the change in its cast is remarkable: they have become global stars with million-dollar salaries and, above all, they have turned the series into Netflix's figurehead.

'Stranger Things' had everything to succeed: adventure, 80's nostalgia, science fiction, a monster and, above all, a Millie Bobby Brown who shone above the rest of the cast. And something else: the series brought Winona Ryder back to glory - who was stuck in the drawer of Hollywood oblivion after her bouts of kleptomania.

'Stranger Things' has continued and grown in popularity over the years. Netflix has been able to give each of the main characters a side project to the series, keeping the main cast happy and at home.

The critics say it, and the audience backs it up: The Crown is one of the best series in history. Premiered in November 2016, it was presented as a continuing biography of Elizabeth II of England. No one could have expected the level of quality in the production, the performances and, above all, the way it tackled the most controversial issues in the life of the longest reigning queen in history.

And then there was Claire Foy. The first leading lady was pure chemistry with Matt Smith and raised the level of the series with her spectacular performance. But after the initial pairing, the likes of Olivia Colman (with an Oscar under her arm), Tobias Menzies, Gillian Anderson, Vanessa Kirby, Helena Bonham-Carter, Jon Lithgow and Jared Harris maintained or even raised the level.

Two dizzying final seasons (fifth and sixth), no one doubts that 'The Crown' will have a place in television history and, as time goes by, will be appreciated as one of the best series ever made.

In August 2015 we saw, for the first time, Wagner Moura in the skin of Pablo Escobar. Many series and films had been written and made about the biggest drug lord in history, but none reached the success of 'Narcos'.

The performance of the Brazilian actor, the script, the realistic documentary aspect of the series; combined with the real images of Pablo Escobar and, obviously, a story that has an impact of its own, served to consolidate Netflix's position, especially in Latin America.

It was slow in coming but it finally came - in a big way. After a few years of dramas, Netflix decided to produce its first original comedy and so came 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'. It was 6 March 2015 when Ellie Kemper stepped into the shoes of a woman who was reintegrated into society for the first time, after being kidnapped by a cult for 15 years, completely oblivious to the reality of the world.

Adorable, fresh, innocent and, above all, with the addition of a powerful character like Titus Andromedon, the series reached four seasons and became a benchmark for the streaming giant to follow in future comedies.

Perhaps 'Hemlock Grove' came to Netflix too soon. This horror series landed on the platform in April 2013 and, for three seasons, investigated the suspicious murders taking place in the town that gave the series its name.

With a tremendous production and a notable investment in special effects, the series was not as well received as expected, despite having Famke Janssen and Bill Skarsgaard among its stars. It was cancelled in October 2015 after 33 episodes.

Bloodline is perhaps the most underrated series in Netflix's early days. Launched in March 2015, the drama centred on the Rayburns, a well-to-do family with a lot of secrets to keep and a lot of dead bodies in their wardrobes. They all turn up at the parents' 45th wedding anniversary, where the past runs over all the Rayburns present, even those who had best kept their secrets.

Kyle Chandler, Ben Mendelsohn, Linda Cardellini, Sissy Spacek and Sam Shepard were part of a spectacular cast that was more than up to the task. It lasted three seasons and was cancelled in May 2017.

Many people took 'BoJack Horseman' as an attempt by Netflix to follow in the wake of 'Family Guy'. An animated series for adults: irreverent and hooligan. Time has shown that 'BoJack Horseman' was much more than that.

August 2014 was the date when it premiered and, for six seasons and 77 episodes, it followed the day-to-day life of a horse that was a television star of the 90s and who still can't digest that his days of fame and glory are behind him.

Existential crises, addictions, self-interested friendships, egos? The series had no problem touching on all kinds of subjects related to misunderstood fame and, in the process, produced some of the best episodes in the history of television animation. They even dared to make a completely silent episode.