The Holidays can only go one of two ways for fans of film and TV: you’re either even busier than normal and have even less time to watch old and new additions to your watchlist, or you’re actually freer than usual, cuddling up in bed with a warm blanket and some hot tea, about to click on that Netflix icon.
While we’re pretty sure most of us fall into the former category, just in case you’re part of the latter, we’re bringing you all the freshest Netflix treats to lead you smoothly into the year. From a less-than-ideal new release, the coveted return of a South Korean horror staple after three years, to the world’s second-biggest superhero franchise and a good ol’ British crime mystery, chilly November, December, and January are looking stacked for Netflix enjoyers.
The great Warner Bros. – Netflix pilgrimage continues, as DC’s failed attempt at a cinematic universe makes its way to the TUDUM platform
The licensing deal between Warner Bros. and Netflix, which has seen multiple high-profile titles join the latter’s catalog, has just gotten wilder. The studios that own Netflix’s main competitor, Max, seem to have forgone exclusive rights to most of the movies in the DC Extended Universe, presumably in favor of giving them a second chance at life on the neighboring platform.
Netflix has announced that, come Dec. 1, Man of Steel, Batman v. Superman, Suicide Squad, Wonder Woman, Justice League (not the Zack Snyder one), Birds of Prey, Wonder Woman: 1984, AND The Suicide Squad are all going to be available to stream for its 247.2 million paid subscribers, who must probably be questioning the worth of their Max membership right about now. That is, if they even have one.
Fair enough; lending Netflix the likes of Ballers, Band of Brothers, and Insecure is one thing, but the cinematic universe of one of two leading comic book brands on Earth is a completely different ballgame. What’s next, Game of Thrones and Succession?
Not every Netflix user was particularly fond of the news. The unrelenting Zack Snyder fandom, which has been begging the red streamer to buy the Snyderverse and give it continuity, was left feeling understandably betrayed; not only were their wishes ignored, but Warner Bros. didn’t even give Netflix the permission to stream the Snyder cut version of the disgraced Justice League.
Three years after premiering, a South Korean streaming pioneer gets a Season 2 date
If you think the Stranger Things hiatuses were long, just count your blessings that you’re not a Sweet Home fan. The Netflix show premiered all the way back in 2020 to acclaim and a groundbreaking reception that made it the first Korean-language original to make the platform’s U.S. Top 10.
The apocalyptic horror wouldn’t be renewed until 18 months later, and has only now received a release date for its coveted second season. The zombie residents of the Green Home apartment complex are finally dragging themselves back to screens worldwide on Dec. 1. At least season 3 has already been greenlit as well. Let’s just hope it doesn’t take another three years before we get a glimpse of that as well.
Song Kang is returning as the charismatic protagonist Cha Hyun-soo. Lee Jin-uk, Lee Si-young, Ko Min-si, Park Gyu-young, and more also star.
Ring in the New Year with Harlan Coben’s eighth adaptation for Netflix
There is a new Harlan Coben adaptation coming to Netflix at the start of the new year. The eighth of the prolific mystery author’s novels to be turned into an original for the streamer, Fool Me Once is based on the 2016 book of the same name, and centers on Maya Burkett, a former Special Ops pilot, bereaved by the death of her husband Joe. One day she sees him on a nanny cam playing with their daughter, plunging her into a shocking investigation.
The eight-episode series stars Coronation Street‘s Michelle Keegan and Obsession‘s Richard Armitage as Maya and Joe and has been given a Jan. 1 premiere date by Netflix.
Stale World War II drama from Deadpool 3 director finally hits Netflix
The director of Free Guy, The Adam Project, and Deadpool 3 would probably not be your first choice to helm a Nazi-era war drama, and it might be for good reason. Shawn Levy’s All The Light We Cannot See was not exactly embraced by critics after early screenings, and it’s not receiving much love now that it has finally joined Netflix, either.
Taking from Anthony Doerr’s 2014 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, this four-part limited series has been called “messy,” “silly” and simultaneously “undercooked” and “overwrought.” The story follows Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a blind French girl who lives with her father in Paris, and Werner Pfennig, a German orphan who gets drafted into the Nazi army. Their separate lives eventually cross.
Despite the source material’s acclaim, this iteration from Levy doesn’t seem to share the same magic. While it currently boasts a 92% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, 26 reviews from professional opinion-makers only rate it at an average of 31%.