With the effects of Covid-19 still disrupting the world, and potentially changing social etiquettes for the long term, new Netflix titles to devour have never been more welcome. With some indoor cinemas still closed, streaming platforms have become the first port of call when it comes to watching new releases, and by this point in 2020 we are all familiar with a new Netflix discovery being the cornerstone of conversation. As lockdown restrictions fluctuate and we are forced apart for longer, sharing personal opinions and planning what to watch next is a way to achieve a sense of much-needed escape, and connection, at once.
Awards season may be a long way off, following the postponement of the Oscars to April 2021, but for new Netflix films, the race has already begun. The streaming giant’s line-up for the rest of the year is one of its most impressive to date, teeming with revered directors and established stars who are eager to make the shortlist across categories. Good news for those eager for a new Netflix series to binge on, or on the hunt for the next can’t-look-away documentary to become obsessed with.
Expect a sumptuous remake of Daphne du Maurier’s beloved 1938 gothic novel, Rebecca, on 21 October, first explored on-screen by Alfred Hitchcock in 1940. Plus, a timely saga that dissects the American dream (Hillbilly Elegy, expected November), and a searing August Wilson adaptation (Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, expected 2020). Not to mention the dazzling TV offerings, which range from a Shonda Rhimes-produced Regency romp that has made waves due to its diverse casting (Bridgerton, expected 2020), to the fourth season of a certain royal drama on 15 November (and by that, yes, we mean The Crown) featuring the first appearance of Princess Diana, played by British Vogue’s October cover star, Emma Corrin.
Here, the most exciting new releases on Netflix for the season ahead.
Enola Holmes (23 September)
Millie Bobby Brown takes on the role of the titular teenage detective — and sister of Mycroft (Sam Claflin) and Sherlock Holmes (Henry Cavill) — in Harry Bradbeer’s spirited adaptation of Nancy Springer’s beloved mystery series. Following the disappearance of her eccentric mother (Helena Bonham Carter), she flees finishing school to track her down and becomes a shrewd investigator in the process. Expect quirky period costuming and a fresh, feminist take on a sometimes staid genre.
Emily in Paris (2 October)
This sweeping romantic comedy from Sex and the City creator Darren Star looks set to be the most comforting show on TV come autumn. The 10-episode series sees Lily Collins take center stage as an ambitious American executive who relocates to the French capital to work for a prestigious marketing firm. Between updating their social media strategy and befriending her colleagues, she finds time to party, often dressed in over-the-top ensembles courtesy of iconic stylist Patricia Field.
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (16 October)
Aaron Sorkin’s follow-up to his fast-talking poker saga Molly’s Game (2017) is this blistering take on a true story about the search for justice. When a peaceful anti-war protest at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago turns violent, its organisers are deemed a threat to national security and made an example of. With a stellar cast that includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and recent Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, it’s an essential watch.
Rebecca (21 October)
Based on Daphne du Maurier’s beloved 1938 gothic novel, Rebecca tells the story following a whirlwind romance in Monte Carlo between handsome widower Maxim de Winter (Armie Hammer), and his new wife (Lily James). They arrive at Manderley, de Winter’s imposing family estate on a windswept English coast. Naive and inexperienced, the new Mrs de Winter begins to settle into the trappings of her life but finds herself battling the shadow of her predecessor, the elegant and urbane Rebecca, whose haunting legacy is kept alive by Manderley’s sinister housekeeper Mrs. Danvers (Kristin Scott Thomas).
The Queen’s Gambit (23 October)
Gloriously stylised and unflinchingly dark, Scott Frank and Allan Scott’s seven-part series follows a troubled young orphan-turned-chess prodigy (Anya Taylor-Joy) who gets hooked on tranquilisers as she strives to conquer a male-dominated field. Set in the ’50s against the backdrop of the Cold War, it promises to be a psychological thriller doused in nostalgia, delighting in the pastel-hued aesthetics of the era while also diving headfirst into the protagonist’s inner trauma and isolation.
The Crown (15 November)
Between Gillian Anderson’s transformation into the formidable Margaret Thatcher and our first glimpse of Emma Corrin as a fresh-faced Princess Diana, the fourth season of the awards-laden historical behemoth is its most hotly anticipated yet. Olivia Colman, Helena Bonham Carter and Josh O’Connor return as the royals, as they navigate a turbulent period that encompasses Prince Charles’s whirlwind engagement and 1981 wedding, the 1984 miners’ strike and 1990 poll tax riots.
