If you’re in the mood to become acquainted with some of the worst TV and movies have to offer, this week’s new Netflix releases have plenty of choice. There’s Norwegian dark comedy The Trip, which is about a married couple who have grown to dislike each other so much they literally want to kill each other. Then there’s the third season of buzzy serial killer drama You, about a self-loathing man who does heinous (and illegal) things and then tries to justify his actions.
Who will you love to hate this week? Read on for more of the latest Netflix releases to find out.
The Baby-Sitters Club (Season 2)
Adulthood is accepting that, growing up, I was much more like Type A, orderly Kristy Thomas even though I longed to channel the effortlessly cool and creative Claudia Kishi from Ann M. Martin’s The Baby-Sitters Club. It’s also accepting that I am in control of my own actions, which include watching (and unabashedly loving) the wholesome adaptation of the beloved book series that’s intended for young adolescents. The dramedy is back for its second season, with new clients, new babysitters, and new lessons for these enterprising BFFs to learn — and share. The kids are definitely all right. Now streaming.
Reflection of You
In the new K-drama Reflection of You, Jeong Hee-joo has overcome a tough start to life to build a seemingly perfect life: She’s a successful artist with a wealthy and influential husband and two wonderful children. But she’s still unsatisfied, and feels like she’s wasting her time. When former acquaintance Goo Hae-won, an art teacher and troubled young woman who reminds Hee-joo of her past self, resurfaces in her life, the artist is forced to confront the real reasons for her unhappiness. Now streaming.
Fever Dream
Do not turn on Fever Dream — a.k.a. Distancia de Rescate — for comfort viewing. Adapted from Samanta Schweblin’s novel of the same name, the Spanish-language thriller follows Amanda, a big-city woman who takes her young daughter on a girls’ trip to a rural village and is constantly worried about her safety. While there, she meets Carola, a local mother who has felt disconnected from her own son since he battled a mysterious illness. Parental anxiety then collides with a looming environmental threat that will surely leave you feeling unsettled. Now streaming.
Another Life
Every once in a while, I come across a show I completely missed when it first debuted. Sci-fi series Another Life — about a crew exploring the origins of a mysterious alien object discovered on Earth — is one of those shows, which is surprising because it stars genre legend Katee Sackhoff. For its pandemic-delayed second season, the show returns with even higher stakes: The crew has witnessed the annihilation of an entire planet, and now they must negotiate with the terrifying alien species who committed the act. Now streaming
The Trip
Unhappy marriages are something we’ve seen explored on-screen time and time again (just look at the remake of Scenes From a Marriage starring Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac as one recent example), but The Trip takes the concept to new extremes. The Norwegian dark comedy (starring OG Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Noomi Rapace) follows a couple on a trip to a remote cabin — and both parties have plans to kill the other. But their schemes are thwarted when unexpected visitors — and a huge, dangerous threat — appears on their doorstep. October 15.
You (Season 3)
Can happily ever after exist for not one but two obsessive serial killers? Given You’s track record, I’d wager it can’t. The third season of the twisted thriller finds Joe (Penn Badgley) married to Love (Victoria Pedretti) and living in the suburbs with their new baby. The troubled (that’s putting it lightly) duo are trying their best to suppress their violent urges in order to be the best parents that they can be. We’ll see how long that lasts. October 15.
My Name
It’s been a more common occurrence over the last few years, but it’s still always a pleasure when we get a new woman-fronted action-thriller. Korean series My Name is the latest, and follows Yoon Ji-woo, a young woman who drops everything to avenge her father when he is murdered right in front of her. On her quest, she teams up with a powerful crime boss, who persuades her to infiltrate the police as an undercover agent. October 15.
Kim’s Convenience (Season 5)
A lot has been said about the unexpected end and behind-the-scenes workings of Kim’s Convenience and I encourage you to read more about the tough experiences stars Jean Yoon and Simu Liu have shared about their time on the show (including the lack of diversity in the writers’ room and racist storylines). But it’s the impressive work of the cast (which also includes Paul Sun-Hyung Lee and Andrea Bang) that makes the heartwarming Canadian sitcom — about a Korean family who run a convenience store in Toronto — so special. Watch (or revisit) the show’s fifth and final season in their honour. Now streaming
Deep Impact
When disaster flick Deep Impact came out in 1998, it debuted the same summer as the undeniably similar Armageddon. Now that it will be readily available to stream, it doesn’t have to compete in the genre. The Mimi Leder-directed sci-fi movie stars Robert Duvall, Téa Leoni, Elijah Wood, and Morgan Freeman, and tells the story of a comet that is fast approaching Earth, threatening to destroy humanity, as the U.S. government plans to try and stop it — or at least save some people while trying. October 15.
My Best Friend’s Wedding
Show me a ’90s-era Julia Roberts-starring rom-com, and I’ll show you a movie I love. Yes, My Best Friend’s Wedding — about Jules, a woman (Roberts) who realizes she’s in love with her best friend Michael (Dermot Mulroney) and goes to his wedding to sabotage it — is about two terrible people, but that doesn’t make it any less enjoyable. Add in two scene-stealing performances by Cameron Diaz and Rupert Everett, plus a sing-along to “I Say a Little Prayer,” and you’ve got yourself the perfect weekend watch. October 15.
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