Planning your next season of streaming? Netflix has you covered.
This spring, the streaming service is dropping tons of new series and specials, as well as making good on its promise to deliver new films to subscribers every week of 2021. We’ve got horror movies, reality shows, sci-fi thrillers, superhero epics, fantasy dramas, nature docs, and more to look forward to. But with so much to watch, you’ll need to be strategic with your queue.
Listed chronologically, here are 15 Netflix TV shows and movies we can’t wait to see in spring 2021.
1. Concrete Cowboy (April 2)
Idris Elba and Stranger Things’ Caleb McLaughlin star in this modern Western about a father and son reconnecting through horsemanship. Based on the novel Ghetto Cowboy by Greg Neri, director Ricky Staub’s family drama plays against a backdrop of Philadelphia’s time-honored but surprisingly little known tradition of Black urban cowboys.
The film debuted at the 2020 Toronto International Film Festival and received high praise for its sincerity and heartfelt performances, including one from supporting actor Jharrel Jerome, who won the 2019 Emmy for his part in Ava DuVernay’s When They See Us.
2. Thunder Force (April 9)
Prepare yourself for a superhero epic starring acting titans Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer.
Written and directed by Ben Falcone, who happens to also be McCarthy’s partner of more than 20 years, Thunder Force looks to combine the comedic stylings of movies like Tammy and The Boss with action sequences reminiscent of Mission: Impossible. Supporting performances from Jason Bateman and Bobby Cannavale as mustache-twirling supervillains make this an especially promising pick as we head toward summer movie season. Go, Thunder Force, go!
3. The Circle Season 2
Netflix subscribers’ favorite social media-centric reality competition is back this April. Hosted by comedian Michelle Buteau, The Circle tasks participants with gaining clout in an online community of their competitors, as managed by a mysterious voice assistant akin to Amazon’s Alexa. No one meets in person until the eliminations begin, and when they do, the drama is sensational. This is the show to catch if you’re looking for a water-cooler phenomenon worth discussing on your own social accounts.
4. Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! Season 1 (April 14)
Fans of the ’90s sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show should get excited for Netflix’s Dad Stop Embarrassing Me! In this multi-camera comedy from showrunner Bentley Kyle Evans and Black-ish director Ken Whittingham, Foxx plays a bachelor suddenly thrust into the role of full-time dad.
He’s reconnecting with his teen daughter, played by Kyla-Drew, and enlisting the help of his father and sister, played by David Alan Grier and Porscha Coleman, to raise her right. With a great cast and a pretty cute trailer, this freshman season could mark the start of something special.
5. Life in Color with David Attenborough (April 22)
In Life in Color with David Attenborough, viewers follow along with the famed natural historian as he explores the variety of uses and meanings different colors have to different animals.
To give audiences the best understanding of color in the animal kingdom, the docuseries’ description says, “innovative technology” has been used to allow human audiences to see color as other species do. The trailer promises stunning cinematography, relaxing scenes of animals from across the globe, and, of course, the dulcet tones of Attenborough. Happy Earth Day! *
6. Stowaway (April 22)
A killer ensemble including Anna Kendrick, Toni Collette, Daniel Dae Kim, and Shamier Anderson ground what looks like one nail-biter of a space mission.
Directed by Joe Penna, with a screenplay co-written by Penna and Ryan Morrison, Stowaway follows the crew of a spaceship en route to Mars, who discover they’ve accidentally brought along an extra passenger. With a limited oxygen supply calculated for the mission, the mistakes poses deadly consequences. Judging from the trailer, this sci-fi thriller should be a worthy addition to Netflix’s growing catalogue of films in that vein, including The Old Guard, I Am Mother, and more.
7. Shadow and Bone Season 1 (April 23)
Brace yourself for another epic fantasy adventure, Netflix’s Shadow and Bone.
Based on author Leigh Bardugo’s popular Grishaverse novels, the upcoming magical drama follows heroine Alina Starkov (Jessie Mei Li) as she fights to harness an incredible power within her. Doing so, we learn, will mean the difference between unimaginable destruction and stopping the dark forces behind it. Shadow and Bone also stars Archie Renaux, Freddy Carter, Amita Suman, Kit Young, and Westworld’s Ben Barnes.
8. Things Heard and Seen (April 29)
Academy Award-nominated filmmakers Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, known for American Splendor, Girl Most Likely, The Nanny Diaries, and more, take on the horror genre in their newest movie, titled Things Heard and Seen. It’s based on a hugely popular novel — author Elizabeth Brundage’s All Things Cease to Appear — and will star James Norton and 2021 Oscar contender Amanda Seyfried as a couple who purchase property with a terrible past. Supporting performances by Stranger Things‘ Natalia Dyer, Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn, and more.
9. Selena: The Series Part 2 (May 4)
In all honesty, we weren’t the biggest fans of Selena: The Series Part 1. Mashable’s Alexis Nedd actually described it as “a glowing but unnecessary remembrance of a superstar” in her review from last year. That said, lead actor Christian Serratos’ uncanny take on late Mexican American icon Selena Quintanilla, the role some of Quintanilla’s surviving loved ones have played in the show’s creation, and an exquisite soundtrack make this series worthy of a return visit. ReadMore
Source : mashable