Netflix 2016 | Brand New Netflix Originals | Part 2
2016 is going to be a monster year for the world’s most popular streaming service. Netflix are doubling their Original content and as we’ve seen in Part 1, there are plenty of much-loved series returning such as Better Call Saul, Marvel’s Daredevil, Orange is the New Black and Sense8. There are also an abundance of brand new Netflix Originals to come this year. Let’s dive right in.
Brand New Netflix Originals
Shadowhunters: The Mortal Instruments
(New Episodes Weekly)
There is a world hidden within our own… where angelic Shadowhunters protect humanity from unseen demons… and where Clary Fray will discover that all the legends are true.
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Shadowhunters is now up on Netflix, and the first of a host of Original programming to come in 2016. Unfortunately, this isn’t the greatest intro to the new season on Netflix. Now, I can’t and won’t completely write off the show as I have only watched the first episode, but from my initial impressions it seems to be a poor man’s Grimm, with the acting stylings of Pretty Little Liars (both of which are available on Netflix now). The dialogue and acting were lacking but I’ll probably give it a few more episodes before making up my find for definite. I can however recommend Grimm if you want a really good Buffy-esque, easy-watching, demon filled romp.
Degrassi : Next Class
Degrassi: Next Class is a pull-no-punches dramatic series that tackles the real-life issues of high school students. Telling the stories of “Generation Z”, the series focuses on a group of teens as they begin their journey into adulthood.
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Degrassi is a powerhouse of Canadian television, if there is such a thing. The franchise has been gracing the small screen on and off since 1982 and has been through several reboots. The latest was intended to feature as the fifteenth season of Degrassi: The Next Generation but after being dropped by TeenNick and MTV, Netflix came along to the rescue.
This show is not aimed at me. It is very much along the same vein of Glee, and that’s okay, it’s just not for me. For the sake of research I did watch the first three episodes. They deal with lots of issues such as sexuality, consent, relationships and domestic violence. Some pretty heavy stuff in there. So if you are a fan of Glee, this is probably your thing. A lot of the scenes are over acted although I did find myself laughing once or twice and I was impressed by some of the topics discussed and dealt with through the episodes.
Chelsea Does (23 January)
Chelsea Does is is a four part docu-series featuring Chelsea Handler exploring four topics of personal and universal fascination: marriage, racism, Silicon Valley, and drugs.
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Directed by Oscar and Emmy-nominated Eddie Schmidt (This Film Is Not Yet Rated), Chelsea Does looks like an interesting series. On Friday, 22 January, it will make its world debut at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival following with a worldwide release the following day on Netflix.
I was pretty much oblivious to this Chelsea woman, she’s had a host of shows in the US and has already had a stand-up special on Netflix but I haven’t watched any of them. She seems to be funny and gives little shit about what people think. An important combination for this kind of docu-series. Expect more Louis’s Weird Weekends, less Making a Murderer in this new series starting this coming week. All four will be available to watch from the 23rd and you can check out the teaser for the Drugs episode here.
[youtu[youtube id=”VeabgdjjL8Y” align=”center” autoplay=”no” maxwidth=”702"]h3>Flaked
Flaked is the serio-comic story of Chip, a celebrated long-time resident of the insular world of Venice, California who falls for the object of his best friend’s fascination. Soon the tangled web of half-truths and semi-bullshit that underpins his all-important image and sobriety begins to unravel. Will Arnett plays Chip, a man doing his honest best to stay one step ahead of his own lies. Irish actress Ruth Kearney is announced to play the female lead, and the centre of a love triangle.
The last thing I saw Arnett star in, post-Arrested Development, was The Millers, and it sucked. So I’m a little apprehensive, but there is a possible redeeming feature here; one of the things I am holding on to dearly is another name attached to Flake; Mitch Hurwitz. Hurwitz is the creator and executive producer of Arrested Development and has also worked with Arnett before on Running Wilde. Running Wilde was a very funny show that only lasted one season starring Keri Russell, Peter Serafinowicz and David Cross alongside Arnett. If you can track it down it is worth your time but we’ll have a brand new, 8 episode series in Flake later in the year.
Fuller House (26 February)
The Tanner family is back…but the house is a little Fuller this time around. Netflix will debut the 13-episode spinoff series, Fuller House on February 26th.
[youtube[youtube id=”5EyoIfnqyAc” align=”center” autoplay=”no” maxwidth=”702"]A dose of nostalgia for those of a certain age. In Fuller House, the adventures that began in 1987 on Full House continue, with veterinarian D.J. Tanner-Fuller (Candace Cameron Bure) recently widowed and living in San Francisco. D.J.’s younger sister/aspiring musician Stephanie Tanner (Jodie Sweetin) and D.J.’s lifelong best friend/fellow single mother Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber), along with Kimmy’s feisty teenage daughter Ramona, all move in to help take care of D.J.’s three boys — the rebellious 12-year-old Jackson, neurotic 7-year-old Max and her newborn baby, Tommy Jr.
Guest appearances include the return of Full House regulars John Stamos, Bob Saget, Dave Coulier, Lori Loughlin and Scott Weinger.
Love (19 February)
Love follows nice guy Gus (Paul Rust, Comedy Bang! Bang!) and brazen wild-child Mickey (Gillian Jacobs, Community) as they navigate the exhilarations and humiliations of intimacy, commitment, love and other things they were hoping to avoid.
Love comes from the creative mind of Judd Apatow who brought us Freaks and Geeks (with Paul Feig), Undeclared, Knocked Up and Trainwreck. So no pressure then. As I mentioned before, Apatow hasn’t got the greatest run of success on the smaller screen. Fantastic viewing but always cancelled. Will Love be any different? I certainly hope so
[youtube i[youtube id=”Ym3LoSj9Xj8" align=”center” autoplay=”no” maxwidth=”702"]em>The Crown
The Crown tells the inside story of two of the most famous addresses in the world — Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street – and the intrigues, love lives and machinations behind the great events that shaped the second half of the 20th century. Two houses, two courts, one Crown.
[youtube id=�[youtube id=”n8Q0bJ_zO7w” align=”center” autoplay=”no” maxwidth=”702"]ould fill the void that Downtown Abbey has left in many people’s hearts and weekly viewing. Written and created by the brilliant Peter Morgan who brought us Frost/Nixon, this bio-series is in the right hands. There is a fantastic cast including Claire Foy (Wolf Hall), Matt Smith (Doctor Who) and John Lithgow (Love is Strange) and the story seems intriguing enough to keep people coming back for more. I think this could do very well indeed.
Jimmy Carr Comedy Special
Comedian Jimmy Carr has filmed as a 90-minute special which will premiere globally on Netflix in 2016.
Jimmy Carr is a very funny guy with an infectious laugh, and so I’m looking forward to this. He has a whopping eight DVD releases to date and hosts or guests on just about every comedy panel show out there, 8 Out of 10 Cats, QI, The Big Fat Quiz of the Year, Have I Got News For You and much more. Here’s a little clip of his funnies to keep you going until it gets released.
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The Get Down will focus on 1970s New York City – broken down and beaten up, violent, cash strapped — dying. Consigned to rubble, a rag-tag crew of South Bronx teenagers are nothings and nobodies with no one to shelter them – except each other, armed only with verbal games, improvised dance steps, some magic markers and spray cans. From Bronx tenements, to the SoHo art scene; from CBGBs to Studio 54 and even the glass towers of the just-built World Trade Center, The Get Down is a mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to hip-hop, punk and disco — told through the lives and music of the South Bronx kids who changed the city, and the world…forever. Baz Luhrmann, will direct the first two episodes and the season finale and serve as executive producer.
[youtube id=”zej[youtube id=”zejyzr5vW3A” align=”center” autoplay=”no” maxwidth=”702"]s best known for his adaptation of Romeo & Juliet, the critically divisive The Great Gatsby and his musical extravaganza, Moulin Rouge. This is a fun looking project and the music throughout should be brilliant. Disco, hip-hop and punk classics are expected and those dance moves… I may pick up one or two manoeuvres for my next venture to some “rad” Get Down.
Next Time:
In Part 3 we take a look at the Netflix Original feature films coming in 2016 including the Irish made Jadotville and War Machine starring Brad Pitt.
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