If you’re looking for a new and exciting watch for your weekends or late nights,Netflixhas a lot to offer. From limited series to new seasons of older shows, the streaming platform is flooded with titles and stories that keep your binge-watching sessions going strong.
If you don’t know where to start, I’m here to help keep your watch list stacked with new Netflix shows. For July there’s everything from stunning Japanese animation and the supernatural to reality and whateverSquid Gameis.
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The Summer Hikaru Diedis a highly anticipated adaptation of the horror manga of the same name that you don’t want to miss if you appreciate stunning animation, unsettling themes, and fleshed-out characters. With one of the most captivating and uneasy first episodes I’ve seen in an anime,The Summer Hikaru Diedwill have you hooked from the get-go with its jaw-dropping art style.
The story follows two boys, Yoshiki Tsujinaka and Hikaru Indo, who go to school in a rural town in Japan. After a fatal incident in the mountains, Hikaru returns, now physically taken over by an eldritch that inherits his memories but remains separate from Hikaru’s real identity. Yoshiki grapples with this reality and chooses to stay with the new Hikaru. Meanwhile, conflict brews as eldritch hunters get a whiff of something wrong in the town.
Even if you’re not a big fan of weekly releases for anime, this horror-love story is worth the wait, but with its short 12-episode run for the first season, you can binge the entire season after the final episodes air in September (episodes release every Saturday). If you want a break from shounen but don’t want to commit to a slice-of-life show,The Summer Hikaru Diedcan be a perfect summer anime watch.
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The second installment of the dark fantasy series,The Sandman, is here after a three-year break. The second season is broken into two parts, with the second part releasing on July 24 and the season finale slated to release on July 31.
Based on Neil Gaiman’s comic,The Sandmanfollows Dream/Morpheus (Tom Sturridge), a cosmic being who is also one of the Endless (powerful, immortal beings) who controls all dreams. After decades of captivity, in season one he escapes and returns to fix everything that went wrong in his absence. The show takes us through the stories and dynamics of the Endless family.
The Sandman(Season 1) was one of Netflix’s most-watched English shows of 2022, garnering over 69.5 million hours of view time within just three days of its release. So far, the show’s second season has been gaining positive ratings and reviews from critics and audiences.
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Untamedis a Netflix Original limited series by Warner Bros. Television. This short story is a murder mystery that is set in motion when a woman’s body is found near a trail in Yosemite National Park. A federal agent, Kyle Turner (Troy’sEric Bana), and a rookie park ranger begin investigating the case. They’re deep in “lawless terrain,” where they stumble upon a bigger mystery that might put him in harm’s way.
Untamedwas created by Mark L. Smith (The Revenant) and Elle Smith (The Marsh King’s Daughter). Netflix has described the show as a character-driven mystery thriller, with a focus on nature.
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The third and final installment of one of Netflix’s biggest series to date,Squid Game, is here. The dystopian survival thriller, with the first season releasing in 2021, follows 456 players as they participate in a deadly, secret contest where they compete in twisted children’s games to win a life-changing reward. The protagonist, Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) is a gambling addict who takes part in the game for the money but finds himself trying to uncover a larger mystery.
Squid GameSeason 3 picks up with Gi-hun continuing his plan, with higher stakes and a traitor threatening to turn things ugly.
Squid Gamewas nominated for 14 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning six. If you’ve kept up with Korean pop culture (or just scrolled through your Netflix home tab), you’d know how popular the show got after its first season.Squid GameSeason 1 was the most-watched series at its launch, with over 111 million households tuning in within 17 days of its release. By the number of hours viewed within its first month of release,Squid Gameremains the top series on Netflix, followed byStranger Things.
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The Waterfrontis a perfect, quick watch if you like the dysfunctional family trope spiced up with gritty, well-developed characters. Inspired by true events, the show follows the fictional Buckley family, who control a fishing empire in North Carolina. The Buckleys land in trouble after family patriarch Harlan’s (Mindhunter’sHarlan McCallany) health starts to deteriorate and they find themselves in financial straits. Mother, Belle (Beef’sMaria Bello), and son, Cane (It Follows’Jake Weary), take drastic steps to save the family legacy. Meanwhile, daughter Bree (Supergirl’sMelissa Benoist) struggles with her addiction recovery and a complicated relationship.
The Waterfronthas been praised by critics for its cast’s strong performances, gripping plot, and sharp writing. For a limited series, it does a good job of creating a well-rounded story that has you hooked for its eight-episode run.
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Created by Lena Dunham and her husband Luis Felber,Too Muchis a romantic comedy series that takes us across continents for an unlikely love story. Jessica (Hack’sMegan Staller), a workaholic, leaves New York for London after a bad break-up. Her expectations of London and love are shattered when she meets musician Felix (The White Lotus’Will Sharpe), a walking red flag who she is unfortunately drawn to.
Loosely based on Dunham’s own experience of moving to the UK and meeting her husband,Too Muchexplores the perspective of a foreigner in London and through the eyes of Jessica’s relationship.
The rom-com features exciting cameos from stars like Andrew Scott (BBC Sherlock), Kit Harington (Game of Thrones), Jessica Alba (Fantastic Four), and singer Rita Ora.
Under a Dark Sunis a French-language murder mystery with a plot that might remind you ofKnives Out. It follows a young single mother named Alba, who gets a new job as a picker at a prestigious flower farm. Things go awry when she finds herself the prime suspect in the murder of the farm’s patriarch, with suspicions rising when her name is mentioned in his will as the estate’s beneficiary. Alba’s past and possible connections to the family come into question in this thrilling Netflix Original series.
Deliriumis a Spanish-language psychological thriller inspired by Laura Restrepo’s novel. One of Netflix’s three projects with Colombian production company TIS Services,Deliriumtells the story of Fernando Aguilar, a professor who finds his wife, Agustina, in a state of delirium when he returns from a trip. He must delve into her dark past and uncover her secrets to find the reason behind her state.
For another new anime you can binge on over the weekend, the highly anticipatedLeviathanis finally here a year after its announcement. This steampunk anime adaptation of Scott Westerfield’s novels is an original animation set in an alternate version of the First World War in 1914. There, Deryn Sharp, a Scottish teenager disguised as a male airman, and Prince Aleksandar von Hohenberg, team up to fight evil creatures and prevent war after they embark on the giant airship, HMS Leviathan.
Leviathanblends Western storytelling with its source material and Japanese animation. Born from the creators ofBeastarsandStar Wars: Visions,Leviathanis a war epic that you’ll enjoy if you’re looking for a high-stakes story set in a unique, imaginative world.
Loosely based on a real-life Mexican police team who live in the shadows,The Gringo Hunters(Los Gringos Hunters) is a gripping thriller that follows the work, dynamics, and actions of the elite team that tracks down foreign fugitives who cross the U.S. border. The series is also based on a 2022Washington Postarticle that delves deep into the team.
The Gringo Huntersserves a fresh perspective on the relatively unknown group, and delivers great twists and fast-paced drama. Praise has already started coming in for its new take on police procedurals and unique humor, despite the dark setting.
