Catching Killers
Thursday, November 4th
With David Fincher's Mindhunter on hiatus indefinitely, those searching for the stories behind infamous serial killers have had to rely on Netflix's somewhat haphazard collection of true crime documentaries that wildly diverge in quality. For every distinctive Nightstalker there's a disappointing Sons of Sam. The latest pretender to the true crime crown is Catching Killers which unravels the details of cases such as the Happy Face Killer and the Green River Killer through interviews with the investigators who worked on them. The series looks at the personal effect that these crimes had on the detectives but also their wider societal consequences.
Narcos Mexico – Season 3
Friday, November 5th
This is the "final blow" for this Mexican spin-off of the hit Netflix series. As the show moves from the late 80s into the 90s it is more maximalist than ever, a sweaty melange of Versace shirts, fur coats and Ray Ban aviators drenched in neon lights. Following Félix Gallardo's (Diego Luna) imprisonment, the rules have changed. With the new cartels attempting to establish themselves in a time of great political upheaval, the bloodshed accelerates and chaos reigns. This is the disappearance of the old guard to be replaced by the newly emerging kingpins who rule this brutal, violent world without remorse.
Big Mouth – Season 5
Friday, November 5th
The hormonal soup is about to get even thicker at Bridgeton Middle School in the fifth season of the obscenely smutty animated series. Now firmly in adolescence, our favourite little stinkers are dealing with the intensity of their first relationships with couples Jessi and Nick; Jay and Lola; and Missy and Devon running the gamut of emotions as Matthew grapples with his sexuality. This season sees the group tackle the presence of the "love bugs" and "hate worms" who infect their body at any given moment. The fifth instalment of the series will also see the characters become more politically and socially aware, moving away from their usual fug of feelings into broader comic terrain.
Swap Shop
Tuesday, November 9th
No, not a revival of Noel Edmonds's Saturday morning kids show but rather a whimsical mix of Antiques Roadshow and The Repair Shop. The Swap Shop in question is a rural Tennessee radio show that alerts its listeners to the availability of all sorts of collectables and curios within the area. The series follows those on a mad dash to source everything from vintage car parts, retro runners, creepy comics and even headless mannequins to find out why these items have such personal significance and what started their unique obsession.
Animal
Wednesday, November 10th
With narration from stars such as Rashida Jones, Rebel Wilson and Bryan Cranston, Animal is an up close and fully immersive look at some of the natural world's most enchanting inhabitants. The four-part series tells the individual stories of particular creatures from a protective mother lion to an inquisitive young octopus. The docuseries is not just a stunning screensaver, breathtaking cinematography aside, Animal attempts to delve into the similarities between the disparate bunch and what makes them so beguiling to us humans.
Love Never Lies
Thursday, November 11th
Australians are usually credited with spicing up the reality genre and making it the spectacle we pretend to hate but our Spanish friends also know how to bring the drama by the bucketload. Netflix's latest dating show Love Never Lies, or Amor Con Fianza, sees six couples sequestered in an exotic villa who are subjected to testing by the all-seeing Eye Detect, a McGuffin that can read whether the individual is lying or not by the movement and dilation of their eyes. The technological aspect may be complete nonsense but the accessory serves as a plot device that keeps the contestants as paranoid and anxious as possible, sowing seeds of doubt in the couples' minds as they work towards winning the €100,000 prize money and be the last couple standing.
Tiger King 2
Wednesday, November 17th
The original docuseries racked up a colossal 60 million views worldwide during the first panicked weeks of lockdown but it remains to be seen if the second part of this tiger's tale will attract such a captive audience. No matter how thrilling and intoxicating the new revelations of this ongoing saga may be, Tiger King is now synonymous with the days of incessant banana bread baking and Joe Wicks jumping jacks. Carole Baskin and Joe Exotic have transformed into symbols of a time we don't want to be reminded of, their notoriety a symptom of our collective distressed state of mind. Tiger King 2 delves deeper into the outlandish lives of the notorious big cat owners but they might have to change their stripes to make a real impression this time around.
Cowboy Bebop
Friday, November 19th
Expectations are sky-high for this live action adaptation of the beloved, influential anime space-western. Cowboy Bebop is a genre bouncing, hyperkinetic feast that follows the journey through the cosmos of the impossibly cool bounty-hunter Spike Spiegel (John Cho) and his seamy, misfit colleagues Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir) and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) as they hunt outlaws and attempt to escape the clutches of the shadowy Syndicate. Written by Javier Grillo-Marxuach (The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance) with an impressive stable of showrunners that includes Christopher Yost (Thor: The Dark World, Thor: Ragnarok) André Nemec (Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol) and Jeff Pinkner (Venom) who endeavour to retain its dayglo comic book roots. The cheeky, pulp-style tone which borrows liberally from Elmore Leonard and the sour sarcasm of intergalactic sitcom Red Dwarf should delight fans and newcomers alike.
True Story
Wednesday, November 24th
The ever divisive comedian Kevin Hart goes straight in this drama series from the producers of Narcos. Hart stretches his talents playing world-famous comedian Kid who reunites with his troubled older brother Carlton (Wesley Snipes) after a hometown gig. The two struggle to patch up their differences, embarking on a night of excess partying during which an incident occurs that threatens to destroy Kid's career.
Selling Sunset – Season 4
Wednesday, November 24th
After an intolerable 15-month wait, Netflix's most successful reality show finally resurfaces. So much has changed for the Real Housewives of Real Estate and as the popularity of the show has grown, so has the thirst for information on the cast. As with the latter years of Keeping Up with the Kardashians viewers are now ahead of the storylines with social media and gossip sites focussing on every feud, every flirtation, every faux friendship. There are few surprises left but there is a palpable sense of anticipation about seeing the drama unfold, especially the perplexing relationship that has developed between Chrishell Stause and her boss Jason Oppenheim.
Fans are also aware that the Oppenheim Group has become more splintered so this could be the last time we see the superb Christine Quinn (part demon Barbie doll, part vintage Traci Lords) demolish a rival with one quip like a razor-tongued Jackie Collins villain. In between the bitching and the mind games they also manage to sell a few magnificent properties too. Property porn and scandalous soapy shenanigans – Selling Sunset is escapist TV heaven.
