Even with Netflix’s recommendation algorithm hustling to serve you new movies, new TV shows, and original programming tailored to your binging habits, the streaming service’s firehose of content makes what’s coming and going difficult to parse. That’s why we’re breaking down each month’s additions (plus the roster from two months prior, and what’s about to bounce from the platform, just so you don’t miss a thing) with a spotlight on what to keep on your radar. Netflix’s own “new releases” category is an info dump. Consider us a picture-in-picture talking head, screaming recommendations at screen.
Available August 1
Batman Begins
Look, we admire and adore Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, but this franchise-starter — a Batman movie from beginning to end that strikes the right balance between psychological mythmaking and comic-book action — is the better movie. We’ll be able to properly reassess when the movie hits Netflix at the top of the month.
Chernobyl Diaries
Clerks
Constantine
Dreamcatcher
Edge of Fear
Eraser
Gran Torino
House of Deadly Secrets
Los tiempos de Pablo Escobar: season one
Million Dollar Baby
Several Clint Eastwood movies are coming to Netflix this month. This Oscar-winner is the one to revisit, with the squinty, old macho man in the mentor role to Hilary Swank’s fierce boxer.
No Reservations
Once in a Lifetime Sessions with Moby
Once in a Lifetime Sessions with Nile Rodgers
Once in a Lifetime Sessions with Noel Gallagher
Once in a Lifetime Sessions with TLC
P.S. I Love You
Secretariat
Silverado
Steel Magnolias
Stripes
Watch the first half of Bill Murray and Harold Ramis’ military comedy, then plow through the second half, set in Italy, if you really have nothing better to do.
Switched (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: High schooler Ayumi’s perfect world evaporates when her envious classmate Zenko somehow steals her body, her boyfriend and her life.
The Aviator
The Golden Compass
What went wrong with this adaptation of Philip Pullman’s acclaimed fantasy novel? The casting — Nicole Kidman as the diabolical Mrs. Coulter, Daniel Craig as explorer Lord Asriel, and the discovered-for-the-movie Dakota Blue Richards as young Lyra — is spot on. The special effects, including the CG polar bear Iorek Byrnison, voiced by Ian McKellan, looks phenomenal. Just after years of imagining this dangerous, magical world, the movie version felt a little... dusty. We’ll all be able to make sure we weren’t missing something when it comes to Netflix.
The Informant!
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement
Available August 2
Emelie
Available August 3
Brij Mohan Amar Rahe (Netflix Original film)
From Netflix: Faking his death to escape the realities of his uneventful life worked out well for Brij Mohan — until he was sentenced to death for his own murder.
Cocaine Coast (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: In 1980s Galicia, Spain, a young fisherman becomes a prosperous cocaine smuggler by providing Latin American suppliers with a European entry point.
Dinotrux Supercharged: season three (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Whether by land, air or sea, the Dinotrux tackle some of their biggest builds ever while facing the double threat of brothers D-Structs and D-Stroy.
I AM A KILLER (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: In this true-crime series, history’s most notorious killers recount their stories from their points of view in their own chilling words.
Like Father (Netflix original film)
Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer star in this original comedy about a workaholic executive and her estranged father who end up together on a honeymoon cruise. The premise sounds like a terrible Adam Sandler movie, but Kristen Bell and Kelsey Grammer are in it! This could work!
Marching Orders (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Follow the Bethune-Cookman University Marching Wildcats as they fight to keep their spots on the field, memorize routines, balance their academic careers, and maintain their social lives.
Available August 4
Flavors of Youth: International Version (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Memories in a bowl of steaming noodles, a fading beauty finding her way and a bittersweet first love — all in these stories of city life in China.
Mr. Sunshine (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: A young boy who ends up in the U.S. after the 1871 Shinmiyangyo incident returns to Korea at a historical turning point and falls for a noblewoman.
On Children (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: These uncanny tales reveal a world where individuals face the tragic consequences of social pressure, parental oppression and family dysfunction.
Available August 5
Paid in Full
Available August 9
Perdida (Netflix Original film)
From Netflix: A policewoman whose childhood friend disappeared in Patagonia years ago starts a new search to find answers, and soon finds her own life in danger.
The Originals: season five
Available August 10
72 Dangerous Animals: Asia (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: From fangs to claws to venomous stings, they all wield deadly weapons. But which creature will be crowned the fiercest of all?
Afflicted (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Baffling symptoms. Controversial diagnoses. Costly treatments. Seven people with chronic illnesses search for answers — and relief.
All About the Washingtons (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Hip-hop icon Rev. Run stars opposite wife Justine in this scripted comedy about one couple’s attempts at balancing work, romance and family chaos.
Demetri Martin: The Overthinker (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: With his signature one-liners and drawings, Demetri Martin muses on doughnut holes, dogs, sports bars, the alphabet’s most aggressive letters and more.
Insatiable (Netflix Original)
This series, starring Disney actor Debby Ryan as an overweight high-school student who returns after a summer of dieting as the school “hottie,” is under fire for fat shaming and being wholly unoriginal and regressive in a way that feels very 2002. There’s a Change.org petition demanding that Netflix pull the show before it drops. Will it happen? Or does this “darkly comic series” have a twist that will vindicate its existence?
La casa de las flores (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: The outward perfection of a family-run flower business hides a dark side rife with dysfunctional secrets in this darkly humorous comedy series.
Million Pound Menu (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Next-generation restaurateurs get the chance to open their own pop-up eateries to impress the paying public — and a panel of discerning investors.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Netflix original film)
From Netflix: A writer bonds with the eccentric residents of Guernsey when she decides to write about the book club they formed during the WWII German occupation.
The Package (Netflix original film)
From Netflix: When five teens go on a spring break camping trip, an unfortunate accident sets off a race against time to save their friend’s most prized possession.
The Ponysitters Club (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: A young horse enthusiast teams up with her best friends to rescue and rehabilitate animals on her family’s beloved ranch.
Voltron: Legendary Defender: season seven (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: After saving Shiro and defeating Lotor, the Paladins are finally able to set a course for Earth. After a perilous journey, they discover that their home planet is not how they left it.
Zion (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Born without legs and stuck in foster care for years, teenager Zion Clark hopes to overcome his circumstances and become a competitive wrestler.
Available August 11
No Country for Old Men
Available August 13
Alexander: The Ultimate Cut
This 207-minute cut of Oliver Stone’s swords and sandals flop has its fans. Approaching it as a binge-watch on Netflix could work in its favor.
Splash and Bubbles: season two
The Nut Job
Available August 15
Adventures in Public School
Hostiles
The 100: season five
Available August 16
Evan Almighty
Wish I Was Here
Available August 17
Disenchantment (Netflix Original)
The new animated series from Simpsons creator Matt Groening follows “a hard-drinking princess, her feisty elf companion and her personal demon.” If the series can live up to its amusing Comic-Con trailer, so we may finally forgive Netflix or yanking Futurama.
Magic for Humans (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: From baffling people on the street to orchestrating elaborate tricks, Justin Willman blends good-natured magic with grown-up laughs.
Pinky Malinky (Netflix Original)
This is a Nickelodeon-Netflix animated co-production about a sentient hot dog. Three-in-the-morning nightmare fuel secured!
Spirit Riding Free: season six (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Lucky and the PALs canter into more adventures with a new chapter of the Frontier Fillies. With each new challenge, Lucky, Spirit and the PALs work together as they run wild and live free.
Stay Here (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Designer Genevieve Gorder and real estate expert Peter Lorimer show property owners how to turn their short-term rentals into moneymaking showstoppers.
The Motive (Netflix original film)
From Netflix: An aspiring writer with no imagination seeks inspiration for his novel by manipulating the lives of his neighbors so that he can write about them.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before (Netflix original film)
From Netflix: Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control when her secret letters to every boy she’s ever fallen for are mysteriously mailed out.
Ultraviolet (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: In this offbeat crime series, an online community of amateur sleuths uses an unconventional mashup of high-tech and low-tech methods to solve cases.
Available August 19
The Investigator: A British Crime Story: season two (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: No body. A condemned husband. A daughter desperate for the truth. The closer you look, the stranger it gets.
Available August 21
Year One
Available August 23
Deadwind (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Just months after a tragic loss, detective Sofia Karppi investigates the murder of a woman with ties to a Helsinki construction company.
Follow This (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Follow the reporters at BuzzFeed as they probe topics ranging from quirky internet crazes to safe injection spaces for opioid users.
Great News: season one
Available August 24
Ask the StoryBots: season two (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: How do ears hear — and why can’t I eat dessert all the time? The StoryBots tackle these and other tough questions in an all-new season of asks.
Bert Kreischer: Secret Time (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Comedian Bert Kreischer is ready to take his shirt off and “party hardy” with his debut Netflix Original stand-up special, Bert Kreischer: Secret Time. Considered one of the best storytellers of his generation, Bert regales the audience at the Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia with stories about zip-lining with his family, his daughter practicing softball with an imaginary ball, and upstaging ex-NBA player Ralph Sampson at a childhood basketball camp.
Ghoul (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: A newly minted military interrogator arrives at a covert detention center to discover that some of the terrorists held there are not of this world.
The After Party (Netflix original film)
From Netflix: When an aspiring rapper goes viral for all the wrong reasons, he thinks his career is over. But when his best friend gets them into a wild NYC after party, he gets one more chance to make the impossible happen.
The Innocents (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: When a teenage couple runs away to be together, the extraordinary gift they possess unleashes powerful forces intent on dividing them forever.
Trolls: The Beat Goes On!: season three (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: As the trolls turn a new enemy into a friend, Poppy trains Branch in “hair-jitsu,” Smidge woos a crush and DJ Suki learns to throw the best party ever.
Young & Hungry: season five
Available August 28
The Good Place: season two
Available August 29
Inequality for All
Available August 31
Inside the Criminal Mind (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Explore the psychological machinations and immoral behavior that define the most nefarious types of criminals.
Ozark: season two (Netflix Original)
Jason Bateman’s other Netflix series returns and finds his on-screen family, The Byrdes, facing threats from a cartel and other warring families. Ozark is morose, morally bankrupt, antihero television we can get behind, so we’re marking our calendars.
Paradise PD (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: From Brickleberry creators Roger Black and Waco O’Guin comes this adult animated comedy about a backwater Southern-fried police department.
The Comedy Lineup: Part 2 (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: A cadre of promising up-and-coming comedians delivers a rapid fire series of stand-up performances.
The Laws of Thermodynamics (Netflix original film)
From Netflix: Jilted by his girlfriend, a man likens his lack of luck in love to the laws of thermodynamics in this documentary-like romantic comedy.
Ultimate Beastmaster: Survival of the Fittest (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: An inspirational group of new contestants who have overcome significant adversity come together to take on the world’s toughest obstacle course.
Undercover Law (Netflix Original)
From Netflix: Undercover agent Amelia returns from the jungle with unsettling video footage, sparking a new operation. Arrested drug mule Alejandra is offered a deal.
For more Netflix recommendations, check our full list of what came and went this summer.