I hope you like thrillers, because loads of the movies and shows that are new on Netflix for this coming week look pretty dark — even the new documentary offering coming to the streamer!
In this week's version of our weekly Netflix round-up we're looking at the week from Saturday, January 13 to Friday, January 19, and I've scoured through the platform's release schedule to bring you six must-watch movies and shows.
Some of these are picked because they're gripping-looking movies or TV shows, others will likely become the streamer's new talked-about shows that you'll need to watch lest you're left out of conversations.
As I said there are lots of thrillers this week, with one dating reality show breaking things up. But if you'd prefer some levity, last week's new on Netflix round-up has a better mix of offerings.
American Nightmare
- Type: docuseries | releases: Wednesday, January 17 | for fans of: The Tinder Swindler, Netflix true crime docs
We're starting our week with the next docuseries from the team behind past Netflix hit The Tinder Swindler, so you already know it's going to be good.
American Nightmare looks at a home invasion from 2015, in which a woman was kidnapped but then later turned up safe and sound. Police weren't convinced by the story of the woman, and the media circus didn't help either, turning the event into a very messy story.
That's what American Nightmare attempts to unpick: were the police right to dispute the events of the case, and did media coverage make a bad case worse? This three-parter arrives on Netflix on Wednesday, January 17.
Kübra
- Type: TV show | releases: Thursday, January 18 | for fans of: Turkish TV series, drama series
For our second entry, we travel from America to Istanbul for new Turkish show Kübra.
The show follows Gökhan, a homeless man who's trying to turn his life around to win over his love. He starts receiving messages online that seem like words of affirmation, but turn into important briefings on upcoming events. Slowly, Gökhan becomes embroiled in a conflict that goes above him.
Honestly, Netflix's official synopsis for Kübra is pretty long but incredibly vague, and even after reading through it several times I'm not quite sure if this is a thriller, a fantasy show, a romance or something else entirely. But that all makes me quite curious to see what it's like!
60 Minutes
- Type: movie | releases: Friday, January 19 | for fans of: action movies, German content
Our tour of the world continues to Germany with the action movie 60 Minutes, not to be confused with the long-running CBS news show of the same name.
In 60 Minutes, an MMA fighter who's mid-fight realizes that he only has an hour left to get to his daughter's birthday party, with his missing it possibly leading to his loss of custody. However when he bails on the fight, he finds himself running from annoyed gangsters as he tries to get to the party without losing his life.
While that sounds like the premise to an Arnie comedy, Netflix assures us that it's an action movie.
Love on the Spectrum US season 2
- Type: TV show | releases: Friday, January 19 | for fans of: dating shows, reality TV
Our brief moment of levity in this week's Netflix round-up comes from the return of Love on the Spectrum, with the Emmy-winning dating show coming back for its second season.
In Love on the Spectrum US (a spin-off of the original Australian show), we follow people at various points on the autism spectrum as they navigate the tricky world of dating. The second season brings back some of the stars from the first, but also introduces some new faces too.
The first season, and both seasons of the Australian original, are already on Netflix, so there's lots of Love on the Spectrum to enjoy.
The Bequeathed
- Type: TV show | releases: Friday, January 19 | for fans of: Turkish TV series, drama series
And we go back to our trip around the world. Next up, we go to South Korea for a new mystery thriller called The Bequeathed.
The show is about a woman who inherits a family burial ground from her estranged family, despite wanting nothing to do with them. At the same time a police detective investigating a murder finds that it's tied to the same burial ground. Then, when another murder hits the same village, people start to realize that something is really wrong there.
This promises to be a twisty murder mystery with equal parts family drama and police procedural.
From The Ashes
- Type: movie | releases: Thursday, January 18 | for fans of: Saudi Arabian movies, based on a true story
The last stop of our round-the-world-by-way-of-Netflix-Originals tour takes us to Saudi Arabia, for the drama movie From The Ashes.
Based on a true story, From The Ashes is about an all-girls' school that catches fire. As the blaze progresses to consume more of the school, both the teachers and students are caught in a fight for survival, presented with many choices.
Don't look up the actual event because that'll be spoilers, but take it from me that this isn't going to be a light watch. It could well be quite ripping though, especially since the true story led to political reform in Saudi Arabia.
