New on Netflix July 26-August 1: our expect picks the 5 must-watch shows and movies arriving this week

Leanne Morgan in Netflix's Leanne.
(Image credit: Netflix)

Every week I create a round-up of all the must-watch new shows and movies hitting Netflix, but this week it's a little shorter than usual.

This isn't a list of everything hitting the streamer, I must add, only new Netflix Originals which could be worthy of our lists of the best Netflix shows and best Netflix movies.

For this week's round-up, I'm looking at new releases coming between Saturday, July 26 and Friday, August 1. As always, Netflix tends towards mid-week releases, unlike many other streamers.

So let's find you something worth watching on Netflix this week...

Trainwreck: Storm Area 51

Two model aliens before a sign saying "Earthlings welcome Little Aleinn".

(Image credit: Netflix)

My Netflix round-up has started with a new Trainwreck release for about two months now, because Netflix is releasing a new feature documentary about a headline-grabbing event weekly, and it's no different this week.

Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 is perhaps my most anticipated of the series, as it looks at the viral Facebook event which implored people to storm the US military complex Area 51 to discover whether there are aliens there. You may have heard that part of the story, but Storm Area 51 looks at how various events and music festivals spring up in its wake.

  • Releases on Tuesday, July 29

Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes

A photo of David Berkotwitz in Netflix's Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes.

(Image credit: Netflix)

The fourth entry in Netflix's Conversations with a Killer is about 1970s serial killer David Berkowitz, and there are three episodes in its series.

The Son of Sam Tapes paints a picture about how this New York City-based murderer caught victims and was pursued by police, all centered around a 1980 interview recorded while Berkowitz was imprisoned as he tells his own story. It also features lots of interviews with survivors, detectives and journalists.

  • Releases on Wednesday, July 30

Marked

Next up we head to South Africa for a series called Marked, which the streamer has only released a synopsis for (no images, which explains the lack of one above...)

Marked is about a vehicle security guard who protects cash-in-transit vehicles. However she's forced to join a heist in order to protect her daughter, which leads her down a slippery slope of crime, and only by becoming dangerous herself can she stop the threats to her life.

  • Releases on Thursday, July 31

Leanne

Kristen Johnston & Leanne Morgan in Leanne on Netflix.

(Image credit: Netflix)

Leanne Morgan stars as... herself in Leanne, a new 16-part sit-com created by Two and a Half Men and The Big Bang Theory creator Chuck Lorre which hits Netflix in its entirety.

In Leanne, the titular character is unexpectedly made single when her husband of 33 years leaves her for someone else. So the grandmother is forced to start her life again, and she'll have to enlist her friends and family to join her along the way if she's going to find happiness.

  • Releases on Thursday, July 31

My Oxford Year

Corey Mylchreest in My Oxford Year on Netflix.

(Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix has its second British-set romance about an American woman coming to the country to start again in as many weeks with My Oxford Year. This one is different from Too Much because... it's a film instead of a series.

My Oxford Year is about an American woman who moves to the UK to study at Oxford University, whereupon she falls in love with her teaching assistant over their shared love of poetry.

  • Releases on Friday, August 1
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Tom Bedford
Streaming and Ecommerce Editor

Tom is the streaming and ecommerce editor at What to Watch, covering streaming services in the US and UK.

As the site's streaming expert he covers new additions, hidden gems, round-ups and big news for the biggest VOD platforms like Netflix, Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus, Prime Video and Tubi. He also handles the site's articles on how to watch various movies, TV shows, sports, live events and classic box sets, and coverage on hardware like TVs, soundbars and streaming sticks.

You can commonly find him at film festivals, seeing classic movies shown on the big screen, or going to Q&As from his favorite film-makers and stars.

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