Netflix Canada in August 2020: What’s new this month
Jaime Weinman’s rundown of all the new shows and movies worth checking out this July on Netflix in Canada
Immigration Nation (Courtesy of Netflix)
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Netflix in Aug.: What You Should Watch
Immigration Nation (Aug. 3): Christina Clusiau and Shaul Schwarz directed this six-part documentary about the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency in the era of Donald Trump’s hard-line enforcement policies. In 2017, when the filmmakers approached ICE with the project, the agency happily gave them access and allowed them to get an inside look at the day-to-day reality of how immigration enforcement works, including following individuals through every step of the immigration system, and talking to agents about their ambiguous attitude toward their job. But as the film neared completion in 2020, the officials they were working with changed their tone and tried to get the series cut or delayed. “In the end,” the New York Times reported, “ICE’s leadership expressed frustration that the documentary, which was supposed to be about ICE officers, included the stories of so many immigrants.”
The Rain: Season 3 (Aug. 6): The final season of the Danish drama series whose premise is, unfortunately, a lot more relevant now than when the show premiered in 2018: it’s about a deadly virus, carried by rainfall, that kills most of the population of Scandinavia and forces the survivors to shelter in place for fear of catching the disease. In the previous season, after the In the previous season, while pursued by agents of an evil corporation, the main characters, Simone (Alba Aug.) and Rasmus (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen), tried to find a vaccine; this year their different ideas of how to save all humanity may turn them against each other.
Hoops (Aug. 21): Netflix and other streaming services have invested a fair amount in the animated sitcom for grownups, a format pioneered by 20th Television (formerly 20th Century Fox Television), the studio behind this new series. Jake Johnson voices the protagonist, a high school basketball coach who decides that he can escape his dead-end job by turning the school’s nondescript team into a winner; the first four episode titles all have the f-word bleeped out (e.g. “The F***ing Pilot”), in case we missed that he’s going to be doing a lot of bleeped swearing. The show was created by comedian Ben Hoffman (The Ben Show) and its executive producers include The Lego Movie’s Phil Lord and Chris Miller.
Lucifer: Season 5 (Aug. 21): What?! A Netflix original series lasting five seasons? Don’t worry, there’s an explanation. Lucifer began life on the Fox network as a crime procedural/serial where the Devil (Tom Ellis) decides to spend some time helping an LAPD cop (Chloe Decker) solve mysteries, in what inevitably seemed like a serious version of 30 Rock’s “God Cop.” The show was cancelled by Fox after three seasons, but it had enough of a fanbase that Netflix picked it up: this is the second Netflix season, and a sixth and final season has already been ordered. So, in the end, it will fulfil the Netflix law that original shows must not last more than three seasons. The world makes sense again.
Date TBA
ARASHI’s Diary -Voyage- ep 11 — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
The never-ending saga of the popular Japanese boy band continues, as the group tries to come up with a theme for their hoped-for U.S. tour.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 1, 2020
Super Monsters: The New Class — NETFLIX FAMILY
The U.S.-Canadian animated co-production, about a group of pre-schoolers whose parents are monsters, returns with a new cast of mini-monsters.
Licensed content:
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Leaving Netflix on Aug. 1, 2020
Skins
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 2, 2020
Connected — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Latif Nasser, a science journalist and director of research for the series Radiolab, hosts this six-part globetrotting science series about the many ways in which human beings are linked together by nature and science, to show—very relevantly these days—how we are all sharing this world and what we do affects people everywhere.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 3, 2020
Immigration Nation — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
See introduction for details
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 4, 2020
A Go! Go! Cory Carson Summer Camp — NETFLIX FAMILY
Yet another entry in the animated franchise about a talking car, no relation to the talking car from “Cars” or “One Cab’s Family.”
Malibu Rescue: The Next Wave — NETFLIX FAMILY
Savage Steve Holland’s comedy series is like Baywatch for kids: Tyler (Ricardo Hurtado) leads a ragtag team of junior lifeguards. This is a special 75-minute movie that will tide kids over until a second season can be produced.
Mundo Mistério / Mystery Lab — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Brazilian YouTube star Felipe Castanhari (Canal Nostalgia) hosts this infotainment show (which he also created) in which three recurring characters (including a talking computer) help him unravel real-life scientific mysteries.
Sam Jay: 3 In The Morning — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
Netflix’s first comedy special of the month was taped live in Atlanta and features Saturday Night Live staff writer Sam Jay.
Licensed content:
Kingdom: Seasons 1-3
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 4, 2020
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 5, 2020
Anelka : L’Incompris / Anelka: Misunderstood — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Was the French football star actually misunderstood, or did he deserve to be banned and driven out of the sport? This documentary may not answer the question, but it will provide lots of soccer clips.
Licensed content:
10 Cloverfield Lane
Bring It On
Bring It On Again
Bring it On: All or Nothing
Bring It On: Fight to the Finish
Bring It On: In It to Win It
Conan the Barbarian
Doom
EDtv
The Little Rascals
World’s Most Wanted — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
No matter how attitudes toward law enforcement shift, Netflix will always get plenty of viewers for true-crime stories: each episode of this five-part series focuses on a superstar criminal who is still at large (at the time of filming at least), such as Félicien Kabuga and Messina “Diabolik” Denaro.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 6, 2020
The Rain: Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
See introduction for details
The Seven Deadly Sins: Imperial Wrath of The Gods — NETFLIX ANIME
Adaptation of Nakaba Suzuki’s manga where the good guys are a team of knights called the Seven Deadly Sins, and their antagonists are a group of demons called the Ten Commandments.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 7, 2020
Alta Mar / High Seas: Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Rain isn’t the only show with a virus story: in the new season of a Spanish drama about two sisters who solve mysteries on ocean voyages, the season-long mystery involves a hunt for a passenger who may be transporting a deadly virus. The season was filmed in 2019.
Berlin, Berlin — NETFLIX FILM
A reunion movie for the popular 2002 German series of the same name, bringing back Lolle (Felicitas Woll) and her cousin and sometime lover Sven (Jan Sosniok); when the movie starts, Lolle is about to marry Sven’s friend Hart (Matthias Klimsa), but will she really, once Sven comes back into her life?
The Magic School Bus Rides Again Kids In Space — NETFLIX FAMILY
A special extra-length episode of the revival of the edutainment series: this time, the educational field trip is to the International Space Station.
¡Nailed It! México: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The Mexican edition of Netflix’s successful cooking show (which also has French and Spanish versions in addition to the original American edition), where contestants are asked to make food in various wacky shapes and forms.
The New Legends of Monkey: Season 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY
In this Australia/New Zealand co-production, based on the Japanese series Monkey, the characters survive demon attacks while collecting more “scrolls of wisdom” in addition to the ones they already collected in season 1.
Selling Sunset: Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
The reality show about high-end Los Angeles real estate agents—like a glamorous Glengarry Glen Ross—returns for its third season in only two years of existence.
Sing On! Germany — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Palina Rojinski hosts the German edition of the reality competition show for karaoke singers.
Tiny Creatures — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Mike Colter (Luke Cage) serves as narrator for this docu-series about cute, vulnerable little animals and how they survive in a world full of other animals who try to kill them.
Wizards: Tales of Arcadia — NETFLIX FAMILY
This animated film is the final instalment in a Netflix trilogy created by Guillermo del Toro, about a small American town full of magical creatures and adventures. The third film gives the spotlight to Douxie (voiced by Colin O’Donoghue) an apprentice wizard studying under the legendary Merlin.
Word Party Songs — NETFLIX FAMILY
Animated series where the audience gets to sing along with a group of talking/singing animals.
Work It — NETFLIX FILM
Sabrina Carpenter stars as a high-school student who decides that the best way to get into the college of her choice is to put together her own dance troupe, filled with students who don’t know how to dance. Directed by Laura Terruso.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 10, 2020
GAME ON: A Comedy Crossover Event — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
A four-episode crossover between four existing Netflix comedy shows: Mr. Iglesias, Family Reunion, The Big Show Show and Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 11, 2020
Rob Schneider: Asian Momma, Mexican Kids — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL
It’s surprising that Adam Sandler’s Netflix contract took so long to lead to Netflix’s first comedy special for Sandler’s frequent colleague (and South Park target) Rob Schneider. But here he is, talking about his family life.
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 11, 2020
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 12, 2020
(Un)Well — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
A documentary series looking at the global wellness industry and asks whether these expensive cures, treatments, and ointments actually do anything to help the people who pay for them.
Licensed content:
The New Romantic
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 13, 2020
Une fille facile / An Easy Girl — NETFLIX FILM
2019 French teen film about two cousins (Mina Farid and Zahia Dehar) who learn from each other’s very different lifestyles while spending the summer together in Cannes.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 14, 2020
3%: Season 4 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Brazilian series about a dystopia where the only way to get out is through a terrifying test called “The Process.”
Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Every season of this seasonal anthology tells a fictionalized version of a real-life crime story. This season stars Amanda Peet as Betty Broderick and Christian Slater as the ex-husband she was accused of killing.
El robo del siglo — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Also known in English as “The Great Heist,” this series stars Andrés Parra, Christian Tappan and is based on the real-life robbery of the Colombian Central Bank in 1994.
Fearless — NETFLIX FILM
Animated film about a teen slacker who is forced to babysit three babies who come from another planet and have super powers.
Glow Up: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Subtitled “Britain’s Next Make-Up Star,” this reality series forces aspiring make-up artists to prove their skill by applying make-up in unexpected ways.
Project Power — NETFLIX FILM
Jamie Foxx stars in this drug-enforcement drama, where the twist is that the drug in question is a pill that gives people super powers for five minutes.
Octonauts & the Caves of Sac Actun — NETFLIX FAMILY
A special episode of the British cartoon about talking non-aquatic animals living under the sea.
Teenage Bounty Hunters — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
This show stars Maddie Phillips and Anjelica Bette Fellini as fraternal twins who become—well, see the title. It was originally announced under the title “Slutty Teenage Bounty Hunters,” for those of you who keep files on title bowdlerization.
Licensed content:
Searching
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 14, 2020
Bridget Jones’s Diary
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 15, 2020
Rita: Season 5 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Mille Dinesen plays the title role in creator Christian Torpe’s comedy-drama about a single mom working as a teacher in a Danish school.
Stranger: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Not to be confused with Netflix’s The Stranger or Netflix’s Stranger Things, this series features Cho Seung-woo and Bae Doona as a prosecutor and a police detective who team up to solve a crime.
Licensed content:
Mirror Mirror
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 17, 2020
Crazy Awesome Teachers — NETFLIX FILM
Gading Marten plays a teacher who recruits a group of teachers and students in a zany scheme to recover the money that a gangster stole from them. Produced by Indonesia’s BASE Entertainment.
Glitch Techs: Season 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY
Eric Robles and Dan Milano created this Netflix/Nickelodeon co-production about two guys who have to use their gaming skills to defeat video-game monsters they accidentally unleashed upon the world.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 19, 2020
Crímenes de familia / The Crimes That Bind — NETFLIX FILM
Cecilia Roth stars as a woman trying to keep her son out of prison after he is accused of murdering his ex-wife.
DeMarcus Family Rules — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
A reality series about an affluent but not always smoothly running family in Nashville, headed by former Miss Tennessee Allison Alderson DeMarcus and country music star Jay DeMarcus (of the band Rascal Flatts).
High Score — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
A documentary about the so-called golden age of gaming, when people started to realize there was a lot of money to be made in playing electronic games outside of an arcade.
Licensed content:
What to Expect When You’re Expecting
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 19, 2020
22 Jump Street
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 20, 2020
Biohackers — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Christian Ditter, a German writer formerly associated with comedies, created this dark science-fiction drama starring Luna Wedler as a medical student who gets involved in ethically-questionable, highly illegal but highly dramatic practices like genetic engineering.
Great Pretender — NETFLIX ANIME
Animated comedy with a premise somewhat similar to Dirty Rotten Scoundrels: a young con artist teams up with an older, more sophisticated professional swindler.
John Was Trying to Contact Aliens — NETFLIX FILM
Matthew Killip directed this documentary about John Shepherd, who tries to figure out what to do with his life after spending 30 years trying to (as the title indicates) contact aliens.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 21, 2020
Alien TV — NETFLIX FAMILY
And speaking of aliens, this Australian animated/live-action hybrid is about aliens exploring our planet and meeting humans, though probably not meeting John Shepherd.
Fuego negro — NETFLIX FILM
Mexican film about a fugitive who tries to hide out in a hotel, only to find that the hotel is full of supernatural creatures.
Hoops — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
See introduction for details
Lucifer: Season 5 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
See introduction for details
The Sleepover — NETFLIX FILM
Trish Sie directed this comedy about kids who have to team up to rescue their long-lost mother, an ex-thief who has been kidnapped and forced to steal again.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 22, 2020
Licensed content:
Escape Plan
How to Get Away With Murder: Season 6
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 23, 2020
Licensed content:
1BR
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 24, 2020
Nashville: Seasons 1-6
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 25, 2020
Emily’s Wonder Lab — NETFLIX FAMILY
Emily Calandrelli, previously seen on Netflix’s Bill Nye Saves the World as a guest, hosts her own edutainment show about making science fun.
Trinkets: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Half-hour drama, based on Kirsten Smith’s novel, about teenagers from different backgrounds who bond over the fact that they’re addicted to shoplifting.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 26, 2020
Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Musical K-Drama about a pianist who falls in love with a mysterious slacker.
Million Dollar Beach House — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Another series about real-estate agents selling expensive properties – in the Hamptons, in this case.
Rising Phoenix — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY
Documentary about the history of the Paralympic Games, from their founding after World War II to the present and beyond.
Licensed Content:
The Equalizer 2
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 27, 2020
Aggretsuko: Season 3 — NETFLIX ANIME
Animated comedy about a talking panda who turns to aggressive karaoke singing as a way of venting her frustrations with work and relationships.
Coming to Netflix on Aug. 28, 2020
All Together Now — NETFLIX FILM
Brett Haley (The Hero) co-wrote and directed this film, based on Matthew Quick’s young-adult novel Sorta Like a Rockstar, about Amber (Auli’i Cravalho), whose optimism and religious faith are tested when a tragedy upends her life.
Cobra Kai: Seasons 1-2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Netflix’s Stranger Things-fuelled obsession with ‘80s nostalgia led them to pick up this series, a continuation of The Karate Kid with original stars Ralph Macchio, William Zabka and Martin Kove. These first two seasons already aired on YouTube Premium, and did very well for YouTube/Google before Netflix took it away. A third season is in development for Netflix.
I AM A KILLER: Released — NETFLIX ORIGINAL
Spinoff of the British docu-series about people on Death Row in America; this three-part show focuses on a former Death Row convict, Dale Wayne Sigler, and what happened to him after he (this probably isn’t a spoiler) didn’t get executed.
Orígenes secretos / Unknown Origins — NETFLIX FILM
In this Spanish film, a serial killer is committing murders based on popular comic book superhero origin stories, forcing two cops (Javier Rey, Antonio Resines) to get help from two comic book nerds (Brays Efe, Verónica Echegui) to solve the case.
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 31, 2020
Braveheart
Easy A
Matilda
The Holiday