Netflix knew that 2021 wouldn’t instantly be better than 2020, so they made sure to keep the content coming while social distancing guidelines are still the best idea out there. This week’s lineup has a little of everything. Not only is Nic Cage hosting an entertaining series that digs into your favorite (and unfavorite) curse words, but there’s a meditation-guiding show to help you find some serenity. In case you want some serious drama, there’s an Oscar-tipped performance from Vanessa Kirby on tap as well, and let’s not forget about the spooky series that digs into the possibility of an afterlife.
Here’s everything else coming to (and leaving) the streaming platform this week.
History of Swear Words (Netflix series streaming 1/5)
A Nic Cage series? Yes please. A Nic Cage series where he teaches us lessons about expletives? Give it to me now. Cage hosts here with an array of guests — including Jim Jefferies, Zainab Johnson, Nick Offerman, Sarah Silverman, Baron Vaughn, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Joel Kim Booster, DeRay Davis, Open Mike Eagle, Nikki Glaser, Patti Harrison, London Hughes — to dive deep into his proudly profane stance. Over the course of six episodes, you’ll learn about the origins of “F*ck,” “Sh*t,” “B*tch,” “D*ck,” “Pu**y,” and “Damn.” Alright!
Pieces of a Woman (Netflix film streaming 1/7)
Vanessa Kirby and Shia LaBeouf star as Martha and Sean, respectively, who experience an unimaginable tragedy when a home birth goes wrong. Martha then undertakes a yearlong odyssey while coping with grief and her relationship with Sean, which (unsurprisingly) strains under the pressure of their mutual loss. Meanwhile, Ellen Burstyn plays her overbearing mom, and Molly Parker plays the publicly shamed midwife. Look for this movie (and the performances) to be a big awards contender.
Surviving Death (Netflix series streaming 1/6)
Dive into this investigative series about whether or not the afterlife exists and whether death is really the end of life. As one might expect, this show provides firsthand accounts from those who have come close to (and even experienced) the D word to provide an illuminating view of the ultimate question that plagues us. The show’s based upon Leslie Kean’s best-selling book of the same name.
Headspace Guide to Meditation (Netflix series streaming 1/1)
Need a little meditation (in)action? This series will be one of three Headspace projects (produced by Vox Media Studios) in 2021, and this one will lead with eight episodes that will teach viewers different mindfulness techniques to learn the surprisingly difficult practices — including stress, sleep, and letting go — of how to meditate. It’s damn hard to do, especially in our current age where information never stops coming our way, but this series might help convince everyone that meditation can be both accessible and… easy? Not to mention interactive.
Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:
Avail. 1/1
Cobra Kai: Season 3
Dream Home Makeover: Season 2
Headspace Guide to Meditation
The Minimalists: Less Is Now
Monarca: Season 2
What Happened to Mr. Cha?
17 Again
30 Minutes or Less
Abby Hatcher: Season 1
Blue Streak
Bonnie and Clyde
Can’t Hardly Wait
Catch Me If You Can
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
Cool Hand Luke
The Creative Brain
The Departed
Enter the Dragon
Gimme Shelter
Good Hair
Goodfellas
Gothika
The Haunted Hathaways: Seasons 1-2
Into the Wild
Julie & Julia
Mud
Mystic Pizza
The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad!
Eddie Murphy: Raw
Sex and the City: The Movie
Sex and the City 2
Sherlock Holmes
Striptease
Superbad
What’s Eating Gilbert Grape
Avail. 1/2
Asphalt Burning
Avail. 1/5
Gabby’s Dollhouse
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
History of Swear Words
LA’s Finest: Season 1
¡Nailed It! México: Season 3
Avail. 1/6
Ratones Paranoicos: The Band that Rocked Argentina
Surviving Death
Tony Parker: The Final Shot
Avail. 1/7
Pieces of a Woman
Avail. 1/8
Charming
The Idhun Chronicles: Part 2
Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons: Season 5
Lupin
Mighty Little Bheem: Kite Festival
Pretend It’s a City
Stuck Apart
And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:
Leaving 1/8
Mary Poppins Returns
Leaving 1/14
Haven: Seasons 1-5
The Master
Leaving 1/15
A Serious Man
Dallas Buyers Club
Waco: Limited Series
Leaving 1/16
Friday Night Tykes: Seasons 1-4