By Matthew Lowe
Netflix -the only global streaming service to have its corporate name adopted as part of a sex euphemism- has today announced the premiere dates for several of its most anticipated up and coming comedy and kids’ series. As well as confirming the renewal of their acclaimed drama Marvel’s Jessica Jones, they have also announced casting for the first episode on the anticipated new anthology series Black Mirror; the premiere of a new musical drama by Baz Luhrmann, and the return of Orange Is The New Black. We have your 2016 Netflix rundown.
House of Cards
The fourth installment of the acclaimed and award-winning drama, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, premieres globally Friday, March 4, 2016.
Black Mirror
Adapted from the popular British speculative-fiction series of the same title, the first episode of the new Black Mirror will star Gugu Mbatha-Raw (Beyond the Lights, Concussion and Doctor Who) and Canada’s Mackenzie Davis (The F Word, Halt and Catch Fire and The Martian) in the lead roles, while Owen Harris (Kill Your Friends) will direct.
Jessica Jones
Jessica Jones, the series based on one of the most popular new Marvel characters of the last decade, is all set to return for a second season. Rebuilding her life as a private investigator in New York City after her stint as a Super Hero has gone tragically awry, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones is joined by a sterling cast including David Tennant, Rachel Taylor, Carrie-Anne Moss and Will Traval. The series is executive produced by series show runner Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight, Dexter) and Liz Friedman (Elementary).
The Get-Down
The Get-Down is a new musical, 13 part drama from director Baz Luhrmann. Set in late 1970’s New York City, it follows a rag-rag crew of South Bronx teenagers who have no one but each other, their improvised dance steps and a few spray cans. From Bronx tenements, to the SoHo art scene; from CBGBs to Studio 54 and even the glass towers of the just-built World Trade Centre, The Get Down is a mythic saga of how New York at the brink of bankruptcy gave birth to hip-hop, punk and disco. The Get Down — Part-one premieres globally Friday, August 12, 2016.
Orange Is the New Black
Ready to do a little more time with the ladies of Litchfield? The outrageous, award-winning and critically-acclaimed series from Emmy Award winner Jenji Kohan returns for its fourth instalment, which will premiere on Friday, June 17, 2016.
Love
Created, written and executive produced by Judd Apatow, Paul Rust and Lesley Arfin, Love follows nice guy Gus (Paul Rust) and brazen wild-child Mickey (Gillian Jacobs) as they navigate the exhilarations and humiliations of intimacy, commitment, love and other things they were hoping to avoid. Love is an unflinching, hilarious and excruciatingly honest take on modern relationships. Brent Forrester and Dean Holland also serve as executive producers. The first installment – 10-half-hour episodes – premieres globally Friday, February 19, 2016.
Flaked
Will Arnett stars as Chip, a celebrated long-time resident of the insular world of Venice, California who falls for the object of his best friend’s fascination. Soon the tangled web of half-truths and semi-bullshit that underpins his all-important image and sobriety begins to unravel. Executive produced by Arnett and Mark Chappell (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret), Flaked premieres globally Friday, March 11, 2016.
The Ranch
Set in present day on a Colorado ranch, this multi-camera comedy series stars Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, Sam Elliott and Debra Winger. The show follows Colt’s (Kutcher) return home after a brief and failed semi- pro football career to run the family ranching business with his older brother Jameson “Rooster” (Masterson) and father Beau (Elliott), whom he hasn’t seen in 15 years. The Ranch is executive produced by Don Reo (Two and Half Men; My Wife and Kids) and Jim Patterson (Two and a Half Men, Mike and Molly.) The Ranch premieres globally Friday, April 11, 2016.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt
After living in a cult for fifteen years, Kimmy (Ellie Kemper – The Office) decides to reclaim her life and start over in New York City. Armed with just a backpack, light-up sneakers, and a couple of way-past-due library books, she’s ready to take on a world she didn’t even think existed anymore. Also starring 30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski, the first season of this acclaimed comedy was nominated for an Emmy award. The second series will premiere globally on Friday, April 15, 2016.
Marseille
As the municipal elections approach in Marseille, Robert Taro, the city’s Mayor for the last twenty years, prepares his last coup: push through the vote for the construction of a casino in the historic center of the Marina. The race for Mayor becomes a power struggle where no holds are barred. Only one question arises: how far will they go? The cast includes Gérard Depardieu, Benoît Magimel, Géraldine Pailhas and Nadia Farès. Marseille is written by Dan Franck who serves as Executive Producer. Premieres globally Friday, May 5, 2016.
Grace and Frankie
Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin star as Grace and Frankie, two women whose lives are suddenly turned upside down when their husbands, played by Martin Sheen (“Robert”) and Sam Waterston (“Sol”), reveal they are gay and leave them for each other. From executive producers Marta Kauffman (Friends) and Howard J. Morris (Home Improvement), the hilarious and heartbreaking comedy takes on aging with gusto. Premieres globally on Friday, May 6, 2016.
Stranger Things
The new drama series written and directed by Matt Duffer and Ross Duffer (Wayward Pines, Hidden) consists of eight, one-hour long episodes. In the series, a young boy vanishes into thin air. As friends, family, and local police search for answers, they are drawn into an extraordinary mystery involving top secret experiments, terrifying supernatural forces, and one very strange little girl. Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Brown, and Noah Schnapp. Stranger Things premieres globally Friday, July 15, 2016.
Word Party
A vocabulary building show for pre-schoolers from The Jim Henson Company, Word Party follows four adorable baby animals as they sing, dance and play. Word Party is produced using the ground-breaking Henson Digital Puppetry Studio, a proprietary technology from Jim Henson’s Creature Shop that allows puppeteers to perform digitally animated characters in real time – enabling the animation to be more lifelike and spontaneous. Word Party premieres globally on Friday, June 3, 2016.
Lost & Found Music Studios
As part of the expanding slate for tweens and teens, Lost & Found Music Studios is a live action series about a group of talented teenage musicians who struggle to find their authentic sound and place in the world as they hone their craft at a prestigious music studio. Premieres globally on Friday, April 1, 2016.
Kong: King of the Apes
This animated TV series is a fresh and modern take on the classic King Kong story. Set in 2050, Kong is still the strongest creature ever born with many human traits that make him the ultimate iconic hero. In Kong, the future looks bright for San Francisco’s Alcatraz Island since its transformation into the most impressive Natural History and Marine Preserve on the planet. But when the star attraction suddenly goes ape and Kong becomes public enemy number one, the villain that framed him is free to unleash an army of gigantic robotic dinosaurs on the unsuspecting world. Premieres globally on Friday, April 15, 2016.
