Commanding: Radhika Apte (right) in ‘Sacred Games’, new on Netflix
Netflix in July brings us new and returning bingeable shows, including international thrillers, gritty and inspiring documentaries, wholesome favorites, and dramatic returns.
Sacred Games – July 6
Sacred Games is an Indian crime thriller based on Vikram Chandra’s novel of the same name. It is Netflix’s first Indian series and it looks cool as hell.
The series, which is in English and Hindi, is about a jaded Mumbai cop named Sartaj Singh (Saif Ali Khan) who receives a call informing him of the location of wanted crime boss Ganesh Gaitonde (Nawazuddin Siddiqui).
As the story progresses it becomes clear that the two men are merely pawns in a larger game. The series is made up of eight hour-long episodes, and based on the trailer they look flashy, fast-paced, violent, sexy, tense, and gritty – with maybe just a little bit of Bollywood thrown in.
All eight episodes will have Anurag Kashyap and Vikramaditya Motwane directing parallel storylines – one focusing on Singh’s storyline, and the other focusing on Gaitonde’s.
Anne with an E / Netflix-CBC
Anne with an E: Season 2 – July 6
On the extreme, other end of the spectrum, Anne with an E — the Anne of Green Gables adaptation — is also being released on July 6.
This is a plucky, optimistic, wondrous coming of age story about an irrepressible girl named Anne (Amybeth McNulty). While season one did focus more explicitly on the grittier details of Anne’s abusive upbringing and her struggles adjusting to her new home, Anne herself kept her positive attitude and imaginative resiliency.
The trailer for season two is filled with life-affirming phrases spoken by a wide-eyed, awestruck girl about the utter wonder to be found in the world and the miracle of being alive to experience them.
The series also takes on eternal issues like sexism and gender equality.
ITN Productions / Netflix
Drug Lords: Season 2 – July 10
Season 1 of this Netflix original documentary series featured episodes on Pablo Escobar, the Cali Cartel, Harlem’s Frank Lucas, and Australia’s Pettingill Clan.
These episodes featured interviews with the criminals themselves, associates, and the policemen who worked to bring them to justice. Some of these episodes, especially the ones about the Latin cartels, include an added element of danger because some of the criminals are currently active.
Season 2 comes with a new set of drug lords to explore, including El Chapo, LA’s Jemeker Thompson, Jamaica’s Christopher Coke, and Dutch dealer Klaas Bruinsma.
This series is especially compelling since the production team looked past the notorious Latin cartels to include dealers from other nations and other sexes.
Netflix PR
Last Chance U: Season 3 – July 20
Not just for football fans, this Netflix original documentary series tells the stories of talented young football players who are struggling to succeed, landing in a Junior College team at a community college after repeated academic failures.
The first two seasons took place at East Mississippi Community College, but season three changes locations to Independence Community College in Kansas.
The trailer provides a look at a number of fascinating and inspiring characters, educators who really work to help their students succeed where they have failed before.
Independence head coach Jason Brown looks like a pretty entertaining figure as he leads high-profile players like Malik Henry, Carlos Thompson, and Kingston Davis to Independence Pirates victory.
Netflix PR
Orange is the New Black: Season 6 – July 27
If you were disappointed by OITNB season 5, there is a reason to hope that season 6 will take the series in new and interesting directions.
Season 5 set up a cliffhanger that will result in a relocation of many of our favorite characters to a new prison — which means new challenges, new inmates, and new conflicts.
In addition to the change of location, series creator Jenji Kohan revealed that only two of the show’s writers have been rehired for season six, which means a lot of new voices that can take the show in new directions.
To be fair, after five seasons and a Netflix series renewal through season 7, its time to reevaluate the show and find ways to keep the storylines relevant and innovative.
So many shows settle into repetition after a long run, and its clear that OITNB is trying to prevent that from happening.
Image Source: Netflix
A Very Secret Service: Season 2 – July 30
I love that Netflix is really investing in international television, partly because of the cultural exposure and partly because international television is often so different from anything produced in America, but also because it brings us weird stuff like this.
A Very Secret Service is a spy comedy set against the backdrop of the Cold War and Algerian independence. Its kind of like Get Smart meets Mad Men and uses comedy to examine issues of racism, nationalism, sexism, colonialism, etc.
The series follows a young professional named André Merlaux (Hugo Becker aka French Bill Hader) who is recruited into the French secret service and is expected to do his job without any training or instruction. André is a good guy – tolerant, compassionate, intelligent – in a world of racist and sexist buffoons.
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