Picture courtesy of Netflix UK
This week, Netflix UK held its preliminary Next on Netflix UK slate of reveals, which appears to be like forward at what’s coming to Netflix all through the rest of 2024, 2025, and past. Members of the press, influencers, and people concerned with Netflix in numerous capacities had been welcome to go to London to see a few of the upcoming titles.
Anne Mensah, VP of content material of Netflix UK & Ireland, spoke throughout the presentation about their upcoming slate and their mission at Netflix UK and past. “We need you to love our shows.”, Mensah mentioned, “If you love our shows, we are value for your money, and we are doing our job.”
Guaranteeing that you simply’ll continuously discover one thing to like from the streamer, Mensah continues, “Our ambition is simply to make shows and movies that appeal to the different tastes and interests of our members. Something that appeals to you. And to make them all great. It’s actually that simple, and it’s really that hard.”
Mensah additionally praised rival broadcasters and streamers within the UK, saying that audiences have had a few of the finest titles in years, citing titles from Film 4, ITV, and the BBC.
Picture courtesy of Netflix
For me, the standout of the upcoming slate and what’s in growth is how UK-focused many of those tales will likely be, whether or not it’s teaming up with native manufacturing corporations (and even bigger ones just like the BBC for co-productions once more or STV Studios for the primary time) or having the story based mostly on a really UK-centric story or location that might not be world-renowned however recognizable or related to the native inhabitants.
I point out this as a result of the road between US and UK manufacturing can typically be fairly blurry. Bridgerton is probably essentially the most distinguished instance of this. It has a primarily British forged and crew however is normally assigned to the US slate. It’s in truth a little bit of each, however arguably, the US takes all of the credit score. 3 Body Problem suits considerably into this field, too. It’s once more received a predominantly British forged and crew, however loads of folks engaged on it are from the States and elsewhere as effectively. There are extra examples, however from the brand new commissions and titles this 12 months, most titles really feel extra focused to UK audiences than in years prior.
This suits into what Ted Sarandos (co-CEO of Netflix) just lately mentioned throughout a Fly on the Wall podcast episode: “All of our local productions are meant to be thrilling to the local population, and they’re not meant to be engineered to be global or anything. So what we have found is that the more authentically local a show is, weirdly, the more it travels. Because I think people see it as more authentic and real.”
First Impressions of What Was Shown at Next on Netflix UK
So, what did I believe of the particular lineup? Well, they debuted a bunch of footage, a lot of which is because of drop for most of the people over the subsequent week, however listed here are a few of my ideas on the initiatives that debuted in no specific order.
- KAOS – The particular spotlight of all the occasion for me. A mixture of Saltburn meets The Sandman with Jeff Goldblum shining, this present appears to be like well-polished, well-written and filled with depth. It’s been on my one-to-watch listing for fairly a while, and this trailer (which doesn’t reveal an terrible quantity) catapults it up. It’s due out in summer season 2024.
- Supacell – Coming in June 2024, this collection appears to be like fairly first rate from the footage to this point and jogs my memory a number of Code 8 combined in with a little bit of Misfits. Promising however not Earth shattering.
- Joy—We’ve solely gotten a screenshot for this new film to this point, and the footage that’s proven appears to be like like a cultured British movie with a stacked forged and appears to be an actual feel-good film with vibes of Call the Midwife. I’m undecided how vast the viewers is for this one, however it does seem like it’s releasing at an apt time, given the current regulation modifications in Alabama.
- Eric – We solely received a tiny clip from this one with Benedict Cumberbatch displaying his appearing chops in an interrogation room with a voice tormenting him. Not a lot could be garnered to this point, however it seems that Cumberbatch’s efficiency could be very a lot going to be on the middle of this title. I’m trying ahead to it.
Picture: Netflix
- Baby Reindeer – This was solely briefly talked about in the principle presentation, with the trailer proven off in a secondary screening room. The present is marketed as “from the team behind It’s The End of the F***ing World”, and whereas it’s received a few of the dry bluntness about it, from the footage proven off, this tonally feels actually off. It’s based mostly on a comedy act a few comedian incorporating a stalker into his act. We’ll see how the tip product shakes out, but when I’m proper, this may very well be controversial due to the way it portrays the stalker. We’ll see. The restricted collection is due out on April eleventh.
- Fatherhood with my Father—A brief clip debuted on the secondary screening for this new docu-series. It appears to be like like a pure extension of Travels With My Father. It’s very humorous.
- SCOOP – Set to reach on Netflix in early April, SCOOP continues to look actually good, with the forged completely invested and bringing the story to life authentically.
- Black Doves – Keira Knightley performs a barely completely different function on this new collection than what you’re usually used to seeing her in, however the function appears to suit her like a glove. My greatest downside with the trailer and what we’ve seen to this point is that it doesn’t do a lot to set itself aside from different London-based motion titles. Hopefully, it’ll do extra to distinguish itself forward of launch.
- Bank of Dave: The Sequel – We received some BTS of the capturing of Bank of Dave 2 with the topic of the film himself, which is now obtainable to everybody!
Let’s make a journey to the Hollywood of the North – BURNLEY – to seek out out what we should always count on from BANK OF DAVE: THE SEQUEL, with precise Dave, @FishwickDavid. Coming 2025. #NextOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/5JS7lUBklJ
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) March 15, 2024
We additionally received some behind-the-scenes footage of Love is Blind UK, which appears to be like precisely as you’d suspect however with Matt and Emma Willis internet hosting. We additionally received some footage of Buying London, a brand new Selling Sunset-esque present set in London. The quick clip from that regarded prefer it does what it says on the tin, albeit my curiosity in it’s hovering simply above zero. Buying London arrives in May 2024, whereas Love is Blind UK remains to be TBD.
As talked about, Netflix additionally introduced a slew of latest commissions, which we coated throughout the occasion with a separate publish. Of all the most recent bulletins, the spotlight for me must be House of Guinness. Anything Steven Knight touches is gold, so trying ahead to seeing it.
Of course, I’d be remiss to not discuss Black Mirror, which FINALLY received its season 7 renewal announcement by Netflix this week with the USS Callister follow-up, which we’ve been listening to about for an eternity.
Thanks to the group at Netflix EMEA for inviting me to the occasion. If you may fairly imagine it, that is the primary official Netflix occasion I’ve attended within the 10-year historical past of What’s on Netflix—hopefully, it received’t be the final!
All subsequent week (March 18th to twenty fourth), Netflix UK will unveil the clips we noticed final week on its social accounts. Full schedule right here with the precise instances, however you may see the total lineup of bulletins coming beneath:
