Picture courtesy of Netflix UK
This week, Netflix UK held its initial Next on Netflix UK slate of reveals, which looks ahead at what’s coming to Netflix throughout the remainder of 2024, 2025, and beyond. Members of the press, influencers, and those involved with Netflix in various capacities were welcome to visit London to see some of the upcoming titles.
Anne Mensah, VP of content of Netflix UK & Ireland, spoke during the presentation about their upcoming slate and their mission at Netflix UK and beyond. “We need you to love our shows.”, Mensah said, “If you love our shows, we are value for your money, and we are doing our job.”
Guaranteeing that you’ll constantly find something to love 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 also praised rival broadcasters and streamers in the UK, saying that audiences have had some of the best 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 development is how UK-focused many of these stories will be, whether it’s teaming up with local production companies (or even larger ones like the BBC for co-productions again or STV Studios for the first time) or having the story based on a very UK-centric story or location that may not be world-renowned but recognizable or relevant to the local population.
I mention this because the line between US and UK production can often be quite blurry. Bridgerton is perhaps the most prominent example of this. It has a primarily British cast and crew but is usually assigned to the US slate. It’s truthfully a bit of both, but arguably, the US takes all the credit. 3 Body Problem fits somewhat into this box, too. It’s again got a predominantly British cast and crew, but plenty of people working on it are from the States and elsewhere as well. There are more examples, but from the new commissions and titles this year, most titles feel more targeted to UK audiences than in years prior.
This fits into what Ted Sarandos (co-CEO of Netflix) recently said during 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 think of the actual lineup? Well, they debuted a bunch of footage, much of which is due to drop for the general public over the next week, but here are some of my thoughts on the projects that debuted in no particular order.
- KAOS – The definite highlight of the entire event for me. A mix of Saltburn meets The Sandman with Jeff Goldblum shining, this show looks well-polished, well-written and full of depth. It’s been on my one-to-watch list for quite some time, and this trailer (which doesn’t reveal an awful amount) catapults it up. It’s due out in summer 2024.
- Supacell – Coming in June 2024, this series looks pretty decent from the footage thus far and reminds me a lot of Code 8 mixed in with a bit of Misfits. Promising but not Earth shattering.
- Joy—We’ve only gotten a screenshot for this new movie so far, and the footage that is shown looks like a polished British film with a stacked cast and seems to be a real feel-good movie with vibes of Call the Midwife. I’m not sure how wide the audience is for this one, but it does look like it’s releasing at an apt time, given the recent law changes in Alabama.
- Eric – We only got a tiny clip from this one with Benedict Cumberbatch displaying his acting chops in an interrogation room with a voice tormenting him. Not much can be garnered thus far, but it appears that Cumberbatch’s performance is very much going to be at the center of this title. I’m looking forward to it.
Picture: Netflix
- Baby Reindeer – This was only briefly mentioned in the main presentation, with the trailer shown off in a secondary screening room. The show is marketed as “from the team behind It’s The End of the F***ing World”, and while it’s got some of the dry bluntness about it, from the footage shown off, this tonally feels really off. It’s based on a comedy act about a comic incorporating a stalker into his act. We’ll see how the end product shakes out, but if I’m right, this could be controversial because of how it portrays the stalker. We’ll see. The limited series is due out on April 11th.
- Fatherhood with my Father—A short clip debuted at the secondary screening for this new docu-series. It looks like a natural extension of Travels With My Father. It’s very funny.
- SCOOP – Set to arrive on Netflix in early April, SCOOP continues to look really good, with the cast absolutely invested and bringing the story to life authentically.
- Black Doves – Keira Knightley plays a slightly different role in this new series than what you’re typically used to seeing her in, but the role seems to fit her like a glove. My biggest problem with the trailer and what we’ve seen thus far is that it doesn’t do much to set itself apart from other London-based action titles. Hopefully, it’ll do more to differentiate itself ahead of release.
- Bank of Dave: The Sequel – We got some BTS of the shooting of Bank of Dave 2 with the subject of the movie himself, which is now available to everyone!
Let's take a trip to the Hollywood of the North – BURNLEY – to find out what we should expect from BANK OF DAVE: THE SEQUEL, with actual Dave, @FishwickDavid. Coming 2025. #NextOnNetflix pic.twitter.com/5JS7lUBklJ
— Netflix UK & Ireland (@NetflixUK) March 15, 2024
We also got some behind-the-scenes footage of Love is Blind UK, which looks exactly as you’d suspect but with Matt and Emma Willis hosting. We also got some footage of Buying London, a new Selling Sunset-esque show set in London. The short clip from that looked like it does what it says on the tin, albeit my interest in it is hovering just above zero. Buying London arrives in May 2024, while Love is Blind UK is still TBD.
As mentioned, Netflix also announced a slew of new commissions, which we covered during the event with a separate post. Of all the latest announcements, the highlight for me has to be House of Guinness. Anything Steven Knight touches is gold, so looking forward to seeing it.
Of course, I’d be remiss not to talk about Black Mirror, which FINALLY got its season 7 renewal announcement by Netflix this week with the USS Callister follow-up, which we’ve been hearing about for an eternity.
Thanks to the team at Netflix EMEA for inviting me to the event. If you can quite believe it, this is the first official Netflix event I’ve attended in the 10-year history of What’s on Netflix—hopefully, it won’t be the last!
All next week (March 18th to 24th), Netflix UK will unveil the clips we saw last week on its social accounts. Full schedule here with the exact times, but you can see the full lineup of announcements coming below:
Rating: TV-MA
