The combination of Netflix’s vast selection and terrible search capability makes it easy to forget the titles that aren’t at the top of the page. To rectify, here are five titles that have been added recently, or will be soon.
With Bob and David (Premieres November 13th)
In many ways, HBO’s Mr. Show with Bob and David (1995-1998) created the modern world of sketch comedy. It introduced many now household names in comedy to the world (think David Cross, Bob Odenkirk, and Jack Black), and served as a surreal alternative to the more buttoned-down Saturday Night Live. Now, 20 years after it premiered, it’s back in a new form on Netflix, with the entire cast returning. It might be difficult for the show to recapture its manic energy and highly specific point of view, but the nostalgia factor alone makes it worth it.
John Mulaney: The Comeback Kid (Premieres November 13th)
John Mulaney is one of the best stand-up comedians working today, which is why it was a complete mystery that his sitcom, Mulaney was so terrible. Now that it’s been cancelled, Mulaney is once again able to focus on what he does best with a new hour of stand-up full of his unique blend of straightlaced observations and absurdist tangents. The title suggests that he’s aware of the creative failure of his past endeavour, and is willing to move past it. Hopefully he can.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones (Premieres November 20th)
After Marvel’s Daredevil premiered in the spring, this is the second Netflix-Marvel team-up to be released this year. Starring the always-great Krysten Ritter as the titular character, the show follows her, an ex-superhero and current private detective as she tries help citizens and evade her traumatizing past. If the source material is to be believed, expect a grittier, more morally ambiguous version of the traditional superhero story, that places a higher premium on pathos and character than special effects.
Tu Dors Nicole (Now streaming)
Harken back to the lazy days of summer with /Tu Dors Nicole/, a new French-Canadian film. Following Nicole, a recent university graduate delaying entering the ‘real world’ by house sitting for the summer in her hometown. The film is a triumph of tone, perfectly capturing the quietness and stillness of walking around a small town at night. There’s not much of a conventional narrative to speak of—instead the film deals in small anecdotes and snapshots to hint at the sadness and longing that live in the title character.
The End of the Tour (Now streaming)
The End of the Tour follows a few days in the life of landmark writer David Foster Wallace (Jason Segel), as he tours the midwest with David Lipsky (Jesse Eisenberg), an interviewer from Rolling Stone magazine. The pair spend nearly all of their time talking as they drive through the frozen countryside, alternately revealing their insecurities and intellectually sizing each other up. As Wallace, Segel gives a nuanced, human performance, turning a role that could have devolved into caricature into something special instead.
