We’ve now surpassed the halfway point of 2024, and it’s safe to say that Netflix has been responsible for some of the biggest TV moments of the year so far.
Between new shows like One Day, Baby Reindeer and 3 Body Problem, and returning favourites like Love Is Blind and, of course, Bridgerton, there’s really been something for everyone to stream in the last six months.
But the year’s not over yet – and there’s plenty still to come from Netflix in the weeks and months ahead.
That all starts this July, with these 10 shows and films all streaming in the next month…
Star Trek: Prodigy (1 July)
Tell me more: After Paramount Plus made the decision not to renew this animated Star Trek spin-off (even going as far as removing it from the service altogether at the end of season one), Netflix has picked it up for its second run.
Set five years after the events of Star Trek: Voyager, this family series centres around a group of aliens in the Tars Lamora prison colony who discover an abandoned Starfleet ship and form their own intergalactic crew.
Netflix says: “In Season 2 of Star Trek: Prodigy, [the] six young outcasts who make up the Prodigy crew are assigned a new mission aboard the U.S.S. Voyager-A to rescue Captain Chakotay and bring peace to Gwyn’s home world.
“However, when their plan goes astray, it creates a time paradox that jeopardizes both their future and past.”
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (3 July)
Tell me more: It’s been 20 years since Eddie Murphy last played police detective Axel Foley, with the Oscar-nominated comic actor reprising the role in a new fourth instalment in the series.
This time around, Axel returns to California after a threat is made on the life of his estranged daughter.
Netflix says: “Detective Axel Foley is back on the beat in Beverly Hills. After his daughter’s life is threatened, she (Taylour Paige) and Foley team up with a new partner (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and old pals Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton) to turn up the heat and uncover a conspiracy.”
The Man with 1000 Kids (3 July)
Tell me more: The title pretty much says it all – but this documentary tells the story of a sperm donor thought to have fathered as many as one thousand children.
Netflix says: “A group of families learn the charismatic man they had trusted is sperm donor to hundreds – or perhaps thousands – of other children across the world.”
The Imaginary (5 July)
Tell me more: Between John Krasinski’s IF and the supernatural horror Imaginary, it’s fair to say that imaginary friends are really having a moment right now.
Yoshiyuki Momose’s animated family adventure The Imaginary hit cinemas in Japan last year, telling the story of a young girl and her imaginary pal who embark on an epic quest together. After the film was met with rave reviews, international viewers can now enjoy it on Netflix.
Netflix says: “Studio Ponoc’s The Imaginary portrays the depths of humanity and creativity through the eyes of young Amanda and her imaginary companion, Rudger, a boy no one can see imagined by Amanda to share her thrilling make-believe adventures.
“But when Rudger, suddenly alone, arrives at The Town of Imaginaries, where forgotten Imaginaries live and find work, he faces a mysterious threat. Directed by renowned animator Yoshiyuki Momose (Spirited Away), The Imaginary is an unforgettable adventure of love, loss, and the healing power of imagination.”
Vikings: Valhalla (11 July)
Tell me more: Those who’ve stuck with the historical epic Valhalla (a follow-up to Vikings) for its first two seasons are in for a treat with its final outing.
Season three takes the characters we already know in a quest around the world as they search for a new place to settle – but not before one final battle.
Netflix says: “In pursuit of a new Viking home, our heroes must venture further than they ever have before. From Constantinople to Greenland to the edge of the known world. But before they can set sail for new horizons, they must travel back to where it all started for one last battle.”
Find Me Falling (19 July)
Tell me more: If low-budget rom-coms set on location for no reason other than the actors getting to spend a few weeks in the sun are your jam, then we’ve got a good one for you.
Singer and actor Harry Connick Jr takes the lead in Find Me Falling, playing a famous musician who decides to take some time out of the spotlight to try and rediscover his passion and joie de vivre with – you guessed it! – an idyllic holiday in sunny Cyprus where – you guessed it again! – he rekindles an old flame.
Netflix says: “Coming off a flop album and his biggest hit’s dwindling popularity, ageing rock star John Allman (Harry Connick Jr.) decides to take a break from his career to reclaim his spark. He moves to an isolated cliffside home on the idyllic Mediterranean island of Cyprus.
“His dream of keeping a low profile is derailed when he is routinely confronted by desperate souls and later faced with even more complicated surprises when an old flame reignites.”
Simone Biles Rising (19 July)
Tell me more: Right in time for the Olympics, Simon Biles has become the latest prolific public figure to open up her life to Netflix’s camera crew for a unique four-part documentary series.
The gymnast tells her inspiring story in her own words, with contributions from those who know her best in the world.
Netflix says: “Witness unprecedented access to the most powerful comeback in sports, in Simone Biles Rising.
“Journey into the world of Simone as she grapples with vulnerability and self-doubt, redefining what it means to be a champion on her own terms.”
Dirty Pop: The Boy Band Scam (24 July)
Tell me more: A documentary that’s sure to get anyone who was obsessed with the pop music scene in the late 90s talking, Dirty Pop tells the story of disgraced music manager Lou Pearlman, who helped launch the careers of several A-list singers – but all was not as it seemed.
Behind the scenes, Lou’s acts were unhappy with the amount of money their manager was making off their successes (particularly in comparison to their own incomes), and he was later convicted of conspiracy, money laundering, and making false statements during a bankruptcy proceeding after it emerged he was running one of the longest-running Ponzi schemes in American history.
Netflix says: “Lou Pearlman changed music culture forever. The architect of an extraordinary era of pop, he launched the careers of The Backstreet Boys, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, O-Town and so many more. But he also carried a dark secret.
“With never-before-seen archive and unique access highlighting the artists’ epic rise to global stardom, this series uncovers Pearlman’s web of lies, revealing the harsh realities of fame, power, exploitation and greed.”
The Decameron (25 July)
Tell me more: It’s been a while since Netflix has been able to land a new original comedy, and The Decameron is the platform’s latest attempt.
Set in the Medieval period at the height of the Black Death, The Decameron features an impressive cast that includes Derry Girls’ Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Girls’ Zosia Mamet, Sex Education’s Tanya Reynolds and Tony Hale of Arrested Development and Veep fame.
Netflix says: “You are cordially invited to a wine-soaked sex romp set in the Italian countryside. The Decameron is a soapy dark comedy that examines the all-too-timely theme of class struggles in the season of a pandemic.
“In the year 1348, the Black Death strikes hard in the city of Florence, and a handful of nobles retreat with their servants to a grand villa to wait out the plague with a lavish holiday. But as social rules wear thin, a scramble for survival ensues, brought to life by a cast of characters both cunning and outrageous.”
Élite (26 July)
Tell me more: It may not be in the same league as Bridgerton or Stranger Things, but the Spanish teen drama Élite has quietly been garnering a loyal following since it began streaming in 2018.
With its eighth and final season, the acclaimed show is due to go out with a bang – and if that teaser has piqued your interest, you’ve still got just under a month to binge through the first seven. Enjoy!
Netflix says: “Las Encinas will open its doors one last time in a new 8 episode season full of secrets, rivalries, corruption, and excess in the purest Élite style.
“The arrival of siblings Emilia and Héctor Krawietz, leaders of Las Encinas alumni association, shake the school foundations. Influential, powerful, corrupt and corrupters, the Krawietz will scatter chaos wherever they go and will destroy the lives of those who fall prey to them.
“Only Omar will be able to face them and will be willing to do anything to see them fall, because in the end, they represent everything that has always been wrong in Las Encinas.”