Time may become a scarce resource once again when we shift gears from Circuit Breaker into Phase One of reopening. The beauty of streaming platforms is that you can watch shows at your own pace without being dictated by a schedule. With limited time, however, you’ll probably only want to watch the best available. Here’s what you can expect from Netflix in June.
The Last Days of American Crime
The Last Days of American Crime directed by French filmmaker Olivier Megaton (who also directed Taken 2 and 3) makes for a good choice, especially if you’ve enjoyed The Purge franchise and Money Heist.
Based on Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini’s graphic novel of the same name, it follows a group of outlaws – career criminal (Edgar Ramírez, best known for his role in The Assassination of Gianni Versace), gangster (Michael Pitt of Boardwalk Empire), and hacker (Anna Brewster of Star Wars: The Force Awakens) – as they come together to execute the biggest (and final) heist in America’s history.
Date: 5 June
reality z
As if there aren’t already enough zombie series on Netflix, Brazilian apocalyptic-comedy series Reality Z has added itself to the mix. The South American comedy follows a group of reality series contestants who find themselves trapped in a TV studio when the world becomes overrun with zombies. They must now find a way to stay alive until help, if any, arrives. Although Reality Z is Brazilian filmmaker Cláudio Torres’ spoof of Big Brother and apocalyptic-drama Dead Set, he doesn’t let up on the scare factor. So, make sure you have a pillow in arm, if you’re squeamish.
Date: 10 June
The Floor is Lava
The problem with successful series like Fear Factor, Ninja Warrior, Wipeout, and Titan Games is that they leave TV executives asking themselves: what’s next? This is perhaps why we’re seeing a juvenile throwback in The Floor is Lava.
Teams in Netflix’s latest reality game series (the previous being Hyperdrive, if you’ve missed it) compete against one another as they navigate around rooms “flooded with lava” by leaping from chairs, hanging from curtains, and swinging from chandeliers to reach the safe zone. But don’t imagine this is child’s play because contestants would need the agility of parkour masters to succeed. Tune in to see how a childhood game and an Internet prank becomes a lucrative, and rather entertaining, competition on Netflix.
Date: 19 June
The Sinner: Jamie
Mystery crime drama The Sinner is back for a third season on Netflix, with Jamie Burns (played by Matt Bomer) being the latest character in focus. But even if you’d missed the previous seasons The Sinner: Cora Linetti and The Sinner: Julian Walker, which featured Jessica Biel and Elisha Henig respectively in the title roles, you won’t feel lost. The individual seasons don’t need to be watched sequentially. They are stories in and of themselves, even as they are part of an anthology linked by the detective character Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) – like Hercule Poirot in Agatha Christie books, if you will.
The latest season is about a man, Jamie Burns, who comes under investigation following a fatal car accident. And it is up to Harry Ambrose to get to the bottom of it.
Note: The Sinner: Jamie is completed in the US. Hence if you hate spoilers, don’t go too far on Google.
Date: 19 June
eurovision song contest: the story of fire saga
The pandemic has cancelled this year’s Eurovision Song Contest, but it didn’t stop Will Ferrell from premiering his parody of it on Netflix. For the unacquainted, Eurovision is an annual talent platform where participants from European countries compete with original song performances. Over the years, it has seen winners like ABBA (Sweden) and Celine Dion (Canada).
On that note, The Story of Fire Saga sees an Icelandic singing duo (played by Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams) pursue their singing career as they represent their country at the international event. Keep a lookout for Dan Stevens, Demi Lovato, and Pierce Brosnan (after spending a little more time with a vocal coach, probably) who will sing and dance their hearts out in the film.
Date: 26 June
Other honourable mentions: 13 Reasons Why (Season Four) (5 June), Lenox Hill (10 June), It’s Okay Not to Be Okay (12 June), The Woods (12 June), The Order (Season Two) (18 June), Politician (Season Two) (19 June), Lost Bullet (19 June), and Father Soldier On (19 June).