David Farnor | On 29, Mar 2020

Studio Ghibli. Those are still the two most exciting words for any Netflix user, as the streaming giant concludes its gradual release of the Japanese anime studio’s masterpieces on a streaming platform for the first time. That on its own would be worth the price of a subscription, but there’s a whole host of intriguing titles on the way to keep you entertained during the long days at home ahead.

There’s new Chris Hemsworth actioner Extraction to provide blockbuster thrills, new seasons of Peaky Blinders and Money Heist for gripping binge-watches, the return of Ricky Gervais’ After Life, and a new Ghost in the Shell anime. Reality TV fans who have already devoured Love Is Blind, meanwhile, have got more episodes of Terrace House on the way.

For family viewing, there’s more Teen Titans Go!, a chance to catch Spielberg’s The Adventures of Tintin, new Netflix animation The Willoughbys and new series The Big Show Show.

And, for the moments when you need a pick-up, there’s the whole of Community, Iliza Shlesinger’s new sketch show, Kenya Barris’ latest show, #blackAF, a new series from Mindy Kaling, plus the latest creation from the man behind Adventure Time that’s strictly for adults.

Here’s what’s coming soon to Netflix UK in April 2020:

Studio Ghibli – 1st April

Netflix drops its third of three monthly releases of Studio Ghibli movies with some of the anime giants’s most underrated offerings, including Pom Poko (1994), Whisper of the Heart (1995), Howl’s Moving Castle (2004), Ponyo (2008) and The Wind Rises (2013).

Community: Season 1 to 6 – 1st April

Created by Dan Harmon, Community is the story of a dysfunctional study group at a community college. Over six seasons, it became a modern classic of surrealism, pop-culture parodies and ludicrous plotlines – if you’ve never seen it, this is your chance.

Peaky Blinders: Season 5 – 22nd April

Change is in the air in Peaky Blinders’ impeccably performed fifth season, as Tommy Shelby heads into politics – and finds a world just as cutthroat as the one he’s supposedly left behind.

The Iliza Shlesinger Sketch Show – 1st April

The always-excellent comic gets her own hilarious, satire-filled series packed with outrageous characters.

Sunderland ‘Til I Die: Season 2 – 1st April

Netflix’s heart-wrenching documentary series follows Sunderland football club through the 2017-18 season as they try to bounce back after relegation from the Premier League.

Nailed It!: Season 4 – 1st April

Netflix’s baking show, hosted by Nicole Byer, returns for another helping of failed, terrible baked creations.

The Town – 1st April

Accomplished and riveting, Ben Affleck’s crime drama isn’t as hot as Heat, but it’s a scorcher.

The Adventures of Tintin – 1st April

This groundbreaking animated blockbuster based on the iconic comic books is an enjoyably old-fashioned romp.

How to Fix a Drug Scandal – 1st April

In 2013, Massachusetts State Police arrested 35-year-old crime drug lab chemist Sonja Farak for tampering with evidence: and that was only the beginning. Over time, details emerged that Farak had been in fact using the drugs that she was tasked with testing.

Teen Titans Go! Season 5 – 1st April

This hilarious, self-aware follow-up to the popular Teen Titans series takes a more comedic look at superheroes including Robin, Raven and Starfire – the ideal counterpoint to Netflix’s gritty Titans.

Money Heist: Part 4 – 3rd April

Netflix’s hit Spanish thriller returns for another bout of twisting, turning heist plotting.

Coffee & Kareem – 3rd April

In the raunchy, buddy-cop comedy Coffee & Kareem, twelve-year-old Kareem Manning hires a criminal to scare his mom’s new boyfriend — police officer James Coffee — but it backfires, forcing Coffee and Kareem to team up in order to save themselves from Detroit’s most ruthless drug kingpin. Ed Helms and Taraji P. Henson star in this new film from the director of Goon.

Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy Part 1 – 3rd April

A new chapter begins for Lucky and her friends as they leave Miradero behind to live and learn at the prestigious Palomino Bluffs Riding Academy.

Starbeam: Season 1 – 3rd April

Stopping trouble with bubbles, it’s always time for Zoey to shine when she turns into StarBeam the superhero.

The Big Show Show – 6th April

The World’s Largest Athlete takes on a new role in this new WWE series, which sees the teenage daughter of The Big Show, a retired world-famous WWE Superstar, come to live with him, his wife and two other daughters. Despite being 7 feet tall and weighing 400 pounds, he is no longer the centre of attention and is quickly outnumbered and outsmarted.

Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020: Part 3 – 7th April

Japan’s answer to Love Island is as charmingly polite and quietly absorbing as ever.

Brews Brothers: Season 1 – 10th April

Jeff Schaffer and Greg Schaffer head to Netflix for this new comedy about two estranged brothers who end up running a brewery together.

Tigertail – 10th April

A Taiwanese factory worker leaves his homeland to seek opportunity in America, where he struggles to find connection while balancing family and newfound responsibilities in this multi-generational drama from writer-director Alan Yang.

Time to Hunt – 10th April

In hopes of escaping a dystopian city and a chance at a new life, four friends with nothing to lose plan a casino heist. But what seemed like a bulletproof plan turns into a chase for their lives when they fall prey to a mysterious hunter who wants them dead.

School Life – 10th April

In one of the poorest areas of Paris, a school counselor devotes herself to working with disadvantaged students, while facing challenges of her own.

The Trial: Season 1 – 10th April

The murder of a teen girl impacts a public prosecutor linked to the victim, a lawyer seeking a career-making case and a suspect who says she’s innocent in this new Italian crime drama.

The Main Event – 10th April

The second WWE Netflix series of the month, The Main Event sees 11-year-old Leo Thompson (Seth Carr) discover a magical wrestling mask that grants him super strength – and so he uses it to enter a WWE competition. With the support of his grandmother (Tichina Arnold), Leo will do whatever it takes to achieve his dream of becoming a WWE Superstar.

Love Wedding Repeat – 10th April

Olivia Munn and Sam Claflin star in this new romantic comedy that sees different versions of the same day unfold as Jack juggles difficult guests, unbridled chaos and potential romance at his sister’s wedding.

The Breakfast Club – 10th April

“Don’t you forget about me…”

LA Originals – 10th April

An exploration of the culture and landmarks of the chicano and street art movement that cemented Mister Cartoon and Estevan Oriol’s status as behind-the-scenes hip hop legends.

Chris D’Elia: No Pain – 14th April

He may not be great at things like reading or talking to babies, but he definitely has a bit of perspective on both comedy and life.

Outer Banks – 15th April

Four friends. One summer. And $400 million in gold.

The Innocence Files: Season 1 – 15th April

Netflix’s investment in true crime goes one step further with this new docuseries that explore eight cases of wrongful conviction that The Innocence Project works to overturn.

Fary: Hexagone: Season 2 – 16th April

The French comedy phenom Fary concludes a two-part stand-up special with another playful spin on identity, culture and more.

Fauda: Season 3 – 16th April

A top agent comes out of retirement to hunt for a Palestinian fighter he thought he’d killed in this Israeli thriller.

Mauricio Meirelles: Generating Chaos – 16th April

He’s mid-30s going on 79, with scathingly funny views on fatherhood, marriage and society. Let Maurício Meirelles give you a tour of his chaotic mind.

#blackAF: Season 1 – 17th April

Pulling back the curtain, #blackAF uncovers the messy, unfiltered and often hilarious world of what it means to be a “new money” black family trying to get it right in a modern world where “right” is no longer a fixed concept. The Netflix original series stars Kenya Barris as a fictionalised version of himself and Rashida Jones as his wife Joya.

Earth and Blood – 17th April

Saïd owns a sawmill deep in the woods, which he decides to sell. Little does he know that one of his apprentices was cornered by his brother and forced to hide a large amount of cocaine inside the factory. When the gang to whom the drugs belong shows up, Saïd quickly realises how determined these tough guys are.

El Dragón: Return of a Warrior: Season 2 – 17th April

o replace his grandfather as head of a cartel, a Tokyo financier returns to his home country of Mexico, where he battles two rivals for control.

Rising High – 17th April

Ready to do anything to get rich, a young man upends the Berlin property market with his shady pal, till the good times threaten to destroy it all in this new German film based on real life.

Sergio – 17th April

Wagner Moura and Ana de Armas star in this sweeping biopic of UN diplomat Sergio Vieira de Mello, whose life hangs in the balance in the chaotic aftermath of the US invasion of Iraq.

The Last Kids on Earth: Book 2 – 17th April

When zombies and monsters invade his hometown, a scrappy 13-year-old orphan teams up with his friends in hopes of surviving the chaos. Based on the graphic novels by Max Brallier.

The Legacy of the Bones – 17th April

A year after solving a series of murders, detective Amaia is faced with a related mystery in the Baztán Valley that hits close to home.

Too Hot to Handle: Season 1 – 17th April

Hot on the heels of Love Is Blind comes this new dating series with an equally outrageous hook: on the shores of paradise, gorgeous singles meet and mingle, but to win a $100,000 grand prize, they’ll have to give up sex.

Giri/Haji: Season 1 – 17th April

In a London apartment, a man lies dead with a sword in his back. In Tokyo, a man sits at a table in a diner, looking at a photo of the crime scene. The two seem like their worlds couldn’t be farther apart. The fact that Giri/Haji, BBC Two’s jaw-dropping thriller, manages to connect the two at all is impressive. The way it does it, though, elevates it from a gripping drama to a truly remarkable piece of television. Tokyo detective Kenzo Mori is sent to London to find the brother he thought was dead, now reappeared and wanted for a vicious killing that threatens to tear both cities apart. One of the year’s most original and unique series, blending animation, cinematic flashbacks and neon visuals, this globe-trotting thriller is a remarkable piece of TV.

Cooked with Cannabis: Season 1 – 20th April

Chefs compete to get the hosts and special guests high on elevated cannabis cuisine with their artful use of leafy herb.

The Midnight Gospel: Season 1 – 20th April

This new series from Pendleton Ward (Adventure Time) and Duncan Trussell (Duncan Trussell Family Hour podcast) follows Clancy, a space-caster who uses a multiverse simulator to interview beings living in other worlds.

The Last Dance: Season 1 – 20th April

The 10-part series, which airs on ESPN in the USA, tells the story of how Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls came to dominate and define basketball in the 1990s. The basketball star remains a sporting legend even decades after the peak of his NBA career. The documentary, directed by Jason Hehir (The Fab Five, The ’85 Bears, Andre the Giant), charts the simultaneous rise of Jordan and the NBA, boasting more than 500 hours of never-before-seen footage from the Bulls’ last championship run in the 1997-98 season.

Middleditch & Schwartz: Season 1 – 21st April

Thomas Middleditch and Ben Schwartz drop a trio of improvised comedy special.

The Willoughbys – 22nd April

Ricky Gervais voices a cat in this new animated film which follows the Willoughby children, who, convinced they’d be better off raising themselves, hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family. Also starring Will Forte, Maya Rudolph and Terry Crews, the film’s directed by Kris Pearn (Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs 2).

Ghost in the Shell: SAC_2045: Season 1 – 23rd April

Set in the year 2045, after global capitalism has defaulted, the series follows Japan’s elite task force, Public Security Section 9, which begins conducting covert cyber operations. Appleseed’s Shinji Aramaki and Kenji Kamiyama, who gave us Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, bring us a new anime based on Shirow Masamune’s manga.

After Life: Season 2 – 24th April

Set in the small fictitious town of Tambury, Ricky Gervais’ comedy-drama follows Tony (Gervais), a writer for the local newspaper whose life is upended after his wife dies from cancer. Life goes on in Season 2, which sees Tony try to become a better friend to those around him – each grappling with their own problems and only to be intensified by the looming threat of the local newspaper being shut down.

Extraction – 24th April

Chris Hemsworth stars in this new thriller produced the Russo brothers as Tyler Rake, a fearless black market mercenary with nothing left to lose. Tyler’s skills are solicited to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord, but in the murky underworld of weapons dealers and drug traffickers, an already deadly mission approaches the impossible, forever altering the lives of Rake and the boy.

The Last Kingdom: Season 4 – 26th April

DescriptionDuring their invasion of England, the Danes capture Uhtred, a young successor of Saxon earldom, and raise him as their own. Years later, Uhtred’s loyalties are put to the test by the Danes…

Never Have I Ever: Season 1 – 27th April

Watch out Sherman Oaks High, here comes Devi Vishwakumar. Mindy Kaling’s new comedy, partly rooted in Kaling’s experiences and childhood, charts the complicated life of a modern-day first generation Indian American teenage girl.

 

Other new releases coming soon to Netflix UK in March 2020:

1st April
Pom Poko (1994)
Whisper of the Heart (1995)
Howl’s Moving Castle (2004)
Ponyo (2008)
From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
The Wind Rises (2013)
When Marnie Was There (2014)
Fool’s Gold
American Beauty
Blades of Glory
Ladies in Black
Beerfest
Troy
Dumb and Dumber
Ghost Town
Big Night
Winter’s Tale
A Man Apart
TMNT
Firewall
Pokemon: Sun & Moon: Season 3
When the Game Stands Tall
Julian Schnabel: A Private Portrait
David Banta: Elefanten I Rummet
Sothum Aayiam Pon

2nd April
Violet Evergarden

3rd April
Hyena: Season 1, Episode 13 of 16

4th April
Hi Bye, Mama: Season 1: Special
J-Style Trip: Season 1, Episode 3 of 12
Rugal: Season 1, Episode 3 of 16
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 12, Episode 6
Hyena: Season 1, Episode 14 of 16
Hyena: Season 1, Episode 15 of 16

5th April
Hyena: Season 1, Episode 16 of 16
Hi Bye, Mama: Season 1: Special
Rugal: Season 1, Episode 4 of 16

7th April
Better Call Saul: Season 5, Episode 8
Dinnerladies
The Vicar of Dibley

9th April
Welcome to Mercy
Hi Score Girl: Season 2
Hospital Playlist: Season 1, Episode 5 of 12

10th April
Child’s Play (2019)
Brian Banks

11th April
Code 8
Night Hunter
Hi Bye, Mama: Season 1, Episode 13
J-Style Trip: Season 1, Episode 4 of 12
Rugal: Season 1, Episode 5 of 16
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 12, Episode 7
Hyena: Season 1, Episode 16 of 16

12th April
Hi Bye, Mama: Season 1, Episode 14
Rugal: Season 1, Episode 6 of 16

14th April
Better Call Saul: Season 5, Episode 9

16th April
Hospital Playlist: Season 1, Episode 6 of 12
Riverdale: Season 4, Episode 17

18th April
Hi Bye, Mama: Season 1, Episode 15
J-Style Trip: Season 1, Episode 5 of 12
Rugal: Season 1, Episode 7 of 16
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 12, Episode 8

19th April
Hi Bye, Mama: Season 1, Episode 16
Rugal: Season 1, Episode 8 of 16

21st April
Better Call Saul: Season 5, Episode 10 (Finale)

23rd April
Hospital Playlist: Season 1, Episode 7 of 12
Riverdale: Season 4, Episode 18
25th April
J-Style Trip: Season 1, Episode 6 of 12
Rugal: Season 1, Episode 9 of 16
RuPaul’s Drag Race: Season 12, Episode 9

26th April
Rugal: Season 1, Episode 4 of 16

27th April
The Last Dance: Episode 3
The Last Dance: Episode 4

30th April
ARASHI’s Diary -Voyage: Episode 7
Hospital Playlist: Season 1, Episode 8 of 12

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