Type keyword(s) to search

Quick Hits

Ten New Shows and Movies to Watch on Netflix in November 2021

Award season contenders, festive delights, and a handful of returning favorites all hit the streamer this month.
  • Photos: Netflix.
    Photos: Netflix.

    With the holidays around the corner and award season gearing up, November is shaping up to be a big month for Netflix, with holiday fare like The Princess Switch 3 and Blown Away: Christmas vying for attention among a pair of trio of Oscar hopefuls, and new seasons of Selling Sunset, Narcos: Mexico, Big Mouth and Tiger King. Here are the new releases and returning series we're most looking forward to this month:

    The Harder They Fall (NEW film)

    Fresh off a critically acclaimed limited release in theaters, Jeymes Samuel's all-Black Western is the first of several awards season contenders hitting Netflix this holiday season. Jonathan Majors continues his impressive year as outlaw Nat Love who reunites his gang when he finds out the man who killed his parents, Rufus Black (Idris Elba) is being released from prison. Both men boast strong crews (the supporting cast includes Regina King, LaKeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz) and costume designer Antoniette Messam has decked them out in the sharpest attire. Produced by Shawn Carter (aka Jay-Z), The Harder They Fall is a reminder of the Black historical figures who've previously been written out of one of American cinema's most iconic genres.

    Available November 3

    Big Mouth, Season 5

    Emotions have always been heightened in Big Mouth but the arrival of Hate Worms and Love Bugs has an extreme impact on the Bridgeton Middle Schoolers. Pamela Adlon, Keke Palmer, and Brandon Kyle Goodman join the show's already impressive voice cast (Adlon and Goodman on the side of love, Palmer on the side of hate) and will also be appearing in the forthcoming Human Resources spin-off. A fun festive twist is also being gifted to Big Mouth fans with a claymation Christmas special, which is also part of this November release.

    Available November 5

    Narcos: Mexico, Season 3

    Scoot McNairy is back as DEA Agent Walt Breslin as Narcos: Mexico kicks off its third and final season, but it looks like Diego Luna is bowing out after his character Felix Gallardo was sent to prison. A slight time jump to the early ‘90s helps introduce the new generation, including Luisa Rubino as journalist Andrea Nuñez, who's set to become the first female narrator on the series. After Felix’s arrest, there is a power vacuum and violence escalates with so many vying for a slice of the global drug-selling pie.

    Available November 5

    Passing (NEW film)

    Set during the Harlem Renaissance in 1920s New York, Rebecca Hall makes her directorial debut with this adaptation of Nella Larsen’s novel of the same name. Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga star as two women who “pass” as white but live entirely different lives. The childhood friends have a chance encounter that leads to one becoming entangled in the world of the other. Identity, obsession, and repression are at the heart of this story that's getting early Oscar buzz.

    Available November 10

    Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, Season 2

    Considering the chatter it generated at the start of lockdown in 2020, it was probably inevitable that Tiger King would get a follow-up. The global sensation made household names out of Joe Exotic (who's currently in prison) and Carole Baskin (who's made no secret of her discontent with her portrayal in the Netflix docuseries). Teasers for season two proclaim that filmmakers Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin “barely scratched the surface” but as of this writing little is known about what the controversial series will reveal in its second outing.

    Available November 17

    The Princess Switch 3: Romancing the Star (NEW film)

    Vanessa Hudgens has become a yuletide fixture on Netflix, and she's back on triple character duty in another Princess Switch adventure. A third look-a-like was introduced in last year’s Switched Again and in Romancing the Star, Margaret’s devilish cousin Lady Fiona is called upon to help recover a stolen relic on loan from the Vatican. Sparks fly when she teams up with a handsome guy from her past in order to help Queen Margaret and Princess Stacy in their hunt for this priceless treasure. Expect shenanigans, mistaken identities, and plenty of holiday cheer from the identical women of Montenaro.

    Available November 18

    Blown Away: Christmas (NEW series)

    After two seasons of impressive glassblowing creations, Blown Away is bringing five fan favorites back for a chance at redemption. Host Bobby Berk and resident expert evaluator Katherine Gray return for the Christmas-themed extravaganza that will crown one contestant Best in Holiday Blow. On top of the $10,000 prize for the winner, an additional $10,000 will be donated to the winner’s charity of choice. Let the ornate blowing games commence!

    Available November 19

    Cowboy Bebop (NEW series)

    It's been more than two years since it was first announced that John Cho would star as bounty hunter Spike Spiegel in the live-action adaptation of beloved anime series Cowboy Bebop, but the action-packed space Western is at last making its arrival. Spike is joined by Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), and Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) in this quip-filled quest. The roots of the story have not been forgotten as original anime series director Shinichiro Watanabe serves as a consultant and original composer Yoko Kanno provides the score.

    Available November 19

    tick, tick... BOOM! (NEW film)

    Before Lin-Manuel Miranda took Broadway by storm, Jonathan Larson revolutionized musical theater with Rent, so it's only fitting that Miranda is making his filmed directorial debut telling Larson’s story. Andrew Garfield stars as the young playwright back when he was still waiting tables and struggling to write the next great American musical. Set in 1990, the AIDS epidemic has ravaged the artistic community and Jon is reckoning with this loss and his inability to say anything of worth. The cast boasts a who’s who of beloved stage, music, and screen performers including Robin de Jesús, Joshua Henry, Tariq Trotter, Judith Light, Mj Rodriguez, Bradley Whitford, and Vanessa Hudgens.

    Available November 19

    Selling Sunset, Season 4

    The wait for Selling Sunset's fourth season has been long, but it's finally time to catch up with the friendships and feuds of those in the Oppenheim Group real estate brokerage office. Last season, Chrishell Stause had to contend with her divorce from This is Us star Justin Hartley playing out on screen, which resulted in further arguments with frenemy Christine Quinn. Working during the pandemic, Christine’s pregnancy, and Chrishell’s new office romance are all expected storylines as the realtor reality series returns with new episodes.

    Available November 24

    Emma Fraser has wanted to write about TV since she first watched My So-Called Life in the mid-90s, finally getting her wish over a decade later. Follow her on Twitter at @frazbelina

    TOPICS: Netflix, Big Mouth, Blown Away, Cowboy Bebop, Narcos, Selling Sunset, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness