2020 is already seeing some Netflix originals get lots of positive buzz.
From drama series to gripping documentaries, the streaming giant is experimenting with plenty
of fresh ideas. With their release schedule ramping up more than ever,
it's inevitable that some gems will fly under the radar.
There are medical dramas, there are cop shows, and then there's Medical Police,
which combines both genres into one comedy series. Medical Police is basically a
spinoff of the Adult Swim series Children's Hospital, and just like Children's Hospital,
it pokes fun at all kinds of classic tropes you've seen on other medical shows.
"Lola, we've got trauma!" "Trauma? Sounds like my lucky day."
In Medical Police, Dr. Lola Spratt and Owen Maestro become responsible
for dealing with a deadly virus that has been released in cities around the world.
They race against time as dangerous players plot to expose even more people to the virus,
and their adventures take them around the world. The writers never miss an opportunity to squeeze
in another joke, and the series is heavy on meta-humor. If you've found yourself laughing
at Children's Hospital before, don't miss Medical Police — you'll get to spend even more time
with these hilarious characters and see them dealing with entirely new and wacky scenarios.
In the Taiwanese drama The Victims' Game, we're introduced to Fang Yi-Jen, a future forensic
scientist with Asperger's syndrome. Yi-Jen is a great student, and he never misses a detail in his
assignments, but his lack of social skills means that he endures bullying from his classmates.
Years later, Yi-Jen is a working scientist, and he's assigned to a horrifying murder case:
a once-popular singer has been killed, and her body has been dissolved in acid, making it
difficult to positively identify the corpse. As an adult, Yi-Jen doesn't always fit in with the rest
of his team at work – but his work ethic and keen eye mean that he often notices things that others
don't, and this case is no different. After Yi-Jen takes fingerprints from the singer's belongings,
he's shocked to find that they match a print found on one of his daughter's old drawings.
Yi-Jen has been estranged from his daughter for years, partially because he was so focused on
his work. Now, he knows he needs to find her, so he enslists a local journalist to help to track
her down and find out how his daughter became entangled with this murder mystery.
If you're a fan of police procedurals, you'll definitely get invested in The Victims' Game.
In Extracurricular, Jisoo is the ideal high school student. He studies hard, gets perfect grades,
and never causes trouble in class. But outside of school, his life isn't so perfect. His
parents aren't around, and in order to support himself and save up to attend university one day,
he's had to work hard — but he's not clocking in at a typical part-time job. With the help
of his "business partner," Mr. Lee, he's secretly running a prostitution ring.
Of course, Jisoo finds that he can't keep his double life a secret forever.
He's got a crush on his classmate, and when they both end up in a Social Issues
Club together at school, he's excited to think that he might have a chance with her.
But when she notices that he carries two cell phones, she instantly becomes suspicious.
What happens if she blows Jisoo's cover? Jisoo is willing to do almost anything
for money — but the antics of this teenage anti-hero just might blow up in his face.
When Jahkor Lincoln was growing up, the last thing he wanted was to follow in his father JD's
footsteps. JD's involvement with local gangs in Oakland always jeopardized their family's safety,
and Jahkor dreamed of becoming a rapper and carving out a better life for himself one day.
But as you'll discover in All Day and a Night, Jahkor's path ends up taking a dark turn.
After finding out that he's about to become a father, he tries to make some money by working
with the wrong crowd - and his actions land him in prison for life. In the same prison,
JD is waiting for him behind bars. When father and son come face-to-face once again,
Jahkor ends up on a journey of self-reflection. "Don't do like me, Jah.
Be somebody like your mother said."
He has to figure out which decisions have led him to end up like his own father so that he
can break the cycle for his son. This gripping drama is anchored by powerhouse performances
from Ashton Sanders, Jeffrey Wright, Regina Taylor, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
The narrative in I'm No Longer Here is presented in a nonlinear structure,
but the story is so engaging that you won't have any trouble following the plot.
Ulises, a teenager living in the slums of Monterrey, Mexico,
is the leader of the "Los Terkos" gang, which embraces a counter-culture lifestyle known as
Kolombia. They spend most of their time going to dance parties and showing off their attire.
But the party comes to an end when Ulises witnesses a drive-by murder carried out by
a rival gang. A survivor threatens Ulises, telling him that if he doesn't stay away,
his family will be hurt. When his mother finds out what happened, she fears for the safety of
their household, and she arranges for Ulises to be illegally smuggled into the United States.
Ulises ships off to Queens, and as he struggles to find his way in a city where he doesn't know
a soul, it becomes clear that his quest isn't just about starting over somewhere new — it's
about holding on to the identity and culture that he left behind in the midst of it all.
Loosely based on the Polish science fiction novel The Old Axolotl by Jacek Dukaj,
Into the Night is the first Belgian original series on Netflix. Sure,
you've probably seen plots about plane hijackings play out on screen before,
but chances are you've never seen anything quite like Into the Night.
Passengers onboard a red-eye flight bound for Moscow from Brussels are shocked when their plane
is hijacked by an Italian soldier. He demands that the pilot depart early, warning the crew
that if they don't take off soon, the sunrise will kill them come morning. The passengers are
understandably confused and frightened, but the pilot abides by the hijacker's threat. To the
horror of all on board, they soon find out that the hijacker was telling the truth - countless
people have been killed in a global crisis brought on by deadly exposure to sunlight.
Now, the passengers and crew must continue chasing the darkness until they can find refuge.
Every high school student has their secrets, but in Control Z,
everything that the students at this school have tried to keep hidden is about to be exposed.
This eight-episode Mexican series proved successful enough that Netflix
has already ordered a second season, so now is a perfect time to catch up.
During a school assembly, a hacker gains access to the school's computer system
and plays a video that targets popular student Isabela, who is instantly embarrassed when her
deepest secrets are suddenly up on screen for the whole school to see.
But when the hacker offers Isabela revenge, she takes the opportunity,
and other students turn against each other when their secrets are suddenly out in the open.
Sofia Herrera, an introverted student who happens to be a keen observer,
tends to notice things that others miss. And now, she's determined to use her observational skills
to do a little digging and find out just who this hacker is. After all, she doesn't want her
own secrets revealed to the entire school, and the only way to do that is to expose the hacker first.
The French action thriller Lost Bullet kicks off when Lino, an exceptionally skilled car mechanic,
ends up behind bars after he drives a car right through a building. He survives the crash,
but his seatbelt jams, and the cops get to him before he can bolt. His time in prison
takes an interesting turn when he's presented with an offer that he just can't turn down.
A cop asks Lino to become part of a rather unorthodox work-release program
in exchange for reducing his sentence — and he'll get to put his mechanic skills to good use.
Naturally, Lino agrees. The rest of the film is a wild ride, and the action scenes
are so engaging that you'll have no problem accepting the absurdity of Lino's situation.
If you're familiar with the famous Ju-On franchise, known stateside as The Grudge,
you might already know the premise of Ju-On: Origins.
When someone dies while harboring powerful rage, a curse is born,
and their spirit haunts the place where they died. No one is safe from their desire for revenge.
Ju-On: Origins is the first original Japanese horror series on Netflix,
and it functions as a sort of prequel to the other entries in this franchise.
The series takes place over several years, following an ensemble of characters who are
affected by a lingering curse at the scene of a murder — a curse with an especially traumatic
effect on pregnant women and families with young children. The storyline in Ju-On: Origins brings
new depth to these legends, but fair warning: this series is exceptionally violent and gory,
with graphic visuals that are not for the faint of heart. But horror fans who
can stomach it can easily binge-watch this series in a single spooky evening.
This Belgian drama series follows twelve citizens summoned for jury duty. Their job?
To determine the truth behind a harrowing case. A woman has been accused of murdering
her daughter and best friend, and now, this jury must try to evaluate the facts.
The Twelve isn't just about the murder itself - the characters also have to separate their
own pasts and lingering guilt over mistakes they've made from their feelings about the case.
It's clear that their personal histories cloud their judgments. The people assigned to this
jury are imperfect and deeply flawed, but they've been tasked with the responsibility of discerning
the truth. This series poses interesting questions about our legal system and the
validity of calling in a jury to weigh in on a verdict. Maybe this system is the best we have,
but this show will make you question how we can ensure that justice is really served.
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