As Netflix faces a backlash from users, here’s a rundown of the top shows worth staying subscribed for in 2023 and beyond…
Some Netflix fans were a bit miffed last month when the streaming channel clamped down on password sharing – but I’d argue the streaming service is worth every penny.
In a bid to boost subscribers, Netflix told its customers that they now have to pay an additional £4.99 per month if they want to share their account outside their homes.
A Netflix subscription in the UK can cost anything between £4.99 to £15.99 per month. Yes, we’re all tightening our belts at the moments as a result of the cost of living crisis. But, no, I honestly don’t think I could live without my Netflix subscription.
Here’s a rundown of the top 5 Netflix shows coming up in 2023 and beyond.
Top Netflix shows 2023: Fool Me Once
Fool Me Once is coming soon to Netflix and it’s exactly the type of series the streaming channel is good at – it’s a thriller, and it has Harlan Coben’s stamp all over it. Win/win.
There have been dozens of Harlan Coben books adapted into Netflix thrillers, and they’ve all been as addictive as crack. Bestselling author Harlan signed a five-year deal with Netflix to turn 14 of his titles into film and TV dramas.
And Fool Me Once is the latest adaptation. Michelle Keegan stars as Maya Stern, a woman who is trying to come to terms with the brutal murder of her husband, Joe (Richard Armitage in another Harlan Corden lead role).
But when Maya installs a nanny-cam to keep an eye on her young daughter, she is shocked to see a man she recognises in her house. Her husband, who she thought was dead…
Detective Sergeant Sami Kierce (Sherwood‘s Adeel Akhtar) leads the homicide investigation into Joe’s death, while grappling with secrets of his own. Meanwhile, Maya’s niece and nephew, Abby and Daniel, are trying to find the truth about their mother’s murder, several months earlier. Are the two cases connected?
As if that didn’t all sound juicy as a T-bone steak on payday, Joanna Lumley also stars in the series as Judith Burkett, Joe’s protective mother. The Tower’s Emmett J. Scanlan pops up, too, as does the eye-pleasing Dino Fetscher.
Netflix has not yet revealed the start date, but it’s expected later this year. And I am champing at the bit for this.
Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story
The first series of Monster dramatised the shocking true crimes committed by serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer. And Netflix recently announced the focus of the second instalment of the anthology series.
While Jeffrey was undoubtedly a monster, the second series isn’t so black and white. Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story is set to dramatise the true story of the brothers who killed their parents in cold blood.
However, there are many who believe the Menendez parents were the ‘monsters’. Some of those who followed the high profile trial in 1996 believe the siblings were victims themselves. Lyle and Erik Menendez claimed they acted in self-defence after years of abuse from their “paedophile” father.
They were were only 21 and 18 when they killed their parents. However, during their high-profile trial, the brothers claimed to have murdered their mum and dad in self-defence after “a lifetime of abuse”.
The streaming channel has not yet revealed who will be cast in the upcoming series, but it’s currently in production.
Top Netflix shows 2023: Eric
The Split writer Abi Morgan can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned, and Eric is her latest offering. With Abi at the helm – writer of The Iron Lady, Shame, The Hour, and The Suffragettes – this promises to be brilliant.
Add in some Benedict Cumberbatch sprinkles, and it’s a no brainer.
Set in 1980s New York, Eric is a new emotional thriller following a father’s desperate search for his nine-year-old son when he disappears one morning on the way to school.
Benedict plays Vincent, one of New York’s leading puppeteers and creator of the hugely popular children’s television show, Good Day Sunshine. But his fame counts for nothing in the face of his personal tragedy.
Vincent struggles to cope with the loss of his son, Edgar, and becomes increasingly distressed and volatile. Full of self-loathing and guilt after Edgar’s disappearance, he clings to his son’s drawings of a blue monster puppet called Eric.
He becomes convinced that if he can get Eric on TV then Edgar will come home…
Eric also stars Fantastic Beasts actor Dan Fogler, and The Wire’s Clarke Peters.
The Gentlemen
Theo James, fresh from his role in the Emmy-winning The White Lotus, stars in this new Netflix comedy series written by British director Guy Ritchie. And if those two names aren’t enough to whet your appetite, then I give up!
The Gentlemen “sees high life meet pond life” as the estranged son of an English aristocrat, Eddie, inherits the family pile – only to discover that it’s sitting on top of the biggest weed farm in Europe. Netflix describe the 8-part series as being “all about old money, new money and show me the money”.
Former Skins actress Kaya Scodelario also stars, alongside I Hate Suzie’s Daniel Ings, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover actress Joely Richardson.
Better Call Saul’s Giancarlo Esposito appears, as does The Tick’s Peter Serafinowicz. And, of course, this is a Guy Ritchie production I’m talking about, so Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels’ Vinnie Jones also appears!
Top Netflix shows 2023: One Day
Don’t be put off by the dire 2011 film adaptation starring Anne Hathaway… One Day is a brilliant book which deserves another shot.
David Nicholls’ bestselling novel is ripe for a decent film or series, and Netflix has promised exactly that – with a cast that gets my pulse racing.
One Day is a tragi-comic love story which follows Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew every year on the same day – the 15 July. They first meet at university in 1988 on the night of their graduation.
The next morning, they go their separate ways but that is far from the end of their acquaintance… Each episode will find Dex and Em, one year older.
I have high hopes for this adaptation on the strength of its cast. This Is Going to Hurt’s Ambika Mod stars as Emma Morley, The White Lotus’ Leo Woodall plays Dexter, while The Outlaws’ Eleanor Tomlinson plays Sylvie.
The bad news? It’s not due until 2024.
Also coming up on Netflix
There are tons more new and returning series coming to Netflix in 2023 and 2024. Returning series include The Witcher series 3 which arrives on June 29, 2023.
Heartstopper series 2 lands on August 03, 2023, The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 releases in the UK on July 06, 2023, and Top Boy series 3 streams from September 2023.
Meanwhile, Sex Education series 4 is due sometime in 2023.
New fly-on-the-wall reality shows include a Robbie Williams multi-part series. It promises to be “an unfiltered, in-depth examination of the entertainer”.
David Beckham and Tommy Fury also have their own reality shows coming up on Netflix in 2023. Upcoming true crime series include a documentary looking into the devastating death of TV star Jill Dando. There’s also the highly controversial Hunting Gary Glitter.
Read more: Netflix’s controversial Monster hit with fresh criticism as season 2 announced
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