We’ve made it through the first full week of 2019, and Netflix is rewarding us with a couple of new shows and a Star Wars sequel that’s a hell of a lot of fun.
Two original dramedies dropped on the streaming platform this week. Sex Education, starring Gillian Anderson and Asa Butterfield, follows a mother-son duo who dole out sex advice to their peers — one’s a certified therapist, the other’s a high schooler trying to make a quick buck. Friends from College also returned this week with a follow-up to its first season, one that ended with a disastrous birthday party and a couple of illicit affairs coming to light, so the fallout from that should be good. And if you’d rather skip a binge-watching session and just be entertained for a couple of hours before doing something, I don’t know, more productive with your life, Solo: A Star Wars Story is a good go-to. Of course, it can be tough to keep up with what needs to be binged at the moment. That’s why we’re bringing you a round-up of what’s new to Netflix and what’s departing this week of January 11th.
Solo: A Star Wars Story (film streaming 1/9)
If you didn’t catch this flick — which is basically a heist film set in space — in theaters, now’s your chance to stream it from your couch. The film follows a young Han Solo (Alden Ehrenreich) as he joins with a group of intergalactic smugglers in order to pay off a debt to a notorious gangster. He meets Chewie, Lando Calrissian, and a few other notable characters along the way. The film wasn’t a massive success, at least by Star Wars standards, but it does have a stellar cast and an origin story that makes for a fun ride.
Sex Education (Netflix series streaming 1/11)
It’s like Netflix somehow knows our educational system is failing us when it comes to sex education. First, there was Big Mouth, the animated comedy that got real about puberty and all of its cringe-worthy consequences, and now there’s this darkly-comedic drama about a mother-son duo navigating their way through those uncomfortable “talks.” Of course, the mother here happens to be a sex therapist named Dr. Jean Milburn (a terrific Gillian Anderson) and her son Otis (Asa Butterfield) is the kid enduring her overbearing tendencies at home while doling out sex advice of his own in an underground sex therapy ring amongst his friends. Sex is a comedy goldmine and though the show loves to play up ’80s high-school tropes, there’s real nuance and thought that goes into how these teens are portrayed and their interactions with sex. Plus, Anderson’s comedic timing is spot-on.
Friends from College (Netflix series streaming 1/11)
Season two of this dramedy about a group of codependent Harvard grads who haven’t quite figured out this whole “adulthood thing” focuses on picking up the pieces after a disastrous birthday party outed some pretty big secrets within the gang. Think cheating husbands and lying wives and multiple affairs. The friends reunite for the wedding of one of their own to see if they can actually remain cordial or if their bond as a group is just dead.
Here’s a full list of what’s been added in the last week:
Avail. 1/9/19
GODZILLA: The Planet Eater
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Avail 1/10/19
When Heroes Fly
Avail. 1/11/19
Friends from College: Season 2
ReMastered: Massacre at the Stadium
Sex Education
Solo
The Last Laugh
And here’s what’s leaving next week, so it’s your last chance:
Leaving 1/13/19
It Follows
Leaving 1/14/19
Armageddon
Leaving 1/18/19
Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
