It can be argued that Netflix knows what we want better than we do. After all, who among us knew that a cartoon about a washed-up horse actor would be among the bleakest and most hilarious TV series in 2016? Who thought that a sci-fi show set in the 1980s would be the worldwide phenomenon that Stranger Things became? At this point, Netflix is crushing it in the Original Series department, and it’s safe to say that nearly everything they put out is worth a watch.
2017 has already seen the release of buzzworthy and binge-able Netflix Original Series like A Series of Unfortunate Events, Santa Clarita Diet, and 13 Reasons Why. But what else does Netflix have up its sleeve this year? We all know Stranger Things: Season 2 is coming on October 31st and The Defenders kicks off on August 18th, but it turns out there’s a hell of a lot more that we should be excited about.
So let’s find out where our days and nights are going to go the rest of the year. Here’s 15 Netflix Original TV Series You Didn't Know Were Coming in 2017.
15. Castlevania (TBA)
Netflix’s upcoming slate of originals features a lot of animation, but one of the most exciting projects comes from producer Adi Shankar, and it’s based on a property we all know and love. Castlevania, one of the most famous video games of the last 30 years, is finally coming to the small screen, and it’s happening in a way we never could have dreamed of.
Though the series has yet to get a firm release date, art from the series has already shown us a very creepy Dracula’s castle, and we know that the series will follow “the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Dracula himself." With the producer saying that the show will be set in a “super violent” 1400s era, the satirical vampire series is said to be Castlevania done in the vein of Game of Thrones,” as well as “R-rated as f***.”
14. Disjointed (August 25)
We have mixed feeling about Netflix’s upcoming Disjointed, if only because there’s so much potential here that we can only hope everything goes right. With Kathy Bates starring in the comedy about a marijuana advocate that opens her own cannabis dispensary, the comedic possibilities of a weed-comedy paired with Netflix’s appetite for quirky storytelling are enormous. But on the flip side…
Netflix’s shows tend to do better when they stick to short seasons and single-camera format. That’s to say Kimmy Schmidt is a very Netflix show, while Fuller House and The Ranch are both… just horrible. Considering that the first season of Disjointed will have 20 episodes when it debuts on August 25th, not to mention that it is a multi-camera sitcom, not to mention again that it’s co-created by Chuck Lorre, we have our doubts about this one. We hope its existence on Netflix will be enough to save it, but then again, have you seen The Ranch?
13. The OA – Season 2 (TBA)
When The OA launched on Netflix late last year it was a surprise for everyone. For one thing, no one knew that the show was coming. For another, its secret release only helped to generate hype for the series, as the mysterious nature of the show perfectly matched its all-of-the-sudden release. But now that the hype train has come and gone on Netflix’s insane afterlife-mystery sci-fi series, Season 2 of The OA needs to find some new tricks before it runs out of steam.
With Season 2 of the series set to debut sometime in 2017, Netflix has done very little to promote the new season aside from a cryptic teaser. After Season 1 ended on a controversial note that revealed nothing about the show’s mysteries, fans will no doubt be looking to Season 2 for some answers. If those answers come while newer mysteries continue to be revealed, then look forward to The OA Season 2 being one of the best Netflix Original Series launching in 2017.
12. Lady Dynamite – Season 2 (TBA)
Lady Dynamite is nothing short of spectacular, and it’s a shame that many Netflix subscribers have never even heard of the laugh out loud comedy. Created by Maria Bamford and Arrested Development’s Mitch Hurwitz, the series’ first season was off the wall and absurdist to a degree that even Arrested Development could never dream of. Complex, rewarding, and surprisingly emotional, Lady Dynamite was everything comedy fans could hope for – but the lucky few who saw the first season were left in the dark regarding the show’s renewal for a long time.
But then Netflix does what it always does and gave us great news – Lady Dynamite will be back for a second season! Set to debut at an unknown time in 2017, it will be hard to top the closed-ended and insanely complex storyline of Season 1, but we have no doubt that it can – and will – be done. Though fans of the show may have a long wait until more dynamite shenanigans, those who have yet to see Season 1 can catch up now on Netflix.
11. Glow (June 23)
In the intro we said that Netflix gives us shows that even we don’t know we want – and there is perhaps no truer example of that than its new series Glow. Incredibly neon and very 1980s, Glow is a comedy-drama series set in the world of women’s professional wrestling – or – the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Niche in a way that no show has been before, we have no doubts that despite Glow’s hyper-specific premise the series will be way more than the sum of its parts.
Coming June 23rd, the series is created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, both of whom worked on the exceptional dramedy series Nurse Jackie. Set to star Alison Brie and Marc Maron, look for Glow to live in the same comedy drama hybrid world as Orange is the New Black. Like that show, it seems reasonable that we’ll end up loving Glow deeply, and for more reasons than its initial premise sets up.
10. Bojack Horseman – Season 4 (TBA)
If there’s one returning show that we need to see ASAP, it’s without a doubt BoJack Horseman. Typically released in the summer months, BoJack is our comfort show, our summer fling, and the love of our TV lives all rolled into one. The only problem – Season 4 has no release date set yet, so you’d forgive even the most die-hard fans for thinking that BoJack Horseman won’t be on Netflix in 2017. But fear not, even without a date set in stone, we know for a fact we’ll see a new season featuring everyone’s favourite self-loathing horse at some point in 2017.
When we left BoJack at the end of Season 3 he had hit rock bottom and was finally trying to get his life together. Knowing this show, he won’t get his life together, but that’s even more reason to be excited about Season 4. Whenever it finally premieres on Netflix, we know that Season 4 will be the one of the only sure bets out of all of Netflix’s upcoming Original Series.
9. Watership Down (TBA)
If you’ve seen the 1978 animated film Watership Down then you may be wondering how the tragic, horrific story will be translated to the small screen. Aside from the answer being very carefully, Netflix’s new adaptation of Watership Down is set to be a miniseries – which makes perfect sense once you consider the material.
Set to exist only in a small dose, Netflix’s Watership Down is made in partnership with the BBC, and we have no doubt that with all the love and care put into creating this series it will be devastatingly beautiful. Told in four one hour episodes and in production since 2014, the series has a budget of over $25 million, which means that every penny spent should be visible on screen. And when dealing with a story as close to people’s hearts as Watership Down, every frame counts, and that’s why we can’t wait to be blown away by the series when it debuts sometime later this year.
8. Big Mouth (TBA)
Another animated series in a year filled with them, Netflix’s Big Mouth is from Nick Kroll and Andrew Goldberg, and is set to feature the voices of Kroll and comedian John Mulaney. Described as an edgy and surreal comedy, the first season is set to consist of 10 episodes and will focus on the adventures of two teenagers, based loosely on Kroll and Goldberg’s childhood.
Though animated series are a risky proposition, and there are far more bad ones than good ones, we have no doubt that with a comedic genius like Nick Kroll involved in every stage of production Big Mouth will be a must watch show. Also featuring the voices of Maya Rudolph, Jason Mantzoukas, Jordan Peele, Fred Arimsen, and Jenny Slate, there’s no shortage of talent here, and we have high hopes that Big Mouth will be the next BoJack Horseman. No pressure though.
7. Gypsy (TBA)
Finally, a big-budget drama featuring A-list stars: also known as “the reason you subscribed to Netflix in the first place.” If we’re being honest, Netflix has been crushing it with the quirky little shows that have cult followings, but it feels like it’s been a while since a huge original hit that knocked the world off its feet like House of Cards did all those years ago. Enter Gypsy, a show about a psychiatrist that develops unhealthy and dangerous relationships with her patients starring Naomi Watts and Billy Crudup.
With its ten episode first season set to release some time in 2017, Gypsy looks set to take up the Netflix drama mantle and get people talking. Exciting, flashy, and filled with limitless potential, Gypsy is the exact type of show Netflix was known for before they branched out into all types of storytelling. But now, with the series’ first two episodes directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson, Gypsy could be Netflix’s next big show in a world filled with little Netflix shows.
6. El Chapo (TBA)
You may be thinking that it seems redundant for Netflix to have an El Chapo show when they already have the stellar Narcos. And you may be right, but Netflix doesn’t care, because they’re making a series about the life and crimes of the world’s most notorious drug lord anyway. And it looks like it will be outstanding.
Another collaboration for Netflix, this time with Univision, El Chapo is laid out like a gangster film, but told in parts and with the added benefit of being 100% true to life. With so many fascinating stories to draw upon, El Chapo is a show that could conceivably run for a long time, and its newsworthiness would only keep growing with the show. For those who are only vaguely familiar with El Chapo, the series will give you a fascinating in depth look at the man, and for those who know everything about the Mexican cartel leader, El Chapo will dramatize everything in the high-quality big-budget Netflix way that you’ve come to love.
5. Friends from College (TBA)
Netflix seems to really excel at simple concepts executed perfectly, and with shows like Master of None and Love proving their cred, we should be very excited for the upcoming Friends from College. Though the concept doesn’t sound all that innovative – a group of college friends have gotten older and they must navigate their adult lives and relationships to one another – it’s everything else that has us wishing Friends from College would hurry up and graduate from in production to in our Netflix List.
With an eight episode first season and an insanely gifted cast that includes Nat Faxon, Fred Savage, Cobie Smulders, and Keegan-Michael Key among others, we know for a fact that the show will be funny. And likable. And fun. And a little sexy, romantic, sweet, and everything in between. Told via interwoven stories of the friends’ relationships to each other, the series looks to be very modern and very “Netflix.” Which is to say, this should probably wouldn’t exist anywhere else, and that makes us glad we have a Netflix account.
4. Atypical (TBA)
Michael Rapaport is back on our televisions and that’s a very exciting thing. But this time around he’s bringing Jennifer Jason Leigh as his wife and the fantastic Keir Gilchrist as their autistic teenaged son. But of course, this being Netflix, this isn’t the type of tough-times Parenthood autistic drama that you might think; it’s a comedy. And based on what we know so far, it’s going to be a pretty damn funny one.
Described as a coming-of-age comedy, the series will primarily focus on Gilchrist’s character, an 18 year old on the autistic spectrum. And while that may sound like a plot that has the potential to get very indie movie very quickly, the talents of everyone involved in front of and behind the camera reassure us that this series will be something very unique. Look for its eight episode first season to premiere later in 2017.
3. Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later (TBA)
Seriously, did anyone know this was happening? Considering how long we waited for Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp, did anyone really think that that cast – THAT CAST! – would get together again so soon for a sequel? The answer is no: no one thought that. No one knew this was happening. And yet it is, and it’s glorious, and Netflix is reuniting everyone for what is sure to be the spectacular Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later.
By now you know the drill: Elizabeth Banks, Michael Ian Black, Ken Marino, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Janeane Garofalo, Joe Lo Trugilo, Michael Showalter, Christopher Meloni, and Molly Shannon will all show up at Camp Firewood and say ridiculous lines that are ridiculous. It will be beyond stupid, way past anti-comedy, further than any reasonable limits of cheesiness will allow – and yet it will be the most laugh out loud funny thing to ever exist. From the writing by Showalter and David Wain to the absurd facial expressions and line deliveries by every single one of the cast, Wet Hot American Summer is nothing short of spectacular, and we refuse to believe that 10 Years Later won’t be even better.
2. Ozark (TBA)
Jason Bateman is coming back to TV and holy shit we couldn’t be any more excited. Because sure, we love nothing more in this world than Jason Bateman playing it straight and winking and saying “hey buddy” to the entire human population, but this isn’t that. This is Jason Bateman being serious, dark, brooding, and probably still funny and delightful and more magical than a double rainbow unicorn with a magic wand. This is Ozark, a Netflix drama starring our favourite person of all time, Jason Bateman, as he struggles to pay off his debt to a Mexican drug lord. Did we say “holy shit?”
While there’s so much to be excited about in one of Netflix’s biggest marquee releases of 2017, really, all we can do is think about Jason Bateman. It’s all we can ever do, but this time it’s warranted. Bateman showed off his dramatic acting skills in The Gift, and we’re still upset that he didn’t get the awards recognition he should have for that. But now Ozark is coming, and Jay-Bay (are we calling him that yet?) is gonna pick up some serious Emmys and become the dramatic darling of Netflix. And as an added bonus, Netflix can finally control his schedule and put him in Arrested Development Season 5. Go Jay-Bay!
1. Mindhunter (October)
As incredible as Ozark is going to be, you know it’s going to be a good year for Netflix when it doesn’t take the top spot on our list. No, that distinction belongs to something that is somehow even flashier than a Jason Bateman drama. It’s a series with serial killers, the FBI, a two season order before the first episode even airs, and two magical words. David. Fincher.
For those of you paying attention, Fincher kinda got Netflix to where they are today, what with directing the first two episodes of House of Cards and setting the tone for everything that a Netflix Original Series is. Now, after two failed HBO pilots, Fincher is back at Netflix, but this time he’s got a show that’s even more David Fincher than anything he’s ever done before. It’s called Mindhunter, it’s going to be bleak as f***, and it’s going to be spectacular. It premieres in October and we would recommend preparing yourself for it now.
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Which of these Netflix Original Series are you most looking forward to? Are there any that you would sell your firstborn child for in order to see right now? Let us know in the comments!