It’s nearly August, and there’s a sense that summer is already winding down. The start of school looms over children’s minds while adults no longer have to worry about where to vacation.
August is typically a slow month across the board, but nobody told that to Netflix. The streamer will still be cranking out the hits next month, and I’ve picked three under-the-radar shows that I believe are worth your attention. One takes a familiar IP into interesting directions, while the other two are foreign imports that are just as exciting as anything made in the USA.
Terminator Zero
What is it about The Terminator franchise that is so hard to, pardon the pun, execute? Since the release of 1991’s Terminator 2: Judgment Day, the franchise has consistently disappointed its fans with one convoluted sequel after another. The one bright spot? Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, a beloved but shortly-lived series on Fox starring a pre-Game of Thrones Lena Heady that actually generated the same thrills, intrigue, and suspense that James Cameron‘s original movies created so well.
Maybe the small screen is a better fit for the franchise. That’s my hope anyway, as Netflix is about to debut Terminator Zero, a new eight-episode anime series from Bleach‘s Masashi Kudō. This iteration focuses on Malcolm Lee, a scientist who is developing an AI that will compete with Skynet. That’s bad news for Malcolm, as he soon finds himself hunted by a Terminator from the future that is programmed to stop him at all costs.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
It wouldn’t be a Netflix monthly viewing guide without at least one murder mystery. The streamer specializes in the genre, having delivered such hits as The Watcher in 2022 and this year’s Bodkin. The latest entry in the crowded genre is A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder, a co-production with the BBC that stars Wednesday‘s Emma Myers as the titular amateur sleuth who seeks to solve a murder.
The murder in question is that of Andie Bell, who was slain five years ago by her boyfriend, Sal Singh. Case closed, right? Except Pip (Myers) doesn’t believe Sal did it, and she’s determined to find the real culprit before they strike again. Based on the popular book by Holly Jackson, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder promises to be a breezy late summer watch that is sure to keep you guessing throughout its six episodes.
Breathless
Grey’s Anatomy has been on the air for almost two decades. That’s an impressive run, but it’s time for a new show focusing on the wild, unbelievable lives of doctors to obsesses over, if only for a season or two. If you’re craving drama, romance, and chaos with pretty people dressed in OR scrubs, then Breathless may be for you.
Set in an overcrowded and underfunded public hospital in Spain, Breathless follows the public and personal lives of its fed-up staff, who have to save lives with very little resources. It’s not all glum, as the series promises to explore their love lives as well, which is just as dramatic as anything you’d find in the emergency room. With a cast that includes Elite breakout Manu Ríos, Breathless is sure to be Netflix’s next surprise streaming hit, so get in early while you can.