Five Netflix releases to keep an eye out for this week
Netflix rolled into April with a handful of high-profile releases that viewers are clearly still reeling from. But with the sun shining yet on another week, there’s barely any time left to toil in the past.
Although keeping up with Netflix is no walk in the park, with each new day taking more from the audience than they were prepared for, thankfully, there’s just as much coming their way throughout the month, with every release building more anticipation than the last.
But narrowing our focus to what’s new on Netflix for this week, well, honestly, there’s a lot on our plate – from eagerly-awaited documentaries spanning a variety of genres to sought-after returns and fresh new scintillating thrillers.
While you can find the entire list on the weekly arrival arc and make your pick, just in case you’re on the lookout for the best of the best, here are five Netflix releases to keep an eye out for this week.
Five Netflix releases to watch out for this week
Untold: Chess Mates (Thomas Tancred, 2026)
Netflix’s critically acclaimed UNTOLD sports documentary returned last week, on March 31st, with four new films, starting with Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom. The next in the lineup is Untold: Chess Mates, scheduled to drop on April 7th, which explores the explosive controversy surrounding Hans Niemann’s win over Magnus Carlsen at the Sinquefield Cup in September 2022. The outcome resulted in Carlsen’s eventual withdrawal from the tournament.
Subsequently, the incident was met with rapid speculations, with a series of public allegations and counter-statements raised, escalating the matter into one of the most infamous disputes in modern chess. Untold: Chess Mates revisits the unforgettable conflict that eventually led to allegations of cheating, hard-fought attempts to clear one’s name, and to reach the top of the chess world, setting the stage for a gripping rematch.
Trust Me: The False Prophet (Rachel Dretzin, 2026)
Slated to premiere on April 8th, Trust Me: The False Prophet is an upcoming true-crime docu-series on Netflix that follows cult expert Christine Marie and her videographer husband Tolga Katas’s infiltration into a community suffering from unimaginable evil, threat, and abuse at the hands of Samuel Bateman, a self-proclaimed heir to Warren Jeffs.
Although Marie and Katas moved to Short Creek, Utah, planning to support the fragmented community following the imprisonment of Jeffs, leader of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), upon their arrival, they found a new cult leader on the rise. Trust Me: The False Prophet is packed with never-before-seen footage, offering viewers unprecedented access and first-hand accounts from inside the group.
18th Rose (Dolly Dulu, 2026)
Rom-coms and true-crimes don’t exactly see eye-to-eye, but the Netflix arrival arc this week is all about variety. So, up next, we have a Philippine coming-of-age romantic drama, 18th Rose, coming to Netflix on April 9th. Directed and co-written by Dolly Dulu, the Filipino teen rom-com follows Rose, who dreams of the perfect, early 2000s style debut and makes a deal with a new student, Jordan, to be her escort.
Rose initially agrees to help break the ice between Jordan and his father in exchange for him being her escort and assisting her in organising her 18th birthday party. But the more they spend time planning their debut, their professional relationship takes a backseat, ultimately blossoming into a genuine romantic connection. In essence, 18th Rose is a coming-of-age story about first love, which also portrays the nuances of navigating unexpected twists in life.
Big Mistakes (Dan Levy and Rachel Sennott, 2026)
The best part about this week’s arrival arc is undoubtedly Dan Levy’s return with a new family drama in his crime comedy series Big Mistakes, scheduled for release on April 9th. So, for those missing dysfunctional families on Netflix, it’s time to tighten those seatbelts! The Netflix series, powered by hilariously chaotic energy, follows two incapable siblings who find themselves lost in the world of organised crime.
While they’re forcefully brought into the dangerous criminal underbelly, Big Mistakes follows their unbelievable attempts at criminal life, dealing with blackmail and high-stakes chaos. The crime-comedy series, coming up next on Netflix, is packed with unsettling, witty humour, elevating the unravelling of respective lives. And if you’re familiar with Levy’s comedic takes, this will make you a bigger fan.
Thrash (Tommy Wirkola, 2026)
Lastly, to end the weekly marathon, the streaming giant has a shark-infested survival thriller, Thrash, releasing on April 10th. The film is set in a storm-stricken coastal town where residents are trapped because of a Category 5 hurricane. With rising floodwaters, scarce resources, and a massive loss of property, survival is a high-stakes challenge. But do you know what a bigger threat than all of this is?
There are hungry sharks on the loose in the flooded streets, and the town has turned into a blood feast. Thrash stars Phoebe Dynevor as a pregnant woman trying to survive the storm and not end up becoming a shark dinner until rescue arrives. Although Netflix viewers are not exactly new to the shark-thriller trope, this particular pick focuses on survival against both natural disaster and predators.