Five Netflix series to keep an eye out for in November
November’s a funny old month for telly, isn’t it, mate, because Netflix seems determined to turn every quiet evening into another marathon, and half the shows sound like they’ve been dreamt up during a particularly chaotic night down the pub.
Take Bass X Machina, which throws lawman Bass Reeves into a steampunk world full of supernatural trouble, because a normal western wouldn’t do, would it? Good grief, I’d love to have heard that pitch in the meeting room.
Then Under Siege is bringing a grimmer affair, while Ethos is returning after six years, which is a bloody long time to expect people to remember what happened, and Last One Standing is dragging its comedians back into the madness for another round.
But it’s the five other returning Netflix series that have caught our attention, and with some carrying years of unfinished business, November could turn into quite the month, provided the writers haven’t run out of decent ideas.
Five Netflix series to keep an eye out for in November
Black Doves – Season 2
Keira Knightley played Helen Webb in the first season of Black Doves, a politician’s wife who was passing government secrets to a spy organisation while also trying to find out who murdered her lover, and Christmas in London had never looked such a menacing nightmare. The second season will come on Netflix on November 5th, with Helen facing another headache as her husband, Wallace, prepares to become prime minister, which isn’t great news for a woman whose entire career involves betraying the country he’s supposed to run.
And Ben Whishaw is back as Sam, although the once-feared assassin has ended up taking rubbish jobs and drinking alone in Soho, while Helen’s handler, Mrs Reed, finds her position threatened by a dangerous conspiracy. Both get dragged into another mess involving the Black Doves, and with Neve Campbell joining the cast, this could be a cracking return for anyone who enjoyed the first season’s twisted take on the spy business.
North of North – Season 2
We just saw a Canadian series (Below) being a blockbuster on Netflix, and for those who loved it, here is a little delight for them: the first Canadian original series, North of North, is coming back for a second season on Netflix. The comedy follows Siaja (Anna Lambe), a young Inuk mother who ended her marriage during the first season, and is trying to start a new life in a town where everyone knows everyone’s business, which was never going to be a walk in the park.
Season two comes on Netflix on November 5th, with Siaja attempting to take charge of her future while convincing her boss Helen to give her more responsibility at the community centre, although family matters are causing another headache as she tries to learn about a half-sister she never knew existed. And after her divorce, she’s considering getting into the dating game again, because raising her daughter while sorting out the rest of her life isn’t enough for her.
The Devil’s Plan – Season 3
The second season of The Devil’s Plan introduced the Death Room, where contestants faced elimination through high-pressure games, and watching intelligent people lose their heads over a puzzle was an absolute delight. The Korean reality competition returns on November 10th under the title The Devil’s Plan: Dead Again, with 16 contestants battling for victory; the producers have decided to bring survival-show veterans into the mix alongside newcomers who reckon they’ve got the brains to take them on.
Among the contestants is Jang Dongmin, a veteran with five consecutive survival-show victories to his name, which for sure is going to make sure that others are nervous. But the appeal of this show has never been about watching clever people solve puzzles, because watching friendships fall apart when winning becomes more important than loyalty is where the fun begins, and this season promises another round of mind games.
The Empress – Season 3 (final season)
This one is going to hurt a little, as this feminine delight made a beautiful watch. Now being an empress sounds all fun and games until the husband starts making a mess of the marriage and the royal court decides to make life unbearable, which is a problem Elisabeth has spent two seasons dealing with in the German historical drama on Netflix, The Empress. Devrim Lingnau returns as the Austrian royal for the third and final season on November 12th, and after the devastation of the Sardinian War, Emperor Franz comes home carrying the weight of his experiences, leaving his marriage in a dreadful state.
And as though Elisabeth hasn’t suffered enough, Franz’s infidelity pushes their relationship towards collapse, while her deteriorating health forces her to leave Vienna and seek recovery away from court. Her journey brings her into contact with Hungarian revolutionary Count Andrássy, a meeting that could change the course of her life, and with this being the final season, the poor woman deserves a break from all the royal nonsense, although that doesn’t look promising.
The Hunting Wives – Season 2
Ahh, the most awaited watch of November, The Hunting Wives is back for another season after absolutely smashing records with its first season. You see, a friendship falling apart is one thing, but finding out your best friend murdered a teenager using your gun is a whole different bloody nightmare, and that’s where The Hunting Wives left Sophie (Brittany Snow) after she discovered what Margo (Malin Åkerman) had done to Abby. And as though that wasn’t enough, Sophie ended up running over Margo’s brother, Kyle, and dumping his body, which is quite a mess to clean up even by the standards of these scandal-loving Texas socialites.
Season two picks up with Sophie and Margo at odds, although fresh threats are bringing them back into each other’s lives, because apparently these women haven’t caused each other enough misery. John Stamos joins as country singer Chase Brylan, while Jed’s political ambitions remain part of the drama, and with the story moving beyond May Cobb’s original novel, goodness knows what this lot will get themselves into next.