Credit: Netflix

Netflix really doesn’t want us to have one simple week because look at the announcements and updates from the last week. In the first week of November, the platform had announcements coming in left, right and centre, and some of them were more exciting than you can imagine.

Well, for starters, Stranger Things apparently isn’t done haunting us just yet, with a brand-new live-action prequel coming our way just when we were making peace with the show’s ending- bam, a new drop.

Meanwhile, there is a new murder mystery spanning South Korea and Japan that has been announced, while Stiffs is digging into a Polish true-crime scandal that might make you sick.

With so much returning and so much to look forward to, here are five updates you cannot miss.

Stranger Things universe expands with a new live-action prequel

Just when you thought the Stranger Things universe had exhausted every possible way to give us nightmares, Netflix has bought us another surprise. On November 6th, aka “Stranger Things Day”, news of Other Worlds: A Stranger Things Adventure, a live-action prequel arriving in 2028. And we’re going properly old-school here… all the way back to the 1950s, before Hawkins unleashed that Upside Down hell and even before The First Shadow. New setting, new characters, new villains… but the same supernatural horrors?

Now, plot details are still being kept under wraps, because when has Netflix ever revealed a suspense? The Duffer brothers are returning alongside Kate Trefry, who’s taking charge as showrunner, writer and executive producer. Meanwhile, Pride & Prejudice director Joe Wright will helm the first three episodes. Now Netflix did a good thing keeping the plot under wraps but could’ve at least revealed the cast. Between this, Tales From ’85 and The First Shadow, we’re apparently never escaping this bloody universe… and frankly, who’s complaining?

Black Doves returns for Season 2

The British spy thriller Black Doves returned to Netflix on November 5th and brought Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw back as Helen Webb and Sam Young. Picking up after the events of the first season, Helen, as you may wonder, is still secretly feeding intelligence to the Black Doves while her husband edges towards becoming prime minister. Meanwhile, someone’s plotting to undermine Mrs Reed, dragging Helen and Sam into another old mess of alliances and backstabbing.

Creator Joe Barton has also brought in some familiar faces, including Ambika Mod, Babou Ceesay, Neve Campbell and Sam Riley. And Netflix celebrated the return by sending 800 drones over the Thames on November 2nd. Talk about making an entrance… Bit dramatic, lads, but would we expect anything less from this group… Not a chance!

The Blue Road releases a new trailer ahead of November 20th premiere

Netflix has apparently decided we haven’t had enough nightmares this month… because the trailer for The Blue Road looks absolutely unpleasant! Released on November 5th, it teases a Korean-Japanese crime thriller starring Son Suk-ku and Eita Nagayama as two detectives investigating murders across both countries. And the victims’ bodies are twisted into horrifying, weird shapes, and there are mysterious messages.

Set during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, the series follows Seoul detective Kim Seok and Tokyo investigator Inose, who aren’t exactly getting along like a house on fire because that’s precisely what you need when there’s a serial killer on the loose! But the MVP here is the trailer with abductions and violent confrontations. November 20 can’t come soon enough… or can it?

Netflix announces Polish true-crime-inspired thriller Stiffs

Ahh, yet another grim series in the row, so all in all, a good week for the genre lovers. After giving us a major hit this year, The Doll, Netflix announced Stiffs on November 6th, another Polish thriller inspired by the notorious “Skin Hunters” scandal. We’re talking about emergency medical workers selling information about deceased patients, with allegations of deliberate killings as surprising as it might sound; this actually happened in Poland!

The fictional story follows Bundzior, an ex-convict and failed wrestler who joins an ambulance service in Łódź, hoping for a fresh start. Except he falls into a crazy network of medical workers profiting from people’s deaths. Now he’s got a choice: join the operation or expose the whole group. But don’t get too excited just yet, as filming runs until April 2027, with Netflix eyeing a 2028 release.

Operation TAP begins production, marking Netflix’s first film in Portugal

This one’s got the craziest plotline of all, with a 16-year-old hijacking the plane and demanding $10 million on top of that. Most here are worried about the exams. Well, Netflix is bringing this rather bonkers true story to the screen with Operation TAP, its first feature film produced in Portugal. Filming began on November 3rd, with João Nuno Pinto directing this thriller inspired by a 1980 airline hijacking.

The story follows an armed teenager who takes over a TAP flight bound for Madrid, holding passengers and crew hostage. The interesting part is that what starts as a terrifying ordeal turns into an exploration of empathy and unexpected human connections. There is no release date yet, but goodness… this is certainly one way for Netflix to make its Portuguese film debut!