Netflix Canada in September 2020: What’s new this month

Young Wallander (September 3)

If “The Big Bang Theory” could get a spinoff about a younger version of its main character, then why not Kurt Wallander, the protagonist of Henning Mankell’s popular series of crime novels? The new series stars Adam Pålsson as the title character (whose adult incarnation has been played on Swedish TV by Krister Henriksson and Rolf Lassgård, and in English-language TV by Kenneth Branagh). Just out of the police academy and working in an immigrant community in Malmö, Wallander is assigned his first case: a hate crime that – you may not be surprised to learn – turns out to be connected to something bigger. Also, like Casino Royale, this reboot takes place in the present day, so the Wallander adaptations of the 1990s and 2000s aren’t canon here.

Away (September 4)

Netflix’s first big star vehicle series of the month is based on an Esquire story of the same name by Chris Jones, who profiled Scott Kelly, an American astronaut who led a multinational crew on a long and gruelling space mission, to find out more about the effect of long-term space travel on the human body. Two-time Academy Award winner Hilary Swank signed on to a TV series based on the story, so Scott Kelly became Emma Green, and her mission will last three years (a perfect length for a Netflix series) instead of the original, one year. The pilot writer and showrunner is Andrew Hinderaker, a playwright who previously worked as a staff writer on “Penny Dreadful”.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things (September 4)

Another big name coming to Netflix this month is Charlie Kaufman, whose mind-bending screenplays for Being John Malkovich, Adaptation and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind turned him into that rarity of rarities: a famous screenwriter. This film, which Kaufman also directed and co-produced, is his first film since 2015. He adapted the screenplay from a novel of the same name by the Canadian Iain Reid. It’s about a woman (Jessie Buckley) who accompanies her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to his family farm, where her experiences are less than pleasant, and where the story takes some twists that will demonstrate why Kaufman became interested in adapting it.

Ratched (September 18)

Another origin prequel for a fictional character, but this time a villain rather than a hero. Nurse Mildred Ratched is famous as the sadistic mental-hospital administrator from Ken Kesey’s novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and its Oscar-winning film version. In the tradition of Bates Motel, this series examines how a famous villain got to be that way: Sarah Paulson plays Ratched as a young nurse who starts work at a California hospital just after World War II, and gradually evolves into the monster we all know and love. The series, co-produced by prolific Netflix contractee Ryan Murphy, is the first-ever screen credit for creator Evan Romansky, whose “dark and gritty” spec scripts brought him to the attention of a major entertainment agency.

Date TBA

ARASHI’s Diary -Voyage- ep 12 — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY 

The monthly saga of the popular Japanese boy band and their 20th anniversary tour.

GIMS: On the Record — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

A behind-the-scenes promotional documentary for the superstar rapper GIMS and his 2019 concert at the biggest stadium in France. 

Coming to Netflix on September 1, 2020

Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices — NETFLIX FAMILY 

Marley Dias, the young activist who launched the #1000BlackGirlBooks hashtag, hosts this series of 12, five-minute short films where children can hear Black celebrities reading excerpts from children’s books by Black authors. Each short highlights a particular issue that parents can discuss with their children afterward.

The Boss Baby: Get That Baby! — NETFLIX FAMILY 

An interactive special spin-off from the popular DreamWorks animated franchise about a boss who is a baby. This puts you, the viewer, in the position of applying to work at a baby-run corporation and see if you have what it takes. 

Felipe Esparza: Bad Decisions — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

The first solo Netflix special for this comedian (host of the podcast “What’s Up, Fool?”) is actually two specials: one from an English-language performance, and the other from a Spanish-language performance of the same material in the same venue. 

La Partita / The Match — NETFLIX FILM 

Francesco Carnesecchi (aka “Frank Jerky”) wrote and directed this film about a championship soccer match in Rome, and several people who have a lot (career-wise and money-wise) riding on the outcome.

Licensed content:

• 3:10 to Yuma
• American Psycho
• Bewitched
• Blade Runner: The Final Cut
• Blades of Glory
• Captain Phillips
• Daddy’s Home
• Dinner for Schmucks
• Family Guy: Season 18
• Fences
• The First Purge
• Four Brothers
• The Godfather
• The Godfather: Part II
• Ghost in the Shell
• Hairspray
• How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days
• I Am Legend
• Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom
• Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events
• The Next Karate Kid
• Old School
• Saturday Night Fever
• Saving Private Ryan
• School of Rock
• Selma
• Skyscraper

Coming to Netflix on September 2, 2020

Bad Boy Billionaires: India — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Documentary series about billionaires who wound up getting in trouble with the law for the business practices that helped make them billionaires. 

Chef’s Table: BBQ — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Chef’s Table was Netflix’s first attempt at a documentary series, in the ancient days of 2015. Each episode goes to a different place to profile a chef and find out their approach to cooking. The theme of the new season, as the title suggests, is barbecue cooking, with the filmmakers going to the U.S., Mexico and Australia to highlight people who are known for their special BBQ styles.

Freaks – You’re One of Us — NETFLIX FILM

About a mild-mannered cook who finds that she has gained superpowers. The title (“Freaks: Du Bist Eine von Uns” in German) is a shout-out to the classic horror film Freaks, so this might not go well for her.

Licensed content:

• Captain Fantastic
• Dumb and Dumber To
• Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas
• The Bourne Identity
• The Bourne Legacy
• The Bourne Supremacy
• The Bourne Ultimatum
• Jaws 1, 2 and 3
• Jaws: The Revenge
• Lucy
• Murdoch Mysteries: Season 13
• Venom

Leaving Netflix on September 2, 2020

Ready Player One

Coming to Netflix on September 3, 2020

Afonso Padilha: Alma de Pobre — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

Filmed at a comedy club in Curitiba, Brazil, the comic talks about his childhood days.

Love, Guaranteed — NETFLIX FILM

In a classic high-concept romantic comedy premise, Damon Wayans Jr. plays a man who hires a lawyer (Rachael Leigh Cook) to sue a dating service that falsely guaranteed him that he would find true love. If he finds true love with the lawyer, will they lose the case? 

Young Wallander — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

See introduction for details

Coming to Netflix on September 4, 2020

Away — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

See introduction for details

I’m Thinking of Ending Things — NETFLIX FILM

See introduction for details

Spirit Riding Free: Riding Academy: Part 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY 

Netflix has done so many different incarnations of this animated children’s series that it’s difficult to keep track, but it’s still about a girl named Lucky, and she and her friends still love horses very much.

Licensed Content:

The Blacklist, season 7

Coming to Netflix on September 5, 2020

Licensed content:

Step Up: All In

Leaving Netflix on September 5, 2020

Once Upon a Time: Seasons 1-7

Coming to Netflix on September 7, 2020

My Octopus Teacher — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Filmmaker and deep sea diver Craig Foster directed this film, where he spends a year getting to know a wild octopus.

Record of Youth — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Drama series starring Park Bo-gum, Park So-dam, Byeon Woo-seok as three ambitious young people looking to make it in the fashion industry. 

Coming to Netflix on September 8, 2020

StarBeam: Season 2 — NETFLIX FAMILY 

Loris Lunsford and Jason Netter created this Netflix original children’s series about a girl who leads a double life as a superhero named StarBeam.

Licensed content:

A Star Is Born

Coming to Netflix on September 9, 2020

Corazón loco / So Much Love to Give — NETFLIX FILM

In this film from Argentina, two women discover that they’ve both raised families with the same man, and team up to get revenge. 

Get Organized with The Home Edit — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Joanna Teplin and Clea Shearer, founders of the home-improvement service “The Home Edit” tell the viewers how to use their empty home space and make their ugly homes look presentable. This series is co-produced by Reese Witherspoon and Molly Sims. 

La Línea: Shadow of Narco — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

A documentary series about a city, near the Spain/Gibraltar border, that has become known as the drug-trafficking capital of Spain. 

Mignonnes / Cuties — NETFLIX FILM

A French film about an 11-year-old girl who finds freedom by joining a dance troupe and learning to twerk. This film’s marketing got Netflix embroiled in controversy. 

The Social Dilemma — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Jeff Orlowski directed this documentary where experts warn that the prevalence of social media may be reprogramming our minds, blurring the difference between truth and lies, and leading to social dysfunction.

Coming to Netflix on September 10, 2020

The Babysitter: Killer Queen — NETFLIX FILM

Definitely not to be confused with “The Baby-Sitters’ Club,” McG (Charlie’s Angels) directed this comedy/horror film about a teenager who is still haunted by the memory of a former babysitter who turned out to be the leader of a satanist cult.  

The Gift: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

In this Turkish series, Atiye (Beren Saat), continues to learn the secrets behind her own past and an archeological site with a mysterious connection to her.

The Idhun Chronicles — NETFLIX ANIME 

Animated adaptation of Laura Gallego’s novels about children who must protect a group of magical refugees from an evil sorcerer.

Julie and the Phantoms — NETFLIX FAMILY 

Madison Reyes stars as Julie, a teenager who finds fulfilment by becoming part of a band. The twist is that the other members of the band are the ghosts of three dead guys.

Licensed content:

Greenleaf, season 5

Coming to Netflix on September 11, 2020

The Duchess — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Comedian Katherine Ryan created and stars in this series based on her life as a Canadian single mother living in London. In this first season, she considers having another child with her daughter’s father.

Family Business: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

French series about a family that decides to switch from running a struggling butcher shop to selling legalized marijuana. 

Pets United — NETFLIX FAMILY

2019 animated film about spoiled pet animals who need to step up and work together to save their city from a robot invasion.

Se busca papá / Dad Wanted — NETFLIX FILM

In this Mexican film a girl wants to enter a BMX bicycle race, but her mother won’t let her. So she hires an actor to pretend to be her father until the race is over. 

Licensed content:

Interstellar

Coming to Netflix on September 12, 2020

Licensed content:

Zumbo’s Just Desserts: Season 2

Coming to Netflix on September 14, 2020

Close Enough — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

The team behind Cartoon Network’s “Regular Show” created this animated comedy (airing on the HBO Max service in the U.S.) starring the voices of Gabrielle Walsh and creator J.G. Quintel as a couple of millennials trying to adjust to being in their 30s and the responsibility that comes with being parents. 

Leaving Netflix on September 14, 2020

Clueless

Coming to Netflix on September 15, 2020

Hope Frozen: A Quest to Live Twice — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

The true story of a family that decided to have their two-year-old daughter cryogenically frozen after her death.

Izzy’s Koala World — NETFLIX FAMILY

The animal-rights brand The Dodo co-produces this family series about an 11-year-old Australian girl whose family specializes in rescuing and sheltering koalas.

Michael McIntyre: Showman — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

The first Netflix comedy special for the English comic, who talks about his recent trips to Australia, New Zealand and the United States. 

Taco Chronicles: Volume 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Another six-episode season of the documentary series about the stories behind various types of tacos.

Licensed content:

17 Again

Ancient Aliens: Season 3

Beyond Scared Straight: Season 4

Intervention: Season 6

Coming to Netflix on September 16, 2020

Baby: Season 3 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Italian series about two teenage girls who form an odd friendship and get involved in sex work.

Challenger: The Final Flight — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

This four-part series tells the story of the 1986 space shuttle disaster and its impact on America.

Criminal: UK: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

The U.K. incarnation of this procedural (there are three others, each taking place in a different country in a different language) returns with the same format: each of the four episodes takes place on a single set and follows the interrogation of a suspect by police. 

The Devil All The Time — NETFLIX FILM

Tom Holland found some time in between Spider Man movies to star in this thriller, based on Donald Ray Pollock’s novel, about family secrets and violence in a town in Ohio. The cast includes Sebastian Stan, who is also probably not playing his Marvel character. 

MeatEater: Season 9 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Steven Rinella stars in this non-fiction series about hunting and eating wild game in various U.S. locations. The show used to air on the Sportsman Channel, in case you’re wondering how a Netflix series lasted this many seasons.

The Paramedic — NETFLIX FILM

Carles Torras directed this thriller about a man who, embittered by an accident that left him paralyzed, decides to get revenge on everyone who treated him badly. 

Signs: Season 2 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Drama series about a town in Poland’s Owl Mountains and the aftermath of a recent murder that has the same M.O. as an unsolved case from the past.

Sing On! — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Tituss Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmitt) hosts this karaoke competition series where contestants are judged based on how closely they can replicate the original singer’s performance.  

Coming to Netflix on September 17, 2020

Dragon’s Dogma — NETFLIX ANIME

Adaptation of the Capcom game about a guy who becomes a demon-fighting “Arisen” after his heart is ripped out by a dragon. 

The Last Word — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Six-episode German comedy/drama about a widow (Anke Engelke) who makes money by giving eulogies at the funerals of strangers. 

Coming to Netflix on September 18, 2020

American Barbecue Showdown — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

In case “Chef’s Table: BBQ” wasn’t enough barbecue for the month, this reality competition series consists of eight episodes where contestants must prepare BBQ dishes in all kinds of different ways., 

Jurassic World Camp Cretaceous — NETFLIX FAMILY

In an animated spinoff of the Jurassic Park franchise, six teenagers go to a camp that features live dinosaurs and – you may not be surprised to learn – the dinosaurs run amok and threaten their lives.

Ratched — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

See introduction for details

Coming to Netflix on September 21, 2020

A Love Song for Latasha — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Sophia Nahli Allison directed this award-winning experimental documentary short about Latasha Harlins, trying to learn more about her life instead of solely focusing on her death.

Coming to Netflix on September 22, 2020

Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt: Season 3 — NETFLIX FAMILY

It’s an animated series about a monkey with a tool belt. He and his friends fix things. That’s about it.

Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father: Season 4 — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

You know a Netflix series is doing well when it makes it past three seasons, as comedian Jack Whitehall continues to film what happens when he goes travelling with his crotchety old father. This season was shot during their trip to Australia and New Zealand. 

The Playbook — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Successful coaches from various sports appear on camera to explain the secrets of their success.

Mighty Express — NETFLIX FAMILY

PAW Patrol creator Keith Chapman is back with this series about talking locomotives and the obstacles they face in making their essential deliveries. 

Coming to Netflix on September 23, 2020

Enola Holmes — NETFLIX FILM

The title character is the teenaged sister of Sherlock Holmes, who must put her own detective skills to the test to find her missing mother. Not to be confused with “The Adventures of Shirley Holmes.” That was about Sherlock Holmes’s teenaged grand-niece. 

Licensed content:

No Strings Attached

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Coming to Netflix on September 24, 2020

The Chef Show: Season 2 — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Another season of the buddy cooking show where Iron Man director Jon Favreau (who is not a chef) and Roy Choi (who is a chef) team up to share their mutual love of food.  

Licensed content:

This Is Us: Season 4

Coming to Netflix on September 25, 2020

A Perfect Crime — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

Documentary about the 1991 assassination of German politician Detlev Rohwedder, shot in his own home by a sniper, whose identity remains a mystery. 

Country-Ish — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Reality show about the family life of country music star Coffey Anderson and hip-hop dancer Criscilla Crosland, and the way their different parenting approaches reflect the differences between country and city living.  

The School Nurse Files — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

Jung Yu-mi stars in this drama series, based on Chung Serang’s novel, about a school nurse who has the power to see monsters that are invisible to other humans.

Sneakerheads — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

A six-episode comedy series about a stay-at-home dad (Allen Maldonado) who loses $5,000 on a get-rich-quick scheme and must engage in another scheme to get the money back before his wife finds out.

Licensed content:

Modern Family: Season 11

Coming to Netflix on September 26, 2020

Licensed content:

The Good Place: Season 4

Coming to Netflix on September 28, 2020

Whose Vote Counts, Explained — NETFLIX ORIGINAL

In case Americans weren’t worried enough about the election, this series covers all the different ways in which voting can be rigged, from cheating to gerrymandering to voter-suppressing rules. 

Coming to Netflix on September 29, 2020

Michelle Buteau: Welcome to Buteaupia — NETFLIX COMEDY SPECIAL

Producers Page Hurwitz and Wanda Sykes bring us a new, hour-long special for the American stand-up comedian, host of the Late Night Whenever! podcast.

Coming to Netflix on September 30, 2020

American Murder: The Family Next Door — NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY

True-crime documentary about a headline-making 2018 murder in Frederick, Colorado. Director Jenny Popplewell chose to tell the entire story through archival videos and images, including home videos that appear here for the first time. 

Licensed content:

Dear John

Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again

Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol

Leaving Netflix on September 30, 2020

Ghostbusters

Ghostbusters 2

Inglourious Basterds

Pulp Fiction