Critical Thinking new on Netflix – Picture: Vertical Entertainment
Welcome to your first daily recap of what’s now streaming on Netflix (been a mad one – apologies), where we’ll be recapping all the new movies and shows you can now stream in the United States. We’ll also pick out our three top picks and cover what’s trending in the Netflix US top 10s.
Still to come this week is The Recruit, Netflix’s new series starring Noah Centineo, Netflix’s Oscar hopeful BARDO, the final season of Paradise P.D., and over the weekend, we’ll see the 2013 Side Effects added.
Today is your last day to watch The Spectacular Spider-Man and the Marvel anime series, which all leave tomorrow.
Best New Movies and Series on Netflix for December 15th
Critical Thinking (2020)
Rating: TV-MA
Language: English
Genre: Drama
Director: John Leguizamo
Cast: John Leguizamo, Rachel Bay Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams
Writer: Dito Montiel
Runtime: 117 min / 1h 57m
It’s been a couple years since the Chess craze came about thanks to Netflix’s The Queen Gambit but Critical Thinking should hopefully bring it all back.
Inspired and based on a true story, this movie follows the Miami Jackson High School chess team and their attempts to become the first inner-city team to win the U.S. National Chess Championship.
John Leguizamo leads the cast (When They See Us) and puts in a solid performance. According to the glowing reviews, the movie will be pulling at your heartstrings throughout.
Sonic Prime (Season 1)
Rating: TV-Y7
Language: English
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure
Cast: Deven Christian Mack, Ashleigh Ball, Brian Drummond
Sonic has made his way into numerous formats over the decades. Today, he heads to Netflix exclusively in a brand new series that follows Marvel’s lead in diving into a multiverse.
In the first eight episodes (24 were ordered in total), you’ll see the ensuing events following the battle with Dr. Eggman that leads to the shattering of the universe.
Blood Ties (Season 1)
Rating: TV-MA
Language: Spanish
Genre: Drama
Cast: Shany Nadan, María José Vargas Agudelo, Estefania Piñeres
Writer: Juan Carlos Aparicio, Mateo Stivelberg
Runtime: 61 mins / 1h 1m
If you’re looking for a new foreign series with plenty of episodes to dig into over the holiday period, then we’d recommend the Colombian telenovela series Blood Ties (also known as Las Villamizar).
Set in early 1800s Colombia, the series follows three high-society sisters act as spies to help rebels fight against Spanish rule and seek justice for their mother’s death.
72 (yes, seventy-two) episodes make up the first season so if you’re a fan of telenovelas or period dramas, it’s time to dig in!
Full List of New Releases on Netflix So Far This Week
One title we haven’t included (we don’t list titles with new episodes added every week) but should note is the second half of episodes for Harry & Meghan, the explosive documentary that’s making headlines and taking up the entire front pages of the Daily Mail and the Express today.
9 New Movies Added
- Critical Thinking (2020) – TV-MA – English – An unwavering teacher and his students must overcome the perils in their underserved community as they compete in a national chess tournament.
- I Believe in Santa (2022) Netflix Original – PG – English – After five happy months dating Tom, Lisa’s horrified to learn he’s obsessed with her least favorite holiday. Is it time to give Christmas another chance?
- Kangaroo Valley (2022) Netflix Original – TV-PG – English – Journey to a secret valley in Australia, where a nervous baby kangaroo named Mala faces hungry dingoes and winter snows in this coming-of-age adventure.
- Mako (2021) – TV-14 – Arabic – Visiting the site of a sunken passenger ship, eight divers face a terrifying threat beneath the surface of the Red Sea. Inspired by real events.
- My Next Guest with David Letterman and Volodymyr Zelenskyy (2022) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English – David Letterman journeys to Kyiv, Ukraine, for a stirring, personal and in-depth conversation with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
- The Big Four (2022) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Indonesian – Four retired assassins spring back into action when they cross paths with a straight-arrow cop who’s determined to track down an elusive murderer.
- Tom Papa: What A Day! (2022) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English – Tom doles out truths about post-marriage intimacy, his problematic pet pug and why men are to blame for most of life’s inconveniences.
- Violet Evergarden: Recollections () Netflix Original – TV-14 – Japanese – An emotionally scarred former child soldier becomes a letter writer in this condensed recap of the moving, gorgeously animated award-winning series.
- Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Murder Mystery (2022) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English – A holiday-hating detective is forced to solve a murder — and save Christmas — with help from famous trainees who must improv their way through the case.
9 New TV Series Added
- Bebefinn (Season 1) – TV-Y – English – Join baby Finn and his family on fun-filled adventures while learning something new every time. Get ready to sing and dance!
- Blood Ties (Season 1) – TV-MA – Spanish
- Don’t Pick Up the Phone (Pervert: Hunting the Strip Search Caller) (Season 1) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English – This docuseries follows the investigation into a hoax caller who talked managers into strip-searching employees at fast food businesses across the US.
- Glitter (Season 1) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Polish – In 1976 Sopot, Poland, three determined women navigate social and political changes as they strive to find independence, financial freedom and love.
- Gudetama: An Eggcellent Adventure (Season 1) Netflix Original – TV-G – Japanese – Gudetama, the lazy egg, reluctantly embarks on an adventure of a lifetime with Shakipiyo, a newly hatched chick, who is determined to find their mother.
- Last Chance U: Basketball (Season 2) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English – “Last Chance U” hits the hardwood in East Los Angeles as a coach with strong convictions leads young men who hope to fulfill major college potential.
- Single’s Inferno (Season 2) Netflix Original – TV-PG – Korean – Stranded and ready to mingle, flirty singles search for love on a deserted island they can only escape as couples for romantic date nights in paradise.
- Sonic Prime (Season 1) Netflix Original – TV-Y7 – English
- Would You Like a Cup of Coffee? (Season 1 – 12 Episodes) – TV-PG – Korean – A revelatory cup of coffee at a café leads a man to overhaul his entire life. Inspired, he sets out to learn about both coffee and people’s lives.
Top 10s on Netflix for December 15th, 2022
Top 10 Movies on Netflix US
- Prisoners
- Bullet Train
- I Believe In Santa
- Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
- Emily the Criminal
- Burnt
- The Best of Me
- Storks
- God’s Crooked Lines
- 21 Jump Street
Top 10 TV Series on Netflix US
- Wednesday
- Too Hot To Handle
- Harry & Meghan
- Don’t Pick Up The Phone
- Firefly Lane
- Last Chance U: Basketball
- The Unbroken Voice
- Snack vs. Chef
- Dead to Me
- The Crown
Top 10 Kids Titles on Netflix US
- Guillermo Del Toro’s Pinocchio
- Storks
- Snack vs. Chef
- Little Angel
- CoComelon
- Sing 2
- Meeka
- Dream Home Makeover
- Gudetama
- The Bad Guys
What are you watching on Netflix today? Let us know in the comments down below.