Top 10 Anticipated Netflix Originals for the Rest of 2019

Eddie Murphy is one of the most influential stand-up comics to ever grace the stage, and in the ‘80s and ‘90s, he felt like an unstoppable force at the box office. More recent decades, however, have seen Murphy retreat from the spotlight. With “Dolemite Is My Name,” the living comedy legend looks poised to reassert his relevance in the entertainment industry. The biographical comedy sees Murphy playing Rudy Ray Moore, the comedian, singer, musician, actor and filmmaker best known for his role as “Dolemite”. Murphy is also producing the film, and is joined by a powerhouse cast including Keegan-Michael Key, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Tituss Burgess, Welsey Snipes, Chris Rock and more.

Talk shows are a dime a dozen, but “Between Two Ferns w/ Zach Galifianakis” is unlike any other. Shot to look like it was made for public access television, this web series sees Galifianakis playing an incompetent, nervous and often hostile version of himself while interviewing big name celebrities. It requires a fairly high level of cringe-tolerance, but it’s also comedy gold. In recent years, the output has dwindled to one interview every couple of years, but Galifianakis is making up for lost time with this Netflix original film. It builds on the concept by going behind the scenes and expanding on this fictional version of Galifianakis’ life, following him around the country as he conducts a series of high-profile interviews.

Netflix and its fellow streaming services are more than just libraries of digital content - they’re changing the entertainment industry. “The Laundromat” not only sees Netflix working with a high profile director, Steven Soderbergh, but also adding a star-studded Netflix original to their permanent collection. A biographical comedy drama, “The Laundromat” explores the story of the Panama Papers, some 11.5 million leaked documents detailing hundreds of thousands of offshore accounts used by the world’s wealthiest individuals as tax havens. And it just so happens to star Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, Antonio Banderas and Sharon Stone. Netflix is clearly looking to secure some Academy Awards in the near future, and with Netflix Originals like this… it’s only a matter of time.

There are few creative teams that have had a bigger impact on contemporary television than Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Together, they have brought us such series as “Nip/Tuck”, “Glee”, “American Horror Story”, “American Crime Story”, “Scream Queens”, “9-1-1” and “Pose”. And we’re not even mentioning the content they’ve worked on independently of one another. Given the status of this illustrious pairing, it’s little wonder that Netflix only managed to secure the rights to this series after a bidding war with both Amazon and Hulu. Starring acclaimed stage actor and musician Ben Platt, “The Politician” is a comedy series that follows the political aspirations of wealthy young Santa Barbara resident Payton Hobart. Sexy, stylish and razor sharp, this series holds serious promise.

2019 is really shaping up to be the year that Netflix makes a major push to take home some Oscars. “Marriage Story” is written and directed by filmmaker Noah Baumbach, who gave Netflix one of their most critically-acclaimed original films to date with 2017’s “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)”. This most recent “story” follows a stage director and actor as they navigate divorce, which changes not only their personal lives, but their creative process as well. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, Laura Dern, Alan Alda and Ray Liotta, “Marriage Story” is already generating a fair amount of Oscar buzz in the wake of rave reviews at the Venice Film Festival.

He’s charismatic, he’s handsome, he’s earned himself an Academy Award nominee for Best actor, and the dude’s not even 25 yet. He’s Timothée Chalamet, and he might very well prove to be one of the greatest actors of his generation. In “The King”, Chalamet takes center stage as young King Henry V, who claims the throne in a tumultuous time of war, unrest and disloyalty within his own court. Adapted from various plays by William Shakespeare, collectively referred to as his Henriad, “The King” is any leading man’s dream. And supported by Joel Edgerton, Robert Pattinson, Ben Mendelsohn, Sean Harris and Lily-Rose Depp, Chalamet seems well positioned to succeed.

Every now and then, an adult-oriented animated series comes along that feels wholly original, capturing the imagination of a generation. “The Simpsons”, “South Park” and “Rick & Morty” are a few key examples that come to mind. Depending on its longevity, “Big Mouth” may very well go on to establish a similar legacy; after two critically-acclaimed seasons and a painfully funny Valentine’s Day special, it’s certainly on the right track. On Netflix, where creators can push way beyond the boundaries of conventional TV censorship, “Big Mouth” has managed to explore puberty in ways that are at-once hilarious and incredibly insightful. There are few places this show’s not willing to go, and we can’t wait to see where season 3 takes us.

We still don’t have an exact release date for this highly-anticipated series, but Netflix has thankfully confirmed that it will be in 2019. Man of Steel Henry Cavill plays the titular Witcher, Geralt of Rivia, a brooding monster hunter first introduced in the book series by Andrzej Sapkowski, and made even more popular thanks to the critically-acclaimed video game franchise. Netflix has produced some sprawling big budget original series before, but with “The Witcher”, it seems as if the streaming service is attempting to fill the void left by “Game of Thrones”. From the looks of the trailer, no expense has been spared. Only time will tell how this series fares with a wider audience, but fans of the franchise can’t wait.

With “Breaking Bad”, creator Vince Gilligan gave us one of the most refreshing, unique and addictive television series of the 21st century. And as the success of spin-off series “Better Call Saul” proves, viewers have by no means grown tired of these characters or the messy world of crime that they inhabit. Now... “Breaking Bad” delivered one of the most critically-acclaimed and satisfying finales in television history. And so it’s somewhat nerve-wracking to see a movie continuing the narrative. That being said, Vince Gilligan is writing, directing and producing this film, which will follow Jesse Pinkman after the conclusion oft he series. And in Vince Gilligan and Aaron Paul we trust, so block off October 11th on your calendar!

Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions

“Disenchantment” (2018-) Part 2
Streaming Date: September 20th, 2019

“The Kominsky Method” (2018-) Season 2
Streaming Date: October 25th, 2019

“The Crown” (2016-) Season 3
Streaming Date: November 17th, 2019

“Criminal” (2019-)
Streaming Date: September 20th, 2019

“The Two Popes” (2019)
Streaming Date: December 20th, 2019

Okay, getting Steven Soderbergh is impressive, but a major Martin Scorsece film, with Al Pacino and Robert De Niro no less? That’s one serious feather in Netflix’s cap. It’s also a reminder of just how drasticallyNetflix has changed the way that film and television is distributed and consumed. “The Irishman” has long been a passion project of filmmaker Martin Scorcese’s, but after years in development hell, it’s finally becoming a reality. It tells the story of Frank Sheeran, a hitman who was allegedly involved in the high-profile 1975 disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa. Given that the film digitally de-ages De Niro and Pacino, the budget was reportedly massive, but for such a buzzworthy film, we suspect it will have been worth every penny.