The closer we get to Christmas, the more that Netflix's release calendar is taken up by festive content — the weekly rom-coms we've been seeing for weeks are now joined by baking and more. But if you think it's too early for the holiday season, the streamer has content for you too.
As What to Watch's resident streaming expert, I look through Netflix's release calendar every week to bring you a curated list of the shows and movies that everyone will be talking about.
The round-up covers the week starting on Saturday, November 23 and ending on Friday, November 29. That latter is Black Friday and I'm crossing my fingers that we'll see a Netflix Black Friday deal for the first time in years.
This week, I've balanced out the the Christmas content with some romance (fictional and real), some murders (fictional and real), and some racing action in the form of an F1 biopic. This variety will mean that there will be something for you, whatever you're looking for.
Cold Case: Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey
- True crime docuseries lands on Monday, November 25
Netflix's latest true crime docuseries takes another look at the 1996 disappearance of six-year-old JonBenét Ramsey, and it's not the first Original from the streamer to do so.
In this docuseries, we'll look at the well-known cold case as it was investigated, including examining the enduring media frenzy around the case (which Cold Case is a part of) and looking at if future actions could be taken in the case.
All episodes of Who Killed JonBenét Ramsey will hit Netflix on Monday, November 25
Our Little Secret
- Festive rom-com movie debuts on Wednesday, November 27
The first of our holiday releases this week is Our Little Secret, a rom-com movie starring Lindsay Lohan and Ian Harding.
Lohan and Harding star as exes, who are forced to spend the holidays together when they discover that their new partners are actually siblings. Do they tell their new partners, or try and suffer through a festive torture-season?
You'll find out when Our Little Secret hits Netflix on Wednesday, November 27.
Chef's Table: Volume 7
- Cooking show returns on Wednesday, November 27
Netflix's long-running cooking show Chef's Table returns for "volume 7", which isn't actually its seventh batch of episodes as it's had plenty of spin-offs too. By my count, this is the 11th serving!
Each episode of Chef's Table takes a look at a famous chef as we learn about their history, their cooking and their life. This time around our chefs include Nigerian-American restauranteur Kwame Onwuachi, Spanish seafood chef Ángel León and more.
In total there are four episodes of Chef's Table: Volume 7, and they'll join their predecessors on Netflix on Wednesday, November 27.
Is it Cake? Holiday
- Festive baking special arrives on Thursday, November 28
Nope, not "Holiday Special", as Netflix's festive baking spin-off is simply called Is it Cake? Holiday. As you can tell, this is a spin-off of cake decorating show Is It Cake? but with a festive slant.
In Is It Cake, contestants have to decorate a cake so well, that judges can't tell between it and another object. Holiday brings back nine past contenders to try to recreate holiday-themed items and fool a host of guest judges including Rachel Bloom, Wayne Brady, Terry Crews and Tiffany Haddish.
There are four episodes in Is it Cake? Holiday and they'll all hit Netflix on Thursday, November 28.
The Madness
- Crime thriller releases on Thursday, November 28
Netflix has a gripping new crime drama for us this week in the form of The Madness, which looks like it could be one of the more gripping thrillers that the streamer has put out recently.
Colman Domingo stars as Muncie Daniels, a political pundit who witnesses the murder of a white supremacist and is swiftly framed for the crime. He has to work out why this killing is being pinned on him and who'll be able to help him get to the truth.
You'll be able to watch The Madness on Netflix from Thursday, November 28.
Senna
- Brazilian biopic series arrives on Friday, November 29
This drama series, hailing from Brazil, is a biopic series telling the story of real-life F1 racing driver Ayrton Senna, who tragically lost his life in pursuit of his sport (that's not a spoiler, Netflix mentions it in the series synopsis for Senna).
Senna is a six-part story that'll show us the racer's life, career, personal relationships and racing style, starting from when he moved to England to compete in F1. Gabriel Leone leads the cast with Kaya Scodelario and Matt Mella the main supports.
The six episodes of Senna stream on Netflix from Friday, November 29.
The Later Daters
- Reality dating show streams from Friday, November 29
You've probably seen countless first-date TV shows, but The Later Daters twists that formula.
This reality dating show introduces six "baby boomers" to the scary world of modern dating. Luckily they've got friends, relatives and a relationship expert (whatever that is) to help them. They'll learn how to date online and in real life, whether they've been single for years or recently out of a long-term relationship.
An eight-episode reality series, The Later Daters lands on Netflix on Friday, November 29.
