It’s been an incredible year for new Netflix Originals with hundreds of new titles added. We decided to look through the entire catalog and pick our three favorite new titles added.
Here are nine picks from the brand new Netflix Originals added in 2019 that our writers fell for this year. Let us know in the comments what your favorite new Original was of 2019.
Jacob’s 2019 Picks
Kingdom (Season 1)
Before Kingdom, the South Korean production company, Next Entertainment World began to make headway into the overdone Zombie genre with two excellent titles; Train to Busan and Rampant. Building upon the success of the aforementioned films, Kingdom was my favorite Original of 2019.
When it was announced that Kingdom was being produced for Netflix, I knew instantly this was going to be a smash hit with subscribers. Adding a fresh squeeze of creativity in the genre, the South Koreans have done an excellent job in making Zombies scary again. Overall, everything about Kingdom was second to none. The cinematography used throughout that heavily featured the South Korean landscape was simply breathtaking, the acting was sublime, the story had me gripped from the get-go, and once again, the Zombies scared the absolute hell out of me.
The Dark Crystal (Age of Resistance) (Season 1)
The work carried out by the Jim Henson company on the production of The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance is nothing short of genius. A truly compelling work of fiction, everything about the series was created with unbelievable meticulous detail, and it shows, especially in the puppets which look phenomenal. It’s been a long time since I’ve been through a rollercoaster of emotion with a series, and The Dark Crystal put me through them all, especially the hatred I know feel towards the Skesis, which is unparalleled. I’m a sucker for an original score, and the series most certainly didn’t disappoint, Daniel Pemberton did a fantastic job of conveying emotions through his music. My only criticism was the lack of the original film’s overture, which only ever so slightly featured in the final song of the series, but nevertheless sounded beautiful.
While I was surprised the story didn’t conclude after one season, it was a welcome one to be sure. Whatever lies in wait for the next season will be more than worth wait it as we look ahead to The Dark Crystal: Age of Hope.
Stranger Things (Season 3)
After a long and arduous wait, Stranger Things returned in all its glory for the third season and suffice to say, it was wildly entertaining. Showcasing once again why the series has become the flagship show of Netflix, and thanks to a bigger budget the production team wasn’t afraid to flex its muscles with some excellent new visuals and set pieces.
The cast was excellent, but a shout out to Steve Harrington who once again continued to be the best character of the series. Rather an answering them, season 3 left us with even more questions that are hopefully addressed in the upcoming fourth season.
Kasey’s 2019 Picks
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
For my first pick, I’ve put in not only Eddie Murphy’s return to topflight movies but perhaps his best performance in a movie ever. It’s a shame that no movie studio wanted to pick this up which is why I’ve highlighted it. It demonstrates that Netflix doesn’t have the same ties to Hollywood box office numbers and can instead focus on good quality titles.
I went into the movie not having any background (or much interest if I’m being honest), but came away all the wiser and invested in the story and the characters. It’s excellently produced and hope Eddie Murphy is now back for good.
Money Heist (Part 3)
We all have shows we binge through on day one but this year, Stranger Things wasn’t that show for me. Instead, I watched all of Money Heist in a single sitting. That’s significant namely because it’s a Spanish language show and the idea of being excited for a foreign language show would’ve been inconceivable several years ago.
The high octane drama didn’t necessarily need to come back but it’s a good job that it did. The characters are well-realized and it’s a global phenomenon being easily one of the best titles on Netflix right now.
Love, Death & Robots (Season 1)
The beauty of Netflix is that it can completely surprise you with its new additions. I’d known about Love, Death and Robots development but didn’t quite understand the scope of the project until diving in March of this year.
What I found was 18 Christmas presents all watchable in bitesize chunks and watching each one was a genuine joy. With different stories, genres and art styles, it’s a show that will be enjoyed differently by each viewer.
Tim’s 2019 Picks
The Two Popes (2019)
When it comes to complicated human relationships, you can’t get more complicated than one between an outgoing and an incoming pope. As the leader of the catholic church worldwide, a pope has many contemporary issues to deal with. And that simply ain’t easy. And given the nature of the job (which is usually a lifetime tenancy), it’s unusual for any pope to meet another who might have a different view on those issues.
While Jonathan Pryce and Anthony Hopkins are both British actors, this matters little in a movie of huge international importance. Their performances are what you would expect of such giants of the screen.
The Kominsky Method (Season 2)
For fans of Jewish humor, it doesn’t get much better than The Kominski Method. The second season keeps the excellent cast who gel as though they’ve always been together. The show brings a gentle touch many awkward issues, particularly things that come to people of advancing years.
The women in this show are particularly fantastic. For those of you who have binged House at any point, look out for Dr Cuddy – Lisa Edelstein. They’ve even managed to squeeze in a Bond Girl for a bit of added British interest.
What a shame there aren’t more episodes in each series. And what a delight to watch a comedy show without a laugh track.
The King (2019)
While true stories are often better than fiction, it’s rare that they portray the actual truth. This is especially so when you’re digging around in the depths of history. There’s little written down and you certainly can’t rely on word of mouth. Why is The King so good then? For a start, the main character is far from a romanticized goodie. He’s actually rather a nasty piece of work. The ugliness of hand to hand fighting in battles is done especially well.
This is a fine production by Netflix and is worthy of awards. One question. Why does furniture in period dramas always look so old? It must have been brand new at the time.
What were your favorite new Netflix Original additions of 2019? Let us know in the comments down below.
