New Releases on Netflix This Week & Top 10 Movies & Series: January 25, 2025

Kunal Nayyar, Lucy Hale, and Christina Hendricks in The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Picture: Vertical Entertainment

Happy Saturday, and welcome to a slightly late weekly recap of what’s new on Netflix in the United States over the past seven days. We waited because two killer movies (metaphorically and literally) just landed on Saturday, so we wanted to give you a complete picture. As always, we’ll touch on the most popular films and series on Netflix US this week at the bottom, too.

As you might have caught during the week, we got the full preview of all the new movies and series scheduled to drop on Netflix in February this week. We’ve also been keeping our handy complete 2025 guide up-to-date with all the confirmed releases for the year.

Before we dive into the complete list of new releases, here are some highlights:

What to Watch on Netflix This Weekend

Saturday Night (2024)

Rating: R
Language: English
Genre: Biography, Comedy, Drama
Director: Jason Reitman
Cast: Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Cory Michael Smith
Writer: Gil Kenan, Jason Reitman
Runtime: 109 min / 1h 49m

At one point, Saturday Night looked like it could be part of the awards conversation, and although that’s fizzled out, our enthusiasm for this chaotic comedy depicting the hours that led up to the first live broadcast of NBC’s iconic show has not. Featuring an all-star cast playing some of the big names that debuted on that show back in 1975, the film is well-written, contains plenty of laughs and leave you with questions as to how this show ever got off the ground in the first place.

As this is a Sony Pictures release, however, this is a quick reminder that you can only watch it on Netflix’s premium tiers. All their movies remain blocked on the ad tier.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

Rating: PG-13
Language: English
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Director: Hans Canosa
Cast: Christina Hendricks, Lucy Hale, David Arquette
Writer: Gabrielle Zevin

One movie that hasn’t made the Netflix charts (more on that at the bottom) since its arrival, sadly, is the Lucy Hale comedy The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. Given that, we’re going to give it a wholehearted recommendation here. Starring alongside Kunal Nayyar and Christina Hendricks, the movie adapts Gabrielle Zevin’s novel with the film centered on a bookstore owner, A.J.Fikry, who is down on his luck and down on life. That’s until a mysterious new arrival lands on his door.

The movie was absolutely slammed by critics upon its release three years ago, although audience scores across the board are infinitely higher. In their review, MovieWeb concluded, “Between the Hallmark-y score and certain narrative beats that, in literary form, may read as engrossing, but, on-screen, err towards the overly sugary, Fikry can’t seem to find its place between the grounded and the grandiose.” Most audience scores say the on-screen chemistry and performances are what makes it.”

The Night Agent (Season 2)

Number of episodes: 10
Rating: TV-MA
Language: English
Genre: Action, Drama, Thriller
Cast: Gabriel Basso, Luciane Buchanan, Fola Evans-Akingbola

Gabriel Basso is back for the highly anticipated second season of the show from Shawn Ryan that brings to life the novels by Matthew Quirk. Peter Sutherland is facing even bigger challenges this season with a new role and a new location to travel to. The series maintains the gripping edge-of-your-seat writing from the first season, and thankfully, season 3 is already in production, so we shouldn’t have too long to wait for more episodes.

Full List of New Arrivals on Netflix This Week

Note: You can find an expanded version of this list, complete with trailers, posts, and lots more information about each individual title, on our New on Netflix page.

6 New Movies Added This Week

Bat War (2024) – TV-MA – Thai – With traditional music banned, a group of childhood friends risk everything to preserve their heritage by playing historical Thai music together.
Saturday Night (2024) – R – English – In 1975, a young producer races to prove his prowess as his chaotic cast of comedians prepares for their first-ever broadcast — live from New York.
Scream VI (2023) – R – English – The survivors of the Woodsboro murders move to New York City for a fresh start but must relive their nightmare when Ghostface reemerges to torment them.
The Sand Castle (2024) – TV-14 – Arabic – Stranded on a deserted island, a family of four scavenges for survival as their past unravels, sending them into a downward spiral of painful events.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (2022) – PG-13 – English – A.J.Fikry lives in misery. His bookstore and prized Poe collection are all that keep him going, until a mysterious arrival lands on his doorstep.
You Gotta Believe (2024) – PG – English – When a family man and Little League coach receives devastating news, his ragtag team rallies around him all the way to baseball glory.

11 New TV Series Added Week

Galileo (Season 2) – TV-14 – Japanese – A physicist teams up with a female detective to solve baffling and seemingly supernatural crimes, using only his intellect and logical mind.
NCIS (Seasons 1-4) – TV-14 – English – Follow the agents of the NCIS — the Naval Criminal Investigative Service — as they track down terrorists and other high-profile criminals.
Perfect Match (Season 1 – New Episoides Weekly) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Chinese – Relocated to a new city, a mother must build a new life while tackling her greatest challenge: helping her five spirited daughters find love.
Pokémon The Series: Indigo League (Season 1) – TV-Y7 – English – Explore the world of Pokemon with 10-year-old Ash Ketchum and his partner, Pikachu, as they aim for Ash’s ultimate goal: becoming a Pokemon master.
Private Banker (Season 1 – New Episodes Weekly) – TV-PG – Japanese – A legendary private banker works only with the ultrarich and famous. With his rare expertise, he’ll do whatever it takes to protect his clients’ assets.
Shafted (Season 1) Netflix Original – TV-MA – French – Four middle-aged male friends fumble their way through love, life and career crises in modern-day Paris — when did being a man become so hard?
Soju Rhapsody (Season 1 ) – TV-14 – Korean – The delicious documentary series that examines the history and evolution of Korean cuisine continues with a celebration of the national drink, soju.
The Night Agent (Season 2) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English – Brought together by a midnight phone call, an FBI agent and a cybersecurity expert must unravel an ever-growing web of political conspiracies.
The Trauma Code: Heroes on Call (Season 1) Netflix Original – TV-MA – Korean – To create a top-tier trauma center, a war-seasoned doctor arrives — bringing his blunt but skilled ways to transform his team into life-saving mavericks.
The UnXplained with William Shatner (Season 5) – TV-14 – English – In this investigative docuseries, scientists and historians delve into strange and mysterious phenomena that have intrigued humanity for centuries.
W.A.G.s to Riches (Season 1) Netflix Original – TV-MA – English – They’re the wives and girlfriends of famous athletes and rap stars, but these stylishly smart W.A.G.s call the shots in this soapy reality series.

Most Popular Movies on Netflix This Week

Back In Action Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz

Picture: Netflix

Thirteen movies filtered on and off the Netflix top 10s this week, but scoring maximum points is Back in Action, the action comedy that dominated the Netflix viewing charts globally and is already off to a killer start in the top 10s, meaning it’s almost certainly eyeing a spot on Netflix’s all-time most watched list.

Back in Action (80 points)
Despicable Me 2 (65 points)
Despicable Me (57 points)
Ad Vitam (47 points)
Hotel Transylvania 2 (43 points)
You Gotta Believe (36 points)
The Secret Life of Pets (30 points)
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (27 points)
Hereditary (14 points)
The Boss Baby (14 points)
Rush Hour (11 points)
Trolls Band Together (10 points)
The Sand Castle (6 points)

Most Popular Series on Netflix This Week

Betty Gilpin American Primeval Not Returning For A Second Season On Netflix

Picture: Netflix

American Primeval managed to stave off stiff competition from XO, Kitty this week for the top amount of points, with Squid Game still managing to hold its spot consistently in the top 5. Its reign, we suspect, will soon be coming to a close, with The Night Agent already knocking it off of its top spot.