5 Netflix exclusives coming to South Africa this September

It’s (sort of) spring, and what better way to celebrate the beautiful weather than by staying indoors and catching up on all the wonders Netflix has in store this month?

If you feel yourself growing bored of Netflix’s current offerings, fear not: a host of new original content is coming to SA. Here’s a list of the most intriguing:

1 September: Narcos

Everyone’s favourite sweater-wearing drug kingpins are back for a third season, filled to the brim with action, accents, and anticipation. This season sees the continuation of the Colombian cocaine cartels after that fateful season-two twist.

The official synopsis (edited to remove spoilers) reads as such: “The DEA turns its attention to the richest drug trafficking organisation in the world: the Cali Cartel. Led by four powerful godfathers, this cartel operates much differently than Escobar’s, preferring to bribe government officials and keep its violent actions out of the headlines.”

With just eight votes in so far, the third season has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

8 September: BoJack Horseman

BoJack Horseman is coming back for its fourth season, and critics are already raving about the nihilistic cartoon. IndieWire has dubbed it the “most honest and soulful season yet”, while Independent says it “balances heart and comedy to perfection”.

Will Arnett returns as the failed 90s sitcom star BoJack “who has been trying to find his way through a muddle of self-loathing, whisky and failed relationships”.

“Where’s BoJack?” Netflix teases. “Will he find what he’s looking for? Will he ever return to Hollywoo?”

Netflix titles heading to SA this month include the likes of Narcos, BoJack Horseman and a documentary on Lady Gaga

Also premiering on 8 September is Fire Chasers, a documentary that tells of the devastating 2016 California wildfires and the men and women who risked their lives to put them out.

22 September: Gaga: Five Foot Two

Lady Gaga’s documentary Gaga: Five Foot Two premieres worldwide on the 22nd, offering “a vulnerable look of her life during one of the most pivotal periods in her career yet”.

It takes place over an eight-month period around the time of her Super Bowl performance and the release of her fifth album Joanne — with viewers getting an inside look at how she had to cope with “intense emotional and physical pain”.

“Other moments reflect more ordinary aspects of her life, whether it’s attending a family christening, visiting her grandmother or cooking and playing with her dogs at home.”

22 September: Jack Whitehall: Travels with my Father

Also premiering on the 22nd is British comedian Jack Whitehall’s series Travels with my Father. The show follows Whitehall as he… travels with his father across Southeast Asia.

“I never had a gap year,” he says in the trailer, “so I thought it would be funny to take my father with me.”

The show will feature six 30-minute-long episodes of “mishaps”, “escapades”, and good old family banter.

29 September: Our Souls at Night

Based on Kent Haruf’s eponymous novel, Our Souls at Night is a Netflix film about two widowed neighbours who come together to escape loneliness and make sense of their lives.

The romantic comedy stars Jane Fonda and Robert Redford as they reunite for the first time since 1979’s The Electric Horseman — and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, “their chemistry and sex appeal are still intact”.

Also premiering on the 29th is the documentary Long Shot — about a man accused of murder who uses television cameras positioned around a sports stadium to prove his innocence.