Several years into the streaming wars, Netflix is still the streaming service that gives viewers the most bang for their buck, since there’s always something new to watch. Are you looking for a juicy new drama to sink your teeth into? You’ll find it. Something light and funny? That too. A documentary that’ll make you sit back and go “hmm”? Netflix is here for you.
This weekend is no different. Here are some of the biggest new releases that deserve your attention.
The Lincoln Lawyer season 4 (Feb 5)
Court-form content
The Lincoln Lawyer has been chugging along on Netflix for three successful seasons now, and each one has gotten high marks. The show is based on a series of books by Michael Connelly, about a defense attorney named Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) who often operates out of the backseat of his chauffeur-driven Lincoln Navigator, which allows him to shuttle between various Los Angeles courthouses and work on the way.
The show was created by David E. Kelly, the same guy behind classic legal dramas like The Practice, Boston Legal, and Ally McBeal (and Big Little Lies, if you want some more recent credentials). He’s still got it all these years later. The LIncoln Lawyer is tightly plotted; packed with quirky, interesting characters; and basically tells a new story every season, so even if you haven’t watched the first three seasons, you can still enjoy the fourth.
The Lincoln Lawyer is tense, pulpy, gritty, and fun. With 10 episodes dropping on Thursday, February 5, your weekend may well be spoken for. And the show is already renewed for a fifth season, so if you fall in love with it, you’ll have more to look forward to.
- Release Date
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May 13, 2022
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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David E. Kelley
- Writers
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David E. Kelley
Unfamiliar (Feb 5)
But not for long
Unfamiliar is a new limited series about a pair of ex-spies — Meret (Susanne Wolff) and Simon (Felix Kramer) — who run a safe house in Berlin. According to the official synopsis, an old threat reemerges and the pair find themselves having to fend off attacks from assassins, Russian agents, ex-lovers, and more, all while trying to keep their marriage together.
The synopsis makes Unfamiliar sound a little like Mr. and Mrs. Smith, but the trailer makes it seem like this limited series will take itself a bit more seriously. Unfamiliar is a German-language series. Netflix has had good luck with those, as series like Barbarians, The Empress, and Dark — which is one the scariest, weirdest supernatural shows you’ll ever see — have all found appreciative audiences.
Unfamiliar will consist of six episodes, so it could be the perfect one-and-done weekend binge.
Queen of Chess (Feb 6)
If you want compelling content about chess, Netflix is the only place to go
What is it with Netflix and chess? The Queen’s Gambit is one of the most celebrated series on the service, and now the documentary Queen of Chess gives us the real-life version. It follows Hungarian player Judit Polgár, who became the best female chess player in the world at the age of 12. Less than four years later, she would become a grandmaster at a time when women were not seen as capable of competing on a high level.
This is also the time when the United States and the Soviet Union were using chess as a political weapon, each nation hoping to demonstrate dominance over the other through this game. Plus, Polgár had a long-standing rivalry with famous chess player Garry Kasparov. The documentary has a lot to work with and makes the most of it, spinning a compelling narrative that will be well worth a couple of your hours over the weekend.
- Release Date
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February 6, 2026
- Runtime
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93 Minutes
- Director
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Rory Kennedy
- Writers
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Mark Bailey, Keven McAlester
- Producers
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Rory Kennedy, Keven McAlester, Mark Bailey
Cast
Even more
Those are three of the biggest new releases coming to Netflix this weekend, but there’s always more. On February 3, Netflix drops a new special from comedian Mo Gilligan called In The Moment. A day later, we get a special Valentine’s Day edition of Is It Cake?, the show where contestants create cakes that look like ordinary objects or other kinds of food, and then the celebrity judges have to guess which it is. On February 5, you could check out Cash Queens, a French drama series about woman who become robbers to dig themselves out of financial holes. February 6 will bring the South African romantic comedy movie Yoh! Bestie as well as the new Spanish drama series Salvador, about an ambulance driver who finds out his daughter belongs to an extremist group.
7 Classic Shows I’m Binging on Netflix Right Now (and You Should, Too)
Netflix has a vast collection of older shows looking to capture your attention.
And who says you have to limit yourself to Netflix originals? On February 3, Netflix will get all three seasons of Night Court, an NBC revival of the classic sitcom about a group of wacky characters taking on the night shift at a Manhattan courthouse. And on February 5, it’ll get all five seasons of Search Party, a dark comedy about a group of friends who get involved in the search for a missing young woman. There’s nothing to binge than comedies, and these are two good ones.
And of course, you can catch up on other iconic Netflix originals like Stranger Things, which has been getting dragged through the mud since it ended at the turn of the new year. Why? There’s only one way to find out.
