These 10 series are just the thing to bring you from winter to spring this March, whether you are craving wars between gods, unlikely romantic comedies, badly behaved rich folk, or the corrupt getting their due. Catch our monthly binge guide below.
What it is: The gods are out to play — and out for blood — in this cult favorite series on Starz. Based on the fantasy novel of the same name by Neil Gaiman, American Gods follows recently released convict Shadow Moon (Ricky Whittle), who’s employed by the mysterious Mr. Wednesday (Ian McShane) as a bodyguard. Diving into a world of dark magic and gods new and old, it is soon revealed that Mr. Wednesday is on a mission to unite the Old Gods against the rise of the New.
Why you should watch it: Few series are quite as engrossingly strange and ambitious as American Gods, and that’s what has us hooked. It’s a timely commentary on the world we live in today but set against the backdrop of a dark and lurid fantasy epic. Season 2 premieres March 10.
Where to watch it: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 8 hours
What it is: Here’s a romantic comedy squarely for adults. Amazon’s very funny London-set Catastrophe shows what happens when a no-strings-attached week of sex between a visiting American businessman (Rob Delaney) and an Irish schoolteacher (Sharon Horgan) turns into an unexpected pregnancy, a move overseas, and a proposal. And that’s just in the first episode.
Why you should watch it: Co-creators and stars Horgan and Delaney perfectly blend comedy and heart in their utterly original spin on the classic sitcom. Plus, their airtight scripts full of rat-a-tat-tat dialogue are about as joyously quippy and naturalistic as they come. (Judging from the pair’s famous Twitter accounts, that comes as little surprise.) And did we mention the late, great Carrie Fisher co-stars? The fourth and final season premieres March 15.
Where to watch it: Amazon
Commitment: About 8.5 hours
What it is: Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) gets the leading lady treatment with CBS All Access’ hit spin-off of The Good Wife. Set one year after the events of that acclaimed series’ finale (and picking up on the morning of President Donald Trump’s inauguration), The Good Fight follows Lockhart after she’s forced out of her own firm and teams up with goddaughter Maia Rindell (Game of Thrones’ Rose Leslie) and The Good Wife‘s Lucca Quinn (Cush Jumbo).
Why you should watch it: Sure, if you loved The Good Wife, you’ll love The Good Fight — but believe it or not, Baranski is even more astounding here and finds exciting new shades to the beloved Diane Lockhart. Season 3 premieres March 14.
Where to watch it: Amazon, CBS All Access, FandangoNow, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 19.5 hours
What it is: The early aughts’ hit, boundary-pushing reality series Queer Eye for the Straight Guy, gets a makeover of its own with this charming, three-time Emmy-winning reboot on Netflix.
Why you should watch it: If any other series captured the world’s collective heart over the last year like Queer Eye did, we haven’t heard of it. Yes, its main hook lies in the fashionable, fabulous, and heartwarming makeovers the Queer Eye guys give Georgia men (and the occasional woman), but you’ll stick around for the playful banter and true, deep friendship between the main cast of industry experts. It all packs a surprisingly emotional punch, so stock up on tissues! Season 3 premieres March 15.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 12 hours
What it is: Showtime’s Billions dramatizes the high-stakes world of Wall Street when Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti), a U.S. attorney, sets his sights on bringing down hedge fund manager Bobby Axelrod (Homeland‘s Damian Lewis) for insider trading and other illegal proclivities. Talk about one-percenters.
Why you should watch it: Giamatti has built a career on playing the everyman, and here, he’s fighting for him. The actor’s turn as the hard-hitting U.S. attorney would be reason alone to watch (scenes of surprise BDSM and all), but Billions also boasts a timely, engrossing premise and firecracker performances from Lewis, Maggie Siff, Condola Rashad, and a bevy of other supporters that meet Giamatti mark for mark. Season 4 premieres March 17.
Where to watch it: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Hulu, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 36 hours
What it is: It comes as no surprise that a series as sprawling and ambitious as Jane the Virgin has taken on many forms over the last four seasons, but the family-driven hourlong series begins when Jane, the titular character, is accidentally artificially inseminated.
Why you should watch it: More than just a star-making vehicle for the incomparable Gina Rodriguez, Jane the Virgin is a dramedy like no other, rolling out bits of magical realism, vital cultural representation, female empowerment, and plenty of charm. It’s a series that wears its heart on its sleeve, and we can’t wait to see what its final installment has in store. Season 5 premieres March 27.
Where to watch it: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 57 hours
What it is: A small-screen adaptation of Grant Morrison and Darick Robertson’s graphic novel of the same name, Happy! follows a crooked, alcoholic cop-turned-hitman Nick Sax (Christopher Meloni) who inexplicably begins seeing his kidnapped daughter’s imaginary friend: a blue winged horse named Happy (voiced by Patton Oswalt). Together, they set out on a mission to find a Santa-dressed kidnapper on-the-loose.
Why you should watch it: “Happy” is one word for it, another is “weird.” Other words for it are “transporting,” or “hallucinogenic,” or “wild” — all meant in the best way. Unlike just about anything else on TV, Happy! demands your attention and promises a crazy ride. Season 2 premieres March 27.
Where to watch it: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 6 hours
What it is: We’ve seen the modern-day American layperson satirized to no end on the small screen, but we’ve never seen them with zombies. That’s where Santa Clarita Diet comes in. Sheila (Drew Barrymore) and Joel Hammond (Timothy Olyphant) are happily married real-estate agents living in the titular Californian town when Sheila unexpectedly becomes a bloodthirsty, flesh-craving, card-carrying member of the living dead.
Why you should watch it: Any excuse to watch Barrymore is A-OK in our book, but it’s even better when it’s a series as unique, fun, and — pardon the pun — biting as Santa Clarita Diet. Driven by its central mystery as much as it is its core cast of characters, it’s a suburban satire for all, not just fans of The Walking Dead. Season 3 premieres March 29.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 10 hours
What it is: Bill Hader stars as Barry Berman, a Midwestern hitman who, when traveling to Los Angeles for a job, unexpectedly takes an acting class and considers a career change.
Why you should watch it: Henry Winkler is gifted the kind of late-career role that the Happy Days TV veteran has long deserved in washed-up acting coach Gene Cousineau. (And he’s got the Emmy to prove it!) That in itself is reason enough to tune into Barry, but then there’s the title character himself. Hader has never been better as the hitman-turned-aspiring actor: circumstantially funny as a fish out of water, boasting leading-man gravitas as a morally torn hero, and even exuding an unexpected sex appeal as a kickass former Marine. Season 2 premieres March 31.
Where to watch it: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, HBO Now, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 4 hours
What it is: Selina Meyer is an anti-heroine for the ages as a former senator and now Vice President of the United States who curses like a sailor and handles the things her predecessor never bothered to attend to.
Why you should watch it: There are few comedic performances as decorated as Julia Louis-Dreyfus’ turn in HBO and creator Armando Iannucci’s Veep (a record-tying five Emmy wins for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for the same role, to be exact). But still, she and the series seem to get better year after year. While Veep started out as a hilarious satire of the goings-on in our country’s capitol, it’s proven over the last few seasons to be more of a premonitory look at what’s to come in the West Wing — making it as relevant and darkly funny as ever. The seventh and final season premieres March 31.
Where to watch it: Amazon, FandangoNow, Google Play, HBO Now, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: About 29 hours
Thumbnail photo courtesy Patrick Ecclesine/CBS; Isabella Vosmikova/HBO; Jan Thijs/Starz/Fremantle
We surveyed fans and asked which returning and premiering TV and streaming shows they were most looking forward to in spring and summer of 2018. The top TV series, according to 622 Rotten Tomatoes users (out of 1,023 total survey respondents), include HBO’s Westworld (returning for season 2), Amazon series premiere Jack Ryan, and, in the reality category, a reboot of American Idol.
Click through to find out which other series are tops in each category.
NEW SEASON PREMIERES | NEW SERIES & TV MOVIES | REALITY
These returning series are premiering brand-spanking-new seasons in early 2018. (Please note: Netflix announced the premiere date of season 2 of Marvel’s Luke Cage after this survey was conducted.)
Top 20 out of 46 titles:
86%
76%
82%
67%
69%
70%
90%
83%
99%
97%
91%
78%
99%
93%
100%
92%
98%
88%
100%
92%
80%
62%
100%
77%
100%
97%
89%
95%
Top 10 based on 1,023 overall survey responses:
1. Westworld – 13%
2. Marvel’s Jessica Jones – 9%
3. Roseanne – 7%
4. The Handmaid’s Tale – 5%
5. Elementary – 5%
6. Better Call Saul – 4%
7. Timeless – 4%
8. A Series of Unfortunate Events – 4%
9. The Americans – 4%
10. Legion – 3%
NEW SEASON PREMIERES | NEW SERIES & TV MOVIES | REALITY
March is Oscar month, so a lot of the attention is going to be on the big films of the past year. That said, Netflix is adding plenty of classics and recent hits to their library in the coming weeks, and we’ve compiled the best of the bunch into the handy list below. Read on for all of the Fresh and Certified Fresh titles coming to Netflix in March, as well as a number of their more notable original films and series.
A sublime blend of witty banter and inspired special effects, Ghostbusters remains one of the most beloved comedies of the 1980s. Ghostbusters 2… exists, and is also streaming on Netflix now.
Available 3/1 on Netflix: Ghostbusters, Ghostbusters 2
Simon (Jason Bateman) has a seemingly chance encounter with Gordo (Edgerton), an old high school classmate. But Gordo starts showing up everywhere Simon goes, and Simon begins to suspect more sinister motives.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
George Clooney and Anna Kendrick star in Jason Reitman’s multiple Oscar-nominated film about a a corporate frequent flyer tasked with firing people who is forced to reevaluate his life when his company cuts back on travel and he runs into someone from his past.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
Sam Rockwell stars in Duncan Jones’ sci-fi drama about an astronaut nearing the end of a long solo mission on the moon who begins experiencing odd phenomenon and discovers the company he works for may not have been entirely forthcoming about the nature of his employment.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
Jesse Eisenberg and Kristen Stewart star in Greg Mottola’s coming-of-age dramedy about a college grad in 1987 who is forced to give up a European summer vacation to work a thankless minimum-wage job at an amusement park.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
Neil Marshall’s intense horror film follows a group of female spelunkers who find themselves trapped deep in a cave with bloodthirsty creatures when a rock fall blocks their exit.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
Jason Segel and Mila Kunis star in this romantic comedy about a heartbroken TV composer who follows his ex on a trip to Hawaii and ends up falling in love with a local girl.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, and James Woods star in Martin Scorsese’s epic drama about the rise and fall of an expert bookmaker and the colorful characters who made a killing in Las Vegas’ more lawless days.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
Titanic lovers Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet reunite in Sam Mendes’ suburban drama about a 1950s-era married couple whose relationship steadily deteriorates as they fall into the same conventional life they swore never to live.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Bam Margera, and the rest of MTV’s Jackass gang come together for another round of over-the-top hijinks.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
Gerard Butler, Lena Headey, and Dominic West star in Zack Snyder’s highly stylized adaptation of the graphic novel that retells the story of the legendary Battle of Thermopylae.
Available 3/1 on: Netflix
This Netflix original docmuentary series focuses on the police department of Flint, MI, one of the most violent cities in the US, in the wake of the much publicized water crisis.
Available 3/2 on: Netflix
This apocalyptic horror film from Canada follows the residents of a small Quebec town as they reckon with an outbreak of a disease that turns its victims into zombie-like creatures.
Available 3/2 on: Netflix
This canine classic follows the titular stray dog, who goes about a pleasant daily routine visiting his human friends until the two children belonging to the family he hopes will adopt him are kidnapped, and he springs into action.
Available 3/6 on: Netflix
David Letterman’s Netflix-produced talk show features hourlong episodes dedicated to special guests, which include Barack Obama and George Clooney so far.
Available 3/8 on: Netflix
Krysten Ritter stars in Marvel’s Netflix series about an alcoholic private detective with super strength who, in season 2, attempts to unravel the mysteries of her own past.
Available 3/8 on: Netflix
Paul Rust and Gillian Jacobs star in this Netflix original comedy about two thirtysomethings who bond after they both experience bad break-ups, then support each other as they navigate romance, at first with others and eventually with each other.
Available 3/8 on: Netflix
Jared Leto and Tadanobu Asano star in this Netflix original drama about an American solder imprisoned in post-WWII Japan who seeks to repay his debt to the Yakuza for helping to facilitate his early release.
Available 3/8 on: Netflix
In the latest Netflix-produced stand-up comedy special, Gervais performs in front of a London audience and covers subjects like aging and having children.
Available 3/13 on: Netflix
The Jackass gang get together yet again to pull pranks and find creative ways to hit each other in the nuts, because we apparently just can’t get enough of that.
Available 3/15 on: Netflix
Remember the 1974 Benji? The one further up on this same list? This is Netflix’s own remake of the story, with essentially the same plot points, except it’s set in New Orleans.
Available 3/16 on: Netflix
Maria Bello and Ksenia Solo star in this coming-of-age drama about an Ohio girl who falls in love with the films of Federico Fellini and travels to Italy to find him.
Available 3/19 on: Netflix
Newcomer Chanté Adams stars in this biopic of female rapper Lolita Gooden, better known as Roxanne Shanté, who rose from the projects of Queens, NY to become a hip-hop star during the 1980s. Mahershala Ali and Nia Long co-star.
Available 3/23 on: Netflix
Lydia Wilson stars in this Netflix original drama (imported from the UK) about a cellist dealing with the sudden suicide of her mother and the mysteries about her past that spring up in the wake of the incident.
Available 3/23
Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant star in this Netflix original horror-comedy about a suburban couple dealing with the wife’s sudden appetite for human flesh.
Available 3/23 on: Netflix
Workaholics stars Adam Devine, Anders Holm, and Blake Anderson headline this Netflix original action comedy about a trio of losers who find the heroes inside them when the hotel where they work is overtaken by terrorists.
Available 3/23 on: Netflix
Kodi Smit-McPhee and Chloë Grace Moretz star in Matt Reeves’ remake of the acclaimed Swedish horror drama Let the Right One In, about a bullied boy who befriends the young vampire girl who moves into his building.
Available 3/31 on: Netflix
