I keep hearing about people wanting to cancel Netflix just because of Netflix's password-sharing crackdown — which just hit the United States, the UK and Australia. But, no offense to that crowd, I'm more concerned with the people who spend up to $19.99 per month on a service that they're not making the most of.
That's because Netflix's June 2023 list is (again) a little uninspiring, which is annoying when they're asking people to pay more money to share their account. Yes, Netflix is still one of the best streaming services, but even its new batch of licensed movies isn't that strong.
Typically, they add a ton of great movies, and this month, the best adds are Spider-Man 1 & 2 (both available on Disney Plus), Groundhog Day and Terminator 2. Yes, you may want to watch the trippy Dune (1984), Mean Girls, The Breakfast Club or Magic Mike, but the rest of the list is filled with stuff like The Angry Birds Movie, Bruce Almighty, We're The Millers, Funny People and Jarhead. Movies that will not be seen on the best movies on Netflix list.
Of course, this column comes with a major "your mileage may vary" proviso. You may be behind on your Netflix watching, or you may be on your first or second rewatch of I Think You Should Leave season 3 which drops on May 30th.
Two of the best Netflix shows are coming back, but one doesn't have a firm release date and the other is a half-season drop. So, since I think others may consider canceling Netflix if they know what's coming, I thought I'd run through the biggest additions of June 2023.
Netflix's June is light on must-see shows
Black Mirror season 6 is the big gem of Netflix's June, but it's also the big question mark for two reasons. Firstly, Netflix hasn't said when in June the show is to debut. Just that it's coming in June 2023.
Secondly, Black Mirror returns with a potential chip on its shoulder: between Severance and Red Rose, everyone's winning in the technothriller pond these days. When it comes back, it will surely be appointment binge-TV for many, but without a firm date, it's hard to feel that attached. Resubscribing to Netflix takes little time.
June 2, though, is circled in plenty of calendars, as Manifest season 4 part 2 embarks near the start of the month. These are the final episodes of the Lost-like series that Netflix saved after NBC canceled it.
Speaking of conclusions, Never Have I Ever: Season 4 (June 8) is the final season for Netflix's YA series from Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher. This season finds high-schooler Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) in senior year, and ready to ascend to the next stage of life.
Then, the next two big titles on Netflix's schedule are a pair of follow-ups, with Extraction 2 (June 16) seeing Chris Hemsworth back for in action and surrounded by more explosions. If that's too serious, Is It Cake, Too?! (June 30) looks to cut up your funny bone.
The day before, that, though, we get the first half of Henry Cavill's swan-song for one of the best shows on Netflix, as The Witcher season 3 volume 1 drops on June 29th. Arguably bigger than Black Mirror, The Witcher's ending arrives with the annoyingly now-standard caveat of a split-season, which Netflix does for all its biggest shows (such as Ozark, You, Stranger Things). The back half comes in July.
Oh, and file this under "huh:" Legendary Television’s monsterverse gets an anime series with Skull Island (June 22), with voice acting from Mae Whitman, Benjamin Bratt and Betty Gilpin.
What about the Netflix documentaries and reality TV?
Netflix loves to super-serve its documentary-loving audience, with true crime and celebrity stories. In June, that starts on the 7th with Arnold, a three-part docuseries about Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life. It makes sense since he just got a new Netflix series (Fubar), though it's been mocked by critics and audiences alike.
Love Is Blind: Brazil: Season 3 (June 7) brings drama, while Tour de France: Unchained (June 8) and Break Point: Part 2 (June 21) follows, respectively, cycling and tennis athletes on the toughest paths.
True crime fans will circle The Playing Card Killer (June 9), Take Care of Maya (June 19) and Catching Killers: Season 3 (June 23). 'Maya' looks like the most interesting of the bunch, following an unnerving story of a nine-year-old who was taken into state custody after her parents brought her to the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in 2016. Then, King of Clones (June 23) follows the scandals around a Korean scientist known for human cloning research.
Lastly, Eldorado: Everything the Nazis Hate and Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators (both June 28) arrive to tell two different stories. The former reveals how the queer community in 1920's Berlin found a home, and the latter is the behind-the scenes stories of the drama behind the scenes of American Gladiators.
Outlook: Make sure Netflix is still worth it
I never write this column out of hate for Netflix — the people upset about canceled shows and the password-sharing crackdown have enough of that for the rest of us. Instead, I detail what's coming to Netflix to make sure you're making the most of your subscription.
When we don't know Black Mirror season 6's drop-date, and The Witcher season 3 makes you wait for its second half? It feels like you could wait until July, right? My apologies to the die-hard Arnie fans out there.
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