Culture picks: What to watch on Netflix this weekend

A new month brings a host of new content to stream on Netflix. Jennifer McShane recommends the shows and series to start with this weekend.  

Our Planet

From the creator of Planet Earth, the eight-part series features never-before-seen footage of wildlife and their habitats — while also revealing why the natural world matters to us all and what steps must be taken to preserve it. The ambitious four-year project has been filmed in 50 countries across all the continents of the world, with over 600 crew members, and focuses on the remarkable diversity of habitats around the world, from the Arctic wilderness and deep oceans to the vast landscapes of Africa and diverse jungles of South America.  The series, a visual spectacle, will also help start an important conversation about the home we all share and the crucial ways in which we need to act if it is to remain safe.

 Chilling Adventures of Sabrina: Part 2 

Part 2 finds Sabrina exploring her darker side, curious to learn more about her heritage while struggling to maintain her friendships in the mortal world. Romantically, Sabrina is caught in an unholy love triangle with between warlock Nicholas Scratch and salt-of-the-Earth mortal Harvey Kinkle. Meanwhile, The Dark Lord, Madame Satan, and Father Blackwood continue to conjure chaos in the Spellman household and the town of Greendale. This one has twists and turns you won’t expect but is just as intriguing as the first season.

Doctor Foster Season 2  

This underrated series sees Suranne Jones star as Dr Gemma Foster, the protagonist who gets led down a dark path. Dr. Foster seems to have a perfect life; she is a trusted GP, has many friends and a settled family — until her husband starts acting suspiciously. The doctor begins to think her husband is having an affair and decides to investigate, but the secrets she uncovers aren’t at all what she expected to find. A gripping drama with an excellent turn from Jones.

Quicksand 

After a tragedy at a school sends shock waves through a wealthy Stockholm suburb, a seemingly well-adjusted teen finds herself on trial for murder. Based on the best-selling Swedish novel by Malin Persson Giolito – with the novel voted Nordic Crime Novel of the year when it was published in 2016 –  it’s already being touted as the binge-worthy thriller of April 2019.

Unicorn Store 

Kit (Brie Larson) is a lonely twenty?something dreamer who’s reluctant to leave the comforts of childhood and fully embrace adulthood. But when art school sends her packing, Kit is forced to move back home with her parents and take a temp job in a boring office – away from the creative life she longs to lead. Just when she’s resolved to grow up, a mysterious salesman (Samuel L. Jackson) enters Kit’s life and offers to give her childlike heart its greatest desire. Larson’s directorial debut is charming and extremely watchable.

Main photograph: Netflix