6 New Shows to Watch on Netflix This Weekend

1 | Ozark

On Friday, Jan. 21, Netflix drops the first half of the final season of its hit crime series Ozark, with stars Jason Bateman, Laura Linney, and Julia Garner returning to carry out more illegal activities and rack up more Emmy nominations. While the show started with the Byrde family fleeing to the Ozarks with a cartel on their heels, the fourth season finds them in a somewhat cushier spot, but with many of the same problems. The streaming service has yet to announce the premiere date of Season 4 Part 2, so you have plenty of time to catch up before the almost certainly bloody conclusion.

2 | Too Hot to Handle

In the storied tradition of reality shows that trap attractive singles together on an island somewhere, Too Hot to Handle sets itself apart with its No. 1 rule: the dollar amount of the grand prize decreases every time any of the contestants share any sexual contact—even kissing. Check out the newly arrived Season 3 to see who hooks up and how low that number goes.

3 | The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman

The Puppet Master: Hunting the Ultimate Conman centers the experience of the victims of Robert Hendy-Freegard, a con artist who perpetrated some seriously elaborate schemes. In the '90s, he was able to convince several people that he was an MI5 spy, and in the '00s, he began dating a divorced mother of two, seducing her further and further away from her family. Her adult children are key figures in the true crime docuseries, unpacking how Hendy-Freegard was able to deceive their mom so completely that she would run away with him. The two are still at large.

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4 | Archive 81

In the mood for something creepy? Try Archive 81, an original Netflix horror series about a film and video expert (Mamoudou Athie), who's tasked with restoring the archive of a grad student who was investigating a suspicious apartment building fire. Working in the secluded compound of his mysterious client, Dan becomes more and more obsessed by the content of the videos and how they unravel some sinister truths.

5 | After Life

Co-creator of the original U.K. version of The Office, Ricky Gervais, is also the star of and brains behind After Life, the third season of which just started streaming on Netflix. His character, Tony Johnson, inconsolable after the death of his wife, decides to seek payback from the universe by simply doing whatever he wants, no matter who that hurts. But with the help of people around him, he begins to realize that life as he knew it may not be entirely over after all.

6 | Cheer

The reality series Cheer became a very buzzy Netflix success when the first season premiered in early 2020. But its audience's newfound interest in competitive college cheerleading and the Navarro College Bulldogs specifically was tainted when accusations of sexual abuse and other crimes were made public against breakout star Jerry Harris. Season 2 of Cheer doesn't ignore that controversy but addresses it head-on, giving his accusers a platform and showing how the team has dealt with that upheaval.

RELATED: This Netflix Star Complains He's Being "Objectified" After Breakout Role.