Netflix is adding 15 new shows and movies to the streaming service this week and there are a few must-watch new titles you’ll want to add to your watchlist. If you’re into political thrillers, “Hostage” stars Suranne Jones as a fictional British Prime Minister and Julie Delpy as a French President, and they’re quickly thrust into the middle of a political nightmare.
Sports fans and documentary lovers will want to check out “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys,” which gives us a never-before-seen look at the rise of Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys as the NFL’s preeminent brand. These aren’t the only shows and movies worth keeping an eye on. I’ve found seven top picks in all worth considering for your watchlist this week, including “The 355,” a much-maligned box office bomb that is surprisingly beloved by audiences.
So for more to watch, read on for all of my top picks, a full list of everything new on Netflix this week and the scoop on what’s leaving Netflix this week. If you need more, check out our guide to everything new to Netflix in August, and check out our first look at “Nobody Wants This” season 2.
New on Netflix this week: Top picks
‘Hostage’
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“Hostage” is a new political thriller miniseries starring Suranne Jones as Abigail Dalton, the Prime Minister of the U.K. She’s in a tense border standoff with the French President, Vivienne Toussaint (Julie Delpy), and they arrive at a summit to hash things out. But once she’s there, she suddenly gets a call — her husband has been abducted.
The abductors deliver an ultimatum to Abigail. She needs to give up her power and resign as Prime Minister to get her husband back. If she refuses, she could lose him for good. Of course, the trailer reveals she’ll do no such thing. So now, she needs to navigate challenges from Toussaint, the terrorists and her own political allies (and enemies) at home to get her family back without losing everything.
Watch on Netflix starting Aug. 21
‘America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys’
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The Dallas Cowboys have been a relevant name in the NFL for decades. Legendary coach Tom Landry took the team to five Super Bowls in the 1970s, winning two of them. But by the time 1989 rolled around, things reached their nadir, and Jerry Jones took advantage to scoop up the franchise for $150 million.
That may seem like chump change today for a franchise worth $12.8 billion, but at the time, failure would have left Jones with nothing. So it was a shock when the first thing he did was fire Landry and hire Jimmy Johnson, the University of Miami coach who Jones played with at the University of Arkansas.
The rest, as they say, is history. The Cowboys would win three Super Bowls in the 1990s — though they’ve never been back since. “America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” tells the whole tale, including all the drama, with never-before-seen footage and interviews with Cowboys legends, including Jones, Johnson, Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman, Deion Sanders and Michael Irvin. You won’t want to miss it.
Watch on Netflix starting Aug. 19
‘The 355’
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“The 355” stars Jessica Chastain, Penélope Cruz, Diane Kruger and Lupita Nyong’o as rival spies all hunting for a special decryption program drive that can access any digital system on Earth, but they’re not alone. Criminal mastermind Elijah Clarke (Jason Flemyng) also wants the drive, and he’ll kill anyone to get it.
One of the people he kills is Mace’s partner (Sebastian Stan), and it’s his off-screen death that throws these women into a globetrotting race against each other, which eventually puts them directly in the path of Chinese MSS spy Li Mi Sheng (Fan Bingbing).
It’s important to set your expectations appropriately going into “The 355.” While billed as a franchise starting girl-boss team-up between some of the hottest actresses of the 2010s, it’s a run-of-the-mill action popcorn flick that just happens to feature women instead of men in the leading roles. Critics hated it, but if you go in only expecting to have a (hopefully) fun time watching these women work against, and then later with, each other, you might have a good experience, like most people who’ve seen this movie and rated it on Rotten Tomatoes.
Watch on Netflix starting Aug. 21
‘Long Story Short’
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If you loved “Bojack Horseman,” then you’ll want to check out “Long Story Short,” from Raphael Bob-Waksberg, who also created the former series. This animated sitcom tells the story of a middle-class Jewish family, specifically the three siblings of the family: Avi (Ben Feldman), Shira (Abbi Jacobson), and Yoshi (Max Greenfield).
“Long Story Short” follows these three and the people in their lives across more than 30 years, shifting back and forth between their highly religious childhood and the experiences of their ordinary adult lives. It’s also already been renewed for a second season, so don’t worry about committing only for the show to be canceled.
From watching the trailer, I’ll admit that I’m a bit underwhelmed by the animation, which looks similar to the animation of “Bojack” but somehow less refined. However, I was not underwhelmed by the story and writing overall, which had me laughing at multiple points during the one-minute and 45-second trailer.
Watch on Netflix starting Aug. 22
‘The Truth About Jussie Smollett?’
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Jussie Smollett was riding high at the start of 2019, one of the stars of the Fox drama series “Empire.” But on Jan. 29, he reported to Chicago police that he had been the victim of a hate crime, alleging that he had been physically attacked outside his apartment and assailed with racial and homophobic slurs.
But a mere two weeks later, Chicago police announced that he had instead paid two brothers to stage the assault, and within less than a month, Smollett was charged with a felony for filing a false police report. Here’s where things take yet another turn. After a deal that saw the charges dropped following community service — which Smollett completed — he was tried again in 2020, this time sentenced to jail time and significant restitution to the city of Chicago. This saga just resolved itself this past May, with Smollett and the city settling civil claims after the Illinois Supreme Court overturned the conviction, ruling Smollett’s due process was violated.
Now, “The Truth About Jussie Smollett?” looks to tell the full story, including a reexamination of whether Smollett was telling the truth this entire time. It also features interviews with Smollett, making this documentary compelling to watch regardless of the conclusion.
Watch on Netflix starting Aug. 22
‘Rivers of Fate’
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“Rivers of Fate” stars Domithila Cattete as Janalice, a Brazilian girl in Belém do Pará whose life seems to be cursed. But things for her go from bad to worse once she’s kidnapped by human traffickers who intend to prostitute her in a sex trafficking operation. She’s not the only cursed character in this Brazilian miniseries from Oscar-nominated “City of God” screenwriter Bráulio Mantovani. There’s also Preá (Lucas Galvino), who is struggling to come to terms with his doomed fate as the leader of a gang of “water rats,” criminals who operate in the rivers near the city on Brazil’s northern Atlantic coast.
Then there’s Mariangel (Marleyda Soto), who seeks revenge for the death of her family. All three characters are used to highlight the struggles of life in Pará, and their stories intertwine as they try and shake their cursed fates. Don’t miss this gripping miniseries when it hits Netflix this week.
Watch on Netflix starting Aug. 20
“Fall for Me” (DE) (Netflix film)
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Another foreign language addition to Netflix this week, “Fall for Me” is a German drama set in the Spanish island paradise of Mallorca and it looks gripping. The erotic thriller stars Svenja Jung as Lilli, a German woman who visits Mallorca to live with her sister Valeria for a while. But upon her arrival, she finds her sister is shockingly engaged, soon to be married to Manu, a Frenchman, and the pair plan to invest their money in a high-quality bed-and-breakfast.
Lilli smells a scam, so she starts looking into Manu’s true intentions. That digging leads her to cross paths with Tom (Theo Trebs), an enigmatic nightclub owner, and he and Lilli begin a steamy, heated romance. Their affair is either destined to be short-lived or doomed to failure, because Tom seems to have some sinister secrets he’s hiding from Lilli, based on the movie’s trailer. Don’t miss “Fall for Me” when it arrives on Netflix this week.
Watch on Netflix starting Aug. 21
Everything new on Netflix: Aug. 18-24
AUGUST 18
“CoComelon Lane” season 5 (Netflix family)
The CoComelon Lane kids are back, exploring their world and embracing their imaginations on fun field trips to the airport, an apple orchard and more!
AUGUST 19
“America’s Team: The Gambler and His Cowboys” (Netflix sports series)
Through never-before-seen footage and interviews, this series tells the definitive story of the Dallas Cowboys and Jerry Jones’ impact on NFL history.
- “Titans: The Rise of Wall Street” season 1
AUGUST 20
“Rivers of Fate” (BR) (Netflix series)
When a teen is kidnapped by a sex trafficking ring, a river pirate and a fierce mother embark on separate quests to find her — until their paths cross.
AUGUST 21
“Death Inc.” season 3 (ES) (Netflix series)
When the founder of Torregrosa Funeral Home dies, his scheming right-hand man is poised to take over the business. But the owner’s widow has other plans.
“Fall for Me” (DE) (Netflix film)
Lilli is suspicious of her sister’s new fiancé, but when an attractive stranger enters her life, she’s suddenly distracted by the thralls of desire.
“Gold Rush Gang” (TH) (Netflix film)
At the tail end of World War II, a bandit leader and his crew go up against his sworn enemy and the Japanese army to rob a train full of gold.
“Hostage” (GB) (Netflix series)
When the British prime minister’s husband is kidnapped and the French president starts receiving threats, both leaders must face an impossible choice.
“One Hit Wonder” (PH) (Netflix film)
These two singers never had much luck with their careers. Now, they’re risking everything for a chance at stardom — and love.
AUGUST 22
“Abandoned Man” (TR) (Netflix film)
After serving time in prison for his brother’s crime, a man warily reunites with family, finding hope and healing in a life-changing bond with his niece.
“Long Story Short” (Netflix series)
From the creator of “BoJack Horseman” comes this animated comedy about a family over time, following siblings from childhood to adulthood and back again.
“The Truth About Jussie Smollett?” (GB) (Netflix documentary)
From RAW, the producers of Don’t F**k with Cats and Tinder Swindler, comes The Truth About Jussie Smollett?, a shocking true story of an allegedly fake story that some now say might just be a true story. Featuring interviews with police, lawyers, journalists, investigators who claim to have uncovered new evidence about the case, and with Jussie himself, this compelling documentary invites the audience to decide for themselves who is telling The Truth About Jussie Smollett?
Leaving Netflix This Week
Leaving 8/19/25
“Gangs of London” seasons 1-2
“Into the Badlands” seasons 1-3
“Kevin Can F**k Himself” seasons 1-2
“Preacher” seasons 1-4
“Un-Real” seasons 1-4
“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” season 1
Leaving 8/21/25
“Kung Fu Panda 4”
Leaving 8/22/25
“The Boss Baby”
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Malcolm McMillan
Malcolm has been with Tom’s Guide since 2022, and has been covering the latest in streaming shows and movies since 2023. He’s not one to shy away from a hot take, including that “John Wick” is one of the four greatest films ever made.
Here’s what he’s been watching lately: