Every month, a number of movies and TV series leave Netflix streaming, sometimes only temporarily, usually because licensing deals have expired. (Here are the best movies expiring on March 1.) Several new titles arrive in their place. So what’s coming next month, and which of these new arrivals should you watch? Below, we’ve chosen the best new movies and TV shows coming to Netflix instant streaming this March. Plan your weekend marathons accordingly.
Finding Neverland
Arriving: March 1
Long before Johnny Depp’s name started to sound like box office poison, he was one of the most respected actors in Hollywood. Finding Neverland is proof of that, a magical drama in which Depp beautifully inhabits the life of Peter Pan author J.M. Barrie. Top it off with a great cast that also includes Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman, and Julie Christie, and you’ve got a charming film worth revisiting. —Aisha Harris, staff writer
Life Itself
Arriving: March 19
Many were surprised that this great documentary about the long, rich life of Roger Ebert wasn’t nominated for any awards at this year’s Oscars. But if you look at it another way, it wasn’t any surprise at all: None of director Steve James’ other brilliant documentaries, including Hoop Dreams and The Interrupters, have been nominated for Best Documentary, either. (It’s worth noting that the Academy’s documentary branch is famously unreliable.) That doesn’t diminish their greatness—Ebert himself named Hoop Dreams the best movie of the 1990s. Life Itself isn’t the best movie of the decade, and certainly those who write about the movies are predisposed to liking it, which might help explain its astronomical rating on Metacritic. But it is a great movie, and one that—regardless of preexisting interest in movie criticism—anyone should enjoy. —Forrest Wickman, senior editor
A Different World: The Complete Series
Arriving: March 15
This sitcom is often cited by ’80s and ’90s babies as a prime reason they chose to go to an HBCU (historically black college or university). But don’t let the weight of its cultural significance intimidate you—for all of its “very special episodes” (and there were many), the show also knew how to be just as silly as any of the other sitcoms of the era. Originally intended as a spin-off for Cosby Show daughter Denise Huxtable, the show was revamped in Season 2 when Lisa Bonet departed, and focused on a whole new cast of colorful, endearing characters like the high-maintenance Southern Belle Whitley Gilbert and the endearingly goofy math whiz Dwayne Wayne. If, like me, you can’t bring yourself to rewatch The Cosby Show, you could do much worse than to catch up on—or revisit—A Different World. —Aisha Harris
3rd Rock From the Sun: The Complete Series
Arriving: March 15
I’m a sucker for fish-out-of-water stories—maybe because I’m an immigrant. What set 3rd Rock From the Sun apart from the other “aliens visit Earth and find it puzzling” shows was its perfect casting. No one does the guy who thinks he’s smarter and more evolved than every other resident of Planet Earth better than John Lithgow. Kristen Johnston is so big, beautiful, and goofy, she must be from another galaxy. Joseph Gordon-Levitt—that hair!—was utterly convincing as a grown man forced to inhabit the body of a teenager. But best of all, French Stewart’s antic antics, which usually feel grossly overplayed, were ideally suited to Harry, a lost soul who wasn’t even supposed to be on this mission in the first place. —June Thomas, Outward editor
God’s Not Dead
Arriving: March 20
I have to begin by admitting that I have yet to see this film, but I cannot wait to watch it on Netflix. Kevin Sorbo plays an arrogant, liberal, atheist strawman—er, professor—in the philosopy department who demands that his students sign an affirmation that “God is Dead” in order to pass his class. This leads one evangelical student to challenge him to debate God’s existence and … then the guys from Duck Dynasty show up to deliver inspirational messages. The entire thing is supposed to be one big dumb mess of a movie (lazy by all standards, including Christian film industry ones), a perfect pairing for snarky friends, and a good drinking game. Cheers. —Chris Wade, video producer
Also arriving March 1
Patch Adams (1998)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)
Teen Witch (1989)
30 for 30: Of Miracles and Men (2015)
Evelyn (2002)
Mercy Rule (2014)
Monster High 13 Wishes (2013)
Monster High: Ghouls Rule (2012)
Rules of Engagement (2000)
