Around this time every month, the powers that be at Netflix release their list of what’s coming to and leaving the platform in the month to follow. It’s a time to reflect. A time of mourning. A time of hope.
To help you wade through that emotional soup, and help you decide what to watch in the weeks to come, we’re putting together the Monthly Netflix Report Card, a highly scientific, yet mostly arbitrary, very subjective assessment of the streaming giant’s gains and losses.
The final grade will take into account the three biggest gains in the Netflix original movies and shows/comedy specials, as well as the three biggest gains and losses in standard movies and shows/comedy specials. As months go on, we’ll look to improve our criteria as much as possible.
(Check out the full list of what’s new and what's leaving here.)
Top Three Netflix Original Movies Coming to Netflix in November
-Mudbound, a buzzed-about Sundance period drama from up-and-comer Dee Rees that follows two families—one black, one white—in postwar Mississippi Delta. It stars Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund and Mary J. Blige. Yeah. That Mary J. Blige. (November 17)
-Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond - The Story of Jim Carrey & Andy Kaufman Featuring a Very Special, Contractually Obligated Mention of Tony Clifton. A decidedly postmodern documentary about Jim Carrey's transformation into Andy Kaufman on the set of Carrey's 1999 movie, Man on the Moon. It looks fascinating. (November 17)
-Cuba and the Cameraman, a new documentary from veteran filmmaker Jon Alpert, who chronicled the lives of three families for years inside Castro's Cuba. (November 24)
Top Three Netflix Original Shows/Comedy Specials Coming to Netflix in November
-Godless, a limited-series Western from the screenwriter behind Logan and The Wolverine and Steven Soderbergh. We're excited for this one. (November 22)
-She's Gotta Have It, Spike Lee's longform take on his own 1986 film of the same name, about a women who dates three men at the same time, amongst other things. We're excited for this one, too. (November 23)
Marvel's The Punisher, which we feel obligated to include here over the second season of comedienne Maria Bamford's show, Lady Dynamite. (November 17)
Aggregate Grade of Netflix Originals: A-. A good mix of high-profile shows (Godless and She's Gotta Have It) and indie intrigues (Jim & Andy and Mudbound).
Top Three Movies Coming to Netflix in November
-Tony Gilroy's beautifully written Michael Clayton. (November 1)
-Scary Movie. A classic for your post-Halloween hangover. (November 1)
-The Whole Nine Yards. A highly rewatchable crime Mathew Perry/Amanda Peet crime comedy. (November 1)
Aggregate Grade: B. Nothing too spectacular or noteworthy here.
Top Three Movies Leaving Netflix in November
-Heavyweights. Pour one out for Heavyweights. (November 5)
-A Wachowski purge, with the Matrix trilogy and V for Vendetta. (November 1)
-Hugo. Lesser Scorcese. But still Scorcese. (November 1)
Aggregate Grade: B-. (See above note.)
Top Three Shows/Specials Coming to Netflix in November
-Broadchurch, season 3. (November 27)
-Trailer Park Boys: Out of the Park: USA. (Technically an Original Series, but really a continuation of an old one.) (November 24)
Aggregate Grade: D. These are really the only two coming, unless you count P. King Duckling.
Top Three Shows/Specials Leaving Netflix in November
-Black Books, seasons 1-3. An average if not entertaining old British sitcom. (November 1)
-TNT's Legends, seasons 1-2. Not a huge loss. (November 30)
-How I Met Your Mother, all seasons. (November 30)
Aggregate Grade: B. How I Met Your Mother is practically unparalleled when it comes to binge-ability and rewatchability. This is a substantial loss.
The Final Grade
The aggregate grade of everything coming to Netflix this month is a B-, while the aggregate grade of everything leaving Netflix this month is slightly higher (82.5% v. 80%). That's not a huge difference, and the originals coming are pretty strong—arguably stronger than last month's. But the lack of shows and quality movies coming to the platform are hurting the overall score. And the fact that I can no longer seek comfort this winter in reruns of How I Met Your Mother is personally anxiety-inducing. This month, Netflix gets a somewhat mathematically-determined but mostly arbitrary B-.
