Today’s carefully assorted platter of Netflix news is heavy on the TV side of things, with updates from Sofía Vergara’s new Cocaine drug lord show, the second season of the best DC Comics show everyone forgets is actually DC Comics, and a raunchy action series from the makers of Cobra Kai.
What readers might not expect from a Netflix news round-up, however, is a trip to the world of gaming. We were just as surprised as you will be to hear that a massive gaming franchise is joining the TUDUM platform’s gaming catalog with three classic titles available to play without extra charge for all subscribers.
Sofia Vergara looks unrecognizable in the first official trailer for Netflix cartel drama Griselda
The first trailer for Griselda, the Netflix mini-series about the infamous Colombian drug lord Griselda Blanco, dropped Thursday, revealing a completely transformed Sofía Vergara in what is her biggest role since Modern Family. “Quinnpin. Innovator. Mother. Killer. Griselda,” the trailer flashes in big bold letters, just as big and bold as the show’s protagonist.
The 6-episode-long series from the creators of Narcos and Narcos: Mexico Doug Miro and Eric Newman, has a release date set for January 25 on Netflix. Miro wrote all six episodes, while Andrés Baiz, who also worked on the duo’s two cartel-world shows, comes back to direct. Vergara is a producer in addition to her starring role, and will share the screen with Martín Rodríguez, Rosa Ochoa, Desiree Alexandra Estrada, Juliana Aidén Martinez, and a number of other actors.
Season 2 of The Sandman is finally back on track after strikes
The Sandman author Neil Gaiman announced Thursday that the second season of the live-action adaptation of his comic book series was resuming filming after it had been halted by the Writers and Actors strikes. Gaiman praised “genius” showrunner Allan Heinberg for his vision for the show and teased new settings for the upcoming season, including Ancient Greece and revolutionary France.
The first season was a huge hit on Netflix in 2022, receiving praise for successfully adapting the notoriously tricky source material, and topping the Nielsen streaming charts. The Sandman follows Morpheus, who is the personification of dreams and also known as Dream, after he breaks free from captivity and attempts to restore his powers. Season 2 has not been given an official release date by Netflix yet.
Your time won’t be “Wasted” playing GTA on Netflix
The biggest streaming service in the world is pairing up with Rockstar Games to bring one of the most famous video games ever into its gaming fold. Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition will be arriving on Netflix, available to play on mobile and free of any extra charges for subscribers.
Netflix has been developing its gaming strategy since 2021, which is now comprised of more than 80 games including ones related to famous shows produced by the platform like Shadow and Bone and Money Heist. Grand Theft Auto III, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas will be available to download via Apple’s App Store, Google Play, and the Netflix mobile app from Dec. 14. Netflix users can pre-register now.
New show from Cobra Kai creators, Obliterated, fails to impress in early reviews
Obliterated, an action dramedy by Cobra Kai creators Jon Hurwitz, Hayden Schlossberg, and Josh Heald, arrived Thursday on Netflix and despite its best attempts, it didn’t quite hit the spot for critics. The 8-season-long series follows a seven-member elite force tasked with stopping a terrorist attack in Las Vegas, but the real threat comes after they’re all too drunk and high from celebrating their first big win to stop a second threat.
The Hollywood Reporter‘s Daniel Fienberg calls the show “rambling and digressive,” critiquing its dragged-out jokes and lengthy fight sequences, while Aramide Tinubu of Variety bashes Obliterated as a “nearly unwatchable hodgepodge of nonsense littered with penises and explosives.” In fairness, we do have a feeling that Hurwitz, Schlossberg, and Heald will take that as a compliment. It’s not all bad, though. For Collider, Nate Richard highlights the first four episodes of the season as “a lot of fun,” despite it “peaking too soon” and dragging in the end stretch. Still, knowing Netflix users, poor reviews won’t stop them from making this sausage bomb fest a Top 10 resident.