What’s new to Netflix NZ, Neon and every other streaming service in July

What are you going to be watching in July? The Spinoff rounds up everything that’s coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand.

Click here to see our listings from June.

The biggies

The Baby-Sitters Club (on Netflix from July 3)

Hold on to your landline and chuck on your favourite turtleneck, because The Baby-Sitters Club is finally here. It’s been more than 30 years since the first Baby-Sitters Club book was published, and now Netflix are bringing the much-loved series to life. Kristy, Mary-Anne, Claudia, Stacey and Dawn are taking over the world, one baby-sitting job at a time, and this warm and sincere adaption of Ann M. Martin’s books will spark joy in the hearts of nostalgic adults and young kids alike. / Tara Ward

The Exceptional Squad (on TVNZ on Demand from July 3)

With school holidays on the horizon, the arrival of digital kids show The Exceptional Squad makes for perfect timing. Young orphans Kahu and Mania move to the city to live with their Aunty B, but settling into a new place is hard and making friends is tough. Luckily, Kahu and Mania were born with secret super powers, which mean they can use their imaginations and dance to overcome any problem. Written by Amanda Alison (Mean Mums) and starring Keisha Castle Hughes and Jayden Daniels, The Exceptional Squad will entertain kids of all ages. / TW

High Fidelity (on NEON from July 13)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5bkbfdVzbI

First it was a book by Nick Hornby, then a hit movie starring John Cusack, and now it’s a comedy series starring Zoe Kravitz, the daughter of Lisa Bonet, who starred with Cusack in the 2000 film. It’s a full-circle moment, and Kravitz shines as the often unlikeable Rob, the owner of a Brooklyn record store who uses music to make sense of her past relationships. High Fidelity’s soundtrack is as important as the drama, and this charming remake captures the music-as-culture vibe of the original film, while still feeling relevant for a Shazam/Spotify-era audience. / TW

Urzila Carlson: Overqualified Loser (stand-up special on Netflix from July 14)

Real talk: Urzila Carlson is one of the most successful comedians in New Zealand. She sells out huge houses on the regular and is beloved by the sort of audiences that other comedians often can’t seem to crack. It helps that she’s funny and genuinely relatable, with the kind of razor-sharp, constantly honed craft that lends itself to, well, very good-stand-up. Now she’s ready to give it to the world with an hour-long Netflix special. It’s a hell of an endorsement from the streaming service (and not her first one), and represents a new benchmark for ambitious local stand-ups to strive for. / Sam Brooks

The notables

Search Party (season 3 on Neon from July 17)

We called it “the most millennial show you can get” back in season two, which was definitely a compliment about this sharp and unpredictable comedy-mystery series. Search Party follows a group of self-absorbed twenty-somethings who decide to play Nancy Drew and track down a missing college acquaintance, but find themselves in way over their heads. It’s a darkly comic watch, anchored by Alia Shawkat’s compelling performance as Dory, and season three promises to be the tensest season yet. / TW

Cursed (on Netflix from July 17)

Can’t wait another year until the second season of The Witcher? Still sore about the finale of Game of Thrones? Here’s a hyper-violent reimagining of Arthurian myth to sate your bloodthirsty tastebuds. This one centres on Nimue, who you might vaguely recollect as The Lady of the Lake (or if you’re like me, you’ll remember her from The Mists of Avalon). She’s played by Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why), the cast is rounded out by a pleasantly diverse group of people, and the story follows Nimue’s path from childhood to becoming, well, the Lady who pulls a sword out of some pond somewhere. / SB

Love Life (on TVNZ on Demand from July 23)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZp_g271jpo

What the world needs now, is love, sweet love, plus a romantic-comedy anthology series set in New York about an unlucky-in-love young professional who spends every episode reflecting on one of her many doomed relationships. Anna Kendrick plays Darby (not Furby, please don’t call her Furby), who despite not loving the term “dickwagon”, is supported on her journey to true love by a quirky bunch of pals and a fine pair of blue Crocs. If you like Amazon Prime’s Modern Love or wearing Crocs of any colour, you’ll probably like this too. / TW

The movies

Hamilton (on Disney+ from July 3)

Don’t throw away your shot! If there’s one thing to thank Covid for, it’s probably the fact that Lin Manuel-Miranda bumped up the release of the professionally-shot film of Hamilton, the most successful and acclaimed stage musical of the past 20 years, and is sending it to all of our homes. If you’re don’t know what Hamilton is about, it’s basically a pop-rap musical based on the life of US founding father Alexander Hamilton – but it’s a lot better than that summary might suggest. And if you know what it’s about already? Then you’re currently refreshing Disney+ waiting for it to drop. /SB

The Old Guard (on Netflix from July 10)

It’s a scientific fact that some of our best movies are when Charlize Theron knocks people down. Atomic Blonde? Absolutely. Mad Max: Fury Road? Look at all those Oscars. Aeon Flux? … look there’s always one outlier. Her latest, The Old Guard, focuses on a pack of mercenaries who, quite helpfully for them, happen to be centuries-old immortals who can heal from any wound. However, when another immortal ‘awakens’, they find out the jig is well and truly up and they have to fight for their life and freedom. It’s all fairly high concept, so just focus on what matters: Charlize Theron knocking people down./ SB

Hustlers (on Neon from July 23)

Jennifer Lopez pole dancing to Fiona Apple’s ‘Criminal’. That’s all you should need, really.

But if you need more: Hustlers was one of the best films of last year, basically GoodFellas with better costumes. The true story of a group of New York strippers who began a scheme to scam their clients, the film is an entertaining ride with a fair dolloping of both heart and social commentary. But really, Jennifer Lopez is the star here, and she takes every moment and runs with it. Hustlers is worth a watch on its own, but her performance deserves to be embossed in gold. / SB

The rest

Netflix

July 1

Deadwind: Season 2

Say I Do

Under the Riccione Sun

Unsolved Mysteries

Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt

Footloose

The Godfather

The Italian Job

Queen of the South: Season 4

How to Get Away with Murder: Season 5

Knocked Up

G.I Joe: The Rise of Cobra

Magical Land of Oz: Season 1

Godzilla

Olympus Has Fallen

The Zookeeper’s Wife

Blood Diamond

Gandhi

Fury

Gladiator

July 2

Warrior Nun

Thiago Ventura: POKAS

The Fuck-It List

July 3

Cable Girls: Final Season: Part 2

Ju-On: Origins

Southern Survival

Desperados

The Baby-Sitters Club

July 4

Spider-Man: Homecoming

July 8

Was It Love?

Stateless

Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado

July 9

The Protector: Season 4

Japan Sinks: 2020

July 10

O Crush Perfeito

The Twelve

The Old Guard

The Claudia Kishi Club

Hello Ninja: Season 3

The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants in Space

July 14

Urzila Carlson: Overqualified Loser

On est ensemble

The Business of Drugs: Limited Series

July 15

Dark Desire

Skin Decision: Before and After

Gil Infedeli

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants

Magic Mike XXL

The Bodyguard

The Shining

GoodFellas

Blades of Glory

The Firm

Spawn: The Movie

Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

July 16

Indian Matchmaking

Fatal Affair

MILF (FR)

July 17

Cursed

Boca a Boca

July 18

Suits: Season 8

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch

Baby Driver

July 20

Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love

July 21

How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast): Season 2

Jack Whitehall: I’m Only Joking

Street Food: Latin America

July 22

Signs

Norsemen: Season 3

Love on the Spectrum

Fear City: New York vs. The Mafia

July 23

The Larva Island Movie

July 24

A cantar!

Animal Crackers

Offenda a la tormenta

The Kissing Booth 2

Dragons: Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing

July 26

Good Girls: Season 3

July 28

Last Chance U: Laney

July 29

Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons: Season 4

The Hater

The Speed Cubers

July 30

Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy

Bad Moms

July 31

Get Even

The Umbrella Academy: Season 2

Vis a vis: el Oasis

Seriously Single

Latte and the Magic Waterstone

Neon

July 12

Nanny McPhee

July 13

High Fidelity

Peppa Pig: Season Two

Lost and Found

Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom

Tractor Tom

Monster Math Squad

Joker

July 14

Doctor Foster: Seasons 1-2

Uglydolls

Rambo: Last Blood

July 15

Devils

The Art of Self Defense

The Expendables

The Expendables 2

The Expendables 3

July 16

Top of the Lake

July 17

Grey’s Anatomy: Season 15

Search Party: Season 1-3

Beastly

July 19

SS-GB

A.P Bio: Season 2

The Addams Family

The Beach Bum

July 20

Gangs of London

Adventures of Zee

Tortoise and Rabbit

StoryZoo

Mr. Eco

It Chapter 2

It’s Complicated

July 21

Bulletproof: Seasons 1-2

The Dead Don’t Die

July 22

The Therapist: Seasons 1-2

Trixie & Katya

All Nighter

Bad Samaritan

July 23

Save Me: Season 2

The Souvenir

July 24

Pride and Prejudice, Cut

July 25

Room 104: Season 4

Bully. Coward. Victim. The Story of Roy Cohn

July 26

Cat Nation

Climate Change

Climate Crisis

Climate Destruction

New Horizons: The Kuiper Belt Target

New Wildfire Fighting Tools

Private Moonshot

Recovering From Extinction

Resurrecting Tasmanian Tigers

Savage Island Giants

Shark Family Tree

Skinny Genes

Capturing Woodstock

Space Junk Dangers

The Kitchen

Seven Psychopaths

July 27

Hustlers

Manchester by the Sea

Primal

Turbo

July 28

Badland

Lost Transmission

July 29

Dollface

Black Christmas