Best New Shows and Movies on Netflix This Week: The College Admissions Scandal Doc, Jennifer Garner's Yes Day

A new week means new Netflix movies and TV shows, and while there's no consensus big release, there is something we've all been waiting for: Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, the documentary that covers the headline-grabbing scheme in which a bunch of rich jerks paid for their kids to get into schools. 

Elsewhere, it's a good week for kids with the family-friendly Friday night movie Yes Day and the adorable food show Waffles + Mochi. After that, it's the usual flow of foreign shows and movies, led by South Korea's Love Alarm returning for Season 2. Below are all the new releases on Netflix for the week of March 12-18, 2021.

All titles debut on Friday, March 12 unless otherwise noted. Here's what came out on Netflix last week.

If you're looking for even more hand-picked recommendations, we have plenty. If you'd like to see what's coming out on Netflix in March, here's everything that's coming to the service in the month. 

The Biggest Releases

Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal, Season 1
Like any college-set movie in the '80s, all we're really waiting for is to see the rich, snobby, privileged jerks get their comeuppance. Netflix's new documentary on the infamous 2019 college admissions scandal is full of it. The film uses real FBI wiretaps to reconstruct the takedown of those -- including Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman -- who paid to get their already advantaged kids into schools by forging their credits and extracurriculars. The drama is reenacted, with Matthew Modine playing smarmy ring leader Rick Singer, and accompanied by interviews with those involved. It comes from the producers of Tiger King and the director of Netflix's Fyre Fest documentary, so there's definitely some sensationalism added to it. Bask in the schadenfreude. [Wednesday, Mar. 17] 

Yes Day
Jennifer Garner brings her relatable mom energy to this family-friendly movie about parents who are sick of being killjoys and decide to dedicate a day to saying yes to everything their kids want. (Don't try this at home, parents.) Letting the kids make the rules obviously spirals out of control, but in a fun way that involves Jennifer Garner getting into a fight over a giant stuffed gorilla. That's what family's all about. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]

The Best Shows and Movies to Watch on Hulu, Amazon, HBO Max, and Netflix in March

Everything Else

Waffles + Mochi
Netflix is loaded with food shows, but Waffles + Mochi is the only one that won't bore your children to death, and, if all goes well, gets them interested in cooking food rather than just demanding it from you. A pair of puppets, Waffles and Mochi, join Michelle fricking' Obama to travel the world and chat with celebs -- Zach Galifianakis, Jack Black, Rashida Jones, and more -- to learn about grub in adorable ways. But I'm worried about Waffles and Mochi. Isn't it odd to have food host a culinary show? Isn't that like having a deer host a hunting show? [Tuesday, Mar. 16]

The One, Season 1
This eight-episode limited series about a DNA test that will tell users who their one true soulmate is basically takes the same premise as AMC's Soulmates which basically took the same premise as Black Mirror's "Hang the DJ" which probably took the premise from somewhere else. Hannah Ware, who starred in Betrayal, one of the worst television shows I have ever seen, stars as the CEO who brings the tech to the world and destroys every single relationship in it. [Trailer]

Love Alarm, Season 2
In this extremely popular Korean drama, a woman is caught between two hot dudes in a world where technology rings an alarm when you're close to someone you're in love with. What happened to good old-fashioned courtship, rejection, devastation, and living out the rest of your life in a monastery? [Trailer]

Paradise PD, Season 3
What if Family Guy wasn't so sophisticated? Paradise PD. From the people who brought you the equally immature Brickleberry. [Trailer]

The Best TV Shows to Watch Right Now

Paper Lives
In this Turkish film, a junk salvager forges a bond with a street kid, bringing up his own past childhood trauma. Yet another reason to not help children in need! [Trailer]

The Lost Pirate Kingdom
Continuing Netflix's push into faking real history (dramatized historical non-fiction docuseries) is The Lost Pirate Kingdom, telling you everything you need to know about pirates through reenactments, CGI, and nerds talking to the camera. [Trailer / Monday, Mar. 15] 

Zero Chill, Season 1
A young, pretty ice dancer and a hunky ice hockey player don't always see eye-to-eye in this inspiring drama, but you know what happens next! Eww, gross, they don't get together, they're brother and sister! They do go to England, though, which Netflix apparently thinks is a hotbed of ice hockey. [Trailer / Monday, Mar. 15]

RebellComedy: Straight Outta the Zoo
The German comedy troupe RebellComedy go up on stage, one-by-one, tell humorous stories, and the audience shows its approval by laughing. [Trailer / Tuesday, Mar. 16]

Under Suspicion: Uncovering the Wesphael Case
If America isn't putting out enough disgusting crimes to fulfill your crippling true-crime hunger, you'll have to go to other despicable acts of violence and deception from our naughty neighbors across the pond, like Belgium, where a politician was accused of murdering his wife in 2013. Bonus: It appears as though the accused is prominently featured in the series! [Trailer / Wednesday, Mar. 17]

B: The Beginning, Season 2
In this anime, this guy has like swords for hands, and another person has these totally huge angel wings and they fight like WOOSH and BANG and SPLICE and it's totally cool, and then these cops try to track down some serial killers! Cool. [Trailer / Thursday, Mar. 18]

Get the Goat
This quirky Brazilian comedy movie follows a couple cops who must track down a goat while also avoiding getting killed by drug dealers. [Trailer / Thursday, Mar. 18]

Nate Bargatze: Greatest Average American
Nate Bargatze is just your average, ordinary guy in an average, ordinary stand-up comedy special. [Trailer / Thursday, Mar. 18]

Looking for more? Check out our picks for the best Netflix shows and movies to watch in March.

PHOTOS: The Best Netflix Originals of 2020