The Best New Shows and Movies on Netflix This Week -- Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, The Silence

Looking for something new to watch on Netflix? Here is a list of all the best new shows and movies released on Netflix the week of April 5-11.

Thank goodness spring break is over, because you'll want to stay inside and put aloe all over your sunburn while you watch the bounty of Netflix options coming out this week. Zombies, witches, and monsters are all over the menu, and if you want to play God, there's even a series where you can force a man to do your bidding, even it means he'll get eaten by a mountain lion! This week has my name written all over it. Fans of comedy and drama might want to sit this week out though; the lineup is very genre and foreign heavy this week.

If you're looking for even more hand-picked recommendations, click over to our Watch This Now! page.

(All titles are out Friday, April 5, unless otherwise specified.)

The Biggest Releases

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Part 2
Let's get this out of the way right now: Is it Season 2 or Part 2? Technically, it's Part 2, as Netflix ordered a second season of the show, which will also be split into two parts when it comes out later this year. Also technically, Netflix is being really annoying with this whole season/part thing, so we will forgive you if you call it Season 2. OK, on to the show: Teen witch Sabrina (Kiernan Shipka) is back as a full-fledged Satanist in this new batch of episodes, testing her moral compass and loyalty to Old Scratch by... stealing a pack of gum! This is a truly silly show, and Part 2 really leans into that silliness for some entertaining fun. It's not perfect, but it's also clearly still finding its footing and taking some steps in the right direction.

Our Planet, Season 1
After spending something like five years making Planet Earth, the BBC has been pumping out additions to its series of spectacular nature documentaries like it has a 90-episode syndication deal. The latest is Our Planet, and it's the most guilt-trippiest of the bunch. Recent entries into the BBC nature doc portfolio have made references to our impact on the planet in between showing cute animals trying to eat each other, but Our Planet really lets us have it with repeated calls to get our sh-- together or watch all these beautiful species die. It's depressing, sure, but also kind of necessary; if we don't get climate change, commercial fishing, and deforestation under control, future installments of Planet Earth and the like will just be hourlong looks at cockroaches. Thankfully, the episodes end on a high note, showing instances of new refuges helping wildlife populations rebound and nature flourishing in untouched land, as if to say, "SEE? WE CAN DO THIS, PEOPLE!" (Trailer)

You vs. Wild, Season 1
Following the success ("success" in this case meaning "much discussion of"; the jury is still out about whether it actually worked well or not) of Black Mirror's interactive choose-your-own-adventure episode "Bandersnatch," Netflix is making more interactive programming, blurring the lines between TV series and the video game Dragon's Lair. First up is You vs. Wild, in which we get to decide how to get survivalist Bear Grylls out of sticky situations. For real, Bear, hanging by a rope on a rocky incline, will ask you if he should continue to climb up where a mountain lion waits or if he should slide down over pointy rocks into a ravine below. It sounds absolutely ridiculous, and there's no indication whether or not this is actually a comedy in disguise (my money is on yes; even if it's not intended to be, I'm going to get plenty of giggles out of it because I'm going to make Bear drink his own pee every chance I get). (Trailer / Wednesday, Apr. 10)

Everything Else

The Silence
You'll be tempted to compare this film -- about mysterious creatures who hunt humans using their heightened sense of hearing, leaving humankind to be as quiet as possible -- to last year's hit A Quiet Place, and you absolutely should! I mean, come on! But while A Quiet Place tried to convince us that Jim from The Office was supposed to be an action hero, The Silence comes with a well-established action star in place: Stanley Tucci. I loved that guy in Rambo and Cliffhanger. (Trailer / Wednesday, Apr. 10)

Black Summer
This is being marketed as a prequel to Syfy's fun zombie series Z Nation, but let's be real here: It's not. Though it exists in the same universe, it's nothing like Z Nation. There aren't even any zombie pimps! Instead, it's a serious and scary take on zombies that takes place during the early days of the apocalypse and follows a woman who becomes separated from her daughter when sh-- gets f---ed and goes to h--- (OK, we didn't have to censor that last one). Honestly, with all those zombie series more concerned with what happens deep into the apocalypse ("We have to do everything to survive!" vs. "We have to retain our humanity!" b.s.), this is kind of refreshing. (Trailer / Thursday, Apr. 11)

Persona
It would really help to be a big fan of Korean singer-songwriter IU (Lee Ji-eun) to like this movie, which features the first-time movie actress in four separate mini-films from four different directors. (Trailer)

Quicksand, Season 1
This drama from Sweden and the writer of The Bridge (Bron) looks like a doozy! It follows a young woman who is put on trial for murder after a shooting at a Stockholm prep school. But, of course, the truth lies in her relationship with her no-good boyfriend, who looks like a real P.O.S. Make better choices, teen girls! (Trailer)

Roman Empire: Caligula: The Mad Emperor, Season 3
First of all, an uncomfortable liberal use of colons here. Speaking of uncomfortable uses of colons, this docuseries/drama hybrid takes a look at Rome's horniest emperor, Caligula. The guy staged massive orgies, held gladiatorial games to the death, and was generally an a-hole. Historians will give you the facts, while a bunch of actors will show you what went down during Rome's wildest and deadliest party days. For further viewing on Caligula, be sure to catch Malcolm McDowell's portrayal of him in the very porny Caligula. (Trailer)

Spirit Riding Free, Season 8
That girl and her horse are back in Season 8 of the animated show your niece loves. This time, she's going to boarding school! The character in the show, not your niece. (Trailer)

Tijuana, Season 1
This gritty Mexican drama gives a big high-five to journalists as they spring into action after the prominent politician is murdered. Go journalists! (Trailer)

Unicorn Store
Brie Larson makes her directorial debut in this film, but maybe she should have waited a little longer because the movie is getting panned. She plays an art student who gets the chance to fulfill her childhood dream of owning a unicorn by having Samuel L. Jackson sell one to her from the Unicorn Store, and I really wish I was making this up. (Trailer)

Trolls: The Beat Goes On, Season 6
This show again!?!? This is the sixth season of the animated series about singing trolls in 16 months. Season 5 came out like three minutes ago. It's going to catch Spirit: Riding Free and take over the lead for most seasons of a Netflix show by June. (Trailer / Tuesday, Apr. 9)

Stop searching, start watching! TV Guide's Watch This Now! page has even more TV recommendations.

The 52 Netflix Originals You Should Be Watching