Netflix Update: What's New in March 2015

In which I report on the upcoming changes to Netflix.

So are Netflix's newest additions to their streaming services enough to counterbalance what's leaving?  Well, yes and no (but mostly no).  There are a few choice shows and films coming on, but not in the numbers needed to stem the shift in quality from March's outgoing fare.

Netflix's biggest addition this month is the complete fifth season of the exceptionally hilarious spy spoof Archer.  It's the kind of show that relies heavily on references to previous jokes and episodes to generate humor - a lot like How I Met Your Mother - so the most recently completed season is a strong addition to its television lineup.

Although I haven't gotten into it yet, Mad Men's seventh season joins Netflix as well, adding to the popular show's already impressive roster of episodes.  And say what you will about the quality of Glee, but it's certainly popular enough to have gotten through as many seasons as Archer has.  Its fifth season will also be added at the beginning of the month.  The band Garfunkel and Oats will also see the first season of their show joining Netflix's tv series lineup, where it will hopefully find a wider audience.  Special mention must also be made for the first season of Turn and the complete series of Third Rock from the Sun.

Newly added movies are a bit sketchier in quality, however.  One of the only real gems among the new crop is Finding Neverland: a historical drama in which Johnny Depp plays the author who penned Peter Pan.  How to Train Your Dragon 2 will also be joining Netflix, although I think that the target audience for that film already has a well-worn copy of that film already.  Still, good movies are good movies, and I'm not one to complain about an expanding repertoire of must-see viewing.

Other than those two, horror fans will certainly enjoy The ABCs of Death 2 and fans of the late Robin Williams won't complain as yet another one of his vehicles is made available for repeated viewings.  Documentarians will appreciate the inclusion of Life Itself - which details the life and career of the late Roger Ebert.  Religiously-inclined subscribers will also find God's Not Dead a pleasing addition, even as the rest of us quietly scroll past it for something that's actually good.

Available March 1
Evelyn (2002)
Finding Neverland (2004)
Mercy Rule (2014)
Monster High 13 Wishes (2013)
Monster High: Ghouls Rule (2012)
30 for 30: Of Miracles and Men
Patch Adams (1998)
Rules of Engagement (2000)
Teen Witch (1989)
The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Available March 5
Food Chains (2014)
The ABCs of Death 2 (2014)

Available March 6
Aziz Ansari Live at Madison Square Garden (2015)
My Own Man (2014)
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Available March 7
Archer: Season 5
Glee: Season 5

Available March 9
After the Fall (2014)
Cesar Chavez (2014)
The Angriest Man in Brooklyn (2014)
Tyler Perry’s The Single Moms Club (2014)

Available March 10
Monster High: Haunted (2015)

Available March 11
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (2014)

Available March 15
3rd Rock From the Sun: Complete Series
A Different World: Complete Series
Marvel & ESPN Films Present: 1 of 1: Genesis (2014)

Available March 17
You’re Not You (2014)
Dummy (2002)

Available March 19
Life Itself (2014)

Available March 20
Bloodline: Season 1
God’s Not Dead (2014)

Available March 22
Mad Men: Season 7

Available March 23
November Man (2014)

Available March 25
Garfunkel and Oates: Season 1
Turn: Season 1

Available March 27
Trailer Park Boys: Season 9
Frankie & Alice (2010)

Available March 31
Ask Me Anything (2014)
The Man with the Iron Fists (2012)

So what newly added movie or series are you most looking forward to seeing in March?

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