At the second Netflix Upfront presentation, Chief Content Officer Bela Bajaria discussed a variety of shows, movies, and live events coming to the streaming service.
Netflix announced new series, including witty comedies like Golf, starring Will Ferrell and executive produced by Ramy Youseff and Rian Johnson, Running Point, starring Kate Hudson and executive produced by Mindy Kaling, and Nobody Wants This, starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody.
The scripted comedy Golf has received a 10-episode order. In his first TV comedy series, Ferrell stars as a fictional golf legend, and Youssef will also play a role. The series was created by Will Ferrell, Ramy Youssef, and Josh Rabinowitz. Youssef and Rabinowitz are showrunners and executive producers.
Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, and Alix Taylor are executive producers for Gloria Sanchez Productions. Rian Johnson, Ram Bergman, and Nena Rodrigue are executive producers for T-Street. Andy Campagna is an executive producer for Cairo Cowboy.
Formerly known as the “Untitled Mindy Kaling Comedy Series,” Running Point will premiere on Netflix in 2025. When a scandal forces her brother to resign, Isla Gordon (Kate Hudson) is appointed President of the Los Angeles Waves, one of the most storied professional basketball franchises, and her family business.
Ambitious and often overlooked, Isla will have to prove to her skeptical brothers, the board, and the larger sports community that she is the right choice for the job, especially in the unpredictable, male-dominated world of sports.
The cast of the 10-episode series also includes Brenda Song, Drew Tarver, Scott MacArthur, Fabrizio Guido, Toby Sandeman, Chet Hanks, Max Greenfield, Keyla Monterroso Mejia, Roberto Sanchez, Uche Agada, and Dane DiLiegro.
Mindy Kaling, Ike Barinholtz, and David Stassen are the writers and executive producers. David Stassen is the showrunner, and the executive producers include Hudson, Howard Klein, Jeanie Buss, and Linda Rambis. Jordan Rambis is the producer.
Two new dramas will also be coming to Netflix: The Waterfront from Kevin Williamson, an adult family drama set in a small coastal town with twists and turns inspired by true events, and a contemporary cowboy saga starring Tim McGraw. Bajaria announced that the critically acclaimed series 3 Body Problem will also be back for all new episodes.
For sports fans, Netflix highlighted multiple new shows, including a new documentary series following the story of Jerry Jones and the 1990s Dallas Cowboys, and three series in partnership with the International Olympic Committee: Simone Biles: Rising, which will follow the comeback of the greatest gymnast ever, a show spotlighting men’s basketball teams from around the world as they compete for medals, and Sprint, tracking the 100-meter sprinters.
New films announced include Happy Gilmore 2, starring Adam Sandler; The Woman in Cabin 10, based on the bestselling novel of the same name and starring Keira Knightley; and a new film from Academy Award winner Kathryn Bigelow.
The NFL is coming to Netflix as well. Netflix will be the global home of the NFL’s two Christmas Day marquee games this year, and they’ll be streaming at least one Christmas Day game in 2025 and 2026.
PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
NOBODY WANTS THIS (September 26)
Formerly known as “Untitled Erin Foster Show,” Nobody Wants This will premiere on September 26, 2024. The comedy series is centered on the unlikely relationship between an outspoken, agnostic woman, Joanne (Kristen Bell), and an unconventional rabbi, Noah (Adam Brody).
“This show is based on the only good decision I ever made: falling for a nice Jewish boy,” said creator, co-showrunner, and executive producer Erin Foster. “But I realized that being happy is way harder than being miserable (there’s nothing to complain about). So, I created this show based on all the ways that finding the right person can be so hard. Nobody Wants This, but we do, and that’s all that matters.”
The 10-episode series’ cast also includes Justine Lupe, Timothy Simons, Stephanie Faracy, Tovah Feldshuh, Paul Ben-Victor, Michael Hitchcock, Jackie Tohn, Sherry Cola, and Shiloh Bearman. In a recasting, Emily Arlook (Grownish, You People) will recur on Nobody Wants This as Rebecca, Noah’s “perfect” Jewish girlfriend who has done “everything right” to get him to propose.
Craig DiGregorio and Erin Foster are the showrunners. The executive producers include Erin Foster, Steven Levitan, Craig DiGregorio, Kristen Bell, Sara Foster, Danielle Stokdyk, Jeff Morton, Jack Burditt, and Oly Obst.
BACK IN ACTION (November 15)
Back in Action was directed by Seth Gordon from a script by Gordon and Brendan O’Brien. The cast includes Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Kyle Chandler, Glenn Close, Andrew Scott, Jamie Demetriou, McKenna Roberts, and Rylan Jackson.
The film is described as follows: “Years after giving up life as CIA spies to start a family, Emily and Matt find themselves dragged back into the world of espionage when their cover is blown.”
The producers include Jenno Topping, Peter Chernin, and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett for Chernin Entertainment, Beau Bauman for Good One Productions, and Seth Gordon for Exhibit A.
Jamie Foxx, Datari Turner, Brendan O’Brien, and Tim Lewis are the executive producers.
Mirko Parlevliet has been reporting on the entertainment industry since 1998 and founded Vital Thrills in 2018 to cover the latest news on streaming, movies, TV, and video games.