Fall Bounty: Netflix New Releases & Entertainment Worth Waiting For
The other fall harvest.
We think of autumn as a time for bounty—at the orchard, sure, but also in arts and culture. Fall is an abundant time for shows, books and movies (sans the in-theater experience this year, but we aren’t sweating it), and we eagerly await them like that first sniff of a cinnamon broom. We’ve gathered up some things giving us all the fall anticipation, along with some amuse-bouches to consume while we wait.
One Last Song: Conversations on Life, Death, and Music (10.13)
Worth waiting for: Speaking with 30 musicians ranging from Andre 3000 to Roseanne Cash, entertainment writer Mike Ayers asks a seemingly simple question: what would be the last song you would want to hear before you died? The answers are thoughtful, surprising and anything but basic.
While you wait: This one’s right around the corner, so we recommend tuning into the Desert Island Discs podcast, where guests reveal which eight songs they’d bring to a desert island. We’re partial to the older episodes with Kirsty Young in the seat, and the Tom Hanks interview is a favorite.
Rebecca (10.21)
Worth waiting for: A favorite book and one of Hitchcock’s best films gets a sleek update for Netflix from Ben Wheatly, with Armie Hammer and Lily James in leading roles.
While you wait: “Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again…” begins Daphne du Maurier’s gorgeous 1938 gothic novel—a read you will devour in no time. Also not to be missed is Hitchcock’s 1940 film treatment (and Best Picture winner) starring Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.
The Undoing (10.25)
Worth waiting for: A Big Little Lies, New York-style limited series by David E. Kelley starring Hugh Grant and Nicole Kidman. With Grant now a man of a certain age, he appears to evolve from his typical rakish heart-throb roles with this one, and we love to see it.
While you wait: We loved Grant as the villain of A Very English Scandal, the true story of a prominent British politician charged with a conspiracy to commit murder. In Guy Ritchie’s fun (if predictable) The Gentlemen, Grant plays a sleazy private investigator.
Fäviken: 4015 Days, Beginning to End (11.11)
Worth waiting for: It’s not often that a chef changes the game with a big peace out, but Magnus Nilsson did just that when he decided to close Fäviken, his remote Swedish restaurant, in 2019. This isn’t a cookbook—it’s the story of a restaurant, an industry and a way of life. Nilsson never did anything on other people’s terms, so it’s fitting that only he could be trusted to memorialize his restaurant in what we imagine will be a beautiful book.
While you wait: Watch Nilsson in action on this brilliant episode of Chef’s Table season one, or try your hand at one of Nilsson’s creations from The Nordic Baking Book, among his more approachable tomes.
The Crown (11.15)
Worth waiting for: This fourth season chronicling Queen Elizabeth II’s reign will cover the long-awaited arrival of the royals we know best with the introduction of Princess Diana. We’re equally intrigued to see Gillian Anderson take on Margaret Thatcher.
While you wait: If you haven’t watched seasons one, two or three, we’re envious you still have them deliciously in front of you (but please catch up ASAP). Others may want to pick up Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown, Lady Glenconner’s excellent (and never gossip-y) memoir about her extraordinary life and role as Lady in Waiting for Princess Margaret.
