What to watch on Netflix this spring

With lockdown looking set to continue for weeks on end, more of us have become resigned to more time indoors - reluctantly or otherwise. Thankfully Netflix, as ever, is ready for the occasion, with a slew of new releases scheduled over the next two months. Here's our guide to what's coming up:

Sky Rojo, 19 March

As tens of millions of addicts await the final instalment of his smash hit Money Heist (expected to land on Netflix later this year), Spaniard Alex Pina bridges the gap with the inaugural series of his latest show - a mile-a-minute glitzy thriller about three escaped prostitutes taking on pimps, patriarchy and everything in between. A quick glance at the trailer suggests something just as frenetic and lavish as Money Heist, albeit with a tantalising spritz of old-school sexploitation chic thrown in too. Perfect for anyone seeking a hard dose of televisual adrenaline to see off that lockdown stupor.

Moxie, 3 March

Continuing the feminist theme Parks and Rec’s Amy Poehler brings us her second directorial offering with Moxie - a coming-of-age comedy about a shy teenage girl who, having found inspiration in the zine once edited by her mother, goes on to lead a school uprising against all things chauvinistic. Newcomer Hadley Robinson stars alongside Ms Poehler herself, while a chisel-jawed Patrick Schwarzenegger keeps up that fine American tradition of playing a high-schooler despite being well into his twenties.

Things Heard and Seen, 30 April

Mank’s Amanda Seyfried and local boy James Norton star in this adaptation of Elizabeth Brundage’s novel All Things Cease to Appear. Though praised by the New York Times at the time of its 2016 release, the book - a modern gothic story about a couple who move into a house haunted by its tragic history - wasn’t quite what you'd call a commercial smash. Still it clearly struck a chord with Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, the filmmaker duo who have previously adapted literary offerings from Eleanor Henderson, Jonathan Ames and Nicole Krauss.

Amend, Available now

Produced and hosted by Will Smith - the latest in a long line of seriously big signings for Netflix - Amend is a six-part docuseries exploring the history of the US’s Constitution’s Fourteenth Amendment - which provides ‘all persons born or naturalized in the United States’ with the right to equal protection and due process. Samuel L Jackson leads a star-studded cast who give voice to some of the most important texts and speeches which have argued for - and against - the amendment throughout American history, including Frederick Douglass, Martin Luther King, and 17th president Andrew Johnson.

News of the World, Available now

Rather than a take on the legendary tabloid newspaper of the same name, Netflix’s biggest offering for the month stars Tom Hanks - fresh from his star turn as the host of President Biden’s digital inauguration party - as a former Confederate soldier tasked with returning an orphaned girl to her last remaining family. As you might expect, it’s a tad on the schmaltzy side - that is, at least, when the guns aren’t drawn - but that hasn’t stopped it racking up appreciative reviews, with Hanks praised for showing us his 'peak paternal mode'. Read the Spectator's take on it here.

Murder Among the Mormons, 3 March

True crime fans will devour this three-part limited series about notorious counterfeiter Mark Hofmann, who murdered two people in 1985 in an attempt to cover up the truth about his forgeries. Hofmann's most notorious documents were those which set out a fake history of the Mormon church, and this thrilling documentary will explore the explosive impact his deeds had on the Mormon community. Napoleon Dynamite creator Jared Hess, a member of the Mormon church and a resident of Salt Lake City, co-directs the project.

Behind Her Eyes, Available now

British screenwriter Steve Lightfoot cut his teeth working on Casualty and Taggart - as well as the BBC’s excellent House of Saddam - before upping the stakes slightly by becoming a writer on Netflix's Hannibal and Narcos. Now he gets his own show, adapting an acclaimed psychological thriller about a woman whose fling with her manipulative, married boss leads her down a path to something much darker. With three Brits - Eve Hewson, Robert Aramayo and Tom Bateman - amongst the lead roles this one is very much a home effort.

Canine Intervention, 24 February

Not content with producing Hollywood blockbusters, Netflix clearly has designs on the equally lucrative world of reality television too. Following hot on the heels of Selling Sunset - its Kardashian-esque dive into the world of uber-high-end LA real estate - the television giant now brings us Canine Intervention, a magazine show about a California-based dog trainer on a mission to bring America's most unruly mutts to heel. If there was ever a show geared to viral success in these dark and depressing times, this is probably it.