The last we saw of the gang at the heart of Netflix’s Money Heist — the landmark Spanish drama that remains one of the streamer’s most popular shows of all time — the brilliant, scheming Professor had largely succeeded in what he’d set out to do. Always with backup plans for his backup plans, he and the rest of his crew overcame one of the most shocking deaths in Netflix history, somehow kept control of the gold, and convinced everyone that money is an illusion.
The show took its final bow back in 2021, and if you’re one of the tens of millions of Netflix subscribers who can still hear Bella Ciao in your head while reading these words, then rejoice: Next week’s batch of Netflix releases includes a gift just for you. It’s a prequel spinoff of Money Heist focused on the fan-favorite character Berlin, and it’s full of romance, intrigue, adventure, and — what else? — a massive heist, one that involves making $44 million worth of jewels disappear.
In the original Money Heist series, “The Professor” plans a daring heist of the Royal Mint of Spain. He’s the brains behind the plot, while the thief code-named “Berlin” executes it as the leader of a team of criminals all codenamed after cities.
In the streamer’s new series, titled simply Berlin, viewers will follow him as he plans a daring heist of his own, one that entails stealing $44 million worth of jewels in Paris. He taps a team of savvy criminals, including cybersecurity mastermind Keila; his close friend Damian; Cameron, a risk-taking loose cannon; weapons expert Bruce; and a locksmith named Roi. “It’s a trip through the golden age of the character, when he robbed around Europe crazy in love,” Money Heist creator Alex Pina said in a Netflix interview about the eight-episode Berlin, which hits Netflix on Dec. 29.
Suffice it to say, this one is going to be a definite must-watch for fans of the original series. Moreover, while Berlin is one the biggest of the coming week’s new Netflix releases, it’s also (thankfully) not the only one worth checking out. As for the other major Netflix titles that we think will be worth your time over the next seven days, here’s a rundown of some of the other notables — from K-dramas to standup comedy specials and much more.
Ricky Gervais: Armageddon — The BAFTA and Golden Globe-winning actor and comedian behind The Office, Extras, and After Life is back with a new Netflix standup comedy special, in which he’ll riff on everything from the end of humanity to political correctness, family weddings, funerals and artificial intelligence. Netflix is debuting it on Christmas Day, because nothing says “the most wonderful time of the year” like Gervais dropping incendiary truth bombs. Release date: Dec. 25.
Hell Camp: Teen Nightmare — Another fascinating Netflix documentary is also coming in a matter of days, in the form of Hell Camp, which the streamer summarizes as follows: “The brutal conditions of an infamous wilderness therapy camp — and the alleged abuse of the troubled teens who attended — are exposed in this gripping tell-all documentary.” Release date: Dec. 27.
Rebel Moon: Part One — A Child of Fire — For these final two additions to the newest slate of Netflix releases, we turn to two titles we teased last week and which are both available to stream now. The first is director Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon, which I’ve described previously as basically Star Wars for adults.
Basically, a Skywalker-esque young woman rounds up a group of like-minded rebels to fight a tyrannical empire. No one wields The Force here, but there are weapons reminiscent of lightsabers, warships that traverse the cosmos, and a cantina that looks like it was lifted straight out of a certain galaxy far, far away. Practically the only thing that’s missing is a Death Star. Now streaming.
Gyeongseong Creature (Season 1 Part 1): Maybe it’s just me, but the vibe I got from this final title is sort of like a K-drama meets Indiana Jones. Gyeongseong Creature, starring major Korean stars Park Seo-jun and Han So-hee, is set in the spring of 1945 at the mysterious Ongseong Hospital in Gyeongseong, where an entrepreneur and a sleuth fight for survival and confront a creature born from human greed.
Park Seo-jun plays Jang Tae-sang, a man caught up in a web of mystery and darkness. “Faced with the urgent task of locating Commissioner’s missing lover before the cherry blossoms wither,” Netflix explains, “Tae-sang joins forces with Yoon Chae-ok, portrayed by Han So-hee, and her father. Together, they embark on a perilous mission to penetrate the enigmatic Ongseong Hospital. Their investigation propels them headfirst into a clash with the forces veiled behind the city’s opulent exterior.” Now streaming.
