Spartacus: House of Ashur (2025) is a continuation of the original Spartacus series from 2010 in which Ashur is given an alternate fate than received in the original. This allows a reimagined story ending and launch into the new that finds himself dominus of the very ludus that had previously owned him. Rather than just a repeat with new characters, this series stays local and branches out offering ‘unseen spectacles’ in the arena. The well-choreographed fight scenes, good plot, and many other aspects make this an appealing series. I also enjoy the dialogue as it maintains a vernacular like its predecessor. As with the prior, the series is full of nudity including swinging cock, plenty of gore, and all the drama via power positioning you could hope for set in ancient Rome.
Unfamiliar is a 2026 German spy thriller on Netflix done as a six episode miniseries. The series starts out good and from the first episode has that quality low-key tension and intrigue that you want from a spy series. The series is done with two primary characters represented in two timelines, past and present, as something they did in the past catches up which brings back an old foe. The fight scenes are well done and not over-the-top like so many U.S. series increasingly do. The story also revolves around how spies who have formed a fairly quiet life around a daughter have to struggle with her involvement, whether they like it or not. I definitely recommend this one.
Bloodhounds is a South Korean TV series on Netflix that first aired in 2023 with the second season just airing this year. It’s based on prior content of a different medium that I am not familiar with, this being a live action version of it. I really enjoyed the first season when it aired as it was refreshing in many ways. First and foremost, it being South Korean opens up a world of different mannerisms and dialogue that stands out versus American series. Second, while there is a lot of fighting action it is based on boxing rather than martial arts. Granted, it is what I call a theatric version of boxing which is better for the screen and more entertaining. The plot and ensuing drama is engaging and compelling in both seasons. Jumping to season two we see the usual characters and are introduced to several new people. While the underlying premise is the same, the story and action around the second season is sufficiently different that it made it all the more engaging. Definitely recommend this for action fans.
Star Trek Section 31 – I had heard from several people and read online this movie was “really bad”. I figured it’s Star Trek, maybe they don’t understand it has long been campy and cheesy and sometimes that is the charm of it! Nope, I get it. The movie is just ‘off’ from the first minutes and it feels like a fan-created movie using newer generative AI so as not to be poor quality as far as the filming goes. But the general feel of it is ‘off’ as a modern Star Trek movie, the plot is bad, a big scene early where we meet the section’s team is beyond absurd and I immediately felt no connection or care for any of them. I stopped watching about 30 minutes in.
Kill (2024) – This is an action movie filmed in India starring a breakout actor, Lakshya, as an army Captain traveling on a train to be with his future wife. The plot is simple; a large family of bandits hope to rob everyone on the train. The first twist comes in the form of changing the plan to ransoming someone along with the obvious one that a badass and his badass friend are on the train. The fight scenes are well done and the heroes are not indestructible, giving it more realism. The movie is almost entirely in Hindi so get your subtitles ready.
Mercy (2026) – It’s a good movie overall. Definitely a new take on a murder investigation which it essentially is, with the primary detective in a chair being judged by AI for said murder. Chris Raven, played by Chris Pratt), has just 90 minutes to move his “innocence percentage” (as deemed by said AI) below a specific number, which will at least get him out of ‘Mercy Court’ and avoid immediate death. The movie has a few little bits that make you say “uhhhh?!” but has several nice twists to keep you guessing.
Nemesis (2026) on Netflix is basically eight episodes of a dragged out version of Heat (1995) with so many similarities it’s amusing. Beyond that there are small pieces ripped from other movies (e.g. Thomas Crown Affair) in the genre making it a patchwork series if you have seen the prior art. The entire series has almost no original material or creativity and instead just borrows heavily from others. Despite that, because of the time that has passed since most of the prior art has aired, it still ends up as a fairly entertaining show and it’s full of actors that are largely unknown to me which is always refreshing to see. This series is basically the style, feel, and quality that Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson strives for in his movies, and repeatedly fails to achieve. One of the lead actors even reminds me of Jackson, but a much more charismatic version.
Wonderfools (2026) on Netflix is a Korean superhero miniseries that takes a different approach to the genre. Rather than extremely powerful people with incredible powers, the three characters of focus to start are regular humans who are exposed to a chemical that gives them powers. More specifically, they are all less than intelligent people. A majority of the series revolves around the three learning that they have limited powers and then how to control them. While the series drags a bit and could have been cut down by two episodes, the build-up to the final two episodes is fun. Park Eun-bin, who plays Eun Chae-ni, does a wonderful job playing a happy-go-lucky idiot.
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