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7 New Netflix Shows to Binge Watch in November 2016, And the Best Episodes of Each

With Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel reviving the "Gilmore Girls" and Claire Foy assuming "The Crown," November on Netflix defines girl power.
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Photos
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Photos
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Photos
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Photos
Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life Photos
36 Images

1. “Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life” (available November 25)

Why Should I Watch It? Capping America’s year of nostalgia, Netflix is finally releasing the much-anticipated “Gilmore Girls” revival. Told in four 90-minutes segments, the new episodes will reunite the stars and creator of the early aughts favorite, similar to recent continuations on Netflix and elsewhere. Needles to say, anyone who visited Stars Hollow before is quite eager to see where on the ‘member berries spectrum “A Year in the Life” will fall: the high of “Stranger Things” or the low of “Fuller House”?

Best Episode: From what we’ve seen of the new footage, things are looking good for Amy Sherman-Palladino’s fresh stories. That being said, we haven’t snagged a screener of any episodes, so we’re on pins and needles with the rest of you.

READ MORE: ‘Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life’: Amy Sherman-Palladino Reveals Six New Clips

2. “The Crown” Season 1 (available November 4)

Why Should I Watch It? A lot has been made about how much Netflix is spending on original programming. First, there was “The Get Down,” touted (and refuted) as the most expensive TV show of all time (and perhaps only getting more expensive for Part II). Later, we’ll likely be discussing the budgets for “A Series of Unfortunate Events” and “Bloodline” Season 3, but “The Crown” is another one that cost the streaming service a pretty penny. “The Get Down” proved to be worth it. Will “The Crown”?

Best Episode: We’re only days away from the first season’s full debut, so why spoil the fun? Check back on November 4 for a full review, including an answer to this very question.

READ MORE: ‘The Crown’ Featurette: A Peek Behind the Curtain of Netflix’s Most Ambitious Series Yet

3. “Lovesick” Season 2 (available November 17)

Lovesick Season 2 Netflix Scrotal Recall

Why Should I Watch It? Infamously better known by its previous title, “Scrotal Recall,” Channel 4’s original series from Tom Edge is another entry on the growing list of TV shows as good as their names are bad. Netflix, wisely seeing past the title and then changing it, picked up the series for a second season and will release it globally with two additional episodes (eight, instead of the six-episode first season). A romantic-comedy told mainly in flashback, “Lovesick” chronicles Dylan (Johnny Flynn) as he attempts to contact former lovers after learning he has chlamydia.

Best Episode: Anyone who could look past the title and delve into the half-hour comedy during its first season have been eagerly awaiting a follow-up, as the final episode demanded a further resolution to this warm-hearted tale. Still, the shenanigans in Episode 3, “Cressida,” are hard to top as a definitive episode. So that’s our pick.

4. “Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You” (available November 1)

Norman Lear

Why Should I Watch It? Norman Lear is a television icon, and we could all stand to take a few hours to learn a bit more about him. The legendary writer and creator of “Sanford and Son,” “Maude,” “Good Times,” “All in the Family,” “One Day at a Time” and “The Jeffersons” — all of which ran for more than 100 episodes — gets the documentary treatment in “Just Another Version of You,” and it doesn’t disappoint. As sharp as ever, Lear looks back on his life and aptly analyzes his impressive body of work. It’s far from a life-changing piece, but the film serves its subject well, reminding all of us just what incredible progress a singular talent can do for this world.

5. “The 100” Season 3 (available November 16)

Alycia Debnam Carey in The 100

Why Should I Watch It? Anyone who thinks they know what to expect when they turn on a CW series should give “The 100” a shot. Whether you love “Arrow” and “The Flash” or “Jane the Virgin” and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend,” “The 100” is a different beast entirely. It can get dark — too dark, even, as happened in Season 3 — but it certainly stands out in the age of Peak TV.

Best Episode: Let’s be real: “The 100” Season 3 pretty much ended in Episode 7, when you-know-what happened and enraged fans like nothing else on TV this year. It started a verifiable firestorm in the LGBTQ community, drawing attention from TV viewers who weren’t even watching “The 100.” But there were some good episodes before things got very, very bad: namely, “Ye Who Enter Here,” the third episode of Season 3. Filled with big twists, big action and, yes, big deaths, “Ye Who Enter Here” fit the mold established by the series. We’ll try to remember it fondly…knowing what comes next.

READ MORE: ‘The 100’ Dodges Controversy Even As It Mourns Lexa At San Diego Comic-Con

6. “3%”

Why Should I Watch It? Based on the 2011 web series, “3%” is Netflix’s second original series produced in Brazil (after “Club de Cuervos”) and tracks a select group of people who are chosen to join a privileged society after undergoing intense competition to earn the invite. Of course, this being a world filled with pessimism and dread, “3%” takes place in a post-apocalyptic landscape divided between “progress and devastation,” so you really, really want to make the cut. The series is created by Pedro Aguilera, who earned high marks for the 2007 Cannes entry, “La Influencia,” and offers Cesar Charlone (the Oscar-nominated cinematographer for “City of God”) as an executive producer, so consider us intrigued.

Best Episode: IndieWire has not been offered screeners for the eight-episode first season, so we can’t say. Based off the trailer, we’re most excited for the episode when the heroes make it to the other side. The testing scenes look pretty damn intense, so imagining the relief when it’s all over is already irresistible.

READ MORE: ‘Man With a Plan’ Review: Matt LeBlanc’s Fall From Grace Was Foreshadowed on ‘Episodes’

7. “The Ivory Game” (available November 4)

The Ivory Game Netflix Leonardo Dicaprio

Why Should I Watch It? While unscripted and not even a TV show, “The Ivory Game” is a documentary produced by Leonardo DiCaprio, and, to be frank, Netflix’s November is comparably light to previous months. So, with the Oscars fast approaching, now could be a great time to catch up on some of the streaming services best original documentaries. “The Ivory Game” earned praise at its Telluride debut in September, with IndieWire’s Chief Film Critic Eric Kohn calling it “shocking” and warning it “could be a harsh wakeup call for anyone concerned about the future of the world’s largest land mammal.” But make sure to check out “13th,” Ava DuVernay’s documentary on the criminalization of African Americans from the Civil War to present day. It’s also a strong contender for gold, and Netflix has a good track record of producing nominees.

The Rest of Incoming TV

“World of Winx” Season 1 (available November 4)

“Danger Mouse” Season 2 (available November 9)

“All Hail King Julien” Season 4 (available November 11)

“Case” Season 1 (available November 11)

“Estocolmo” Season 1 (available November 11)

“Roman Empire: Reign of Blood” Season 1 (available November 11)

“Tales by Light” Season 1 (available November 11)

“K-POP Extreme Survival” Season 1 (available November 15)

“Paranoid” Season 1 (available November 17)

“Beat Bugs” Season 2 (available November 18)

“Penguins: Spy in the Huddle” Season 1 (available November 23)

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