September 2022 has come out the gate swinging with some absolute fan favorites arriving on Netflix. From comedy film series making their debut on the streaming service to eagerly anticipated season premieres, the month is shaping up to be a highly entertaining one for those looking for something to binge this weekend. With so many television and film options to choose from, CBR is here to provide some suggestions to sit back and enjoy as autumn looms on the horizon.
Here are all the biggest and best shows and movies to stream on Netflix this weekend. With the recommendations including everything from family-friendly animated series to raunchy comedies and action-packed video game adaptations from yesteryear, there is certainly something for everyone and anyone to watch on the popular streaming service.
Austin Powers Brings the Shagadelic Laughs
Michael Myers effectively skewered the entire James Bond franchise with his spy spoof trilogy Austin Powers. Launched in 1997, Myers played Swinging Sixties British secret agent Austin Powers who cryogenically froze himself to confront his nemesis Doctor Evil in the future. Loaded with a whole bevy of celebrity cameos, rampant double entendre, innuendo and countless sight gags, the comedy trilogy is now available to stream in its entirety on Netflix.
1997's Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery saw Austin and Evil emerge from cryostasis 30 years after their deep thaw to resume their feud, with the free world hanging in the balance. 1999's Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me had Austin pursue Evil back in time to London in 1969 to prevent the criminal mastermind from altering history and stealing the frozen Austin’s mojo. 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember, the final film in the franchise, had Austin travel back to the '70s to confront a new nemesis, the sinister Dutch dancer Goldmember.
Samurai Rabbit Carves Out a New Season
One of the most beloved, long-running comic book properties of all time is Stan Sakai's Usagi Yojimbo, showcasing the adventures of the samurai rabbit Miyamoto Usagi across feudal Japan. After debuting this past April, the CG animated series Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles has returned to Netflix for its second season. With a full cast of fun-loving and freewheeling anthropomorphic animal companions, the show is set to double down on the action for Season 2.
Set in the distant future, Miyamoto Usagi's descendant Yuichi Usagi claims his own samurai destiny as he and his friends band together to defend Neo Edo. As Yuichi and his friends embark on their own adventures, Yuichi learns his famous ancestor was accused of being a traitor to Japan. In the midst of battling robots threatening Neo Edo, Yuichi searches for evidence that will clear his ancestor's historical reputation as he learns what it means to truly become a samurai.
Resident Evil Brings the Movie-Sized Thrills
While Netflix is not moving forward with a second season of its live-action Resident Evil television series, the streaming service has brought several of the fan-favorite films to its library. With reaction to the 2022 series decidedly mixed, the trio of movies offers more reliably entertaining fun as it adapts the video game franchise in its own high-octane way. The digital platform has added the 2002 original Resident Evil film, its 2004 direct sequel Resident Evil: Apocalypse and the 2012 sequel Resident Evil: Retribution for a solid triple feature.
The first Resident Evil movie has a woman named Alice awaken in a strange mansion in the midst of a police raid only to discover the basement laboratory is swarming with ravenous zombies. Apocalypse follows Alice to the nearby Raccoon City which has been completely overrun by hordes of the undead, with Alice leading a group of survivors to escape. Retribution has Alice kidnaped by the nefarious Umbrella Corporation during the rampant zombie apocalypse and put through a series of strange experiments and fights.
Jojo's Bizarre Adventure Continues the Stone Ocean Saga
The popular anime series Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Stone Ocean continues on Netflix, with the next set of episodes set to arrive following the season's premiere in December 2021. The Stone Ocean moniker was added to the series starting with its fifth season as it adapts the manga series by Hirohiko Araki. With every season featuring a different protagonist, Stone Ocean delves into brutal prison drama and action as one falsely convicted inmate fights to regain her freedom and honor.
Stone Ocean follows the new protagonist Jolyne Cujoh, who is framed for murder and jailed in a maximum security prison in Florida. After receiving a mysterious pendant from her father Jotaro Cujoh, Jolyn learns more about the circumstances behind her false conviction and vows to escape from prison to clear her name and seek her revenge. With the first installment of Stone Ocean ending on a cliffhanger as Jolyne faced a full conspiracy, the next set of episodes look to escalate the action and intrigue even further.
The Vampire Diaries Closes the Book for Good
With Legacies canceled by The CW, the Vampire Diaries franchise that launched on the network in 2009 has come to an auspicious end. The original series ran for eight seasons from 2009 to 2017, following teenager Elena Gilbert as she encounters vampire brothers Stefan and Damon Salvatore in her hometown of Mystic Falls, Virginia. The series is set to leave Netflix by Sept. 5, making this the last weekend to binge the show in full.
Over the course of the series, Elena is drawn deeper into the supernatural world as a love triangle forms between her and the Salvatore brothers. The show would explore the Salvatores while adding new paranormal elements to Mystic Falls, including werewolves and their longstanding conflict against vampires. Before The Originals and Legacies, it was The Vampire Diaries that kicked off this successful television franchise and continues to boast a vocally loyal fanbase.