3 great shows to watch on Netflix this weekend (January 9

The weekend is almost here, so what are you going to watch? If you’re like me, this will be something on Netflix that you can binge through in a weekend, or even next week.

I generally like to watch a lot of documentaries, but this weekend I have my sights set on an excellent samurai battle royale, a historical drama that flows like a brunette, and a great animated series with fangs.

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Last Samurai Standing

One of the most unique and exhilarating series I’ve seen on Netflix in ages, Last Samurai Standing is based on the novel by Shogo Imamura (and later, a manga) Ikusagami. Part Squid game and a part Shogunthis is on a whole other level though.

The series is set in Japan’s tumultuous Meji era in 1978, shortly after the Boshin War saw Imperial forces render the samurai obsolete, their weapons and cannons signaling a massive reversal of tides. Picking up a decade after the bloody Battle of Toba-Fushimi, the six-episode first season follows Shujiro Saga (Junichi Okada), a surviving samurai, whose abilities with a blade have earned him the nickname “The Manslayer.” But hard times and the cholera pandemic fall on Shujiro and his family, and his young daughter succumbs to the disease. In desperation, Shujiro is drawn into a deadly game called Kodoku, a cross-country battle royale to the death of 292 members, with the last samurai standing winning 100 billion yen.

Blood is splattered, body parts fly, and bodies begin falling, rapidly, as a reluctant (and PTSD-riddled) Shujiro encounters a group of like-minded allies: a young woman hoping to help her own family, Shujiro’s mysterious orphaned brother from his past, and a self-proclaimed master strategist, to make it all the way to the end. However, the group soon discovers the nefarious plot behind the game, and it does not bode well for any of the samurai. Believe me, you will binge several episodes of Last Samurai Standing in a row, as the 100% fresh action series does a great job of ending each one with a cliffhanger.

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House of Guinness

It’s dark, rich, creamy, and nothing but trouble—and I’m not even talking about the black gold stout at the center of this Netflix original series. Presented by Steven Knight, the man behind another deliciously realistic historical drama, Peaky Blinders, House of Guinness is his latest glossy family business drama, but this time it’s locked in the smoky chicanery of the Victorian era.

Although the series states at the start of each episode: “This fiction is inspired by true stories”, House of Guinness tells the story of the famous Irish brewery immediately after the death of its founder and patriarch, Sir Benjamin Guinness, putting the future of the empire in the hands of his adult children. The eldest, Arthur (Tetris(Anthony Boyle), is supposed to secure the family’s political interests, but he has a secret that their enemies are dying to exploit. The ambitious Edward (Enola Holmes Louis Partridge) wants to deliver black goods to America if it involves collusion with their enemies. Alcoholic son Benjamin (Fionn O’Shea) is a mess, and his only daughter Annie (Emily Fairn) is in a loveless marriage and has a crush on the company’s rugged henchman (James Norton).

If you like Succession– level of betrayal, Peaky Blinders danger, class struggles, rebellion and more bowler hats than you can imagine, House of Guinness It’s a damn good romp, full of family chaos. Wash it down with a creamy pint and don’t forget the G slot.

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Castlevania: Nocturne

I’ve written about Netflix animated series several times on How-To Geek, but I have yet to write about one of my favorite sequels/spin-offs coming to the streamer:Castlevania: Nocturnea beautifully animated, fast-paced gothic action thriller that I literally binge-watched in one sitting.

One of the first anime-style shows (it’s technically not anime, because it’s made in the USA) I ever watched on Netflix was met with critical acclaim. Castlevania (2017 to 2021), a show based on Konami’s popular dark-fantasy video games about a vengeful Dracula seeking revenge for the death of his human wife. Nocturnal picks up over 300 years later, in 1792, during the French Revolution, where vampire hunter Richter Belmont (a descendant of Castlevania’s Trevor) and powerful mage Maria Renard face powerful demons and vampires in a new apocalyptic threat.

NocturnalBoth seasons of are packaged in 18 flavorful, bingable episodes, and feature some of the most creative fight sequences I’ve ever seen, especially when Dracula’s mortal dhampir son (half human, half vampire), Alucard, makes a returning appearance. Rotten tomatoes have Nocturnal with a freshness index of 98%.

Castlevania: Nocturne

Release date

September 28, 2023

Showrunner

Clive Bradley, Kevin Kolde

Directors

Sam Deats, Adam Deats

I hope there will be a series in this weekend’s suggestions that will add some entertainment to your downtime. Every week, we scour the Netflix library to pull out choice shows, all backed by our own expertise as well as ratings from Rotten Tomatoes and other trusted sources.

Subscription with advertisements

Yes, $8/month

Concurrent streams

Two or four

Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly subscription to Netflix.