New to Netflix in April 2026

Mar 31, 2026 - 22:30

Netflix is stacking April 2026 with a lineup that swings from huge franchise comfort food to buzzy originals. The month opens with a loaded April 1 catalog drop that includes five Mission: Impossible movies, the full Madagascar trilogy, Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie, American Gangster, Bohemian Rhapsody, and The Age of Adaline, per ComicBook. That kind of first day haul gives the service an instant jolt, especially for viewers who want recognizable titles before the originals start rolling in.

The early part of the month also looks strong on the series side. XO, Kitty returns for Season 3 on April 2, while The Bad Guys: The Series comes back that same day with its second season. A day later, Netflix keeps the momentum going with Bloodhounds Season 2 and several international releases, helping April feel broad rather than top heavy. By the middle of the month, the spotlight shifts to one of the platform’s most anticipated returning shows, Beef Season 2, which arrives April 16 and stands as one of the month’s marquee draws. Coverage around the slate has consistently singled it out as a headline title.

Netflix also has a few easy hook titles for viewers who want something more specific. Creature feature fans get Beast on April 7, then the shark thriller Thrash on April 10. Later in the month, Apex lands on April 24 with Charlize Theron and Taron Egerton in a survival story set in the Australian wilderness. Reports on the film describe it as a tense cat and mouse thriller, which makes it one of the more intriguing late month additions.

Then comes the nostalgia play. Stranger Things: Tales From ’85 premieres April 23 and pushes the franchise back into Hawkins for an animated story set between Seasons 2 and 3. That alone gives April a big identity. Add in Man on Fire closing the month on April 30, and Netflix has built a release calendar with real range instead of one obvious centerpiece. April may not overwhelm with sheer volume every single day, but it absolutely knows how to spread out reasons to keep checking back.

Full April 2026 Netflix release list

April 1

Eat Pray Bark
The Giant Falls
It Takes a Village
Love on the Spectrum Season 4
Sarah Millican: Late Bloomer
The Age of Adaline
Along Came Polly
American Gangster
Atonement
Bohemian Rhapsody
Everest
Happy’s Place: Season 1
Hotel Transylvania 2
Kindergarten Cop
Lucy
Madagascar, Escape 2 Africa, Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted
Mission: Impossible, Ghost Protocol, Rogue Nation, Mission: Impossible II, Mission: Impossible III
Money Talks
Penguins of Madagascar: The Movie
Smokey and the Bandit
Smokey and the Bandit II
St. Denis Medical: Season 1
The Wiz