As we round into the final weeks of the year’s shortest month, Netflix still has tons of TV shows on offer, and this weekend I’m serving up something new, something weird, and something real.
First up is a new Netflix mystery-thriller about a trio of Irish besties on a road trip, followed by an ambitious, canceled-too-soon sci-fi series from the makers of The Matrix, and to top it all off, I’ve included one of my favorite docuseries of the last month about a real-life modern-day treasure hunt in The Rockies.
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How to Get to Heaven from Belfast
If you were a fan of Irish writer Lisa McGee’s critically acclaimed sitcom Derry Girls, or just a fan of cheeky, wild, and generally hilarious Irish or British comedy, then chances are good that McGee’s latest dark comedy series, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast, is going to hit you in all the same places. You might need to turn the subtitles on for this one, but it’s worth it for the clever and often raunchy quips.
McGee is known for her focus on female friendships and leaning into the thriller genre, which is what we have here, in spades. Three lifelong friends—TV writer Saoirse (Roisin Gallagher), frazzled mom Robyn (Sinéad Keenan), and prim and proper Dara (Caoilfhionn Dunne)—come together again when they learn that their estranged fourth friend, Greta (Natasha O’Keeffe), has died. A roadtrip to Greta’s memorial service, however, uncovers a massive conspiracy, secrets long buried, and the fact that Greta is very much alive.
The chemistry and comedy between the three leads is genuinely epic, and if you like comedy-mystery hybrids that err on the zany side—with loads of Irish shenanegans—then the eight episodes of How to Get to Heaven from Belfast will be a delight to binge. It’s also got a 91% critics rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
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Sense8
There was a ton of excitement from fans of The Matrix back in 2015 when this brainy sci-fi drama came to Netflix, as it was created by the legends Lana and Lilly Wachowski. Even though it was canceled after just two seasons, Sense8 made an impact on those who loved it. It followed the lives of eight strangers known as “Sensates” from different parts of the world who learn that they are all emotionally and mentally linked somehow—they can communicate with each other as if they’re in the same room, share each other’s knowledge, and project their consciousness into another Sensates’ location.
Known as “the cluster,” they include Chicago cop Will (Brian J. Smith), Icelandic DJ Riley (Tuppence Middleton), trans hacker Nomi (Jamie Clayton), Mexican telenovela star Lito (Miguel Ángel Silvestre), and more. As they begin to learn and understand their abilities and their bond, the series’ main action comes from the threat of the BOP (Biological Preservation Organization), a dark clandestine group run by a ruthless Sensate called Whispers (Terrence Mann), who uses his own abilities to hunt the cluster.
With an 86% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Sense8 still holds up today, and its hour-long episodes are easy to binge.
Sense8
Release Date
2015 – 2018-00-00
Showrunner
Lilly Wachowski
Directors
Lilly Wachowski, Lana Wachowski
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Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure
Netflix’s Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure is so good that I thought you should know. If you figured old-school treasure hunting (as in cryptic clues, a real chest, and people tromping through the wilderness like it’s 1716) was extinct, this series happily proves you wrong. Told across three lean, nail-biting episodes, it unpacks the bizarre, very real chain reaction that began in 2010, when eccentric art dealer Forrest Fenn stashed a bronze box of literal treasure—gold nuggets, coins, jewels—somewhere in the Rocky Mountains and then dropped the roadmap in plain sight: a riddle-poem tucked inside his memoir.
What makes Gold & Greed so watchable isn’t just the “will they find it?” hook—it’s the human chaos swirling around it. The show tracks the hunt as it balloons into a full-blown obsession, pulling in thousands of searchers across the American West, from casual dreamers to diehards who treat the poem like sacred text. Along the way, it zooms in on a few standout characters: the methodical, tech-forward Justin Posey; the complicated Cynthia Meachum; and the loud, lovable redneck Hurst family, who bring equal parts heart, humor, and real tears. You’ll catch yourself choosing sides, building theories, and muttering “no way” at your TV more than once.
And then the series sneaks up on you with the real story: not the treasure, but what the idea of treasure does to people.
Gold & Greed: The Hunt for Fenn’s Treasure
Release Date
2025 – 2025-00-00
Network
Netflix
Whether you want heart, hype, or head-scratching intrigue, these three Netflix shows deliver. Pick one, or binge all three, and call it self-care for the weekend.
Subscription with ads
Yes, $8/month
Simultaneous streams
Two or four
Stream licensed and original programming with a monthly Netflix subscription.
