New on Netflix: 7 movies and shows you have to watch this July

Eddie Murphy as Axel Foley in Netflix's Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F
(Image credit: Netflix)

The weather is heating up and so is Netflix’s content catalog as July brings a whole new batch of first-class film and television from the internet’s biggest streamer ready for you to start binging. So, whilst you’re in between hosting BBQs, sunbathing, or whatever you like to do when the sun is out, why not escape to the shade and take full advantage of Netflix’s newest movies and TV shows?

July's streaming highlights includes the highly anticipated Beverly Hills Cop sequel starring Eddie Murphy, the last season of a beloved Nordic-set historical drama, and a gritty true crime documentary from the makers of one of this year’s most popular Netflix docs Lover, Stalker, Killer. And, of course, it wouldn't be a true Netflix round-up without a few animated movies and TV shows thrown in, so we’ve got those too!

So, what are you waiting for? Read on as we take you through the latest releases that the streaming giant has on offer this sunny season.

New on Netflix in July 2024

Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 

Star Trek: Prodigy

(Image credit: Nickelodeon)

Release date: July 1

First up, we have got an intergalactic adventure fit for the whole family to watch over the summer holidays. Star Trek: Prodigy is back, reuniting us with our favorite motley crew of colorful fun young aliens. Last season we saw the six young outcasts board the Starfleet and search the galaxy for a better future. This season the Prodigy crew are assigned a new mission and prepare to set off on the USS Voyager-A to rescue Captain Chakotay, but of course, things don’t go quite to plan as they find themselves stuck in a time paradox. The show is created by Dan Hageman and Kevin Hageman and stars On My Block’s Brett Gray, Fallout’s Ella Purnell, and Big Mouth’s Jason Mantzoukas.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F 

Beverly Hills Cop

(Image credit: Netflix)

Release date: July 3

After 30 years, your favorite crime-fighting cop from the ‘80s is back! That’s right, Eddie Murphy returns as Detective Axel Foley patrolling the streets of Beverly Hills once again with the fourth movie in the franchise, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F. But this time around, Foley faces his biggest challenge yet when his daughter’s life is threatened, forcing him to join forces with a new team, as well as some old friends including Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and John Taggart (John Ashton). The new group must turn up the heat, uncover a conspiracy, and out some shady police officers. 

Alongside Murphy, the star-studded cast also includes Kevin Bacon, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and Taylour Paige. For more on Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F, check out our exclusive interviews with Bacon on what it was like working with Murphy and how he embraced his villainous side

The Man with 1000 Kids 

The Man with 1000 Kids

(Image credit: Netflix)

Release date: July 3

Of course, this Netflix list wouldn’t be complete without including one of the streamer’s quintessential true crime documentaries, and we have a crazy one for you this month. From the makers of the doc that shook the streamer earlier this year (Lover, Stalker, Killer) this July The Man With 1000 Kids hits the platform, telling the unbelievable story of fertility treatment gone wrong. The three-part series follows the absurdities of a traveling sperm donor, thought to have fathered hundreds if not thousands of children around the world, accused of deceiving mothers into having his babies on a mass scale. The drama touches base with the families he scammed along the way and investigates the murky world of the fertility industry. 

Vikings: Valhalla season 3 

Vikings: Valhalla

(Image credit: Netflix)

Release date: July 11

Are you ready to draw your weapon one last time? The third and final season of Vikings: Valhalla lands on Netflix this month, forcing us to say goodbye to our beloved warriors, but not until we see some Nordic action first! Set in the early 11th century, the series follows the adventures of some of the most famous Vikings who ever lived. In season 3, we touch base with the heroes seven years after the conclusion of season two, with Freydis now the leader of pagan Jomsborg, and Leif and Harald in Constantinople. But it won’t be all ruling and no fighting for the Vikings as greater challenges lie ahead. 

Cobra Kai season 6 

Cobra Kai

(Image credit: Netflix)

Release date: July 18

Heads up Karate Kids! Cobra Kai season 6 is making its way to the streamer one part at a time with the first installment dropping this month picking up from where the show left off in season 5 with the group seemingly being disbanded. That season finale also saw Terry Silver being arrested for his various crimes and Kreese escaping from prison. But on a more positive note, Miguel and Robby finally landed on civil terms and Johnny is settling into his family role. Now in season 6, with Cobra Kai eliminated from the Valley, the teachers and students must decide if they want to compete in the upcoming world championships of karate, and if they do, work out how they are going to get there. 

Cobra Kai season 6 kicks off with part 1 premiering on July 18, with part 2 following on November 28, 2024, and then concluding with ‘The Finale Event’ in 2025.

The Decameron 

The Decameron

(Image credit: Netflix)

Release date: July 25

Who doesn’t love a historical drama? But now that House of the Dragon season 2 has kicked off, you may be looking for something else a bit less bloody. That’s where Netflix’s new historical comedy The Decameron comes in. Set in rural Italy in 1348, a handful of nobles and their servants retreat to a grand villa to escape the spreading black death, instead drinking and frolicking. But the wine-fueled sex romp soon turns into a race for survival when the struggles of life in a pandemic set in, creating a war between classes and social structures. Who will survive the holiday in this eight-episode-long dark comedy? 

The Dragon Prince season 6 

The Dragon Prince

(Image credit: Netflix)

Release date: July 26

Since we are soon entering summer vacation territory, we thought it would be best to end this list with another entry suitable for all ages. Popular animated series The Dragon Prince is back with its sixth season once again following the adventures of a young prince, his scholarly half-brother, and an elf assassin. The unlikely trio join forces and embark on a dangerous journey to return a stolen dragon egg to its fearsome mother in the hopes that in doing so they can end an ongoing war between humans and magical creatures. The show is said to feature complex characters, rich mythology, goofy humor, as well as some adorable animals of course. Better yet, The Dragon Prince has some serious writing chops behind it as it is created by Aaron Ehasz, who served as head writer for Avatar: The Last Airbender. 


Looking for more to watch? Here are the best shows on Netflix.

Editorial Associate, GamesRadar+

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.