Netflix Ramps Up Fantasy, Sci-Fi and Horror Content, Announcing Premiere Dates for 2022 Series Debuts

Just as Disney Plus, HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video are revving up their fantasy, horror and sci-fi series slates for winter 2021-2022 debuts, Netflix is touting the abundance of genre series headed to the streamer.

Peter Friedlander, Netflix’s head of scripted series for the U.S. and Canada, announced premiere details for a slew of “geeky” shows, as well as returning fan-favorites like “Locke & Key” and “The Umbrella Academy.”

“In my ten years at Netflix, it’s been thrilling to see the dropped jaws, the all-caps tweets/the hilarious memes and the passionate theories inspired by these once-in-a-lifetime moments,” Friedlander wrote in a blog post. “Genre stories have the power to transport us to new universes like the Upside Down in ‘Stranger Things,’ teach us new vocabulary like ‘The Witcher’ and, most importantly, unite us in our shared love of sci-fi, horror, fantasy, anime and everything in between.”

First up in Netflix’s genre series debuts is “Archive 81” on Jan. 14, which follows archivist Dan Turner (Mamoudou Athie), who takes a job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from 1994 and finds himself drawn into a documentarian’s (Dina Shihabi) investigation into a dangerous cult at an apartment building. The original, genre-bending thriller, loosely inspired by the popular podcast of the same name, is executive produced by showrunner Rebecca Sonnenshine (“The Boys,” “The Vampire Diaries”), James Wan, Michael Clear, Rebecca Thomas, Antoine Douaihy and Paul Harris Boardman.

“In From the Cold,” set for a Jan. 28 bow, follows an American single mom, who is forced to confront her long-buried past as a Russian spy during a European vacation with her daughter. Adam Glass (“Supernatural,” “The Chi”) serves as showrunner and executive producer of the show starring Margarita Levieva.

The highly anticipated premiere of “Vikings: Valhalla” will come a month later, on Feb. 25. It chronicles the heroic adventures of some of the most famous Vikings who ever lived, played by Sam Corlett, Frida Gustavsson and Leo Suter. The new story, which will delve into centuries-old sagas set in the early 1200s (and set over a 100 years after the end of the original “Vikings” series), will blend historical authenticity, drama and grit with immersive action. “Vikings: Valhalla” is executive produced by showrunner Jeb Stuart, Morgan O’Sullivan, Michael Hirst, Sheila Hockin, Steve Stark, James Flynn, John Weber, Sherry Marsh, Alan Gasmer and Paul Buccieri. It also stars Bradley Freegard, Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson, David Oakes, Laura Berlin and Caroline Henderson.

Friedlander also mentioned in Tuesday morning’s blog post that “Raising Dion” would be returning for its sophomore season on Feb. 1. Other genre shows headed back to Netflix include the second season of “Alice in Borderland,” a Japanese-language sci-fi suspense-thriller based on Haro Arso’s graphic novel of the same name. The fourth season of beloved “Stranger Things” will drop sometime next summer. The following will also be released in 2022: “All of Us Are Dead,” “Army of the Dead: Lost Vegas,” “The Cuphead Show!,” “Cyberpunk: Edgerunners,” “First Kill,” “Magic: The Gathering,” “The Midnight Club,” “Resident Evil,” “The Sandman” and “The Witcher: Blood Origin.”