Just as the fourth Thursday in November means turkey, mashed potatoes, and awkward family reunions, the Friday that follows is time for stocking up, buying gifts, and rewarding oneself with little treats for having made it this far into the year. That’s right — once the Thanksgiving meal is enjoyed and the leftovers packed away, Black Friday weekend is upon us, and the best way to gear up for the annual shopping spree (or entertain yourself while abstaining from it altogether) is with a stream. 

Whatever your attitude toward the practice of post-Thanksgiving mass consumption, there’s something that will suit your mood this weekend. Tune in to a documentary laying out how corporate greed has turned us all into compulsive spenders, a dramedy that celebrates the aspirational power of personal style, or a nostalgic docu-marathon that will take you back to the happiest shopping days of your childhood. Doesn’t that sound so much better than being swept into a stampede at the mall?  

But first, what’s new on Netflix?

The return of a festive Lindsay Lohan. Following the success of 2022’s Falling for Christmas, the actor is back with Stephen Herek’s brand-new holiday rom-com Our Little Secret, in which she and her ex (Ian Harding) discover they’re dating siblings, and try to keep their history a secret while spending Christmas with their partners’ families. Can’t handle the tension? Sweeten things up with the holiday edition of Is It Cake? in which literally anything could be a dessert in disguise. Looking for an even more shocking deception? Try Stephen Belber’s new conspiracy thriller The Madness, a limited series starring Colman Domingo as a media personality who gets framed for a murder.   

If you have just a night … 

Deprogram yourself. Nic Stacey’s new documentary Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy unpacks the way corporations carefully, systematically keep consumers compulsively adding to cart. Beyond the manipulations that make people spend more and more, the film follows the path of our shopping even further, as the excess of stuff makes its way to landfills, destroying our environment and postponing the true cost of overconsumption — to be paid by future generations. 

If you have a whole day … 

Dress to survive. Season 1 of Survival of the Thickest, based on Michelle Buteau’s essay collection of the same name, stars Buteau herself as Mavis Beaumont, a passionate and creative stylist who has to find a fresh start after a painful breakup. Co-created by Buteau and Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, the winning dramedy follows Mavis as she takes on a series of diverse and glamorous clients — and the forthcoming Season 2 promises to continue her ever-stylish evolution.  

If you have the entire weekend … 

Embrace your inner child. Because when has shopping ever felt so good as when you were allowed to peruse a toy store? Start with Lagueria Davis’ Black Barbie, the 2024 documentary about the Black Barbie doll, which hit shelves 20 years after her white counterpart. The inspiring film celebrates the determined women who brought the iconic, essential toy to life. Follow her up with a spin of The Toys That Made Us, created by Brian Volk-Weiss; each episode in the series traces the history of a beloved line of toys (including a Barbie episode, in Season 1). By Sunday night, you’ll feel like you spent the weekend getting lost in a Toys “R” Us.  

Don’t forget, you have one last chance … 

 … to catch a reinvented classic. Adapted by Kazuo Ishiguro from Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 film Ikiru, Oliver Hermanus’ 2022 drama Living stars Bill Nighy as a British bureaucrat in post-WWII London who changes his ways in the face of a grim diagnosis. Watch it this weekend, while the film’s still living on Netflix.  

Find Your Next Netflix Obsession on TudumWhatever you love to stream, we’ve got tips on the latest releases, true crime, book adaptations, stand-up comedy, award-winning films and more.