'Boiling Point' Will Heat Up Netflix in April

You may or may not remember the movie Boiling Point, which came out during the pandemic in 2021. The film starred Stephen Graham, Vinette Robinson, Ray Panthaki, and Hannah Walters, written by James Cummings and Philip Barantini, the latter of whom directed it as a one-take, 90-minute film shot in an actual London kitchen about the busiest night of the year at Christmas at a high-end restaurant. It aired on the BBC and was a massive hit during the 2021 lockdown; it also streamed here on Amazon Prime, and while it was critically acclaimed and got a slew of nominations and awards, it didn't make nearly the dent, simply because Amazon treats Prime like the cheap dollar theater off the flea market most of the time.

Had it gone to Netflix initially, it might have been a different story, but it did not. Instead, the film was spun off into a TV series, which served as a follow-up to the film, starring the same cast, with episodes filmed in the same manner. It, too, was a critical darling when it premiered in 2023, more than the original film, as the stamina to do episode after episode is far greater than a one-shot film. However, Amazon passed on it since it had failed to do anything with the film, and no one else seemed interested since Amazon had the movie rights sewn up. The worst part is that the entire project was so obviously suitable for Netflix, both as a film and TV series, that it was frustrating to watch the show fail to find its way there.

But good things come to those who wait, and finally, Netflix has decided that picking up the Boiling Point TV series for the American public is the good, right, and correct thing to do. As part of the slew of Netflix UK announcements happening in March 2024, the streaming service has announced Boiling Point Season 1 will come to Netflix on streaming as part of the April lineup.

Here's the synopsis for Boiling Point's first season:

Boiling Point picks up six months on from where the film left off and sees Sous Chef Carly as Head Chef at her own restaurant, with many of Andy’s original team alongside her. As the pressure mounts to keep the restaurant full, Carly begins to feel the magnitude of responsibility that comes with running her own place.

Stephen Graham (Bodies) reprises his role as Andy Jones, the former proprietor and head chef, with Vinette Robinson (The Lazarus Project) as Carly, Andy's former sous-chef, now running her own joint with Hannah Walters (Time) as Emily, now head pastry chef, and Ray Panthaki (The Serpent Queen) as Freeman, now promoted to sou-chef alongside Steven Ogg (Snowpiercer) as Nick, the new sous-chef. Other returnees from the film include Gary Lamont as Dean, Áine Rose Daly as Robyn, Taz Skylar as Billy, Daniel Larkai as Jake, Stephen McMillan as Jamie, Hannah Traylen as Holly, and Izuka Hoyle as Camille. The new cast includes Stephen Odubola, Shaun Fagan, Joel MacCormack, Ahmed Malek, Cathy Tyson, and Missy Haysom.

The series reunites the film’s co-writer and director, Barantini, with co-writer Cummings. Director Mounia Akl also helmed episodes, and writers Dan Cadan, Alex Tenenbaum, Nathaniel Stevens, and Grace Ofori-Attah also penned episodes with Graham Drover producing. Original film producers Hester Ruoff and Bart Ruspoli serve as executive producers, along with Walters, Graham, Barantini, Cumming, plus Rebecca Ferguson for the BBC. 

All four episodes of Boiling Point Season 1 are expected to drop on Netflix on Monday, April 29, 2024. Season 2 has not yet been greenlit, but this is a really positive step towards that happening.