Beloved ’80s Comedy Classic Finally Gets A Netflix Premiere Date

Heads up for comedy nerds and anyone who still hums 'Every Sperm Is Sacred' under their breath: Monty Python's The Meaning of Life is finally getting a Netflix date. Yes, it is a while from now. Yes, it is worth flagging anyway.

When and where

The Meaning of Life hits Netflix on January 1, 2026, per What's on Netflix. So if you were planning a New Year's movie marathon that far ahead, you just got your opener.

What this one is (and isn't)

Originally released in 1983, The Meaning of Life is the troupe leaning all the way back into sketch comedy mode. Think the anything-goes energy of their BBC series Monty Python's Flying Circus (late 60s into early 70s) and their first feature And Now for Something Completely Different (1971), rather than the mostly straight-line stories of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (1975) and Life of Brian (1979). It's an anthology of bits that hop through birth, school, work, war, sex, death... the full human buffet, with songs and blood sprays and the occasional exploding diner.

The Python lineup and the rest of the crew

Terry Jones directed, and he co-wrote it with the full squad: Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Terry Gilliam, Michael Palin, and Eric Idle. Everyone plays multiple roles, as usual. This also ended up being the final movie with all six members; Chapman died in 1989.

The supporting cast is stacked with familiar faces. Carol Cleveland pops up all over the place (Beefeater waitress, a guest's wife, both Leaf Mother and Leaf Daughter, and the cheery receptionist in Heaven). Simon Jones plays Chadwick and Jeremy Portland-Smythe. Patricia Quinn turns up as Mrs. Williams. Matt Frewer is credited as a VBCA executive. George Silver is the diner who eats Howard the Fish. Andrew MacLachlan cycles through groom, Wycliff, Victim #1, and Guest #3. If you know the film, you can picture almost all of that instantly.

The opener that people forget is its own thing

Before the main feature even starts, you get The Crimson Permanent Assurance, a swashbuckling short written and directed by Terry Gilliam about elderly office workers who literally take their building to sea. It screens first as a prologue. Cast-wise, that one includes Sydney Arnold and Guy Bertrand.

How it landed then vs. now

Box office-wise, it did fine for what it is — not a juggernaut, not a flop. Critically, it has stuck the landing: as of now, Rotten Tomatoes has it at 86% based on 37 reviews.

Quick timeline for context

• 1971: 'And Now for Something Completely Different' goes full sketch compilation
• 1975: 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail' delivers a mostly single narrative
• 1979: 'Life of Brian' does the same, with crucifixion sing-alongs
• 1983: 'The Meaning of Life' returns to sketch form and releases in theaters
• 1989: Graham Chapman dies; this remains the last film with all six Pythons
• 2026: 'The Meaning of Life' starts streaming on Netflix on January 1

Bottom line: if you prefer your Python loose, weird, musical, and occasionally gross, this is the one. Mark the date, then try not to hum that song at work. You know the one.