The best shows, movies and everything you should see on all your favorite streaming services … [+] this weekend.
The weekend is upon us and with it a slew of new TV shows, movies and other content to stream on all the myriad streaming services we’re expected to subscribe to, from Netflix to Paramount+ to Apple TV+ to lesser-known offerings like MGM+. Lots of pluses.
Each week I bring you this rolling list of shows and movies I’m watching or enjoying watching – things I think my readers will enjoy, ranging from creepy horror dramas to animated fantasy shows and detective mysteries. Here on this blog I cover all of it Star Wars to zombie shows to crime dramas, so expect a mix every week.
I’m splitting this list into two sections: the first is “New This Week,” which covers new streaming content that either just came out or is about to come out this weekend. Sometimes this section also includes things I missed the week before – it’s impossible to keep track of everything!
The second section is “Ongoing Shows”, which contains shows that are still airing, but I think people should tune into. Often, but not always, these are shows that I write summaries for. I may also add a “Bonus” section for older stuff I’ve come across and, well, bonus stuff. You get the gist.
So, without further adieu, let’s dive right in!
(You can check out last week’s streaming content list here).
New this week
Star Wars Visions 2 (Disney+)
The first season of Star Wars visions was a series of short films made by Japanese studios that was really great. The second season follows the same idea, but this time each short film is made by a different European studio. Again, the diversity of ideas and animation styles is truly breathtaking, making this one of the best Star Wars releases in the Disney era.
Bonus: Star Wars Young Jedi Adventures for the young pigeons (de terribly youngsters). This one was also released on May 4, but it’s aimed at a very young audience and I dropped out half way through the first episode. Your little kids will enjoy it, I imagine!
Citadel (Amazon Prime Video)
from Amazon Citadel released last weekend, but somehow I missed it on my list last week, so here we have it in our What’s New This Week section. I haven’t gotten around to looking yet – I’ll admit I was a bit turned off by all the negative reviews – but I’m going to dive in and catch up this weekend because honestly this is right up my alley and how bad could it be? The public seems to love it a lot more than critics and I tend to find that critics are often not involved. I like good spy thrillers, and even if this is a derivative, as long as it’s a good time, I’m down. I just finished Bodyguard which was a thriller starring Richard Madden and I loved it so I’m definitely up for more Madden. I’m not really familiar with Priyanka Chopra Jonas, but I’ve heard good things. Have you already watched this? What did you think? Let me know Twitter or Facebook.
Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story
Another series I never got into Bridgerton on Netflix despite being a bit of a juice for sexy romances (I have a vague idea I might do well as a novelist). I kept watching it when it came out, but I was going through a major breakup with my long-term girlfriend at the time and the last thing I wanted in my life was a romantic TV show. So . . . maybe it’s time to catch up, or maybe I’ll just start the prequel! I just need a few extra hours a day, please.
Silo (Apple TV+)
Apples Silo is the one I’m most excited about this week. Starring Dunes Rebecca Ferguson, it’s a show about a future dystopia where everyone lives in a giant silo that goes hundreds of floors below the earth. No one really knows why they are down there. They live under a repressive regime. It sounds like exactly the kind of dystopian future sci-fi show I’m always looking for. This one airs on Friday, so I’ll be watching and reviewing it here on this blog.
Bonus: the Dune part 2 trailer is so damn good, oh my god.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (VOD)
Dungeons & Dragons: honor among thieves is my favorite movie of 2023 so far. I’ve seen it in theaters twice, which I never do, and now that it’s streaming, I’m going to buy it. That’s the only way to look right now. It is not free on any streaming service, but can be purchased for $19.99 on various platforms. I hardly ever buy movies anymore, but I’m buying this one and I’m going to have a movie night with my parents, even though they don’t play D&D. It’s just that good!
Read my review here.
Ongoing shows
Plumbers in the White House (HBO Max)
I watched one episode of HBO’s new political comedy limited series, Plumbers in the White House and honestly loved it. The story of the men behind the Nixon Watergate scandal is already a fascinating tale, but in the hands of Justin Theroux and Woody Harrelson – both of whom play their roles as hell – it’s also genuinely funny. You can read my review of the series premiere here.
Mrs. Davis (Paramount+)
I’m keeping this one on my list even though I haven’t watched it yet because I hear great things and I remind myself – through this list! – what to watch. Note to self: watch and write about it Mrs Davis, Eric!
The premise is basically this: Elizabeth Abbot (Betty Gilpin, GLOW) has her life ruined when she is kicked out of her convent (she is a nun) and sets out on a mission of revenge to destroy a powerful AI named Mrs. Davis. Secret societies, religious conspiracies and more follow. That sounds great, honestly. My only excuse for not getting started yet is that there are so many shows now.
Succession (HBO)
Succession
We are rapidly approaching the extra long series finale of Succession, which I’m both extremely excited about and rather scared of, if we’re being honest. I’ll miss these rich, spoiled, ridiculous assholes when they’re gone. I will miss writing about them. I just binged the whole show back in April and I feel like the Roy family and her hangers-on just came into my life, and now they’re all but gone. Truly one of the best writing and acting out there right now.
Check out my review of the best and worst characters here.
Rabbit Hole (Paramount+)
Rabbit hole
Kiefer Sutherland and Charles Dance in the same trippy thriller series? How could you not do you want to see that? Dance – who played Tywin Lannister Game of Thronesis delightful in this series, and Sutherland seems to be having a really good time too. 24 fans will be happy. (And yes, now I’ve mentioned both 24 And Lost in the same message). I won’t give away any details here. Suffice to say, by the end of the first episode, your expectations for what this show is about will have taken a pretty dizzying ride.
From Season 2 (MGM+)
If you haven’t seen or heard this one, I don’t blame you! It’s the most underrated show on TV as far as I’m concerned, and that’s because no one knows about MGM+ (formerly Epix). Amazon owns MGM and what they really need to do is fold MGM+ into Amazon Prime Video. This would be a huge hit on Amazon Prime Video. Instead, it remains something of a delightful modern cult classic that only a few know about. You could be part of that select group! Watch my video above if you want to see me gush about this wonderfully creepy, mysterious”Lost-like it.”
Here’s my season 2 premiere review. Episode 2 was even better! Edit: my episode 3 review is now online too!
Barry (HBO)
Barry continues to be surprising and dark and weird this season. Unfortunately, it’s like the fourth and final season Succession! The black comedy from hit man turned actor Bill Hader is as good as ever, and last week’s episode was super crazy. I’m still not sure if the ending of that episode was real or something Barry imagined. If it’s real, that’s a wild time jump. Now only a few more episodes to go!
Yellowjacket (show time)
Yellow jackets
We’re in the last stretch of Yellow jackets Season 2 and I’m definitely curious to see where this show goes. I’m a little sad because Season 2, while still good, isn’t nearly as great as the first season. But even if Season 1 is this show’s one great season, it remains one of the best in years. And who knows? Maybe this is growing pains. The sophomore effort is real. You can’t always throw lightning into the bottle twice. Maybe Season 3 will recapture the magic. I’m also reviewing this show, so check out my review of Episode 6 here on this blog.
Update: Unicorn: Eternal Warriors is a new show from Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky which just aired this Thursday on Adult Swim (and then on HBO Max). The first episode is now available to watch for free.
Bonus round!
Okay, some bonus entries for this weekend’s list:
- I walk behind Sweet tooth but the post-apocalyptic Netflix show is doing great in season 2 and has already been renewed – which is crazy for Netflix, but a good sign!
- I will continue singing Beef praises. Netflix’s dark comedy is one of the best shows I’ve ever seen and you should watch it even if the characters seem too off-putting to care about. Trust me with this! When have I ever led you astray?
- Fear the walking dead returns next weekend, but airs early next Thursday on AMC+. Oh baby, you know I’ll be there. Look for my season premiere review on Thursday.
- I’ve seen the first episode of Florida man on Netflix and quite liked it. It was unusual and quirky and had a fun twist. I don’t know how it gets zero percent on Rotten Tomatoes (it’s even at 22% right now), but I think I’ll keep watching. I like a mystery!
- If you feel like going out and seeing a movie at the cinema, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is really, really, really good. I can’t recommend it enough, especially on a big screen.
What did I miss, dear readers of mine? What TV shows are you currently watching? Are there any new movies on streaming services I should watch? Let me know Twitter or Facebook.
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