What to watch this weekend.
Screenshot: Erik Kain
Psycho killers in Ghost masks, period romances, gargantuan monsters and the revival of a beloved sitcom should give all of us plenty to watch both at home and at the movies this weekend.
It’s the last weekend of February and the first weekend of March. While it might not be officially spring until the spring equinox on March 20th, it may as well be. The days have gotten incredibly warm and sunny. Just last week, it was winter storms and piles of snow, all of which has melted in this weirdly warm winter.
A Knight Of The Seven Kingdoms is sadly over, but I’ve written a couple pieces about the show this week, including one in which I argue that George R.R. Martin should give up on The Winds Of Winter, and focus on writing the much shorter, easier-to-finish Dunk & Egg novellas.
There was also a pretty big debate over whether or not the finale confirmed that Dunk had ever truly been knighted. I don’t think it did, and I argue in this piece that the ambiguity is what drives the story. Showrunner Ira Parker even confirmed that, based on Martin’s wishes, it would remain ambiguous.
In entertainment news, it appears Netflix pulled out of its bid for Warner Bros. which will now likely be sold at a premium to Paramount. Warner Bros. is like a hot potato, passed around from one acquisition to the next: Time, AOL, AT&T, Discovery, all these mergers and somehow, between the film side of the business and HBO, they still manage to put out a lot of quality content. Maybe Netflix will buy up both Paramount and Warner Bros. in a few years still.
Oh, and here’s the first image from the upcoming Sony / Prime Video adaptation of the God Of War video game series. It looks . . . weird:
Of course, this is an early still and the show will undoubtedly look much better when you’re actually watching it, though I still think this is an odd choice for a TV adaptation.
In any case, I’ve scoured the internet for the best TV shows and movies streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+ and more this weekend. If you have any recommendations, or there’s something I missed, shoot me a note and I’ll add it in an update. Send me any tips you have on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
Be sure to also check out last weekend’s streaming guide right here. Now, on to the list!
New TV Shows To Watch This Weekend
Bridgerton – Season 4, Part 2 (Netflix)
I still haven’t pulled the trigger on Bridgerton, Netflix’s wildly popular period romance series, but I have been rewatching My Lady Jane on Prime Video, which is also a period romance that purposefully tosses historical accuracy out the window (and adds some cool fantasy elements). I suppose, given how much I enjoy My Lady Jane, that I should finally give Bridgerton a shot. It’s on the list! The final four episodes of Season 4 are now streaming on Netflix.
Scrubs Revival (Hulu)
It’s been sixteen years since Season 9 of the popular medical sitcom, Scrubs, aired an episode. The Bill Lawrence-created series follows the employees of Sacred Heart Hospital, many of whom are interns in the beginning of the series. Zach Braff and many of his co-stars return for the tenth season, called Scrubs Revival, which retcons a bunch of stuff from the ninth season, including the tearing down of Sacred Heart Hospital, where Braff’s character, Dr. John “J.D.” Dorian is now the Chief of Medicine. The revived series has a 90% on RT and an even more impressive 97% with audiences.
Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters – Season 2 (Apple TV)
Other than the really incredible Godzilla Minus One, I haven’t really been a big fan of most “monster” movies that have come out in recent years. So I didn’t watch the first season of Apple TV’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters, but now that it’s into a second season I think I’ll have to give it another look. The first episode of Season 2 is out now, with weekly episodes dropping on Fridays (which actually means Thursday evenings for Apple TV). Father-son duo, Kurt and Wyatt Russell, star.
The Rise And Fall Of Reggie Dinkins (Peacock)
Tracy Morgan and Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe, star in this 100% RT-scored sports comedy about a disgraced football star who turns to filmmaker, Arthur Tobin (Radcliffe) to rehabilitate his image by way of documentary, though Tobin himself has a bit of a reputation problem as well. It looks quite funny, though it’s very odd that this show premiered on January 18th and then didn’t release the second episode until February 23rd. New episodes drop weekly on Mondays.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine – Seasons 7 & 8 (Netflix)
One of my favorite cop shows, and one of my favorite sitcoms, is the hilarious and heartfelt Brooklyn Nine-Nine, though I wasn’t entirely impressed with its final season. The show came to an end during the big BLM protests and the “Defund the Police” movement, and you could just tell something was off, as if everyone in the writer’s room was walking on eggshells. Still, now you can watch seasons 5-8 on Netflix. If you want to watch the whole show, you’ll need a Peacock subscription.
New Movies To Watch This Weekend
Paddington 2 (HBO Max)
Very few films are as wonderfully, joyfully splendid as Paddington 2. I love everything about this whimsical picture, and you will, too. For a very long time this was a 100% RT movie, but not everyone agreed and it’s since fallen to a humble 99%. Watch this one with the whole family.
The Secret Agent (Hulu)
Wagner Moura won the Golden Globe for Best Actor for his portrayal of Armando, a former professor attempting to flee the Brazilian military dictatorship in 1977. The film has a 98% Rotten Tomatoes score, and has been awarded and nominated left and right since its release last year. It lands on Hulu on Sunday, March 1.
Misery (Netflix)
Misery is one of my favorite thrillers, and quite possibly the best Stephen King movie adaptation ever made. It’s one of the five movies I included in my Top 5 Rob Reiner movies list as well. If you’re looking for terrific suspense and some really outstanding performances from stars Kathy Bates and James Caan, this one is fun to watch no matter how many times you’ve seen it before.
Be sure to check out my list of Robert Duvall movies, if you’re looking for more suggestions.
New Movies In Theaters This Weekend
We have so many films landing in theaters this week, I’ve decided to devote an entire section to these theatrical releases. If you can weather the cold and make it to your local theater, you’re spoiled for choice.
Scream 7
The reviews for the seventh installment in the Scream series are in, and they’re pretty awful. Frankly, this is one of those horror franchises that should have only ever been one movie. The first Scream is a classic, a satirical masterpiece – and nothing that’s come after has been anything but painfully derivative. Oh well! At least the slasher stuff is entertaining.
TV Shows Currently Streaming Weekly
Paradise – Season 2 (Hulu)
New episodes of Paradise, Season 2 come out on Mondays, so as of now just the first three episodes are out, with another slated for Monday – which may as well still be the weekend. Other than its annoying color-grading, I really liked the first season of Paradise on Hulu. Sterling K. Brown returns as Secret Service agent Xavier Collins, in Season 2, though it looks like this will be a very different season from the first. If you’re looking for a good mix of dystopian sci-fi and mystery, give it a shot. It’s similar in some ways to Apple’s Silo, though it moves at a brisker clip.
Dark Winds – Season 4 (AMC)
Dark Winds is based on the mystery novels by Tony Hillerman, which are some of my favorites. The series follows tribal police lieutenant, Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon) and deputy, Jim Chee (Kowa Gordon) as they solve mysteries across Arizona and New Mexico in the 1970s’ and Season 4 boasts a sterling 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. In fact, all four seasons of the show have 100% on RT, which is a very rare and impressive achievement. New episodes drop on AMC and AMC+ on Sundays.
The Pitt – Season 2 (HBO Max)
I’m really loving the second season of HBO’s real-time medical drama, The Pitt, which takes place on a day shift on 4th of July this time around. Noah Wyle and the rest of the cast are outstanding, and the writing is every bit as good as Season 1. It’s tense, funny, heartfelt, and stressful. But it’s great TV, no matter how you slice it. New episodes drop Thursday evenings. In the most recent episode, they name-dropped my hometown of Flagstaff, AZ, which made me happy. That’s two shows on this list (including Dark Winds) that make mention of my mountain town.
Shrinking – Season 3 (Apple TV)
Another of my favorite dramedies on this list, Shrinking follows the story of widower Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel), a therapist trying to patch up his relationship with is daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell) and piece his life back together after his wife’s death. His boss, Paul (Harrison Ford), is a big part of that process, but is also suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. I’m not caught up on this yet. I’ll have a good binge to enjoy once I finally do! New episodes release on Wednesdays, which means Tuesday evenings for Apple TV.
The Pendragon Cycle: Rise Of The Merlin Finale (The Daily Wire)
The final episode of The Pendragon Cycle: Rise of the Merlin, the new Arthurian fantasy series based on Stephen R. Lawhead’s Pendragon Cycle, landed this week on The Daily Wire. I have been enjoying this series more than I thought I would, and I’m genuinely impressed with the production values, even though some of the CGI is rather cheap-looking. It leans a bit too heavily into the religiosity, something the books were a lot more subtle about, but it’s still entertaining Arthurian fantasy. Shame it’s on The Daily Wire instead of someplace like Prime Video, but it’s cool to see some of my favorite Arthurian novels get adapted, mostly quite faithfully.
Cross – Season 2 (Prime Video)
The second season of the hit Prime Video crime drama, Cross, is now on Prime Video. I couldn’t really get into Season 1, but Season 2 has a pretty interesting-sounding serial killer story that sounds awfully relevant as it follows the super-rich and sex-trafficking. Based on the James Patterson novels, the series follows Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge) as he investigates the murders and the crimes surrounding the murders.
Like Water For Chocolate – Season 2 (HBO)
The second and final season of HBO’s Like Water For Chocolate is now airing on HBO Max. I remember seeing the film adaptation of Laura Esquivel’s novel (adapted and directed by her husband, Alfonso Arau) but it’s pretty blurry at this point. The series also gets great reviews, playing to the strengths of the medium with a more leisurely pace – and even more delicious food.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy (Paramount+)
Starfleet Academy follows the first group of cadets in over a century as they train to be officers. The story is set in the 32nd century, the same timeline that kicked off with the third season of Star Trek: Discovery, after a massive cataclysm wreaked havoc on the Federation of Planets. This is roughly a thousand years after the primary Star Trek timelines. Naturally, it’s also become something of a culture war battleground, though from what I can tell (I have no desire to actually watch this) it’s just fine but not great. Which describes a lot of the rebooted Star Trek universe.
Primal – Season 3 (HBO Max)
Just a couple episodes remain of Genndy Tartakovsky’s brutal animated series Primal, which airs on Adult Swim on Sundays and then a day later on HBO Max. This season takes a hellish turn, as our caveman protagonist encounters undead and other paranormal enemies. I love Tartakovsky’s style and I’m stoked to learn that he’ll be in charge of one of the Game Of Thrones spinoffs. Give this one a shot if you enjoy violent, moody, dialogue-free animated shows. Which, I realize, is a pretty niche genre.
Industry – Season 4 Finale (HBO Max)
I really need to start Industry at some point, especially now that Season 4 is wrapping up. The new season sounds like it really goes in some crazy directions, though the first three seasons never received such rave reviews. That’s surprising to see, but enough to make me want to give this one a shot.
What are you watching these days? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Be sure to check out last week’s streaming guide right here.