What to watch this weekend.
I suppose it’s no huge surprise that this weekend is far from the busiest when it comes to new streaming shows and movies. We are smackdab in the middle of summer, after all. Many of the year’s biggest, most hotly-anticipated shows have come and gone. The big summer blockbusters have already released in theaters. A lot of 2025’s remaining shows and movies will release later in the year, when temperatures cool and people are indoors more.
Still, I’ve found some good stuff for your viewing pleasure on Netflix and elsewhere. Every week I scour the internet for all the best new releases and compile them in your friendly neighborhood streaming guide.
Big news also: I finished The Shield at last! This amazing police drama has consumed just about every evening for the past couple months. I burned through all seven seasons in one very long binge. It was so good! The finale ranks among my favorite TV show finales of all time. It’s rare to have a show stay this good from start to finish, but The Shield pulled off seven seasons of at least ten episodes per season and I don’t think there was a single bad episode. I lost sleep watching this show and I regret nothing. I’m so glad I didn’t watch it when it first aired.
Be sure to check out my Netflix July streaming guide to see everything headed to the most popular streaming service this month.
If you have any tips or I missed something, shoot me a message on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. You can check out last weekend’s streaming guide right here.
What’s New & Notable This Weekend
Untamed (Netflix)
The traditional period Western isn’t making the comeback a lot of us hoped for, but the new modern Western genre has seen a real comeback thanks to Yellowstone. Netflix has made its fair share of these, and Untamed is the latest. Eric Bana plays a federal agent investigating a woman’s death in the wilderness of Yosemite National Park. The six-episode limited series is out now on Netflix with a decent 81% Rotten Tomatoes score (88% from audiences). Sam Neill also stars.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — Season 3 (Paramount+)
I’m way behind on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and audience and critic reviews for the third season have dipped considerably, which makes me think maybe I’m not missing much. I haven’t ever been a huge Trek fan, but modern iterations of this show have been almost universally disappointing. This show had real potential, so it’s a shame to hear that it’s gone downhill. Still, I really enjoy Captain Pike and his crew so I’ll probably catch up and see for myself.
Billy Joel: And So It Goes (HBO Max)
If you’re a Billy Joel fan, you’ll definitely want to watch this new documentary on HBO Max. (It’s so nice to just type HBO Max now, instead of HBO / Max). I admit, I know next to nothing about the piano-playing singer/songwriter, but I like his music.
How To Train Your Dragon (VOD)
I really hate most live-action remakes of classic animated movies, but I mostly blame Disney for this. Somehow, DreamWorks knocked it out of the park with its very first try. How To Train Your Dragon was a magnificent remake of the animated movie and now you can watch it at home, though you’ll still have to pay for it since it’s not on any streaming services yet. I ordered the 4K Blu-Ray because it deserves the best picture and sound possible.
Eddington (In Theaters)
Speaking of modern Westerns, Eddington has one helluva cast: Pedro Pascal, Joaquin Phoenix, Emma Stone, Luke Grimes, Austin Butler etc. The film takes place long, long ago in the year of our lord 2020, back during the dark times of COVID-19 and overcharged political tensions. Hereditary / Midsommar director Ari Aster directs. It looks fantastic from the trailer, but the movie isn’t getting the review scores I’d hoped for: 67% pm Rotten Tomatoes, which is still Fresh but only just barely. It’s possible that Aster’s bleak view of humanity is just . . . too bleak, even for movie critics.
What’s Streaming Weekly
A number of shows have drawn to a close this month. Apple’s Murderbot is over. So is Season 2 of Poker Face on Peacock. HBO’s Duster ended a week ago and was promptly cancelled. But we still have plenty of ongoing series airing weekly to cover. I’m watching a few of these, including the first entry . . .
Dexter: Resurrection (Paramount+)
We’re three episodes deep into the return of Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) and so far I’m enjoying Dexter: Resurrection quite a bit, though we’re still a long ways from the glory days of the original show’s first four seasons. We pick up after the events of the New Blood and head to the Big Apple, where both Dexter and his son Harrison are slumming about, doing their thing. Lots of returning characters and some big new names, including Uma Thurman, Peter Dinklage and Krysten Ritter. We have yet to get to the meat of the story, of course, though it looks like things will kick into higher gear next week.
Resident Alien — Season 4 (SyFy / Peacock)
Alan Tudyk vs Alan Tudyk. It’s a match made in heaven — or on an alien planet. Our hilarious lead faces off against himself in Season 4 of Resident Alien as Harry tries to stop an evil shapeshifting Mantis alien (among other threats to Earth and his friends). It’s a delightful show and I highly recommend it to anyone still on the fence. The earlier seasons are on Netflix! New Season 4 episodes air a week earlier on SyFy before landing on Peacock.
Foundation (Apple TV)
The adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s famous science-fiction work is one I’ve still not watched. Mostly, from what I gather from reviews and readers, it’s a bad adaptation but a good series. That’s better than a bad adaptation that’s also a bad series (looking at you, Rings Of Power!) It’s on my list. It’s just a very, very long list.
The Institute (MGM+)
I need to start The Institute now that my evenings of The Shield have come to an end. It actually sounds like a good show to tide us over while we wait for the return of Stranger Things. The series is based on Stephen King’s novel, and follows the kidnapping of a young boy who wakes up in an institute for children with super powers. I’ve heard positive things from readers. The third episode lands on MGM+ this Sunday.
Other Currently Airing Shows
Nautilus (AMC) — Based on Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under The Sea, Nautilus follows Nemo’s mission to exact revenge on the East India Mercantile Company
Countdown (Prime Video) — Another show I need to start now that I’m no longer watching The Shield every night like some absolute junky. I do enjoy a good race-against-the-clock thriller, and while the reviews haven’t been spectacular, I’ve heard from a lot of people that they’re enjoying thi sone.
Smoke (Apple TV+) — Taron Egerton stars as an arson investigator who gets drawn into a murder investigation / conspiracy. Mystery author Dennis Lehane is the show’s creator.
Stick (Apple TV+) — Owen Wilson stars in this golf-themed feel-good dramedy. Light summer character fare to offset all the grim and gritty.
The Gilded Age (HBO) — The lavish HBO period drama will transport you to the “gilded age” of East Coast America in the late 19th century. Still on my backlog, but my do those costumes look lovely.
The Buccaneers (Apple TV+) — The Buccaneers is more Bridgerton than Downton Abbey, but should appeal to fans of period romance of all stripes.
BMF (Starz) — A dramatization of the rise of the Black Mafia Family in Detroit and elsewhere in the 1980s and 90s. I’ve heard it called the “Black Sopranos” so if that sounds like your thing, give it a shot.
I went to Superman and didn’t like it very much. Read my review here or watch my video review below:
What else did I miss? What should I put on this list or add to my backlog? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook.
Previous Streaming Guides From Yours Truly:
Follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook. Also be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel and follow me here on this blog. Sign up for my newsletter for more reviews and commentary on entertainment and culture.