New Shows And Movies To Stream On Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV And More

New TV Shows To Watch This Weekend

The Hawk (Netflix)

What It’s About: The Hawk is a sports comedy series starring Will Ferrell as Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins, a washed-up golf legend determined to complete an unlikely comeback by winning one last major championship. As he tries to relive the glory days, he must contend with his estranged family, including his son (Jimmy Tatro), who has become a rival on the course, as well as the personal flaws that derailed his career. The series also stars Molly Shannon, Fortune Feimster, and Luke Wilson, and was co-created by Ferrell and Chris Henchy, with episodes directed by Jonathan Watson.

Why You Should Watch: There have been a shocking number of “washed up sports guy” shows out lately, including the recent Owen Wilson dramedy, Stick, and most of them haven’t been all that great. The Hawk has a rather horrible 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, but who knows? Maybe it’ll be just the thing. Audiences are giving this one a 69%.

Lucky (Apple TV)

What It’s About: Lucky is a seven-episode crime thriller based on Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel, starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a former con artist named Lucky, forced back into the criminal underworld after a multimillion-dollar heist goes disastrously wrong and Lucky is betrayed by someone she trusted.

Hunted by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss, she must rely on her wits and criminal savvy to survive. The acclaimed supporting cast includes Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant (as Lucky’s dad, which is inspired casting if you ask me), Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Drew Starkey, Clifton Collins Jr., and William Fichtner. Created by Jonathan Tropper and Cassie Pappas, with Jonathan van Tulleken, Greg Yaitanes, and Jet Wilkinson directing, the limited series was executive produced by Taylor-Joy and Reese Witherspoon through Hello Sunshine.

Why You Should Watch: I’ve watched the first episode and enjoyed it quite a bit, though so far it’s not one of those shows I’m telling everyone I know to watch (like Widow’s Bay, for instance). A pretty standard crime thriller so far, but Anya Taylor-Joy is really good so far and I’ll watch just about anything with Timothy Olyphant – even something really bad like Alien: Earth.

The first two episodes are out now with new episodes dropping on Tuesday evenings on Apple TV and the finale airing August 18.

Ride or Die (Prime Video)

Ride or Die is an action-comedy series starring Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer as lifelong best friends whose lives are turned upside down when one discovers the other is actually an international assassin. Forced to flee across Europe after a mission goes catastrophically wrong, they find themselves pursued by criminals and law enforcement alike while uncovering a deeper conspiracy. The series also stars Ed Skrein (who we see elsewhere in this weekend’s guide), Calam Lynch, and Savannah Steyn. It was created by Tessa Coates, and features episodes directed by Lauren Wolkstein and Peyton Reed.

This one looks really fun, and the 96% Rotten Tomatoes score is nothing to sniff at. You’ll recognize Hannah Waddingham from Ted Lasso and Octavia Spencer made a name for herself in the 2011 film, The Help. Two great actresses ina fun, funny international assassin/spy thriller comedy? Sounds like a fun binge to me!

The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon – Season 3 (Netflix)

What It’s About: Season 3 of The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon follows Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) and Carol Peletier (Melissa McBride) as their desperate journey home takes an unexpected detour through Spain, where they become entangled in a brutal conflict between survivors and a ruthless new faction. Stephen Merchant makes a fun cameo. The complete third season is now available on Netflix just in time for the fourth season to come to AMC later this year.

Why You Should Watch: I cannot, in good conscience, recommend any Walking Dead show these days, but I thought Season 3 of Daryl Dixon was a mixed bag with some pretty good moments mixed in with the really goofy stuff. The story is basically The Three Amigos without the (intentional) humor, and Spain is, in this bizarre universe, basically 19th century Mexico. Still, there were a couple moments with really cool costumes and cinematography and Norman Reedus is always fun.

Murder 101 (Prime Video)

What It’s About: Murder 101 is a three-part true-crime documentary series that follows a rural Tennessee high school sociology class as its students reopen the decades-old Redhead Murders cold case, uncovering new evidence that leads to an active murder investigation. Directed by Stacey Lee and executive produced by Jon Watts, the series combines investigative journalism, classroom discussions, and real-life detective work to tell an extraordinary story of ordinary students helping crack a seemingly impossible case.

Why You Should Watch: I haven’t started this yet but I love a good mystery and I love the whole idea of a teacher and students using their class time to solve a cold case murder. More of this in our education system, please. Actually, can I take this guy’s class? Also cardio before school! Get those kids moving, get their abundance of energy out, and then put them to learning . . . and cracking cases! Better still, this one has a 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes.

Hot Ones: Extra Heat (Netflix)

What It’s About: Hot Ones: Extra Heat is a companion series to the hit interview show Hot Ones, hosted by Sean Evans. The series expands on the original format with extended celebrity interviews, behind-the-scenes footage, unaired moments, and bonus challenges that didn’t make the main episodes. Naturally, you’ll get some Netflix promotion in here, as evidenced by the trailer with Will Ferrell dressed as his character from The Hawk.

Why You Should Watch: Sean Evans is a fun, chill interviewer and it’s fun and often hilarious to watch celebrities answer questions while they suffer. The suffering increases as the interview goes along, so you get a bit of that sadistic glee and some hilarity all mixed in. And sometimes you discover a real hero, someone who just isn’t fazed in the slightest by the increasingly spicy sauces, like Paul Rudd. And sometimes you just get pure chaos, like Conan O’Brien’s appearance. I’m also curious to see how this format differs from the YouTube version.

The Real Wolf Of Wall Street (Paramount+)

What It’s About: The Real Wolf of Wall Street is a three-part Paramount+ original documentary exploring the true story of stockbroker Jordan Belfort, whose spectacular rise and fall inspired Martin Scorsese’s The Wolf of Wall Street. Using never-before-seen home videos, archival footage, and interviews with former colleagues, investigators, and Belfort himself, the series separates fact from Hollywood fiction while examining the culture of greed and excess that fueled one of Wall Street’s most infamous financial scandals.

Why You Should Watch: The obvious answer reason to watch this docuseries (which I haven’t yet seen) is because the Scorsese movie was so much fun. Leonardo DiCaprio was fantastic in that film, and if you were a fan of the movie, learning more about the rise and spectacular fall of Jordan Belfort is a no-brainer. Then again, maybe the movie version is enough.

The Tick – Seasons 1 & 2 (Netflix)

What It’s About: The Tick is a superhero comedy based on Ben Edlund’s cult comic book, following the invulnerable, blue-suited hero known simply as The Tick (Peter Serafinowicz) and his reluctant partner Arthur (Griffin Newman) as they battle bizarre supervillains in a world where superheroes are real.

Why You Should Watch: Well, first of all Serafinowicz is great. He’s great in this show, he’s great in his funny YouTube videos, and he seems like a great guy all around. Second, it’s just a fun, totally underrated superhero series. Alas . . . still no third season.

New Movies To Watch This Weekend

Heartstopper Forever

What It’s About: Heartstopper Forever serves as the feature-length finale to Netflix’s acclaimed coming-of-age romance, reuniting Kit Connor and Joe Locke as Nick Nelson and Charlie Spring. Based on Alice Oseman’s graphic novels, the film follows the couple as they prepare for adulthood, confronting the challenges of university, long-distance relationships, and an uncertain future while trying to preserve the love that brought them together. The film was directed by Wash Westmoreland.

Why You Should Watch: Well I haven’t seen the show that this movie wraps up, so I can’t give you my own opinion. But this is one of the most beloved Netflix LGBTQ franchises and it has a 95% critic RT score and a 94% audience score, so that’s pretty damn good! Of course, you’ll want to watch the show before you watch the movie. (My favorite LGBTQ series on Netflix remains Boots, which was wonderful).

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (Netflix)

What It’s About: Based on Suzanne Collins’ bestselling prequel novel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes stars Tom Blyth as a young Coriolanus Snow, decades before he becomes the tyrannical president of Panem. Assigned to mentor District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler) during the 10th Hunger Games, Snow’s ambition and growing fascination with Lucy Gray set him on the path toward power and moral corruption. Directed by Francis Lawrence, the film also stars Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis.

Why You Should Watch: I can’t speak for you, but the reason I’m going to watch is simply because I haven’t seen this yet! I’ve seen (and read) all the Hunger Games movies from the original trilogy (which are all also out on Netflix this week) but I never saw or read the prequel. This is partly because I have an aversion to prequels that aren’t titled Andor or Better Call Saul. But it’s also because The Hunger Games just depressed the hell out of me by the end and I feel like I can get my dystopian fiction elsewhere. I just started reading Red Rising, for instance. But I do want to see this and see how young Snow breaks bad, as it were, and now that it’s on Netflix I’ll add it to my queue. My massive, endless, impossible queue.

They Fight (Hulu)

What It’s About: They Fight is a sports drama based on the acclaimed 2018 documentary of the same name, starring André Holland (Moonlight, Selma) as Walt Manigan, a reformed ex-con who returns to Southeast Washington, D.C., seeking redemption by coaching a trio of young amateur boxers at a struggling neighborhood gym. As Walt rebuilds his life under the guidance of his former mentor, Slim (Wendell Pierce), he helps the boys navigate violence, loss, and the pursuit of a national boxing championship.

Why You Should Watch: Well . . . I haven’t seen this one so I can only go off the reviews, and unfortunately it’s sitting at a 45% on RT. Maybe check out the 2018 documentary instead.

Descendents: Wicked Wonderland

What It’s About: Descendants: Wicked Wonderland is the fifth installment in Disney’s hit musical fantasy franchise, reuniting Kylie Cantrall as Red and Malia Baker as Chloe Charming after the events of Descendants: The Rise of Red. When their time-travel adventure creates an alternate reality, the pair must journey into Wonderland to stop the villainous Maddox Hatter (Leonardo Nam) and rescue the Queen of Hearts (Rita Ora). Along the way they’re joined by new allies including Pink (Liamani Segura), Luis Madrigal (Alexandro Byrd), and Max Hatter (Brendon Tremblay), while Brandy returns as Cinderella.

Why You Should Watch: Confession time. I’ve never watched any of these movies, but I’m pretty sure my daughter really enjoyed them when she was younger. So maybe you should watch these with your kids! Not many family-friendly titles on this list this weekend, though this seems more “tween” than “fun for the whole family.”

New Movies In Theaters This Weekend

The Odyssey

What It’s About: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey is an epic adaptation of Homer’s ancient Greek poem, starring Matt Damon as the legendary king Odysseus, whose perilous ten-year journey home after the Trojan War pits him against monsters, vengeful gods, and impossible trials. As Odysseus struggles to return to Ithaca, his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway) fights off suitors at home while their son Telemachus (Tom Holland) embarks on his own quest to find his father. Written, directed, and produced by Christopher Nolan, the film also stars Robert Pattinson, Lupita Nyong’o, Charlize Theron, Jon Bernthal, Benny Safdie, Elliot Page, Himesh Patel, Mia Goth, and John Leguizamo. Shot entirely with new IMAX film technology on 70mm film and released by Universal Pictures.

Why You Should Watch: Rather than give you a summary, let me direct you to my review. I saw the movie on a pretty nice screen (though sadly not IMAX) on Thursday and it was really good! Not perfect, I had some issues with it, but dark and weird and scary and gripping. Don’t listen to all the culture war noise about the casting or the armor or whatever. It’s really good and it’s a big screen must-watch.

Forbes‘The Odyssey’ Review: Christopher Nolan’s Epic Is Awesomely Weird, Visually Stunning But Not Without Its FlawsBy Erik Kain

TV Shows Currently Streaming Weekly

House of the Dragon – Season 3 (HBO Max)

HBO’s Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon, follows the Westerosi civil war known as the Dance of Dragons and the struggle for the Iron Throne between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Team Black) and her half-brother, Aegon (Team Green). The third episode drops Sunday. While I enjoyed aspects of the Season 3 premiere, I found a lot of it to be incredibly frustrating, with baffling changes to the source material and a lackluster Battle of the Gullet. I enjoyed the second episode more, though I continue to struggle with feelings of apathy, or perhaps antipathy, to most of the characters, making it hard to root for any of them. Episode 4 was also quite good, and overall this season is a step up from the last.

We’re up to episode 5 this Sunday. New episodes drop weekly with the season finale airing on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 9.

Sugar – Season 2 (Apple TV)