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What to watch this weekend.<\/p>\n
Credit: Hulu \/ HBO \/ Apple<\/p>\n
Post updated 08\/08\/26. See updates below.<\/p>\n
Twisted serial killers out for revenge. Rivals for the throne finally clashing arms in an epic battle for the future of the kingdom. England\u2019s favorite American football coach, taking a new team under his wing. These and many other TV shows and movies await your viewing pleasure this weekend, and this list has them all.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ve had a weirdly busy week and haven\u2019t done a ton of TV or movie watching, though I did catch up on the new Hulu series, Furious (see below) and I believe I\u2019m all caught up on the crime drama, Westies. I watched the first episode of Sugar\u2019s second season, which was quite good, and now that the finale is out I can watch the whole thing. <\/p>\n
Forbes\u2018The Rings Of Power\u2019 Season 3 Release Schedule Proves Amazon Is Already Doing Serious Damage ControlBy Erik Kain<\/a><\/p>\n I also wrote a few pieces worth linking to, like this one about how Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019s post-credits scene was a mistake<\/a> and this newsletter piece on how Mel Gibson\u2019s The Odyssey might differ from Christopher Nolan\u2019s<\/a>. I also published a new video discussion of The Odyssey<\/a> on my YouTube channel. You can follow me on this blog<\/a>, at my Substack newsletter, Diabolical<\/a>, and on YouTube<\/a>, by the way. I\u2019m all over the place!<\/p>\n As per usual, I\u2019ve searched high and low for the best TV shows and movies streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+ for you to watch this weekend. If you have any recommendations, tips or other thoughts feel free to shoot me a note. Let me know what you\u2019re watching these days, or if you\u2019ve enjoyed any of my recommendations, on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, or Facebook<\/a>. Be sure to also check out last weekend\u2019s streaming guide<\/a> below:<\/p>\n ForbesWhat To Watch This Weekend: New Shows And Movies To Stream On Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV And MoreBy Erik Kain<\/a><\/p>\n Shall we proceed, my droogies?<\/p>\n New TV Shows To Watch This WeekendUpdate: The Shards (Hulu)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Ryan Murphy (Glee, The Politician, etc) adapts the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name for FX\/Hulu. Set in Los Angeles in 1981, The Shards follows a 17-year-old fictionalized Bret Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney) through his senior year at the elite Buckley prep school, where the arrival of enigmatic transfer student Robert Mallory (Homer Gere) coincides with the killings of a serial murderer known as The Trawler.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I\u2019m not really sure, if we\u2019re being honest. The promo images of young people in the 80s in swimsuits make this look like a show for young people and I\u2019m not a young man anymore. The reviews aren\u2019t great (55% \/ 35% audience and critic scores) and I suppose I\u2019m not really a big Bret Easton Ellis guy. I mean, I enjoyed the movie American Psycho, but I never read the book! Maybe I should do that instead of watching this show.<\/p>\n Furious (Hulu)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: An eight-episode crime drama created by Elizabeth Meriwether, loosely inspired by the 1987 film Black Widow. FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) hunts a calculating female serial killer played by Lola Petticrew (who I first saw in Say Nothing, I believe). As their paths converge the line between justice and revenge gets blurry. Scoot McNairy, Quincy Tyler Bernstine and Jake Lacy also star.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I\u2019ve watched the first four episodes of Furious, which actually debuted last week but I missed it somehow and that\u2019s why it\u2019s front and center in this weekend\u2019s streaming guide. I like it but don\u2019t love it so far. It\u2019s watchable and I\u2019m curious to see where it goes but it feels very cliched in a lot of ways and a little heavy-handed and while Rossum and Petticrew are both great, and I\u2019m thrilled to see Rossum in something again after her long run on Shameless, I just don\u2019t like any of the characters very much at all. Still, cat-and-mouse serial killer detective shows are my guilty pleasure so I\u2019ll be watching this on Monday nights. The finale drops on August 31.<\/p>\n Ted Lasso \u2013 Season 4 (Apple TV)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) returns to Richmond to coach a second-division women\u2019s football team in this reboot of the popular Apple TV sports comedy series. Jack Burditt (30 Rock, Modern Family) takes over as showrunner for this new, more estrogen-charged spin on the fish-out-of-water TV show.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: Honestly, the reason that Ted Lasso worked so well in the first season was precisely because it was a fish-out-of-water comedy. But a fish can only stay out of water for so long before, well, RIP fish. Ted was an adorable lead and head coach and despite his lack of experience or knowledge of soccer, his remarkable way with people took everyone off guard, including viewers. That affable, mustachioed man was the epitome of \u201cI am rubber and you are glue\u201d and nothing stuck to him. He made you want to believe (like Fox Mulder did back int he day, only about aliens and whatnot). <\/p>\n That rarest work of optimism and hope in a sea of cynicism was perfect in its first season. But it should have been a one-and-done series because it ran out of steam in Season 2 and I didn\u2019t return for Season 3. I have no interest in Season 4, but if you do, the first episode came out this Wednesday (Tuesday evening for Apple TV) with ten episodes running through October 7.<\/p>\n Monsters of God (HBO Max)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: A five-part HBO documentary series directed by Eric Goode (Tiger King, Chimp Crazy), produced by Goode Films, A24, and Central Pictures. Goode dives into the underworld of exotic animal smuggling, a billion-dollar criminal enterprise driven by obsession over rare species. The docuseries is inspired by and draws from the 2008 nonfiction book, The Lizard King, by Bryan Christy (oddly, not about The Doors frontman, Jim Morrison).<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I really think Lizard King would have been a better name for this series, since it would so quickly evoke Goode\u2019s hit Tiger King, but maybe that name was taken or maybe they worried about the link to The Doors. Either way, with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score<\/a> (based on just 10 reviews) this one might be worth checkikng out.<\/p>\n New Movies To Watch This WeekendUpdate: The Gates (Prime Video)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Three Black college students \u2014 Derek (Mason Gooding), Kevin (Algee Smith), and Tyon (Keith Powers) \u2014 take an ill-advised shortcut through a remote gated community on a road trip and get trapped behind the walls after witnessing a murder. Over one night they\u2019re blamed, hunted, and driven apart by their differing belief systems, while the killer, Jacob (James Van Der Beek), the community\u2019s charismatic pastor and de facto patriarch, closes in.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: At 48% on RT don\u2019t expect the greatest thriller ever, but this sounds like a good edge-of-your-seat suspense film. It\u2019s also Van Der Beek\u2019s final role. The Dawson\u2019s Creek star passed away on February 11, 2026 at the age of 48 after a battle with cancer.<\/p>\n Update: Michael (Starz \u2013 on Monday)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: The huge box office finally comes to streaming just after this weekend is over, but I figured I should sneak it in. A biopic of Michael Jackson (Jaafar Jackson, the singer\u2019s nephew and Jermaine\u2019s son, in his teen and adult years; Juliano Valdi as a 10-year-old), tracing his life from the Jackson 5 through the 1988 Bad tour. Colman Domingo and Nia Long play Joe and Katherine Jackson.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: The film was one of the most striking divisions between critics and audiences this year, with the former giving the biopic just 38% on RT against a 97% audience score. I haven\u2019t seen this one yet (I haven\u2019t even seen Elvis from a few years ago yet) but I generally enjoy biopics of big musical stars and I\u2019ll be checking this one out on Starz for sure. One of these days.<\/p>\n The Last House (Netflix)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: A family of four is suddenly sealed inside their home with no way out and must survive both dwindling resources and the mysterious force keeping them trapped. Wagner Moura (Narcos, The Secret Agent) plays Jason and Greta Lee (Past Lives, Russian Doll, A House of Dynamite) plays Ann, parents of Ruth and Graham (whose actors shift as the film apparently spans years). <\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: With a 35% score<\/a> this falls right into the average for critical reception of Netflix Original films, sadly. While the premise is spooky and tense, I just don\u2019t think this one is going onto my own personal backlog. <\/p>\n Billie Eilish: Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour Live in 3D (Paramount+)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: 3D concert film co-directed and produced by James Cameron and Eilish, capturing her Hit Me Hard and Soft tour. It\u2019s her third concert film after Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles (2021) and Live at the O2 (2023). Two separate Eilish performances were filmed in Manchester, England and Phoenix, Arizona, using virtual reality 3D technology in partnership with Meta and Cameron’s Lightstorm Vision.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: If you\u2019re a Billie Eilish fan, this is a no-brainer. The film did pretty good at the box office, though not compared to Cameron\u2019s major releases, and if you have a 3D TV laying around somewhere, well, that\u2019ll be neat!<\/p>\n New Movies In Theaters This Weekend<\/p>\n Spider-Man: Brand New Day<\/a> and The Odyssey<\/a> are both still playing in theaters and I highly recommend both films as movies to watch on the big screen. There are some new theatrical release as well, however. I can\u2019t honestly recommend this one, since I only found about the first fifteen minutes of the first one funny but here\u2019s the trailer:<\/p>\n Super Troopers 3Forbes\u2018Spider-Man: Brand New Day\u2019 Review: The First Superhero Movie That Made Me Feel Something In A Very Long TimeBy Erik Kain<\/a>TV Shows Currently Streaming WeeklyHouse of the Dragon \u2013 Season 3 Finale (HBO Max)<\/p>\n House of the Dragon<\/p>\n Credit: HBO<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: HBO\u2019s Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon<\/a>, follows the Westerosi civil war known as the Dance of Dragons and the struggle for the Iron Throne between Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D\u2019Arcy) and her supporters (Team Black) and her half-brother, King Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and his supporters (Team Green). It\u2019s adapted from George R.R. Martin\u2019s fake \u201chistory\u201d of Westeros, Fire & Blood (which has a very nice illustrated companion book, Rise of the Dragon<\/a>, as well).<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: While Season 2 was a bit of a dreary affair, and not much happened over the course of its eight episodes, Season 3 has been much more compelling television. It\u2019s far from perfect, far too bleak and there hasn\u2019t been as much battle and bloodshed so far as I would have liked, but the pacing and writing and overall production just feels much stronger this season. The finale airs this Sunday. Read my review of Episode 7 right here<\/a>.<\/p>\n New episodes drop weekly with the season finale airing on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, August 9.<\/p>\n The Walking Dead: Dead City \u2013 Season 3 (AMC+)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: The Walking Dead: Dead City returns with an eight-episode season 3, with Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan returning, now working alongside Perlie Armstrong (Gaius Charles) to build a “functioning” community in post-apocalyptic Manhattan. The fragile alliance is tested by newcomer Renata (Aimee Garcia), her doctor brother Luis (Ra\u00fal Castillo), and loner Dillard (Jimmi Simpson of Westworld fame). New showrunner Seth Hoffman, a Walking Dead veteran writer and former co-executive producer on the original series, is taking over this season. New episodes drop Sundays, running through September 13.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I don\u2019t think this show should exist, quite frankly, and after watching the Season 3 premiere, I not only wrote a scathing review<\/a>, I made a scathing video to go with it, which you can watch above. It\u2019s not good, folks, but I genuinely hope that it gets better because there are other ways I could be spending my Sunday evenings.<\/p>\n Star Trek: Strange New Worlds \u2013 Season 4 (Paramount+)<\/p>\n Strange New Worlds<\/p>\n Credit: Paramount<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is back for another round of adventures as Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) continues leading his crew across the final frontier. Season 4 picks up after last season\u2019s cliffhanger and sends Pike, Spock, Number One, and the rest of the Enterprise crew on a series of dangerous new missions, from mysterious alien encounters to impossible scientific mysteries, while continuing to build toward the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. The new season is comprised of 10 episodes airing Sundays through September 24<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I actually gave up on New Star Trek some time ago, having doggedly tried my best with the JJ Abrams films, Discovery and Picard. And while I\u2019d heard some very positive things about Strange New Worlds, I just couldn\u2019t find the energy to catch up. Maybe someday. I do really like the casting in this series, and Anson Mount is the perfect Pike (though I thought he looked more handsome in the very first episode before he shaved and cut his hair). However, it should be noted that Season 4 has a stellar 100% on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>, higher than any previous season. If there is a show that could lure me back to Star Trek, it\u2019s this one.<\/p>\n Sugar \u2013 Season 2 Finale (Apple TV)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Colin Farrell returns as private investigator John Sugar for a new season of Apple’s stylish neo-noir mystery. This time, Sugar is hired to track down the missing older brother of a rising young boxer, but the case quickly spirals into a much larger conspiracy as he continues searching for his own missing sister. New cast members include Jin Ha, Raymond Lee, Tony Dalton, Laura Donnelly, Sasha Calle, and Shea Whigham, with Sam Catlin taking over as showrunner from series creator Mark Protosevich. Like the first season, Sugar blends classic detective storytelling with unexpected twists\u2014but if you somehow avoided learning that Season 1 reveal, it’s best to keep it that way.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I can think of very few shows with a more shocking twist than Apple TV\u2019s Sugar. It\u2019s such a shocking twist that I won\u2019t spoil it here. I\u2019m very excited to start Season 2, which I\u2019ve been hoarding so I can binge a few episodes at once, but now I realize that I\u2019ve hoarded too many and the show is almost over. There\u2019s just too many shows on right now! A total of eight episodes comprise Season 2, with new episodes landing Thursday evenings and the season finale dropping this week.<\/p>\n Silo \u2013 Season 3 (Apple TV)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Set in a dystopian future, 10,000 people live in a massive, self-sustaining underground “Silo” comprising 144 levels. Residents are strictly governed by regulations and believe the outside world is toxic, but the protagonist, an engineer named Juliette Nichols, begins to uncover secrets about the Silo\u2019s history and the truth behind their world. <\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I thought the first season was a bit slow but ended up being a really compelling mystery. For whatever reason, I couldn\u2019t get into Season 2 and still need to catch up. I keep looking at this and Sugar and thinking, I need to watch these shows! But then something else is out that I have to watch. Time is my enemy, and yet the only thing that can defeat my enemy is more of it, which I cannot get. What a conundrum! Season 3 airs weekly on Thursday evenings for a total of 10 episodes, with the finale dropping on September 4.<\/p>\n The Westies \u2013 Season 1 (MGM+)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Set in the 1980s, this new MGM+ drama centers on the New York City Irish gang of the same name and the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the gang\u2019s home turf in Hell\u2019s Kitchen. The Westies have to contend not only with the NYPD and the FBI but also the Italian mafia, which has them outnumbered, outgunned but not necessarily outwitted. The cast is, as the kids say, \u201cstacked\u201d including Titus Welliver, J.K. Simmons, Tom Brittney, Sarah Bolger, Jessica Frances Dukes, Alan Leech and many more. <\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I\u2019ve seen the first three episodes and keep meaning to write up a proper review, but so far it\u2019s like if Martin Scorsese directed a TV show (with a TV show budget) and I\u2019m enjoying it quite a bit, warts and all. New episodes drop Sundays with the finale airing August 23.<\/p>\n Lioness \u2013 Season 3 (Paramount+)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness returns for a third season with Zoe Salda\u00f1a back as CIA operative Joe McNamara, who finds herself caught up in her most dangerous mission yet. As a sprawling conspiracy threatens both national security and the people she cares about most, Joe is forced to balance her loyalty to the mission with her responsibilities at home. Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Laysla De Oliveira, Genesis Rodriguez, and Dave Annable all return for another season of high-stakes espionage and military action.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: You know, I thought the first season of Lioness was pretty excellent military spy thriller fare, and I\u2019m a sucker for that kind of stuff. I\u2019m okay with shows that make Islamic radical terrorists and South American cartels the bad guys and I\u2019m okay with shows that point out that often the bad guys can be right here in the West, too. Taylor Sheridan is a bit more \u201cred-blooded\u201d than a lot of contemporary Hollywood and that\u2019s fine, but I just got kind of sick of the characters in Season 2, so I\u2019m behind. New episodes drop Sundays with the finale landing on September 20.<\/p>\n X-Men ’97 \u2013 Season 2 (Disney+)<\/p>\n X-Men 97<\/p>\n Screenshot: Erik Kain<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: This animated series follows the X-Men as they continue to face new challenges and threats in a world that fears and hates them. Season 2 released earlier this week and consists of nine episodes and picks up following the events of the first season. The first three episodes are out now, though Episode 3 is only the first part of a two-episode double feature. <\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I actually started Season 1 and then got sidetracked, so I\u2019ll have to pick this back up. It got solid reviews, though there was some controversy surrounding its lead writer, Beau DeMayo, who left the series. New episodes drop Wednesdays, with the season finale airing on August 12.<\/p>\n Ghost in the Shell (Prime Video)<\/p>\n Ghost in the Shell<\/p>\n Credit: Prime Video<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Ghost in the Shell has been around forever, but it\u2019s always fun to see a new take on an old classic. The new series, which debuted on Prime Video this past Tuesday, was created by Science Saru (aka Science Monkey), the studio behind the hit Devilman Crybaby and Danadan. The new series is based on the 1989-91 manage of the same name and takes place in the distant future (well, 2029) in a futuristic Japan replete with elite cyborgs, tactical anti-terrorism forces and mysterious hackers. You can also watch the old 1995 movie on Prime Video. A total of 10 episodes will comprise the first season, with the finale airing on September 8.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: If you like this anime series, or you\u2019re just into anime in general, this is probably your thing. I found that even though I\u2019ve seen the movie, I was totally lost and confused after the first episode and so I haven\u2019t continued. Maybe someday.<\/p>\n Gone (BritBox)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Headmaster Michael Polly (David Morrissey) becomes the prime suspect in his wife Sarah’s disappearance, drawing him into a tense game of cat and mouse with Detective Annie Cassidy (Eve Myles) as she fights to uncover the truth. The six-part British crime drama is partly inspired by the true crime book “To Hunt A Killer,” detailing a real 1984 murder investigation that wasn’t solved until 2016.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: First of all, David Morrissey is always great. He was fantastic as the Governor in The Walking Dead and I recently watched him as the lead detective in the UK crime show, Sherwood. With 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and critics using phrases like \u201can absorbing crime thriller\u201d and satisfying \u201cslow burn\u201d this is directly up my alley. My alley is very much UK crime thrillers, after all. I did start this show but it was on the same night I\u2019d had anesthesia earlier in the day and, well, I fell asleep. Not the show\u2019s fault! It could have been the loudest, most action-packed show you\u2019ve ever seen and my lights would have been out. I will go back to it and watch as it seemed pretty damn good!<\/p>\n Cape Fear \u2013 Season 1 Finale (Apple TV)<\/p>\n Cape Fear<\/p>\n Credit: Apple TV<\/p>\n The finale of Cape Fear is here at last. Javier Bardem and Amy Adams star in this television series based on the novel The Executioners and its two film adaptations (1962 and 1991) both of which were also called Cape Fear. The story follows vicious ex-con, Max Cady (Bardem) and his revenge plot against married couple Tom (Patrick Wilson) and Anna Bowden (Adams). The series holds a 76% on Rotten Tomatoes<\/a>. <\/p>\n Lucky (Apple TV)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Lucky is a seven-episode crime thriller based on Marissa Stapley\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: I\u2019ve watched the first episode and enjoyed it quite a bit, though so far it\u2019s not one of those shows I\u2019m telling everyone I know to watch (like Widow\u2019s Bay, for instance). A pretty standard crime thriller so far, but Anya Taylor-Joy is really good so far and I\u2019ll watch just about anything with Timothy Olyphant \u2013 even something really bad like Alien: Earth<\/a>.<\/p>\n The first two episodes are out now with new episodes dropping on Tuesday evenings on Apple TV and the finale airing August 18.<\/p>\n Stuart Fails To Save The Universe (HBO Max)<\/p>\n What It\u2019s About: Stuart Fails to Save the Universe stars Kevin Sussman, reprising his Big Bang Theory role as Stuart. Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon \u2014 and as the title implies, things don’t go well. Along the way he meets alternate-universe versions of familiar Big Bang Theory faces.<\/p>\n Why You Should Watch: First, a confession: I have never watched even a single episode of Big Bang Theory. Sure, I\u2019ve seen the odd clip here or there, but I really couldn\u2019t even tell you what it\u2019s about. And yet, this show sounds like a really clever spinoff. It takes the sitcom into an entirely new genre, and even though I\u2019m sick of multiverse stuff, this sounds really fun. It has a 71%\/78% critic\/audience split on RT. New episodes land Thursdays and the finale drops on September 24.<\/p>\n Check out the week before last\u2019s streaming guide below<\/a>:<\/p>\n ForbesWhat To Watch This Weekend: New Shows And Movies To Stream On Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, Apple TV And MoreBy Erik Kain<\/a><\/p>\n What are you watching these days? Let me know on Twitter<\/a>, Instagram<\/a>, or Facebook<\/a>. <\/p>\n