For all the talk of Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max being the ‘big three’ of the streaming world, this week’s crop of TV recommendations is dominated by shows from Prime Video, Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus.
Original Apple drama series Hello Tomorrow! arrives alongside new seasons of Star Trek: Picard and Carnival Row on Paramount Plus and Prime Video, respectively, while Apple TV Plus also gets a star-studded new movie in the form of Sharper. Surprisingly – and for the first time since we’ve been running these weekly lists – there are no new headline-grabbing titles worth highlighting on Disney Plus or HBO Max.
Below, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest new movies and TV shows to watch on streaming services this weekend.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 (Paramount Plus)
The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard begins streaming on Paramount Plus this weekend.
Despite the decidedly cold reception to the show’s second season, Patrick Stewart’s titular space captain returns for one last 10-episode hurrah. Per season 3’s official synopsis, “ a desperate message from a long-lost friend draws Picard into the most daring mission of his life, forcing him to recruit allies spanning generations old and new.” Stewart’s co-stars include Star Trek: The Next Generation alumni Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis.
The first episode of Star Trek: Picard season 3 is available to stream now on Paramount Plus in the US and Prime Video in the UK. Subsequent installments will be released every Thursday (or Friday if you’re in the UK) until the series’ finale on April 20.
Now available to stream on Paramount Plus in the US and Prime Video in the UK.
Carnival Row season 2 (Prime Video)
Speaking of Prime Video, one of the streamer’s highest-profile productions, Carnival Row, returns for its long-awaited second (and final) season this weekend.
Arriving well over three years after the show’s season 1 premiere, new episodes of Carnival Row find Philo (Orlando Bloom) and Vignette (Cara Delevigne) forced to navigate rising tensions between humanity and fae after a series of mysterious killings.
The series’ second season promises to be bigger and better than the first, with 10 episodes instead of 8 and an action-packed trailer teasing plenty more supernatural steampunk-ness. Here’s hoping Carnival Row can soon earn a place on our list of the best Prime Video shows.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Hello Tomorrow! (Apple TV Plus)
Apple TV Plus is fast becoming the go-to streamer for star-studded and boldly original prestige television, with Hello Tomorrow! marking just one of the many exciting new series heading to the platform in 2023.
Set in an alternate 1950s where a group of traveling salesmen led by Billy Crudup pitch timeshares on the moon, this retrofuturistic series – from The End of the F***ing World creator Jonathan Entwistle – looks to boast a potent blend of drama, comedy and satire. Think Mad Men meets Fallout.
The first three episodes of Hello Tomorrow! are available to stream now on Apple TV Plus, with the remaining seven entries arriving every Friday through April 7.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Red Rose (Netflix)
Another BBC-produced drama series, Red Rose, heads to Netflix internationally this weekend.
From The Haunting of Bly Manor creators Michael and Paul Clarkson, this eight-episode drama follows a group of school friends whose lives are turned upside down by a nefarious mobile app that threatens them with dangerous consequences if they do not meet its demands.
Upon its release in the UK last year, Red Rose was described by critics as “entertainingly disturbing” and “creepier than Black Mirror”, which sounds like it could be among the best Netflix shows of 2023.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Sharper (Apple TV Plus)
Apple’s latest star-studded movie, Sharper, is now available to stream on Apple TV Plus after enjoying a brief theatrical release earlier this month.
Starring Sebastian Stan, Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, Justice Smith and Briana Middleton, this A24-produced feature follows a group of talented con artists who exclusively target Manhattan-based billionaires.
Critics have near-universally praised Sharper for being “a gorgeous, whip smart con film buzzing with intellectual ideas,” making it a shoo-in for a spot on our list of the best Apple TV Plus movies.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Full Swing (Netflix)
Arriving just one month after Break Point on Netflix this weekend is Full Swing, another Drive to Survive-style sports docuseries.
This eight-episode production follows a diverse group of professional golfers – on and off the course – during a relentless season of PGA Tour competition. The likes of Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler and Ian Poulter lend their candid insight.
As well as lifting the veil on the realities of the PGA Tour itself, Full Swing will also delve into the Golfing “civil war” created by the Saudi Arabian-backed breakaway competition, LIV Golf, which should intrigue even those who aren’t into their bogeys and birdies.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
African Queens: Njinga (Netflix)
The second of this week’s documentary picks is African Queens: Njinga on Netflix, a hybrid documentary/drama anthology series produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith.
The show’s four-episode first season – which has so far earned mixed reviews – focuses on the life and legacy of 17th century warrior queen Njinga of Angola, who ruled in modern day Angola. A second season has already been ordered by Netflix, and is expected to debut next year.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
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