It’s a rare thing to see a marked absence of franchise IP in our weekly streaming roundups, but this weekend’s arrivals are a refreshingly original bunch.
Save for the return of the now-rebranded Kardashians on Hulu, every one of the new movies and TV shows listed below stands alone as neither a sequel nor spin-off. From Netflix’s latest horror thriller flick, Choose or Die, to Amazon’s mysterious Outer Range TV series, there’s plenty of unfamiliar stories to enjoy this weekend.
So, without further ado, here are the seven biggest new movies and TV shows available to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and more over the next few days.
Choose or Die (Netflix)
Sex Education star Asa Butterfield returns to Netflix this weekend with Choose or Die, a unique-looking horror thriller from first-time director Toby Meakins.
The movie follows Kayla (Iola Evans), a broke college student who, along with her friend Isaac (Butterfield), discovers an obscure 1980s computer game that promises anyone who beats it a $100,000 prize. Naturally, though, the challenge is a far cry from Kirby – and the pair soon find themselves forced to choose between increasingly horrific scenarios in order to survive.
Eddie Marsan and Robert Englund also star in Choose or Die, which looks tailor-made for fans of the similarly gruesome Saw series. Not one for the squeamish, we’d imagine.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Outer Range (Prime Video)
By the looks of things, Dune and Marvel movie star Josh Brolin returns to his No Country for Old Men roots in Outer Range.
Prime Video’s latest thriller series follows Brolin’s Royal Abbott, a rancher fighting for his land in rural Wyoming who discovers a supernatural mystery – with a little help from inquisitive drifter Autumn (Imogen Poots) – lurking in the wilderness.
Reviewers have likened Outer Range to Paramount’s excellent Yellowstone series, with its intriguing mystery and morally complex characters just two of its best selling points. Two episodes are available to stream now, with the remaining six arriving in batches of three over the next three Fridays.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Anatomy of a Scandal (Netflix)
The first of many upcoming Netflix projects from Big Little Lies writer David E. Kelley is a starry adaptation of Sarah Vaughan’s best-selling novel, Anatomy of a Scandal.
Like Big Little Lies before it, this six-episode show once again tells a story of alleged sexual assault and the trauma experienced by its survivors. Rupert Friend stars as James, a Westminster politician accused of raping his aide (Naomi Scott’s Olivia), whose wife (Sienna Miller) is utterly convinced of his innocence. But prosecutor Kate (Michelle Dockery) is determined to prove otherwise.
You’d be forgiven for dismissing that synopsis as standard contemporary drama fare, but Kelley – along with co-writer Melissa James Gibson (House of Cards) – has a track record of subverting expectations to award-winning effect.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
The First Lady (Showtime Anytime)
Viola Davis, Michelle Pfeiffer and Gillian Anderson lead the star-studded cast of Showtime’s The First Lady, which chronicles the personal and political lives of three women who have adopted the titular role at different points in American history.
Davis plays Michelle Obama, Pfeiffer portrays Betty Ford, and Anderson embodies Eleanor Roosevelt – opposite O-T Fagbenle, Aaron Eckhart and Kiefer Sutherland as their respective husbands – in this 10-episode drama series, directed entirely by Susanne Bier (The Undoing).
Critics haven’t been too kind to this one so far (one outlet called the show “a woeful waste of three wonderful actresses”) but The First Lady nonetheless looks like an important showcase of the White House’s oft-forgotten women. UK audiences will have to wait to catch it on Paramount Plus later this year.
Available to stream on Showtime Anytime from Sunday.
The Kardashians (Hulu, Disney Plus)
Love them or loathe them, the Kardashian-Jenner family know how to keep a reality TV series rolling.
Despite moving from E! to Hulu and rebranding its formerly lengthy title, The Kardashians stays true to form by delving into the personal lives of sisters Kourtney, Kim and Khloé (and their half-sisters, Kendall and Kylie Jenner). As usual, episodes will also feature appearances from the girls’ partners and children, meaning viewers can expect to hear from the likes of Travis Barker for the first time in this new season.
New episodes of The Kardashians will arrive on Hulu in the US every Thursday, while UK viewers can expect to find their weekly dose of domestic drama on Disney Plus at the same time.
Now available to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
Roar (Apple TV Plus)
After the success of Severance and CODA in recent months, Apple is on something of a hot streak when it comes to producing high quality entertainment – one it hopes will continue with new drama series Roar.
Based on the best-selling novel by Cecelia Ahern and written by GLOW creators Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch, this darkly comic anthology explores, in Apple’s own words, “female experiences that many women have but rarely talk about.” The likes of Nicole Kidman, Cynthia Erivo, Issa Rae and Alison Brie lead the show’s individual episodes, which have been described by critics as “bold” and “imaginative.”
New Apple TV Plus series typically drip-feed their episodes weekly, but all eight of Roar's entries are available to stream now in one fell swoop.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Not So Pretty (HBO Max)
In a refreshing turn of events, our pick of this weekend’s new documentaries comes from HBO Max instead of Netflix.
Written and directed by On the Record filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, Not So Pretty goes behind the curtain of the trillion-dollar cosmetics, beauty and personal care industry, exposing its frequently unethical working conditions and enormous environmental footprint.
All four 30-minute parts of this one are available to stream now on HBO Max in the US, while those in the UK can find Not So Pretty streaming on Sky and Now TV.
Now available to stream on HBO Max in the US and Sky and Now TV in the UK.
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