It’s been some time since the last bumper crop of new streaming service arrivals, and this weekend’s roundup remains relatively lukewarm thanks to a string of franchise-free additions to the likes of Netflix, Prime Video and HBO Max.
Netflix blockbuster The Gray Man – fronted by the imposing Hollywood trio of Ryan Gosling, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas – headlines proceedings as the production set to generate the most noise, though the movie is joined by a handful of lesser-known projects like Anything's Possible on Prime Video and the return of Hulu’s American Horror Stories.
Below, we’ve collated seven of the biggest new movies and TV shows available to watch on streaming services this July weekend. Happy bingeing!
The Gray Man (Netflix)
One of the most hotly-anticipated new Netflix movies of 2022, expensive spy thriller The Gray Man is finally available to stream this weekend.
Directed by Marvel movie duo Joe and Anthony Russo, the film stars Ryan Gosling as Sierra Six, a skilled CIA mercenary whose discovery of a dark agency secret turns his employers – and fellow assassin Lloyd Hansen (Chris Evans) – against him. Ana de Armas also features alongside the pair as Dani Miranda, a CIA agent who partners with Six on a globe-trotting action adventure.
Intended as the first in a string of Netflix films based on Mark Greaney’s popular novel series, The Gray Man has enjoyed a mixed reception from critics. Some, for instance, have labeled it “spectacular, pointless, witless and repetitive”, but our entertainment reporter was happy to call it an “entertaining and tension-filled spy movie”. In any case, expect this one to reign supreme atop the streamer’s popularity charts for weeks to come.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Anything's Possible (Prime Video)
If you’re looking for something a little more uplifting than Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans duking it out for two hours, Prime Video’s Anything's Possible could be the movie for you.
The directorial debut of Pose star Billy Porter, this coming-of age romance tells the story of a high school student, Kelsa, whose unexpected affections for a transsexual teen send ripples through the pair’s respective friendship groups.
Anything's Possible has been near-universally praised for being a “delightful expansion of the rom-com genre”, and fans of movies in the John Hughes mold (think The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller's Day Off) will likely find plenty to enjoy here.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Love Island USA season 4 (Peacock)
You know it. We know it. Love Island – in all its regional guises – is the definition of a guilty pleasure. Thank the reality TV gods, then, that a new season of Love Island USA has begun streaming on Peacock.
Now, we at TechRadar write for US, UK and Australian readers, and we don’t think we’re alone in saying that the UK (read: original) version of the internet-breaking matchmaking show is the best of the lot. However, Love Island USA still has a few quirks up its sleeve, and this year’s batch of singletons look entertaining (and problematic) as ever.
Incidentally, Love Island UK season 8 (again, the better one) is nearing its conclusion on ITV2 in the UK and Hulu in the US.
Now available to stream on Peacock.
American Horror Stories season 2 (Hulu)
Season 2 of Ryan Murphy’s horror anthology series, American Horror Stories, is now streaming on Hulu in the US.
Given the nature of anthology storytelling, it’s hard to pinpoint a theme in this latest batch of episodes without having seen them all – but the series’ official trailer (above) teases all manner of nasties (including serial killers, cannibals and murderous dolls).
New American Horror Stories instalments will air every Thursday on Hulu through September 15, while those in the UK will be able to stream the series on Disney Plus at a later date.
Now available to stream on Hulu in the US.
Rap Sh!t (HBO Max)
Issa Rae fans, this one’s for you. The Insecure actor-creator returns to production duties with Rap Sh!t, whose first two episodes are now available to stream on HBO Max.
This eight-episode comedy series follows two one-time high school friends, Shawna (Aida Osma) and Mia (KaMillion), who rekindle their relationship to form a promising rap group. The real-life hip-hop duo of Yung Miami and JT (aka City Girls) also serve as producers on the show, which has been hailed as a “triumphant return” for Rae.
Subsequent Rap Sh!t episodes will arrive every Thursday through September 1. UK viewers, though, will have to wait until later in the year to catch the series on Sky.
Now available to stream on HBO Max.
The Last Movie Stars (HBO Max)
Moon Knight star Ethan Hawke helms this six-part look at the life and legacy of legendary Hollywood couple Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.
Now streaming in its entirety on HBO Max, The Last Movie Stars (a co-production between HBO and CNN) finds a host of triple-A actors – including George Clooney, Oscar Isaac, Ewan McGregor and Sally Field – bringing to life a series of long lost transcriptions that tell the untold story of two beloved industry icons.
As with HBO’s Rap Sh!t, this documentary isn’t yet available to stream in the UK, though we’d expect it to land on Sky (or possibly BBC iPlayer) in the coming months.
Now available to stream on HBO Max.
The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's “American Pie” (Paramount Plus)
The second of this week’s documentary picks is The Day the Music Died: The Story of Don McLean's “American Pie”, which is now streaming on Paramount Plus.
So-called after the recurring lyric in McLean's 1971 hit – which itself refers to the infamous 1959 plane crash that claimed the lives of Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and JP Richardson – this 94-minute feature tracks the enduring legacy of its songwriter and the cultural significance of American Pie in a then-fragmented USA.
Critical reactions have been something of a mixed bag so far, but The Day the Music Died will undoubtedly tickle the fancy of many die-hard music fans.
Now available to stream on Paramount Plus.
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