When it comes to the roster of new movies and TV shows dropping on streaming services throughout the year, not all weekends are created equal. Sure, sometimes we’re treated to the likes of Mortal Kombat, Shadow and Bone and Sound of Metal in the space of a few days – but other times, well, not so much.
That’s not to say the libraries of Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Plus are bereft of exciting new content this coming weekend – more Star Wars, anyone? – it’s just that the latest arrivals are a little less Godzilla vs. Kong and a little more… thoughtful.
In many ways, then, it might be refreshing to go an evening without two giant monsters fighting to the death – you can only take so much CGI, after all.
Below, we’ve rounded up six of the biggest highlights coming to streamers over the next few days – from new superhero dramas to insightful crime documentaries.
Monster (Netflix)
[embedded content]
A movie adaptation of Walter Dean Myers’s 1999 novel of the same name, Monster tells the story of Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison Jr.), a high school honors student whose world comes crashing down when he’s charged with felony murder. It’s a Netflix original movie, so you can watch it anywhere you get the service around the world.
John David Washington, Jeffrey Wright and Jennifer Ehle also star, alongside musicians A$AP Rocky, Nas and Jennifer Hudson.
Now available to stream on Netflix
Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney Plus)
[embedded content]
Set during the immediate aftermath of Order 66, Disney Plus’ latest Star Wars series follows the elite and experimental clones of the Bad Batch (first introduced in The Clone Wars) as they find their way in a galaxy that’s suddenly been transformed. Adding an extra twist to proceedings, not all of the Batch turn on the Jedi, as Order 66 dictates.
TechRadar sat down with the talent behind the new animated series to talk about the challenges – and freedoms – of succeeding such a beloved Star Wars franchise. This one should make the wait for The Mandalorian season 3 that little bit easier.
Episode 1 and 2 are now available to stream on Disney Plus, with more episodes dropping every Friday
Mythic Quest season 2 (Apple TV Plus)
[embedded content]
The brainchild of comedy mainstays Rob McElhenney, Charlie Day and Megan Ganz, Mythic Quest returns for a second season on Apple TV Plus. Expect more workplace antics from the fictional team behind one of the biggest multiplayer video games of all-time, Raven’s Banquet, who now find themselves tasked with planning its next expansion. If you’re a fan of The Office and you like games, you’ll probably like this show.
The first season managed to present gaming as a subject for jokes in a way that felt like the creators actually understood it – which is so rare, when it comes to TV shows and movies. If you’ve not checked Mythic Quest out yet, it’s the perfect Apple TV Plus show to tide you over until Ted Lasso season 2 arrives.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus, with new episodes releasing weekly
Jupiter’s Legacy (Netflix)
[embedded content]
Jupiter’s Legacy arrives as the first Netflix series based on a Millarworld comic – after the streamer acquired writer Mark Millar’s comic empire back in 2017 – and marks a clear attempt to bring the service back to life when it comes to the superhero genre.
With quirky characters and an unusual setting, Jupiter’s Legacy tells the story of the Union, the world’s first superhero group, and could prove a real contender against already-successful rival shows like Amazon’s The Boys and Disney Plus’ WandaVision. Releasing in the gap between The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki seems wise when it comes to finding an audience…
Now available to stream on Netflix
The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness (Netflix)
[embedded content]
It’s been a while since the last good true-crime documentary, hasn’t it?
The Sons Of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness is Netflix’s new, four-part docuseries examining how investigative journalist Maury Terry re-opened a supposedly closed murder case – that of David Berkowitz, the serial killer convicted of several random killings between 1976 and 1977.
It’s got a similar feel to the wildly successful Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes, but critics are a little mixed on this one so far.
Now available to stream on Netflix
The Crime of the Century (HBO Max)
[embedded content]
Sticking with the true crime theme – you know what they say about two buses coming at once – HBO’s latest original documentary, The Crime of the Century, exposes the billions of dollars gained and thousands of lives lost during the opioid crisis of the last two decades.
It might not have the blood and gore of a murder documentary, but this one looks to expose the equally malicious greed of the world’s pharmaceutical giants. Expect talking heads and shocking revelations.
Available to stream on HBO Max from Monday