It’s high fantasy season on streamers right now, with the likes of House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power dominating most of the cultural conversation – but if swords and sandals aren’t your thing, this weekend’s arrivals should provide some welcome respite.
Leading the charge over the next few days is Pinocchio on Disney Plus – the latest live-action fairytale remake from the House of Mouse – and Cobra Kai season 5 on Netflix. No new HBO Max movies or TV shows make the cut this week, but both Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus get a look-in, instead.
Below, then, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest new movies and TV shows available to watch on streaming services this September weekend.
Pinocchio (Disney Plus)
Another year, another remake of a Disney classic. This time around, it’s Carlo Collodi’s centuries-old tale of a magical wooden puppet, Pinocchio, getting the live-action treatment.
Tom Hanks, Cynthia Erivo, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Beauty and the Beast alumnus Luke Evans all star in the new adaptation, which comes from Oscar-winning director (and frequent Hanks collaborator) Robert Zemeckis. Interestingly (and perhaps thankfully), the design of the titular puppet looks near-identical to that used in the Disney’s 1940 classic – yellow hat, red feather and all – suggesting viewers can expect a like-for-like retelling. Although, as we stated in our spoiler-free review, that’s not necessarily a good thing.
Disney’s Pinocchio isn’t the only Pinocchio movie heading to screens in 2022, either. Pan’s Labyrinth filmmaker Guillermo del Toro is also reinventing the classic story in stop-motion form for Netflix. His version – the aptly-named Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio – is set to land on the streamer this December.
Now available to stream on Disney Plus.
Cobra Kai season 5 (Netflix)
Arriving ahead of its predicted Christmas release date this weekend is Cobra Kai season 5, which looks set to continue the form of one of the best Netflix shows.
New episodes of the popular Karate Kid spin-off will find the Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang fighting schools reeling from their defeat to the new Terry Silver-led Cobra Kai at the All-Valley Karate Tournament. In a bid to stop the latter opening up multiple dojos across the valley, Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) teams up with Chozen Toguchi (Yuji Okumoto) to stop him.
If you’ve never watched Cobra Kai before, it’s likely that none of the above will make any sense – but hey, you wouldn’t join the party on season 5, would you?
Now available to stream on Netflix.
The Good Fight season 6 (Paramount Plus)
The Christine Baranski-led legal drama, The Good Fight, comes to its bittersweet conclusion this weekend on Paramount Plus.
Season 6 finds Baranski’s Diane demoralized and in a state of despair after the events of season 5 (no spoilers here!), and new episodes will see her forced to navigate the impending civil war set to explode within her firm. Acting additions include John Slattery and Andre Braugher, while Alan Cumming will also briefly reprise his role as his The Good Wife character Eli Gold.
The Good Fight season 6’s first instalment is available to stream now in the US and UK, with its remaining nine episodes due to arrive every Thursday.
Now available to stream on Paramount Plus.
American Gigolo (Showtime Anytime)
It’s been a busy few years for Jon Berthal, and the Punisher actor gets another leading man slot in Showtime’s new limited series, American Gigolo.
A serialized adaptation of Paul Schrader’s 1980 movie of the same name, this one sees Bernthal starring as a one-time escort, Julian Kaye (the character famously played by Richard Gere), who sets out for answers after completing a 15-year prison sentence for a murder he didn’t commit.
Reviews for American Gigolo have been decidedly lukewarm so far, but those interested in an alternative take on Schrader’s classic movie may still find plenty to enjoy. The show’s first episode is available to stream from Sunday on Showtime Anytime in the US and Sky and Now TV in the UK. Subsequent episodes will follow on a weekly basis.
Available to stream on Showtime Anytime and Sky and Now TV from Sunday.
Obi-Wan Kenobi: A Jedi’s Return (Disney Plus)
Having hoodwinked many fans by posturing (intentionally or not) as a second season of Obi-Wan Kenobi, A Jedi’s Return has landed on Disney Plus to offer a look behind-the-scenes of one of this year’s biggest series.
In a similar vein to Marvel’s Assembled documentaries, this feature-length film takes a microscope to the making of Obi-Wan Kenobi, exploring how and why both Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen returned to roles that they themselves thought they’d left behind for good.
We wouldn’t exactly describe A Jedi’s Return as compulsory viewing for Star Wars fans – but it’ll certainly pique the interest of those who enjoyed Disney’s record-breaking spin-off show.
Now available to stream on Disney Plus.
Gutsy (Apple TV Plus)
In a rare break from tradition, Apple TV Plus swaps slick dramas for factual storytelling this weekend with Gutsy.
An eight-episode adaptation of their best-selling novel, The Book of Gutsy Women, Gutsy follows Hillary and Chelsea Clinton on a road trip across America in search of the women who inspire them. On their travels, the pair encounter the likes of Gloria Steinem, Jane Goodall, Goldie Hawn, Megan Thee Stallion, Amy Schumer and Kim Kardashian – so there’s surely some valuable words of wisdom to be heeded here for everyone.
Gutsy’s first episode is available to stream now, with its remaining seven entries set to arrive on Apple TV Plus on a weekly basis every Friday.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Flight/Risk (Prime Video)
Warning: this week’s documentary pick is not recommended for anyone preparing to board a flight.
As told by the Pulitzer Prize-winning Seattle Times journalist Dominic Gates, Prime Video’s Flight/Risk recounts the events leading up to – and following – the tragic crashing of two Boeing 737 Max planes just five months apart in 2018 and 2019, respectively.
Affected family members, their legal teams and the whistleblowers who exposed various flaws in the Boeing organization also lend their testimony in this feature-length film, which shares its subject with Netflix’s own documentary, Downfall: The Case Against Boeing.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.