This week’s streaming premieres have something to offer for just about everyone. Two of the best movies of the year have made their video-on-demand debuts this week. Meanwhile, a pair of exciting, wildly different action epics are set to premiere on Apple TV+ and Disney+ on Friday. The week’s other TV premieres include the return to a beloved animated world and a promising HBO true-crime docuseries as well.
Here are the eight best new movies and shows that you can stream this weekend.
“The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball” Season 1 (Hulu/Disney+)
Would it be hyperbole to call “The Amazing World of Gumball” one of the most striking, distinct shows of the 2010s? Maybe. But all it takes is one look at the series’ new spin-off revival, “The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball,” to come to the conclusion that there really is no other show like it. Helmed by returning creator Ben Bocquelet, “The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball” is an animated series bursting with visual imagination and antic humor.
Its first 20 episodes are all streaming now on Hulu and Disney+, and they have the potential to not only scratch the same itch for existing “Gumball” fans that the original series did but also win over first-time viewers. No matter which side you fall on, give “The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball” a shot this weekend. You will find out very quickly whether it is your speed or not.
“The Life of Chuck” (2025)
“Midnight Mass” filmmaker Mike Flanagan’s first big-screen effort in six years, “The Life of Chuck” is a moving, crowd-pleasing drama about loss, change and the infinite human connections that give one’s life meaning. Based on a Stephen King novella, “The Life of Chuck” tells its story in reverse. It explores the life of an ordinary accountant, Charles “Chuck” Krantz (played at different ages by Tom Hiddleston, Jacob Tremblay, Benjamin Pajak and Cody Flanagan), across three very different chapters.
Along the way, “The Life of Chuck” dances seamlessly between moments of apocalyptic dread, joyful whimsy and melancholic reflection. It is a big, bold swing. While a bit heavy-handed at times, its flaws do not stop “The Life of Chuck,” which is now available to buy and rent, from inviting the same warmth from its viewers that it extends to them.
“28 Years Later” (2025)
“28 Years Later” is the rare film that proves that sequels can sometimes not only be worthwhile, but actually enriching and thought-provoking. Directed by “28 Days Later” filmmaker Danny Boyle and written by returning scribe Alex Garland, the film drops viewers back into its franchise’s post-apocalyptic, zombie-ridden Britain and follows Spike (Alfie Williams), a 12-year-old boy raised on an isolated island. Desperate, Spike embarks on a daring journey into the mainland with his sick mother (Jodie Comer) in search of a doctor (Ralph Fiennes) who may be able to cure her illness.
Shot entirely with iPhones, “28 Years Later” marks another impressive stylistic leap for Boyle, who ups the gross-out ante in his zombie sequel and yet still finds the space for astonishing visual beauty. The film deepens the themes of loss, family and England’s decaying empire that were first introduced in “28 Days Later,” all while building toward sob-inducing moments of climactic heartbreak and catharsis. It is one of 2025’s best films to date, and it is now available to buy and rent on demand.
“The Sandman” Special Episode (Netflix)
The story of Dream (Tom Sturridge) may have come to an end in “The Sandman” Season 2, Volume 2, but the Netflix series still has one more gift to give fans. A final, special episode of the fantasy drama premiered Thursday on Netflix, titled “Death: The High Cost of Living.” An adaptation of the beloved three-issue, limited comic book run of the same name, the episode shifts the show’s focus from Dream to his sister Death (Kirby Howell-Baptiste) as she embarks on a journey about life and humanity.
That makes this week’s special “Sandman” episode a fitting epilogue for the Netflix series, which dedicated much of its first two seasons to exploring its existential themes with the same kind of imagination that “Death: The High Cost of Living” promises to deliver.
“Chief of War” Season 1 (Apple TV+)
You likely will not see a more ambitious TV show this year than “Chief of War.” Co-created by Thomas Paʻa Sibbett and Jason Momoa, the new Apple TV+ series follows Kaʻiana (Momoa), a legendary warrior chief who finds himself caught in the middle of a bloody conquest to unite the islands of Hawaiʻi in the 19th century. Made with palpable passion and an unyielding commitment to cultural authenticity, “Chief of War” is a Hawaiian historical drama made in the massive, epic vein of “Game of Thrones” and “Gladiator.”
Filmed in both New Zealand and Hawaiʻi, “Chief of War” makes the most out of its real-world locations, delivering one stunning image after another. Along the way, it builds out a story filled with feudal warfare, brutal action, political intrigue and the danger of white colonization lurking around every corner. The show’s first two episodes premiere Friday on Apple TV+. If you are in the mood for a historical epic that has just as much interpersonal drama as it does large-scale action, then “Chief of War” may just be the perfect show for you.
“Eyes of Wakanda” Season 1 (Disney+)
A new, four-part animated series developed by “Black Panther” and “Sinners” director Ryan Coogler, “Eyes of Wakanda” will give Marvel Cinematic Universe fans new insight into the history of Wakanda. The series follows brave Wakandan warriors throughout history as they embark on dangerous missions to recover Vibranium artifacts from other nations and protect Wakanda’s secrets from its many enemies.
Marvel has done very little to promote “Eyes of Wakanda” up to this point. Don’t let the studio’s lackluster promotional run for the show dissuade you from giving it some of your time this weekend, though. It looks just as big, action-packed and inventive as a deep dive into Wakanda’s history should, and that alone is reason enough to give “Eyes of Wakanda” a chance.
“Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues” Season 1 (Prime Video)
Following the success of FX’s “Welcome to Wrexham,” it was only a matter of time before other networks and celebrities tried to get in on the famous-person-buys-European-soccer-club game. Two of those very shows premiere this week: ESPN’s Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa-led “Running with the Wolves” and Prime Video’s “Built In Birmingham: Brady & the Blues.” All five episodes of the latter docuseries, which follows former NFL quarterback Tom Brady as he buys a stake in English soccer club Birmingham City, premiere Friday on Amazon’s Prime Video.
In the first trailer for “Built in Birmingham,” Brady directly calls out “Welcome to Wrexham” and its leads, Rob Mac and Ryan Reynolds. Whether or not “Built in Birmingham” will be able to replicate the success of “Welcome to Wrexham” without the chemistry, camaraderie and charisma of Reynolds and Mac remains to be seen. That said, if there is anyone who knows a thing or two about turning a struggling sports franchise around, it is certainly Brady.
“The Yogurt Shop Murders” (HBO Max)
One of the most promising true crime shows of the year premieres this week. Directed and produced by “Descendant” filmmaker Margaret Brown, “The Yogurt Shop Murders” is an HBO and A24 documentary series about the 1991 Austin yogurt shop killings of four teenage girls. Across its four episodes, the series explores not only the details of the quadruple homicide, which remains unsolved, but also the subsequent police investigation that was launched and the lingering trauma felt by the surviving family members.
Featuring a mix of archival footage and present-day interviews, “The Yogurt Shop Murders” promises to offer both an unflinching look at its central, unsolved case and a profound exploration of the lasting marks that trauma, violence and death can leave on a community. If you are a fan of the true crime genre, then the first episode of “The Yogurt Shop Murders,” which premieres Sunday on HBO and HBO Max, should be on your watchlist this weekend.
