This week’s streaming premieres include one of the year’s biggest blockbusters, the first television entry in one of Hollywood’s most iconic horror franchises and an adult comedy from one of animation’s most beloved and revered artists. It’s a big week, one that has noteworthy, worthwhile shows and movies popping up on nearly every major streaming service, including Netflix, Hulu, Apple TV+ and Peacock. No matter what you choose to watch this weekend, you won’t have to look far to find something promising.
Here are the eight best new movies and shows that you can stream this weekend.
“Alien: Earth” (Hulu/Disney+)
The first two episodes of “Fargo” showrunner Noah Hawley’s ambitious new addition to the “Alien” franchise, “Alien: Earth,” dropped on FX, Hulu and Disney+ this week. The remaining episodes of the series’ first season are set to debut weekly Tuesday nights moving forward, and if they all turn out to be as thrilling, visually mesmerizing and thematically audacious as its opening two installments, then you are not going to want to miss them.
There were some high expectations facing “Alien: Earth” prior to its premiere, but the series seems well-positioned to meet them. That makes it one of this year’s biggest must-see shows.
“Butterfly” (Prime Video)
If you’re in the mood for a straightforward action thriller, then you may want to give “Butterly” a chance. The new thriller from Amazon’s Prime Video follows a former U.S. intelligence agent (Daniel Dae Kim) living in South Korea whose past actions come back to haunt him when he finds himself pursed by none other than his daughter Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), a deadly espionage operative who grew up believing he was dead.
Written by “The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare” writer Arash Amel and based on his own graphic novel, “Butterfly” is an action-packed spy thriller with an edge of familial melodrama and which offers the exact kind of breezy, escapist entertainment that has become harder to find in today’s Prestige TV age. Additionally, all six of its episodes dropped Wednesday on Prime Video, which means you can decide how much of it you watch this weekend.
“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” (2025)
Months after it premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore” is finally available to buy and rent on demand this week. The documentary from first-time director Shoshannah Stern explores — through 1-on-1 interviews and archival footage — the life and industry-altering career of longtime activist and Oscar-winning deaf actress Marlee Matlin.
Featuring interviews with not only Matlin herself, but also other Hollywood figures like Aaron Sorkin and her fellow, Academy Award-winning “CODA” co-star Troy Kotsur, the documentary examines how Matlin’s career has helped open doors for other performers with disabilities. It’s an emotional, affecting look at an artist whose work has meant a lot to a lot of people, and it would be well worth your time to check it out this weekend.
“Fixed” (Netflix)
“Samurai Jack” creator Genndy Tartakovsky is back this week with “Fixed.” His latest film is a raunchy adult animated comedy about a dog who realizes he is going to be neutered the next day and decides to give himself one last, wild night out on the town with his friends. The film, streaming now on Netflix, is not like anything else Tartakovsky has made before.
Over the years, though, Tartakovsky has repeatedly proven himself as a creator whose work often deserves — and demands — to be seen. Like many of his past films and TV shows, “Fixed” boasts its own, distinct art style as well, which should give Tartakovsky’s fans whatever extra confidence they might have needed to follow the filmmaker down this new, surprisingly crude rabbit hole.
“Night Always Comes” (Netflix)
Just a few weeks after she gave a star turn in Marvel’s “The Fantastic Four: First Steps,” Vanessa Kirby stars this week in “Night Always Comes.” Directed by “The Crown” and “Andor” director Benjamin Caron, the Netflix film follows a desperate woman (Kirby) who is forced to go to increasingly dangerous lengths over the course of one long night in order to secure a better future for herself and her disabled brother (Zack Gottsagen).
Featuring an impressive ensemble cast that also counts Jennifer Jason Leigh, Randall Park, Julia Fox and Michael Kelly among its stars, “Night Always Comes” is a grimy, gritty thriller with a clear, sharp thematic edge. It is different than anything else hitting streaming this week, and its cast alone is reason enough to check it out.
“The Rainmaker” (USA/Peacock)
Based on a 1995 John Grishman novel, USA’s “The Rainmaker” follows a young lawyer (Milo Callaghan) whose forced transition to a small-time legal firm is disrupted when he finds himself going up in court against his former, white-collar employer (John Slattery) when he takes on a case involving a wrongful death. The series’ first episode premieres Friday on USA and will be available to stream on Peacock on Saturday. Its subsequent episodes will follow the same release schedule.
The show has all the potential to be your new, go-to TV procedural. That said, the real test for “The Rainmaker” will be whether or not it can match the same, effortless watchability of the Francis Ford Coppola-directed film adaptation of Grisham’s novel that was released back in 1997. If it can, then “The Rainmaker” will be appointment television for any viewers on the market for some good old-fashioned, legal TV drama vibes. Either way, you’d be wise to give its first episode a shot this weekend.
“Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical” (Apple TV+)
This week does not have many new streaming options suitable for the whole family. Apple TV+ is, however, set to premiere “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical,” a new animated Peanuts adventure, on Friday. The special follows Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the rest of their friends as they journey to summer camp only to discover that the camp itself is on the verge of closing.
Realizing that they and many other, younger kids may never get to experience what the camp has to offer again, they decide to band together for a fundraising festival to save it. Featuring original songs by Ben Folds and Jeff Morrow, “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical” looks exactly how any new Peanuts special should: clever and funny, yes, but also tender and open-hearted.
“Superman” (2025)
That’s right. “Superman,” one of the biggest movies of 2025, hits VOD this Friday. In honor of “Peacemaker” Season 2’s premiere next week, “Superman” is arriving on streaming earlier than anyone expected (i.e., just a little over a month after its theatrical debut). That means you will be able to watch writer-director James Gunn’s first film entry in his and Peter Safran’s ambitious new DC Universe from the comfort of your own home this weekend.
The blockbuster received mostly positive reviews from both critics and comic book fans alike when it hit theaters in July, and for good reason. It is a colorful and imaginative pop adventure that breathes new life not only into the existing Superman mythos, but also the entire superhero genre as a whole.
7 Best New Movies on Prime Video in August