Two of the year’s biggest new TV shows premiere on HBO Max and Peacock this week, including a spin-off of one of television’s most beloved comedies. Elsewhere, Netflix and AMC+ have new episodes of two of their most popular series to offer subscribers this week, while one of 2025’s biggest film comedies has arrived on streaming as well.
All of which is to say: It is a big week for streaming premieres. Here are eight of the best new movies and TV shows that you can stream at home this weekend.
“The Runarounds” Season 1 (Prime Video)
It’s an exciting week for “Outer Banks” fans. While they still have a while to wait for more episodes of that series, its creative team unveiled their newest show, “The Runarounds,” this week. A Prime Video original, the series is set — like “Outer Banks” — in North Carolina. It follows a group of disparate high school graduates who come together to form a rock band.
“The Runarounds” has just as much teen drama and YA fun to offer as “Outer Banks,” which makes its arrival this week noteworthy for any fans of that Netflix original — or anyone even remotely interested in a show with similar vibes and charms. All eight episodes of its first season are streaming now on Amazon’s Prime Video.
“The Naked Gun” (2025)
The biggest of this week’s VOD premieres is “The Naked Gun.” Directed and co-written by Lonely Island alum Akiva Schaffer, this sequel to 1994’s “Naked Gun 33 ⅓: The Final Insult” feels miraculously free of the kind of baggage that tends to drag down most legacy sequels. Valiantly adopting the same clever, self-effacing spirit of its franchise’s previous installments, the film follows the adult son (Liam Neeson) of Leslie Nielsen’s Lt. Frank Drebin as he does his best to stop the shutdown of the franchise’s Police Squad.
Plenty of ridiculous hijinks ensue, all of which are held together by a pair of immensely charming comedic performances from the film’s leads, Neeson and Pamela Anderson. A month after it hit theaters, “The Naked Gun” is now available to buy and rent on demand.
“Wednesday” Season 2 Part 2 (Netflix)
“Wednesday” fans’ wait for the rest of the Netflix series’ second season is over. The season’s final four installments, two of which were directed by Tim Burton, all premiered Wednesday on Netflix, just a little less than a month after its first four episodes debuted in early August. That means viewers have the chance to not only discover this week the resolutions to the series’ latest conspiracies but also see the aftermath of Wednesday’s (Jenna Ortega) violent midseason confrontation with the monstrous Tyler Galpin (Hunter Doohan).
If you have been eagerly anticipating the end of “Wednesday” Season 2, there is no better way you could choose to spend four hours this weekend than by catching its final episodes.
“The Paper” Season 1 (Peacock)
“The Paper,” Peacock’s long-awaited follow-up to “The Office,” has finally arrived. Created by “Office” showrunner Greg Daniels and Michael Koman, the new mockumentary series focuses on the staff of a legendary but slowly dying newspaper in Toledo, Ohio, as they try to bring the outlet back to life by relying on the help of volunteer reporters.
Like “The Office” before it, the series boasts an impressive ensemble cast, which is headlined by Domhnall Gleeson, Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Alex Edelman, Ramona Young, Tim Key and returning “Office” star Oscar Nunez. All 10 episodes of its first season premiered Thursday on Peacock, which means viewers can now see for themselves just how well “The Paper” actually stacks up against “The Office.”
“The Great British Baking Show” Season 16 (Netflix)
TV’s friendliest and most wholesome reality-competition series returns this week. The 16th season of “The Great British Baking Show” premieres Friday on Netflix with its first episode. Its remaining installments will drop one at a time weekly until Friday, Nov. 7. One of Britain’s biggest crossover TV hits, little needs to be said about “The Great British Baking Show” at this point. It’s still the immensely charming, heartwarming and refreshingly low-stakes baking competition series that viewers fell in love with years ago.
Even better, its barrier to entry remains low. Whether you are a die-hard, devoted fan of the series or a newcomer who has never watched an episode before, watching the show’s latest season premiere could be one of the best ways you could spend an hour of your time this weekend. It is a show blessed with the seemingly unfailing ability to put a smile on just about anyone’s face.
“Highest 2 Lowest” (Apple TV+)
Would it be an overstatement to call “Highest 2 Lowest” one of the biggest film events of the year? Maybe. But what else do you call the first film collaboration between director Spike Lee and actor Denzel Washington in nearly 20 years? After receiving a very limited theatrical run in August, the film is set to make its nationwide streaming debut this Friday on Apple TV+.
An adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 masterpiece “High and Low,” Lee’s film follows a wealthy music mogul (Washington) whose planned comeback is threatened by a ransom plot that forces him into a difficult, life-or-death dilemma. Shot on location in New York City, “Highest 2 Lowest” has all the style and drama that fans of Lee’s work could want from his latest film. The fact that it marks a reunion between him and Washington is just yet another reason to put it on your weekend watchlist.
“Task” (HBO Max)
“Task,” one of 2025’s most promising new TV dramas, arrives this week. “Mare of Easttown” creator Brad Ingelsby’s long-awaited follow-up to his Emmy-winning 2021 limited series follows a Philadelphia-based FBI agent (Mark Ruffalo) who is forced to put his many personal struggles aside and assemble a new task force. Their mission? Bring an end to a series of violent robberies masterminded by a well-intentioned, reckless man (Tom Pelphrey) who is desperate to secure a better future for his family.
The show, in other words, looks to be another expansive, violent drama from Ingelsby, a writer who has already proven himself adept at bringing morally complex crime sagas to life onscreen. The limited series’ first episode premieres on HBO and HBO Max Sunday night. Its remaining six chapters will then follow every Sunday through Oct. 19.
“The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” Season 3 (AMC+)
Less than a year after its second season concluded, AMC’s “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” returns this week. Ditching its previous season’s “Book of Carol” subtitle, the series’ new episodes are set to pick up relatively close to where “Daryl Dixon” Season 2 left off.
The show’s third season will follow Daryl (Norman Reedus) and Carol (Melissa McBride) as they leave France behind in order to explore post-apocalyptic England, kicking off a journey that will eventually lead them to the tyrannical streets of a zombie-ridden Spain. In addition to expanding its scope, “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” Season 3 has added some exciting names to the show’s cast, including Stephen Merchant. Its first episode premieres Sunday night on AMC and AMC+. Like “Task,” the season is set to run through Oct. 19.
