This week’s streaming premieres are headlined by the return of some beloved, established hit shows and the debuts of several promising new titles. Two fan-favorite Netflix and Hulu shows have, for starters, dropped new episodes, while Prime Video has two easy-to-recommend movies premiering on its platform this week. Elsewhere, both MGM+ and HBO Max are on the cusp of unveiling some star-studded new shows this coming Sunday. One hit Apple TV series, meanwhile, returns this week with its first episode in nearly three years.
Here are the best new movies and shows you can stream this weekend.
“Paradise” Season 2 (Hulu)
One of last year’s biggest breakout shows returned this week. Creator Dan Fogelman’s “Paradise” dropped the first three episodes of its highly-anticipated sophomore season Monday on Hulu, bringing back Sterling K. Brown’s Xavier Collins. Building off where its twisty first season ended, “Paradise” Season 2 promises to further flesh out its dystopian world while holding onto the show’s flashback-heavy structure and introducing important new characters, including Shailene Woodley’s Annie Clay.
The season’s first three episodes have already proven that Fogelman still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve, which means “Paradise” fans have a lot to look forward to when they check out the show’s new episodes this week and in the weeks to come.
“The Bluff” (Prime Video)
If you are in the mood for some swashbuckling fun this weekend, look no further than “The Bluff.” Director Frank E. Flowers’ new film follows a female former pirate (Priyanka Chopra) who is forced to protect her family in the late 19th century Caribbean when some figures from her past (led by Karl Urban’s Captain Connor) resurface in violent, bloody fashion.
The movie, which premiered Wednesday on Prime Video, has received largely positive reviews from critics, and it is not hard to see why. Clocking in at just 101 minutes long, “The Bluff” promises to offer a dose of pure, escapist fun that you can experience from the comfort of your own home this weekend.
“Bridgerton” Season 4 Part 2 (Netflix)
A month after its first four episodes premiered, the second half of “Bridgerton” Season 4 has officially arrived on Netflix. The fan-favorite regency romance series dropped the final episodes of its fourth season Thursday on the streaming service.
Picking up where “Bridgerton” Season 4 Part 1 left off, the new episodes continue to explore the growing romance between Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Sophie (Yerin Ha), giving fans of the hit Netflix series more moments of steamy intimacy, open-hearted yearning and anachronistic, contemporary pop needle drops to get excited about. If you have been anxiously awaiting “Bridgerton” Season 4 Part 2, there is no better way you could spend part of this weekend than by watching its four chapters.
“House of Villains” Season 3 (Peacock)
Peacock’s “House of Villains” has returned this week with its first episodes in over a year. In its third season, the series has gathered together, once again, an array of recognizable reality TV faces for a chance to win $200,000 and be crowned America’s Ultimate Supervillain. The show’s Season 3 contestants include Tom Sandoval (“Vanderpump Rules”), Christine Quinn (“Selling Sunset”), Paul Abrahamian (“Big Brother 18”), Kate Chastain (“Below Deck”), Plane Jane (“RuPaul’s Drag Race 16”) and six other reality TV stars.
The first three episodes of the Joel McHale-hosted reality competition series’ third season all premiered Thursday on Peacock, which means fans have three hours’ worth of shade-filled, cutthroat fun to look forward to this weekend.
“Paul McCartney: Man on the Run” (Prime Video)
“The Bluff” is not the only noteworthy film premiering on Prime Video this week. Director Morgan Neville’s “Paul McCartney: Man on the Run” is also scheduled to debut Friday on the streaming service. A 115-minute documentary from one of the most prolific documentarians working today, “Man on the Run” explores the pivotal period in the 1970s when Paul McCartney decided to form Wings, his follow-up band to The Beatles.
Featuring eye-opening interviews with McCartney, who also produced it, “Man on the Run” is poised to offer fans of both The Beatles and music history a rare, in-depth look at an oft-unexplored chapter of its titanic subject’s life. The film has received overwhelmingly positive reviews ever since its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival last year and now it finally becomes available to stream this week.
“Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” Season 2 (Apple TV)
It has been well over two years since the first season of Apple TV’s live-action Monsterverse series “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” premiered. This week, however, the drama from creators Chris Black and Matt Fraction returns with its long-awaited second season, which promises to bring fans more “Godzilla” and “King Kong” tie-ins, imaginative, large-scale action sequences and fun chances to hunt and search for monsters with Kurt Russell’s Lee Shaw.
The first episode of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” Season 2 premieres Friday on Apple TV, with its remaining nine chapters set to follow one at a time weekly through May 1. Viewers, in other words, can dive back into the world of “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters” this weekend with the assurance that they will still be left with a lot more Kaiju-sized fun to experience over the coming weeks.
“American Classic” Season 1 (MGM+)
A star-studded ensemble cast headlines MGM+’s new comedy, “American Classic.” Created by Michael Hoffman and Bob Martin, the series follows a narcissistic Broadway star (Kevin Kline) who, in the midst of a professional spiral, returns to his hometown and takes it upon himself to save his family’s local theater by directing and starring in a production of a classic American show. In addition to Kline, the series’ cast includes Laura Linney, Jon Tenney, Jane Alexander, Len Cariou, Aaron Tveit and Tony Shalhoub, among others.
The show’s first two episodes are slated to premiere Sunday on MGM+. Its debut season’s remaining six installments will follow one at a time weekly through April 12. If the show’s premise, cast and cozy, lightly screwball tone appeal to you, consider giving “American Classic” a chance this weekend.
“DTF St. Louis” (HBO Max)
Speaking of star-driven shows premiering this week, HBO is set to unveil the first episode of “DTF St. Louis” Sunday night. Created by Steven Conrad and executive produced by “Stranger Things” star David Harbour, “DTF St. Louis” explores a complicated love triangle between a local St. Louis weatherman (Jason Bateman), his best friend Floyd (Harbour) and Floyd’s wife (Linda Cardellini), as well as the police investigation that begins after one of them dies under mysterious circumstances.
Borrowing its title from a fictional hookup app, “DTF St. Louis” is a one-of-a-kind cross between a murder mystery thriller, neo-noir romance and Coen Brothers-esque black comedy about contemporary life in middle America. It has the potential, like “The White Lotus” before it, to be a slow-burn hit among viewers. The limited series’ first episode premieres Sunday night on HBO and HBO Max.
