Reacher (Prime Video), The End Of Oak Street (Warner Bros), Lanterns (HBO Max)
Credit: Prime Video / Warner Bros. / HBO
Massive, muscled vigilantes solving problems with equal parts brain and brawns. Magic super-rings that can transform thoughts into solid green objects in order to fight crime and solve mysteries. And quite possibly the most exciting dinosaur movie to hit theaters since the original Jurassic Park. This weekend is filled to the brim with exciting new shows and movies, both from the comfort of your couch and on the big screen. At least one show is coming to an end this week, after some big finales last weekend.
The biggest of those? House of the Dragon, which wrapped up its third season last Sunday, so that’s off the list. I thought it was a better season than the previous, but I’m a little worried about how they’re going to wrap everything up in eight episodes. HBO should give them 10 for Season 4 and invite George R.R. Martin back to help find a viable path toward ending this without it falling apart completely.
Read my review of the House of the Dragon Season 3 finale here. As much as I enjoyed the finale, I also found myself wishing they’d stuck closer to the book’s version of the battle because the show’s makes absolutely zero sense! Showrunner Ryan Condal has also responded to some of the backlash over the Season 3 finale, revealing that changes he and the writing team have made to the source material have kept him up at night.
The second season of Sugar also ended last week, and I just started watching it now that all the episodes are out. I saved the whole thing so I could binge it, but since I’ve been dealing with all these crazy health issues lately and getting up really early every morning, I just haven’t had a lot of energy to stay awake and watch shows at the end of the day.
I’m two episodes into the second season so far and it’s excellent. Colin Farrell is just wonderful as private eye, John Sugar, and the vibe is just as palm tree dirty city breezy beach crime cool car engines revving baby blue disco old black and white movies on in the background bourbon on the rocks classy dame as the first season. The cinematography is so cool. The whole thing is just endlessly stylish and engrossing. It’s chic LA noire and I love every minute of it, if I haven’t made that abundantly clear. I forgot how great this show is. My only problem is that I think I might need to rewatch Season 1 before I go any further. C’est la vie!
As always, I’ve searched every dark corner of the internet (well, not really, but you get the gist) for the best TV shows and movies streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV, Disney+ for you to watch this weekend. If you have any recommendations, tips or other thoughts feel free to shoot me a note. Let me know what you’re watching these days, or if you’ve enjoyed any of my recommendations, on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. Be sure to also check out last weekend’s streaming guide below:
Alright, let’s dive right in! A couple of these were in last week’s guide but I added them late, so I’m leaving them in the “new” section for an extra week.
New TV Shows To Watch This Weekend
Reacher – Season 4 (Prime Video)
What It’s About: Season 4 of Reacher adapts Lee Child’s Gone Tomorrow: a distraught woman’s death on a Philadelphia subway pulls Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) into a conspiracy involving the Pentagon and an international terror cell. Sydelle Noel plays Detective Tamara Green, his investigative partner; Agnez Mo is Lila Hoth, the season’s villain; Christopher Rodriguez-Marquette is Jacob Merrick, brother of the victim. Three episodes dropped August 12, with weekly drops through the September 16 finale — the same day all eight episodes of the spinoff Neagley (starring Maria Sten) drop at once.
Why You Should Watch: Season 1 remains the gold standard when it comes to Reacher, but at least Season 3 was a lot better than the truly atrocious second season of this action-crime-mystery-ish adaptation of the over-the-top Lee Child books (of which I’ve read about nine or so). I’ll keep watching because I’m a huge fan of the books and I think Alan Ritchson is perfect in the role. If it’s good, I’ll be happy. If it’s bad, I’ll let you know!
Lanterns – Season 1 (HBO Max)
What It’s About: DC’s True Detective-style take on Green Lantern: rookie John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and veteran Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) investigate a Nebraska murder that opens onto something much larger, told across two timelines. Kelly Macdonald is Sheriff Kerry, Ulrich Thomsen plays Sinestro, Laura Linney a Guardian of the Universe, and Nathan Fillion reprises Guy Gardner from Superman. Co-created by Chris Mundy (Ozark), Damon Lindelof, and Tom King. Premieres Sunday, August 16 at 9pm, then weekly across eight episodes, with the finale on October 4.
Why You Should Watch: I’m going to watch my screeners of this tonight and I’ll update this post with some tidbits before my review goes live (I’m hoping to review/recap episodes weekly on Sunday evenings so subscribe to this blog and my YouTube channel!) But a superhero X True Detective mystery show with really solid leads sounds amazing. I just hope it lives up to that hype!
Tires – Season 3 (Netflix)
What It’s About: Will (Steve Gerben) is still trying to save the family auto shop while cousin Shane (Shane Gillis) torments him; this season their friendship hits a breaking point. Thomas Haden Church returns as Shane’s father, with Matt Walsh and Garret Dillahunt joining. Co-created by Gillis, Gerben, and John McKeever, who directs. It films next to Gerben’s dad’s real tire shop — Gillis bought the store next door and turned it into the set. All 12 episodes dropped at once on August 13.
Why You Should Watch: Honestly, I’ve never watched even an episode of this show but if you’re a fan of Shane Gillis it’s probably worth checking out. I know fans liked it a lot more than critics, but Season 3 basically has no reviews yet so I can’t really say.
MLB: Field Of Dreams (Netflix)
What It’s About: Phillies vs. Twins in Dyersville, Iowa, roughly 500 feet from the site of the 1989 Costner film, streaming exclusively on Netflix with no Fox or ESPN feed. First game there since 2022 after a four-year renovation hiatus; Costner narrates the promos, 25+ Hall of Famers on hand, both teams in retro uniforms. Aired live August 13, with first pitch at 7:30pm ET and pregame at 6:30.
Why You Should Watch: I enjoyed Costner’s classic Field Of Dreams more than I enjoy baseball, so I’d probably just watch that again (it’s on Netflix!) but if you like the movie and want to watch a baseball game, here you go.
One Hundred Years Of Solitude: Part 2 (Netflix)
What It’s About: The concluding half of the Buendía family saga, covering Macondo’s downfall after the railroad and the banana company arrive. Marleyda Soto returns as Úrsula Iguarán and Claudio Cataño as Colonel Aureliano Buendía. Shot entirely in Colombia with García Márquez’s sons executive producing. Seven episodes dropped August 5, with the finale — a near-feature-length special directed by Laura Mora — arriving August 26.
Why You Should Watch: I meant to watch the first part of this when it came out last year, but I never got around to it but it sure looks incredible. I did watch the first episode and it was gorgeously filmed, and as someone who has had this book on my to-read list forever, I need to decide to either read it or watch the show. There aren’t many reviews out for Season 2, and the season itself isn’t really over until the end of the month when the feature-length finale drops.
The Shards (Hulu)
What It’s About: Ryan Murphy (Glee, The Politician, etc) adapts the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same name for FX/Hulu. Set in Los Angeles in 1981, The Shards follows a 17-year-old fictionalized Bret Easton Ellis (Igby Rigney) through his senior year at the elite Buckley prep school, where the arrival of enigmatic transfer student Robert Mallory (Homer Gere) coincides with the killings of a serial murderer known as The Trawler.
Why You Should Watch: I’m not really sure, if we’re being honest. The promo images of young people in the 80s in swimsuits make this look like a show for young people and I’m not a young man anymore. The reviews aren’t great (55% / 35% audience and critic scores) and I suppose I’m not really a big Bret Easton Ellis guy. I mean, I enjoyed the movie American Psycho, but I never read the book! Maybe I should do that instead of watching this show.
Star Wars: Visions Presents – The Ninth Jedi (Disney+)
What It’s About: An eight-episode anime limited series from Lucasfilm and Production I.G., directed by Shunsuke Tada, written by Mitsuyasu Sakai, with Kenji Kamiyama supervising; all episodes dropped on Disney+ and Hulu August 5. The first entry under the new Visions Presents banner, which expands standout anthology shorts into longer stories, it picks up after the two “Ninth Jedi” shorts with Lah Kara (Kimiko Glenn) training under Margrave Juro (Andrew Kishino) and joining his fellowship of Jedi-in-training to rescue her father — sabersmith Lah Zhima (Simu Liu), held captive by Sith leader Nawaam (Young Mazino).
Why You Should Watch: If you like anime and you like Star Wars and you sort of feel like Star Wars might make more sense as a Japanese story given that it’s largely inspired by Samurai movies and lightsabers are basically stand-ins for katanas and Jedi are basically warrior monks . . . then this is probably for you. It also has a very impressive 95% RT score. I’m definitely going to add this to my watch-list. All episodes actually dropped on the 5th, but I added this as an update last weekend so I’m keeping it in today’s guide also.
New Movies To Watch This Weekend
Normal (HBO Max)
What It’s About: Interim sheriff Ulysses (Bob Odenkirk) takes a temporary posting in Normal, Minnesota; a botched bank robbery exposes a town-wide conspiracy and he ends up siding with the robbers against nearly everyone. Henry Winkler plays the oddball mayor, Lena Headey the town barkeep. Directed by Ben Wheatley (Free Fire) from a Derek Kolstad script — the John Wick creator, who also wrote both Nobody films with Odenkirk. Premiered at TIFF, opened theatrically in April, and hit streaming August 14.
Why You Should Watch: I think it’s so interesting to see Bob Odenkirk starring as something of an action hero. First were the Nobody films and now Normal. He’s just a nobody, a normal guy, doing normal guy stuff while kicking ass and taking names. In my head cannon, this is actually Deputy Bill Oswalt from the first season of Fargo, finally doing his job.
Michael (Starz)
What It’s About: The huge box office finally comes to streaming just after this weekend is over, but I figured I should sneak it in. A biopic of Michael Jackson (Jaafar Jackson, the singer’s nephew and Jermaine’s son, in his teen and adult years; Juliano Valdi as a 10-year-old), tracing his life from the Jackson 5 through the 1988 Bad tour. Colman Domingo and Nia Long play Joe and Katherine Jackson.
Why You Should Watch: The film was one of the most striking divisions between critics and audiences this year, with the former giving the biopic just 38% on RT against a 97% audience score. I haven’t seen this one yet (I haven’t even seen Elvis from a few years ago yet) but I generally enjoy biopics of big musical stars and I’ll be checking this one out on Starz for sure. One of these days.
New Movies In Theaters This Weekend
The End Of Oak Street
What It’s About: A cosmic event rips Oak Street out of suburbia and drops the neighborhood somewhere unrecognizable, where the Platt family has to survive a rash of hungry dinosaurs. Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor play Denise and Greg, with Maisy Stella and Christian Convery as their kids. Written and directed by David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) as an overt Amblin homage, and produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot.
Why You Should Watch: I’m headed to the theater tomorrow with my kids to watch this one because it looks amazing! I honestly haven’t really enjoyed any Jurassic Park movies since the first one (the second was okay) and there aren’t many other dinosaur movies out there. This might finally break the “no good dino movies curse” at long last!
The Rivals of Amziah King
What It’s About: Oklahoma beekeeper and bluegrass musician Amziah King (Matthew McConaughey) mentors his former foster daughter Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass) until a devastating turn sends her after justice on her own. Kurt Russell, Cole Sprouse, and Owen Teague co-star. From writer-director Andrew Patterson, following his 2019 debut The Vast of Night. Shot in 2023 and premiered at SXSW in 2025, it’s McConaughey’s return to live-action after a five-year break. Limited release August 13, expanding wide on August 21.
Why You Should Watch: A great cast, and apparently a good enough script to draw McConaughey back out of acting semi-retirement. What with my thoughts turning back to True Detective over and over again lately (both because of Lanterns and because I was watching Sugar and thinking about Colin Farrell in True Detective Season 2) it might be that I just need to go see this one also, though I’m not sure if it’s at our theater yet.
TV Shows Currently Streaming Weekly
Furious (Hulu)
What It’s About: An eight-episode crime drama created by Elizabeth Meriwether, loosely inspired by the 1987 film Black Widow. FBI agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) hunts a calculating female serial killer played by Lola Petticrew (who I first saw in Say Nothing, I believe). As their paths converge the line between justice and revenge gets blurry. Scoot McNairy, Quincy Tyler Bernstine and Jake Lacy also star.
Why You Should Watch: I have decidedly mixed feelings about this show now that I’m five episodes deep. I think part of this is marketing. The show is described as a rookie FBI agent hunting down a female serial killer, but it’s really about a revenge killer and abuse and sex trafficking and I guess I was just hoping it wouldn’t be so predictable. The video above is me talking about how far too often modern shows and movies give female serial killers a “pass” by justifying their murders, when it would be more interesting to make them more . . . evil. Men shouldn’t get to have all the fun. Still, cat-and-mouse serial killer detective shows are my guilty pleasure so I’ll be watching this on Monday nights. The finale drops on August 31.
The Walking Dead: Dead City – Season 3 (AMC+)
What It’s About: The Walking Dead: Dead City returns with an eight-episode season 3, with Lauren Cohan as Maggie Rhee and Jeffrey Dean Morgan as Negan returning, now working alongside Perlie Armstrong (Gaius Charles) to build a “functioning” community in post-apocalyptic Manhattan. The fragile alliance is tested by newcomer Renata (Aimee Garcia), her doctor brother Luis (Raúl Castillo), and loner Dillard (Jimmi Simpson of Westworld fame). New showrunner Seth Hoffman, a Walking Dead veteran writer and former co-executive producer on the original series, is taking over this season. New episodes drop Sundays, running through September 13.
Why You Should Watch: I don’t think this show should exist, quite frankly, and after watching the Season 3 premiere, I not only wrote a scathing review, I made a scathing video to go with it, which you can watch above. It’s not good, folks, but I genuinely hope that it gets better because there are other ways I could be spending my Sunday evenings. Update: I watched about five minutes of the second episode and turned it off and I haven’t been able to come back. I think maybe you need alcohol to enjoy this show, or to even enjoy hate-watching this show, and I don’t drink anymore.
Ted Lasso – Season 4 (Apple TV)
What It’s About: Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) returns to Richmond to coach a second-division women’s football team in this reboot of the popular Apple TV sports comedy series. Jack Burditt (30 Rock, Modern Family) takes over as showrunner for this new, more estrogen-charged spin on the fish-out-of-water TV show. New episodes drop on Wednesday (Tuesday evening for Apple TV) with ten episodes running through October 7.
Why You Should Watch: Honestly, the reason that Ted Lasso worked so well in the first season was precisely because it was a fish-out-of-water comedy. But a fish can only stay out of water for so long before, well, RIP fish. Ted was an adorable lead and head coach and despite his lack of experience or knowledge of soccer, his remarkable way with people took everyone off guard, including viewers. That affable, mustachioed man was the epitome of “I am rubber and you are glue” and nothing stuck to him. He made you want to believe (like Fox Mulder did back int he day, only about aliens and whatnot).
That rarest work of optimism and hope in a sea of cynicism was perfect in its first season. But it should have been a one-and-done series because it ran out of steam in Season 2 and I didn’t return for Season 3. Let me know if you think Season 4 is worth it or a misfire. I’ve heard mixed things.
Monsters of God (HBO Max)
What It’s About: A five-part HBO documentary series directed by Eric Goode (Tiger King, Chimp Crazy), produced by Goode Films, A24, and Central Pictures. Goode dives into the underworld of exotic animal smuggling, a billion-dollar criminal enterprise driven by obsession over rare species. The docuseries is inspired by and draws from the 2008 nonfiction book, The Lizard King, by Bryan Christy (oddly, not about The Doors frontman, Jim Morrison). New episodes drop Mondays with a September 3 finale.
Why You Should Watch: I really think Lizard King would have been a better name for this series, since it would so quickly evoke Goode’s hit Tiger King, but maybe that name was taken or maybe they worried about the link to The Doors. Either way, with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score (based on just 10 reviews) this one might be worth checkikng out.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Season 4 (Paramount+)
Strange New Worlds
Credit: Paramount
What It’s About: The crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise is back for another round of adventures as Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount) continues leading his crew across the final frontier. Season 4 picks up after last season’s cliffhanger and sends Pike, Spock, Number One, and the rest of the Enterprise crew on a series of dangerous new missions, from mysterious alien encounters to impossible scientific mysteries, while continuing to build toward the events of Star Trek: The Original Series. The new season is comprised of 10 episodes airing Sundays through September 24
Why You Should Watch: I actually gave up on New Star Trek some time ago, having doggedly tried my best with the JJ Abrams films, Discovery and Picard. And while I’d heard some very positive things about Strange New Worlds, I just couldn’t find the energy to catch up. Maybe someday. I do really like the casting in this series, and Anson Mount is the perfect Pike (though I thought he looked more handsome in the very first episode before he shaved and cut his hair). However, it should be noted that Season 4 has a stellar 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, higher than any previous season. If there is a show that could lure me back to Star Trek, it’s this one.
Silo – Season 3 (Apple TV)
What It’s About: Set in a dystopian future, 10,000 people live in a massive, self-sustaining underground “Silo” comprising 144 levels. Residents are strictly governed by regulations and believe the outside world is toxic, but the protagonist, an engineer named Juliette Nichols, begins to uncover secrets about the Silo’s history and the truth behind their world.
Why You Should Watch: I thought the first season was a bit slow but ended up being a really compelling mystery. For whatever reason, I couldn’t get into Season 2 and still need to catch up. I keep looking at this and Sugar and thinking, I need to watch these shows! But then something else is out that I have to watch. Time is my enemy, and yet the only thing that can defeat my enemy is more of it, which I cannot get. What a conundrum! Season 3 airs weekly on Thursday evenings for a total of 10 episodes, with the finale dropping on September 4.
The Westies – Season 1 (MGM+)
What It’s About: Set in the 1980s, this new MGM+ drama centers on the New York City Irish gang of the same name and the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Center on the gang’s home turf in Hell’s Kitchen. The Westies have to contend not only with the NYPD and the FBI but also the Italian mafia, which has them outnumbered, outgunned but not necessarily outwitted. The cast is, as the kids say, “stacked” including Titus Welliver, J.K. Simmons, Tom Brittney, Sarah Bolger, Jessica Frances Dukes, Alan Leech and many more.
Why You Should Watch: I’ve seen the first three episodes and keep meaning to write up a proper review, but so far it’s like if Martin Scorsese directed a TV show (with a TV show budget) and I’m enjoying it quite a bit, warts and all. New episodes drop Sundays with the finale airing August 23.
Lioness – Season 3 (Paramount+)
What It’s About: Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness returns for a third season with Zoe Saldaña back as CIA operative Joe McNamara, who finds herself caught up in her most dangerous mission yet. As a sprawling conspiracy threatens both national security and the people she cares about most, Joe is forced to balance her loyalty to the mission with her responsibilities at home. Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, Laysla De Oliveira, Genesis Rodriguez, and Dave Annable all return for another season of high-stakes espionage and military action.
Why You Should Watch: You know, I thought the first season of Lioness was pretty excellent military spy thriller fare, and I’m a sucker for that kind of stuff. I’m okay with shows that make Islamic radical terrorists and South American cartels the bad guys and I’m okay with shows that point out that often the bad guys can be right here in the West, too. Taylor Sheridan is a bit more “red-blooded” than a lot of contemporary Hollywood and that’s fine, but I just got kind of sick of the characters in Season 2, so I’m behind. New episodes drop Sundays with the finale landing on September 20.
X-Men ’97 – Season 2 Finale (Disney+)
X-Men 97
Screenshot: Erik Kain
What It’s About: This animated series follows the X-Men as they continue to face new challenges and threats in a world that fears and hates them. Season 2 released earlier this week and consists of nine episodes and picks up following the events of the first season. The first three episodes are out now, though Episode 3 is only the first part of a two-episode double feature.
Why You Should Watch: I actually started Season 1 and then got sidetracked, so I’ll have to pick this back up. It got solid reviews, though there was some controversy surrounding its lead writer, Beau DeMayo, who left the series. New episodes drop Wednesdays, with the season finale having just dropped this week.
Ghost in the Shell (Prime Video)
Ghost in the Shell
Credit: Prime Video
What It’s About: Ghost in the Shell has been around forever, but it’s always fun to see a new take on an old classic. The new series, which debuted on Prime Video this past Tuesday, was created by Science Saru (aka Science Monkey), the studio behind the hit Devilman Crybaby and Danadan. The new series is based on the 1989-91 manage of the same name and takes place in the distant future (well, 2029) in a futuristic Japan replete with elite cyborgs, tactical anti-terrorism forces and mysterious hackers. You can also watch the old 1995 movie on Prime Video. A total of 10 episodes will comprise the first season, with the finale airing on September 8.
Why You Should Watch: If you like this anime series, or you’re just into anime in general, this is probably your thing. I found that even though I’ve seen the movie, I was totally lost and confused after the first episode and so I haven’t continued. Maybe someday.
Lucky (Apple TV)
What It’s About: Lucky is a seven-episode crime thriller based on Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel, starring Anya Taylor-Joy as a former con artist named Lucky, forced back into the criminal underworld after a multimillion-dollar heist goes disastrously wrong and Lucky is betrayed by someone she trusted.
Why You Should Watch: I’ve watched the first episode and enjoyed it quite a bit, though so far it’s not one of those shows I’m telling everyone I know to watch (like Widow’s Bay, for instance). A pretty standard crime thriller so far, but Anya Taylor-Joy is really good so far and I’ll watch just about anything with Timothy Olyphant – even something really bad like Alien: Earth.
The first two episodes are out now with new episodes dropping on Tuesday evenings on Apple TV and the finale airing August 18.
Stuart Fails To Save The Universe (HBO Max)
What It’s About: Stuart Fails to Save the Universe stars Kevin Sussman, reprising his Big Bang Theory role as Stuart. Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon — and as the title implies, things don’t go well. Along the way he meets alternate-universe versions of familiar Big Bang Theory faces.
Why You Should Watch: First, a confession: I have never watched even a single episode of Big Bang Theory. Sure, I’ve seen the odd clip here or there, but I really couldn’t even tell you what it’s about. And yet, this show sounds like a really clever spinoff. It takes the sitcom into an entirely new genre, and even though I’m sick of multiverse stuff, this sounds really fun. It has a 71%/78% critic/audience split on RT. New episodes land Thursdays and the finale drops on September 24.
Check out the week before last’s streaming guide below:
What are you watching these days? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
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