What to watch this weekend.
Well, we’re already racing to 2025. One third of January is behind us and plenty of great shows and movies are on the horizon. Some of them will be out this weekend for your viewing pleasure, and as always I’ve scoured the web to find the best (and sometimes the worst) for you to watch or avoid.
Be sure to check out mine Worst TV Shows AND The best TV shows of 2024 lists too, because there’s a lot you might have missed in 2024.
If you have any advice or I missed something, send me a message TwitterInstagram or Facebook. You can check out last weekend’s streaming guide here.
What’s New and Featured This Weekend (12/13/24)
American Primeval (Netflix)
The most exciting new release of the week is American primary on Netflix. This is not a show for the faint of heart. It is a western film set on the American frontier in 1857, as Mormons, pioneers, bounty hunters and Native Americans clash in a bloody conflict and fight for survival. The 6-part limited series was written by the same screenwriter who wrote The Revenant, and the show very much follows that film’s style and overall feel of brutality and bleakness. I really enjoyed it, although I found some aspects of the series a bit underwhelming. Still, the attention to detail is superb and if you like violent, almost nihilistic Westerns, give this one a shot. You can read my review here.
Goosebumps: The Vanishing – Season 2 (Disney+)
I really enjoyed it Goosebumps movie starring Jack Black, which came out – check Google – in 2015! A decade ago! The new one Disappearing the series is out now on Disney+. It’s funny, the next item on this list is a sitcom that tries to revive the lost art of the broadcast sitcom, and this series plays Friends alum, David Schwimmer aka Ross Gellar. There’s a line from the trailer that’s very Ross: “What kind of plant do you always have to watch out for? An ambush.” Schwimmer plays a divorced father whose teenage children come to visit him in Brooklyn, where they uncover a chilling mystery about missing teenagers from 1994 and begin to suspect their father’s involvement. There aren’t many reviews for this show yet, but all eight 45-minute episodes are available to stream right now. Looks like fun.
Shifting Gears (ABC/Hulu)
Tim Allen’s old sitcom Home Improvement it was a big hit and now Toy Story The actor is back with gear shift, playing Matt Parker, a sleazy auto shop owner whose estranged daughter Riley (Kate Dennings) suddenly returns and ruins his life. It’s a classic sitcom filled with laugh-out-loud songs—though actual laughs are in short supply. Then again, I’ve only seen the first episode and many sitcoms have had rough starts over the years. You can read my review here.
The Pitt (Max)
The fans of ER get their dose of nostalgia this weekend. Pitt is a new show from West Wing‘s John Wells and the stars ER alum Noah Wyle. ER producer and writer R. Scott Gemmill is the creator of the new series. The show follows Dr. Wyle’s Michael Robinavitch and centers around the daily stress of working in a busy Pittsburgh hospital with an emphasis on realism. She borrows 24 format, chronicling 15 hours in an ER unit over 15 episodes. This is a long season for modern television! It currently sits at 91% on Rotten Tomatoes, with critics praising its mix of grounded drama and relatable characters. The first two episodes are available now on Max, with new episodes released every Wednesday.
On Call (Prime Video)
I can’t tell if this is what I’ll like or not. On call is a police procedural that focuses on the patrol side of the police rather than detective work. It also throws in a bunch of body cam shots, so you get some tough moments in the trailer that look like it’s a first-person shooter (Bad Boys: Ride Or Die it did this sometimes, oddly enough, but it was pretty minimal). It seems to be doing better with audiences than critics at this point. I like the idea of focusing more on the cops than the detectives, something that Irish procedural Blue Lights did to great effect (definitely pack a punch). All eight 30 minute episodes of On call are out now on Prime Video.
The Traitors – Season 3 (Peacock)
I’m not really into reality TV shows, I’m into Alan Cumming The traitors sounds like a fun show if that’s your bag. The twist is that it’s all a sort of murder-mystery theater game where the “traitors” must work together to eliminate the other contestants, while the “loyalists” must track down and expel the “traitors.” I think it’s a bit like Between Us in this vein, but with a medieval castle and lots of costumes.
Jerry Springer: Fight, Camera, Action (Netflix)
I know I just said that reality TV isn’t my thing, but I admit that back in the day a guilty pleasure of mine was tuning in from time to time. The Jerry Springer Show for a glimpse of all humanity had to offer. It was ahead of its time. It was terrifying and gripping and the worst kind of exploitation television. This documentary dips its toes into reality TV show history, but it sounds like it doesn’t dig deep enough. With only two episodes, each less than an hour long, it feels more like scratching the surface than really digging into what made the show and its host infamous. It’s a shame, because there are definitely plenty of bittersweet stories to bring to light from the show’s 25-year run.
Stream (VOD)
An animated film without dialogue about a cat that looks absolutely gorgeous. It won Best Animated Feature at last week’s Golden Globes, and you can now watch it from the comfort of your own home, though you’ll have to rent or buy it until it hits a streaming service.
Get Away (VOD)
New movie from Shaun of the Dead AND Hot fuzz creator Nick Frost is a comedy-thriller about a family vacationing on a remote island. . . with a serial killer. It looks just as creepy and funny, though it’s getting much worse reviews than the aforementioned movies.
Substance (MUBI)
Another Golden Globe winner, SUBSTANCE is a critically acclaimed film starring Demi Moore, Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid. The premise reminds me a bit Death becomes it. A miracle drug of youth – the titular substance – unlocks more than anyone bargained for. This is still on my watchlist, but I’ll probably sign up for the free week on MUBI so I can watch it soon. I’ve heard so many great things and it sounds absolutely crazy.
New Movies on Netflix
Dune 2 AND Furious also came to Netflix recently, so be sure to check them out if you haven’t. WHEREAS Furious it was not quite suitable Fury Road’s brilliance, I still thought it was a phenomenal action movie and an extremely good time, not to mention a prequel done right. I was less impressed Dune 2, which I thought was a wonderful piece of cinema with a rather hollow core.
What is Streaming Weekly
Lockerbie: A Search for the Truth Colin Firth stars in this shocking true story about the December 21, 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. I’ve heard good things, but haven’t had a chance to start watching yet. (Peacock)
Dexter: Original Sin has been surprisingly entertaining and feels very nostalgic for anyone who loved the early seasons of Dexter. Honestly, I’m still amazed at how good this show has been and I look forward to every Friday when a new episode comes out. I even started rewatching the first season of it Dexter when i ran out of episodes! Here is my review. (Paramount)
Star Wars: Skeleton Crew has steadily gotten better with each new episode and I’m fully invested in the story of the pirates, the Old Republic planet of At-Atan (a treasure planet, as it happens) and the cast of children and their mysterious antagonist, played by Jude The law. The final falls this Tuesday. (Disney+)
I’m still way behind Silo (Apple TV) Landman, Outlander and have just started watching the second season of Squid game. One thing that has kept me from getting to these shows is the fact that I now have screens for the second season of Leaving work which comes out next Friday. I’ll have a spoiler-free review next week before the premiere, and then I’ll review/recap the show as it airs on Apple TV. I have also been watching It’s always sunny in Philadelphia for the first time. Somehow I never watched that show when it came out, so now I have a fun, funny sitcom to watch when I feel like something funny. Good luck!
Further reading from yours truly:
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