After a slightly slow start to the year, the streamers are really delivering goods worthy of our weekly guide to the best new shows and movies. This week we've recommendations for three exciting new shows and three new movies that will ensure your evenings are full of exciting entertainment.
Netflix delivers a tense new thriller starring Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in The Rip. Paramount Plus opens the doors to Starfleet Academy, the latest Star Trek show. There's also a new season of the tense Idris Elba-starring action show Hijack. And that's not all – there's great stuff from across many of the different candidates on our best streaming services list.
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Paramount Plus
The latest iteration of the venerable sci-fi franchise tries something a little bit different. Starfleet Academy is set in the far future of the Star Trek universe, many hundreds of years after the time of Captain Jean-Luc Picard and the starship Enterprise. It follows the first class of a revived Starfleet Academy – rebuilt following a galaxy-wide disaster. That means a mixture of older and younger characters, as the academy's seasoned tutors and hot-headed students. Likewise, the show alternates between boldly going with space-based adventures and more Earth-bound tales.
It's an intriguing premise, and while Starfleet Academy sometimes buckles under the weight of so many characters, it's high-spirited stuff, retaining Trek's optimistic view of the future and featuring a notably strong cast that includes Holly Hunter, Tig Notaro, and Paul Giamatti.
Find out which Star Trek titles make the cut on our guide to the best Paramount Plus shows.
The Rip
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix
There's no arguing with the cast of this tough-looking thriller from The Grey and Copshop director Joe Carnahan. Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Steven Yeun, and Teyana Taylor all star as a group of cops in Miami who, on what seems like a routine job, stumble upon millions of dollars of cash hidden in a house. They should turn it in, but the temptation to skim off the top of the horde may be too much for some of them to resist. Can they trust each other? Or will the money cause irreparable – and deadly – divisions in the squad?
The Rip looks like the antidote to some of the more generic action films that have flooded streamers over the last few years, with a nifty premise, taut direction, and a star-filled cast. Ideal Friday night viewing.
Check out our guide to the best Netflix movies for more recommendations.
Hijack season 2
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Apple TV
Is Apple TV's Hijack the new 24? Once again this tense, gripping, and ever-so-slightly-silly show sees Idris Elba's corporate negotiator Sam Nelson unexpectedly caught up in a potentially deadly hijacking involving public transport. Last season took place on a plane, but this time around it's the U-Bahn in Berlin that comes under attack from a group of well-prepared villains.
While much is the same as the first season some things have changed: notably Nelson himself, with Elba playing the character as a man who has been broken by his nightmarish experiences in the first season. It's a bold choice and one that ensures this isn't just a retread of the original run. What can we expect to be hijacked next season, though? A tram? A paddleboat?
Find out whether Hijack is on our list of the best Apple TV movies.
The complete James Bond
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix
Yes, you read that right... 007 may be firmly under the ownership of Amazon nowadays, but a new deal means that Netflix viewers can enjoy all 25 of his missions from January 15. That's the full run from Dr. No to No Time to Die, including Never Say Never Again – rarely seen these days as it is not considered an official part of the Eon Productions canon.
You probably have your own favorites, but for our money you can't go wrong with a pick and mix selection that includes From Russia With Love, On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Live & Let Die, Licence to Kill (a controversial choice, but we stand by it), and Casino Royale – for our money the single best Bond film. This little lot should keep you busy while we wait for more info about Denis Villeneuve's new movie.
Where does your favorite 007 mission sit on our list of the best James Bond movies?
The Night Manager season 2
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Prime Video (US), BBC iPlayer (UK)
The belated second season of this classy British espionage thriller launched on New Year's Day in the UK and finally makes its way to Prime Video this week. Tom Hiddleston stars as Jonathan Pine, the ex-military night manager of a hotel in Cairo who is recruited by Angela Burr (Olivia Colman) as a spy for the British Foreign Office's International Enforcement Agency. In season two Pine and Burr are reunited when Pine encounters a mercenary who used to work for one of his old enemies.
Based on a novel by the undisputed master of spy fiction, John le Carré, The Night Manager offers a cool and exciting alternative to the likes of James Bond. This second run of six episodes will have you gripped as it releases throughout January and February, while a third season is already being planned.
Find out what else is worth watching with our guide to the best Prime Video shows.
The Life of Chuck
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Hulu (US), Netflix (UK)
This isn't your typical Stephen King adaptation! In the year that also brought us The Long Walk (good) and The Running Man (so-so), this sweet-natured film is a reminder that King's writing has also provided the basis for emotionally-stirring classics like The Shawshank Redemption, Stand By Me, and The Green Mile. Directed by regular King-collaborator Mike Flanagan, The Life of Chuck tells the story of dance-loving accountant Chuck Krantz (Tom Hiddleston). The film starts with his death before working backwards through a turbulent but often beautiful life.
Yes, this is Flanagan and King attempting a Forrest Gump-style tearjerker. It sharply divided opinions on its theatrical release, with some finding the film schmaltzy rather than moving, but Flanagan's work is always worthwhile and we suspect it will find a more receptive audience on streaming.
Where does The Life of Chuck sit on our guide to the best Stephen King movies?
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our list of the best movies on Paramount Plus.
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