Welcome to our weekly guide to the best new shows and movies to watch this week!
With new shows and movies dropping on all the best streaming services, like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus, and Max, it can be tricky to know what to watch. That's why we've put together this list of great films and shows across a wide range of genres.
This week we have the return of Rian Johnson's fantastic whodunnit series Poker Face, the latest Star Wars animated series, a horror rom-com, and even a nature documentary narrated by Fleabag's Phoebe Waller-Bridge! There's a lot to cover, so let's get into it...
Poker Face season 2
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Peacock (US), Sky Go and NOW (UK)
Rian Johnson and Russian Doll star Natasha Lyonne's quirky detective series returns for a well-deserved second season. In Poker Face, Lyonne plays Charlie Cale, a former casino worker whose gift – the almost supernatural ability to detect when somebody is lying – has made her both a target for criminals and an unlikely sleuth.
In season 2, Charlie is back on the road, solving cases while trying to evade gangster Beatrix Halp (Rhea Perlman). Once again the series is taking the Columbo approach of showing the audience exactly whodunnit early on, and then following Charlie as she puts the pieces together. The new season also features an incredible supporting cast, including Cynthia Erivo, Giancarlo Esposito, Method Man, Melanie Lynskey, Justin Theroux, Kumail Nanjiani, and more. The first three episodes of the season drop this Thursday, before the show switches to a weekly release schedule.
Star Wars: Tales of the Underworld
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Disney Plus
Andor may be hogging all the headlines – and this week's penultimate trio of new episodes looks particularly strong – but it's not the only new Star Wars show. Tales of the Underworld is the latest animated series to be set in the galaxy far, far away, and the third part of the Tales anthology show (which has also included Tales of the Jedi and Tales of the Empire).
This time around we're delving into the lives of two infamous figures in Star Wars lore: the former-Sith and assassin Asajj Ventress, who is on an unlikely path of redemption, and the deadly bounty hunter Cad Bane. The episodes are short – about 15 minutes each – but that makes them perfectly snackable, while the animation is as striking and stylish as ever.
Check out our Andor season 2 release schedule, and don't forget to check out our list for the best TV shows on Disney Plus.
Heart Eyes
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix US/UK
Werewolves Within director Josh Ruben returns with this potent slasher/rom-com mash up. A murderer dubbed the Heart Eyes killer has been slaughtering couples around America each Valentine's Day. Now Heart Eyes has landed in Seattle and that's very bad news for Ally (Olivia Holt) and Jay (Mason Gooding), whose faltering first date is going badly even before they are mistaken for a couple by the watching killer.
Working both as a scary slasher and as a genuinely pretty witty romantic comedy, Heart Eyes is a whole lot of gory fun. Most importantly, Holt and Gooding have real chemistry together. You start to believe that their budding romance may actually be something they care about, even as they're trying to evade a serial killer.
Ready for even more scares? Check out our list of the best Netflix horror movies.
Octopus!
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Prime Video
Phoebe Waller Bridge narrates this fascinating two-part documentary about – you guessed it – the octopus. The series "transports viewers into the otherworldly depths of one of the most intelligent and mysterious life forms on Earth as it follows the Giant Pacific Octopus from birth to death."
As Octopus! progresses, however, it becomes clear that is not simply another documentary about the animal itself, but also the people who have connected with these beautiful, strange, enigmatic creatures. These include scientists, environmentalists and, perhaps surprisingly, 30 Rock star Tracy Morgan who reveals a touching obsession with our eight-limbed aquatic friends.
Need more streaming TV? Here's our list of the best Amazon Prime shows to watch right now.
Blood of Zeus season 3
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix
The third and final season of Netflix's animated reinvention of Greek mythology drops this week. Blood of Zeus follows Heron (an original character created for the series) who discovers that he is, in fact, the son of the Greek god Zeus. In the first season, Heron was called upon to save the world from a demonic army led by Seraphim, while Hera – wife of Zeus – plots to kill her husband.
Things have only escalated from there. Season 2 ended with the apparent death of Heron, and now season 3 introduces Cronos (perfectly voiced by Doctor Octopus himself, Alfred Molina), a new big bad who plans to conquer the world. Will Heron make a triumphant return, or are the worlds of gods and mortals doomed?
Check out our guide to the best Netflix shows to watch right now.
The Rehearsal season 2
Available: US
Where to watch: Max
"What you're about to witness is going to seem weird," says Nathan Fielder partway through the latest episode of The Rehearsal. He's not wrong! This incredible series – currently halfway through its second season – follows Fielder as he attempts to help real people navigate difficult circumstances by rehearsing situations with them.
This week's episode involves a couple who have three clones of their late dog Achilles. The trouble is, none of them act like Achilles, leading Fielder to muse on nurture versus nature. Somehow, this spirals to Fielder shaving his entire body and attempting to live out the life of retired pilot Sully Sullenberger, who famously landed an Airbus A320 in the River Hudson. Bizarre, absurd, and often jaw-dropping, there really is nothing else like The Rehearsal out there.
For more quality TV, head over to our list of the best shows on HBO Max.
Zodiac
Available: UK
Where to watch: Prime Video
Fight Club, The Social Network, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo... David Fincher has an impressive hit rate when it comes to making era-defining. When it comes to deciding his masterpiece, however, there's one clear winner: Zodiac. This gripping retelling of the search for the titular killer follows a pair of journalists – Jake Gyllenhaal as Robert Graysmith, and Robert Downey Jr as Paul Avery – as they try to discover the identity of a murderer who we know will never be brought to justice.
What sets Zodiac apart from legions of serial killer thrillers – including Fincher's own Seven – is its methodical pacing and meticulous attention to detail. This is a film about obsession. And while the murders were never solved, Zodiac presents a compelling case for whodunnit, along with some memorably terrifying scenes.
When you've seen Zodiac, check out our list of the 25 best movies on Prime Video.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our list of the best Netflix movies or the best movies on Disney Plus.
