What to watch this Labor Day weekend.
Credit: Amazon / Sony / Netflix
Tense international spy thrillers, cozy British mysteries, gripping crime dramas and even more Kpop. These, and lots more, grace both the small and big screens this weekend. It’s a week chock full of new content, with plenty to keep you busy and entertained as August draws to a close. Whether you enjoy historical fiction, documentaries or big action, there is something on this list for just about everyone.
September is almost here. In the US, it’s Labor Day weekend which means no school on Monday and a little extra time to catch up on all those shows or video games you’ve been too busy to enjoy. Next week, the NFL season kicks off, so fans of American football will be able to add a bevy of games to their weekly entertainment schedule.
In TV news, it appears Nic Cage is in talks to star in Season 5 of HBO’s crime drama True Detective, though given how atrociously awful Season 4 (aka Night Country) was, I don’t have high hopes.
In any case, as I do every week, I’ve scoured the internet and the myriad streaming services we all subscribe to these days to find the best new stuff to watch on Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV, Disney+ and everywhere else. A lot of these I tend to forget about, but we have MGM+, AMC+, Peacock, Starz, BritBox, Masterpiece Theater, Tubi, Mubi, Freevee and countless others to choose from. It’s a bit overwhelming! Hopefully this guide can help you sort through some good options. Let’s dive right in!
If you have any tips or I missed something, shoot me a message on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook. You can check out last weekend’s streaming guide right here. Let’s dive right in!
New Shows & Movies This Weekend
The Terminal List: Dark Wolf (Prime Video)
I really disliked The Terminal List novel by Jack Carr. It has an exciting premise that gets dragged down by some ridiculously overt politics and product placement and a main character who is almost impossible to like. The Prime Video series did a pretty good job at sanding down those edges, but it was still only a decent thriller. So far, I’m enjoying Dark Wolf — a prequel — much more. It’s basically a Call Of Duty campaign brought to life. You could call this Call Of Duty: Dark Wolf and get away with it. Taylor Kitsch is really good in the lead role, and I’m enjoying Tom Hopper a great deal as well. Chris Pratt, the star of the original series, shows up in the first couple episodes but isn’t the focus.
If you’re a Taylor Kitsch fan, I highly recommend you check out American Primeval on Netflix also. You can read my review of the series here.
The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix)
Based on Richard Osman’s best-selling novel, The Thursday Murder Club should tickle the “cozy mystery” itch you may have. It’s got a stellar cast, in any case, including Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and David Tennant. I’ve heard mixed things, especially from book fans who aren’t as keen on the adaptation. But it looks like charming fun.
King & Conqueror (BBC One)
I love everything about the concept of this series. A historical drama starring James Norton (Happy Valley) and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Game Of Thrones) both of whom are excellent actors and are joined by a genuinely amazing cast. The story of William of Normandy and his invasion of England has always been one I find fascinating. But the reviews from critics and audiences alike have been quite lousy. I won’t be able to offer up an opinion, however, as the series is only available on BBC One until its North American release (though I suppose I could use a VPN . . . .)
Unforgotten — Season 6 (Masterpiece)
The sixth season of the British cold cases mystery series Unforgotten has arrived in North America, having aired earlier this year across the pond. I’ve only watched the first three seasons of this series, and enjoyed each one immensely. There’s a big event at the end of Season 3 that I won’t spoil that kind of put me off the show, though I do intend to come back. If you enjoy a solid mystery involving multiple timelines, give it a shot. Great characters and some really nasty bad guys.
KPOPPED (Apple TV+)
KPOP Demon Hunters is now Netflix’s biggest movie ever, and even saw a successful theatrical singalong release. Well, if you can’t get enough Korean pop music, Apple TV+ has you covered with this new reality show. Music acts like Boyz II Men and Ava Max perform their biggest hits with a Kpop twist, along with some help from Kpop groups like BLACKSWAN. Sounds fun! All 8 episodes are out Friday.
Katrina: Come Hell Or Highwater
Spike Lee’s docuseries about the Katrina hurricane and the devastation of New Orleans and the surrounding area. Watching the trailer for this, I’m reminded that I really need to check out HBO’s David Simon series, Treme. That’s on my list of “old shows I missed and need to watch” alongside Boardwalk Empire.
Mr. Inbetween (Hulu)
I’m often watching new shows, but just as often I’m digging into older stuff that I missed, from The Shield to The Wire to C.B. Strike. Yes, I love my mysteries and crime dramas. The latest I’ve stumbled upon, after many readers suggested I give it a go, is Mr. Inbetween, an Australian crime dramedy about a hitman named Ray, played with equal parts menace and charm by Scott Ryan. The show is as much about his family life as it is about the criminal underworld that he frequents. It’s funny, sad, exciting, disturbing and all-around brilliant. The short episodes make it an easy watch and the phenomenal cast is one you’ll fall in love with quickly. I’m about halfway through the show at this point, and I’m already feeling sad that it’s only three seasons.
Hannibal — Season 1 -3 (Hulu)
Speaking of older shows, Hannibal just dropped all three seasons on Hulu this week. If you haven’t seen this, or just want to give it another watch, now’s the time. The show is based off the books by Thomas Harris, though it never gets to Silence Of The Lambs.
The Roses (In Theaters)
A modern reimagining of the 1989 film The War Of The Roses, this is not about the conflict in Medieval England but rather about the various conflicts and resentments that can bubble up in a marriage. Starring Olivia Colman as Ivy and Benedict Cumberbatch as Theo.
Caught Stealing (In Theaters)
Austin Butler continues to cement his image as America’s newest bad boy. He’s joined by Zoe Kravitz, Matt Smith, Bad Bunny (who was absolutely hilarious in Happy Gilmore 2) and more in Darren Aronofsky’s crime drama about a NYC bartender, Hank Thompson (Butler) who gets mixed up with the wrong crew. Matt Smith (House Of The Dragon) with a mohawk is almost enough to sell this on its own. The 90s’ set film is getting rave reviews from audiences and critics alike.
What’s Streaming Weekly
A few shows have come to an end, and a few more shows are just over the horizon, including the final episodes of Wednesday Season 2. Here’s everything I’m tracking that comes out weekly.
Peacemaker — Season 2 (HBO Max)
So far, Peacemaker Season 2 is pretty solid and John Cena remains as entertaining as ever. I have two issues with Season 2 so far: First, it’s quite bleak compared to the first season. Dour. Depressing. It’s still funny and doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s just kind of unpleasant. Second, I’m a bit annoyed that James Gunn basically wiped the entire DCEU slate clean but kept his own pet project alive. It’s still worth watching, however. Read my review of the first episode here. Watch the video above for my discussion of the season so far.
Alien: Earth (Hulu)
I’ve been reviewing this series weekly, and while it has some great production values and a couple really great characters, like Timothy Olyphant’s synth, Kirsh, I am mostly underwhelmed. The Peter Pan stuff is too on-the-nose and the aliens themselves have yet to become very frightening. Alien is a classic in the horror sci-fi genre and this feels mostly like a pale imitation so far. You can read my review of Episode 4 right here. Watch the above video for my discussion of Season 4’s pros and cons so far.
Outlander: Blood Of My Blood (Starz)
I’m really torn on Outlander: Blood Of My Blood, the prequel to the hit Starz series based on the historical romance novels by Diana Gabaldon. It’s pretty good, but also feels a bit hokey at times. I’m behind by an episode at the moment because I started and then found myself really not feeling it for some reason.
I’ve written my review of the two-part series premiere which you can read here.
Chief Of War (Apple TV+)
I’m still behind on Chief Of War, though not because I don’t enjoy Jason Momoa’s violent historical drama about Hawaii. It’s basically Game Of Thrones or Shogun but set during wars over control of the islands. It’s fantastic, but I’ve opted to save up a few episodes so I can binge them all at once. Maybe I’ll do that this weekend. If you haven’t started this one yet, please do.
Dexter: Resurrection (Paramount+)
For some reason, I thought this season was only 8 episodes long and was feeling a bit confused going into last week’s episode, but I was wrong! The season continues and remains very entertaining. Michael C. Hall is great, as always, and Dexter’s exploits in New York City remain exciting and at times hilarious. Things have gone from bad to worse for our serial killer hero. He’s in a real pickle now!
The Institute (MGM+)
The Institute wrapped up last Sunday and I found the whole thing quite . . . disappointing. The premise was just goofy. I know it’s based on a Stephen King novel but I found the whole thing super difficult to swallow.
SPOILERS: So this mysterious Institute is capable of using “precogs” who can see the future and spot individuals who will bring about the apocalypse. They use kids with psychic powers to run elaborate hit jobs on these individuals in an effort to “save the world”. This ultimately fries the kids, none of whom survive. My question: Why not just put together teams of assassins instead? Wouldn’t it be easier, cheaper and more humane to use professional hitmen rather than sacrifice kids? There were some fun moments in Season 1, but I’m honestly surprised MGM renewed this one.
Other Currently Airing Shows
- Twisted Metal Season 2 (Peacock) — The season 2 finale drops this week for Peacock’s car-combat video game adaptation.
- Invasion Season 3 (Apple TV+) — The third season of Apple’s big alien invasion series continues to drop episodes each week.
- South Park Season 27 (Paramount+) — Trey Parker and Matt Stone take on Donald Trump this season and so far it’s every bit as ridiculous, potty-mouthed and hilarious as you’d hope.
- Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 3 (Paramount+) — Everything I’ve heard about Season 3 of Strange New Worlds is pretty negative. It appears the once solid Star Trek series has gone a bit off the rails. I’m too far behind to know.
- Foundation Season 3 (Apple TV+) — More and more people keep telling me to watch Foundation so guess what? I’m going to. I’m going to find time to start yet another epic science-fantasy series. You have convinced me! I relent!
- Countdown (Prime Video) — Jensen Ackles from The Boys stars in this race-against-the-clock thriller. I believe we have just one episode to go after this weekend. It didn’t get great reviews but a lot of my readers have said they enjoy it, so it remains on my backlog.
What else did I miss? What should I put on this list or add to my backlog? Let me know on Twitter, Instagram, Bluesky or Facebook. Check the links below for past weekend streaming guides. You might have missed something! It’s been a great year for TV and movies.
Previous Streaming Guides From Yours Truly:
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