The first full working week of the year has ended, so it’s time to sit back and enjoy a whole host of new movies and TV shows on the world’s best streaming services.
Admittedly, there aren’t many new films for cinephiles to check out, but there are plenty of new series for you to watch instead. From new Netflix and Max-based dramas, to the return of a popular reality TV show, I’m sure you’ll find something worth streaming this weekend from this week’s list of suggestions. Have fun! – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
American Primeval (Netflix)
Neo-Western dramas have taken over the streaming world, such as Yellowstone and its subsequent spin-offs 1883 and 1923. Now, Netflix has caught on to the genre hype with its new show American Primeval.
Unlike Yellowstone, American Primeval doesn’t have a contemporary twist and is instead a harrowing dramatization of the birth of the American West. Set in 1857 amid the Utah War, it follows the violent clash between culture, community, and politics as men and women battle for control of the land in a cruel new world. Going off the trailer, American Primeval is set to be a brutal and bloody watch so, if you’re looking for a darker alternative to Yellowstone, you may have found your match. We’ll have to wait and see if it becomes one of the best Netflix shows, though. – Grace Morris, entertainment writer
The Traitors season 3 (Peacock)
The UK edition of this absorbing reality TV show’s third season started airing on BBC One right after New Year’s. Now, US audiences can get their fill of game-based backstabbing and treachery with the American version of The Traitors, whose third season has finally arrived on Peacock.
Hosted once more by award-winning actor Alan Cummings, The Traitors season 3 will see a new gang of contestants vie for the series’ cash prize by attempting to deceive their fellow players. After being split into two groups – the Traitors and the Faithful – contestants will need to work together to eliminate the other team in order to win their share of the monetary fund. I’ve enjoyed what the UK version has had to offer so far this season, so I’m hopeful its US counterpart will deliver similarly shocking moments. – TP
The Pitt (Max)
Max’s new medical drama caught my eye when I wrote about The Pitt’s gripping new trailer in late 2024. In it, ER star Noah Wyle is back on hospital-based duties again as he leads the cast of this 15-episode series. It sounds like promising stuff, too, as it’s been produced by The West Wing’s John Wells, and promises to show a “realistic examination” of what healthcare workers experience in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh.
With numerous medical dramas on offer – my favorite still being House – this one has an interesting twist. The Pitt takes place across a single emergency room shift, with each episode reflecting one hour within the hospital’s walls. It’s structurally identical to the Keifer Sutherland-led series 24, and I’m very excited about that. With such an intriguing premise, I do hope we can add this to our best Max shows round-up. – Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer
Bank of Dave 2: The Loan Ranger (Netflix)
As I mentioned in my Bank of Dave: The Loan Ranger trailer reaction.piece, I loved the original Netflix movie. After putting it on for an easy afternoon watch, I was soon sucked into Dave Fishwick’s story, perfectly soundtracked by Def Leppard (who make a cameo, too!). The first movie followed businessman Dave as he set up a community bank, which he created to offer as an alternative to the big high street banks to help the town’s local businesses.
This time, he’s got a brand new enemy in the form of payday lenders. As you can see from the trailer, Dave highlights the devastating effect they’ve had on his local community and beyond, and sets out to challenge them. He teams up with some unlikely allies, and I can’t wait to see even more of Dave’s story, played by the always brilliant Rory Kinnear, who we last saw in The Rings of Power season 2. I don’t expect Bank of Dave 2 to join our best Netflix movies guide, but it’s sure to leave a lasting impression on me. – LB
Goosebumps: The Vanishing (Disney Plus/Hulu)
If you loved the most recent Goosebumps adaptation on Disney Plus and Hulu, you won’t want to miss this follow-up. I loved what Disney did with its first TV adaptation of R.L. Stine’s beloved tween horror novels, which delivered something fresh while still featuring existing monsters and items that make it so uniquely Goosebumps. There’s a huge new name attached to The Vanishing, too with Friends star David Schwimmer joining the Goosebumps cast as Anthony, a recently divorced dad whose kids don’t want to spend much time for him.
But there’s a good reason for that. Anthony’s son Devin, along with his sister Cece and their group of friends, begins to investigate a string of disappearances that took place in the ’90s, which ends up taking a very dark turn. Considering how impressed I was with the first season, I’m so excited for this one. Hopefully, it’ll be another worthy entry to our best Disney Plus shows and best Hulu shows round ups. – LB
On Call (Prime Video)
Prime Video’s latest TV Original On Call is an adrenaline junkie’s dream and puts an exciting spin on the cop drama genre. Indeed, On Call isn’t all about sleuthing detectives and murder mysteries you see in a typical police procedural – instead, it’s a visceral take on the patrol side of policing through the use of hand-held cameras, body cam, and dash-cam footage to create a cinema verité effect.
On Call follows veteran cop Traci Harmon (Troian Bellisario) and her partner-in-training Alex Diaz (Brandon Larracuente) as they respond to emergencies in Long Beach, California. With an interesting twist on the action-packed side of law enforcement, On Call certainly sounds like an intriguing watch on Amazon‘s streaming platform and has the potential to be one of the best Prime Video shows of the year so far. – GM
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action (Netflix)
Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action is a two-part documentary that goes behind-the-scenes of America’s most controversial chat show to expose its huge scandals on and off camera. The documentary also explores the show’s origins and meteoric rise with exclusive testimony from show insiders, producers and ex-guests who reveal its dark and destructive secrets.
With an 86% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Jerry Springer: Fights, Camera, Action seems set to be included in our best Netflix documentaries guide. I’m a fan of trash TV and, with this remarkable look into probably the trashiest one of all, it’ll be interesting to see the murky backstory behind the entertainment factor. – GM
For more streaming recommendations, read our guides on the best Disney Plus movies, best Apple TV Plus shows, best Prime Video movies, and best Paramount Plus shows.
