Easter weekend is just around the corner – and if you were hoping to stream something substantial while indulging in chocolate, we’re here to disappoint you.
Naturally, quite a few new movies and TV shows launched this week on the world’s top streaming services. However, compared to recent weekly streaming lists, there is a significant lack of heavy hitters or projects that we consider unmissable.
Still, you might find something to enjoy from the seven options below, especially if you’re a documentary buff. So, without further ado, here are the seven best new shows and movies to watch before heading back to work or school.
The Beautiful Game (Netflix)
The new Netflix films from last March are not as extravagant or starry as, for example Spaceman or Lady. But considering Netflix originals have flattered to deceive, the streaming giant might find more success with it The beautiful game.
Acclaimed British actor Bill Nighy (Love actually) plays the manager of the English homeless football team, which heads to the Italian capital Rome to participate in the Homeless World Cup. Michael Ward (Great boy, Kingdom of Light) plays Vinny, the team’s best player, whose past continues to haunt him during the street football tournament.
We don’t expect The beautiful game to score a spot on our list of the best Netflix movies, but this might just be the heartwarming story you’re looking for this weekend.
The Beautiful Game is now available on Netflix.
Renegade Nell (Disney Plus)
Created by Sally Wainwright – the screenwriter behind the huge British crime drama hit Happy Valley – this Disney Plus offering hopes to follow Percy Jackson‘s footsteps and provide plenty of fantasy sensation.
Louisa Harland (Derry girls) stars as Nell Jackson, a funny, brave young woman accused of murder in 18th-century England. When she joins forces with a mysterious, magical spirit named Billy Blind (voiced by Ted Lasso(‘s Nick Mohammad), but she wants to clear her name – and become a famous outlaw for all the right reasons.
Renegade Nel will have to be epic in scope and scale if it hopes to sneak into our best Disney Plus show guide. Anyway, we thought Percy Jackson‘s TV remake wouldn’t do that, and look how popular it was.
The first part of Renegade Nell is now available on Disney Plus. New episodes air weekly.
The Baxters (Prime video)
Family drama Schlocky comes to Prime Video this weekend in the form of The Baxtersa TV adaptation of Karen Kingsbury’s bestseller Repayment book series.
Roma Downey (Son of God) and Ted McGinley (Shrink) leads the show’s cast as married couple Elizabeth and John Baxter, who individually and collectively – along with their five adult children – overcome countless family obstacles and harrowing moments in Bloomington, Indiana.
We can’t see this Amazon TV Original finding a home on our list of the best Prime Video shows – indeed, it looks extremely generic and is full of genre tropes. However, we are sure there is a niche market for this type of content.
The Baxters is now available on Prime Video.
Steve! (Martin): A documentary in two parts (Apple TV Plus)
Back in the public eye after his award-winning performance on Hulu’s Only murders in the buildingis beloved comedian-actor Steve Martin the latest star to get the Apple TV Plus docu-film treatment.
With never-before-seen images and raw insights into his personal life, STEVEN! tells the story of Martin’s meteoric rise as he revolutionized stand-up comedy in the 1970s, before shockingly leaving the industry at just 35. The first part of the documentary – titled Than – charts how he came onto the scene and struggled with the adulation he received. Part 2, titled Now, catches up with the entertainer in the present, with Martin revealing how he found happiness in his final years. Expect it to grace our best Apple TV Plus movie guide STEVEN! proves popular among viewers.
STEVEN! is now available on Apple TV Plus.
The Truth vs. Alex Jones (Max)
This week’s list includes not one, but two documentary options. This one is arguably more gripping, less entertaining and, especially as the rise of disinformation increases, more important than STEVEN!.
Filmed over a four-year period with unprecedented access to the courtroom. The Truth vs. Alex Jones follows the two long-running defamation lawsuits filed against controversial American radio host and Infowars owner Alex Jones, whose claims that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting was a hoax, further exacerbating the trauma of the victims’ families. Instead of putting Jones in the spotlight, The truth… puts those families at the forefront as they sought not only monetary compensation from the now-bankrupt conspiracy theorist, but also to refute his wild accusations and forever tarnish his reputation.
Given the subject matter, this will be a tough watch for Max viewers, but we suspect it’ll be powerful enough to earn a spot in our best Max documentary guide.
The Truth Vs Alex Jones is available now on HBO and Max in the US.
Is it cake? season 3 (Netflix)
You know we scrape the bottom of the barrel – or should that be the mixing bowl? – when we watch reality TV shows like Is it cake? in our weekly streaming watchlist.
But given the lack of alternatives, it has come to this. Is it cake? season 3 has risen and is making its return on Netflix. A new group of contestants will compete for a large cash prize by determining whether something is a cake or not. Yep, that’s all there is to it.
Some easy TV to watch if you’re suffering from an Easter weekend hangover, but not something we’d otherwise recommend laying your eyes on.
Is it cake? Season 3 is now available in full on Netflix.
Jerrod Carmichael reality show (Max)
The title says something different, but this is the third (!) documentary you can watch this week.
Billed as a dark comedy docuseries, the Reality show by Jerrod Carmichael follows the titular comedian as he embarks on a journey to find love, sex, truth and connection. It will also feature some of Carmichael’s friends and family, further enhancing the docuseries’ makeup. One to look out for on our list of the best Max shows? Even though it’s focused on documentaries, it will definitely be a contender if it’s good.
Episode 1 of the Jerrod Carmichael Reality Show is now available on Max. New episodes are released weekly.
For more streaming coverage, read our guides to the best Hulu shows, the best Paramount Plus movies, the best Apple TV Plus shows, and new Disney Plus movies.