2024 is less than two weeks old, but streaming service bosses aren’t sitting around waiting when it comes to dropping new headline-making movies and TV shows.
Leading the charge this weekend is Marvel’s new superhero series, Echo, which is now available to stream in its entirety on Disney Plus and Hulu. Elsewhere, True Detective: Nightland begins streaming on Max, while Peacock subscribers can enjoy the return of Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed hug in Ted.
Below, we’ve rounded up the seven biggest new movies and TV shows you can stream this weekend on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, and more.
Echo (Disney Plus, Hulu)
Any way you look at it, 2023 has been a horror show for Marvel, but the one-time super studio is hoping the first release of 2024… Echocould give a much-needed boost to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
These five episodes Hawkeye spinoff – which is now available to stream in its entirety on Disney Plus and Hulu – tells the bloody origin story of deaf Cheyenne hero Echo (aka Maya Lopez). Alaqua Cox reprises her role as the show’s titular ass-kicker, with Vincent D’Onofrio and Charlie Cox also returning to the fold (as Kingpin and Daredevil, respectively).
In our Echo judgement, we described the new Marvel series as a “gripping and gratuitously brutal crime story” that “feels less like a homework assignment” than previous MCU entries. We also interviewed the show’s director, Sydney Freelandwho dealt with comparisons between Echo And Break bad.
Now available to stream on Disney Plus and Hulu.
Real Detective: Nightland (max.)
The first season of Real detective is rightly praised as one of the best TV shows ever made, so expectations are high True Detective: Nightlandalso known as the fourth season of HBO’s long-running anthology drama series.
Real detective Season 4 (as it may be known) follows a new detective, Liz Danvers (Jodie Foster), as she and her partner (Kali Reis) investigate the sudden disappearance of a group of scientists at a remote research facility in Alaska – a place where the sun never rises.
Christopher Eccleston, John Hawkes and Fiona Shaw also star True Detective: Nightland, which critics have described as “the kind of TV that’s daring enough, surprising enough, addictive enough and tenacious enough to capture national attention.” Suffice it to say, this could be one of them best Max shows for some time.
Available to stream on Max in the US from Sunday and on Sky in the UK from Monday.
Ted (peacock)
2012 Ted became the second-highest grossing R-rated comedy film of all time, so it was only a matter of time before Seth MacFarlane’s foul-mouthed plush toy hit the small screen.
This new 90s prequel series – also called Ted – takes the viewer back to the teenage years of Ted’s lovable but clumsy owner, John Bennett (played here by Max Burkholder instead of Mark Wahlberg); a time when Ted’s moment of fame is over, but his penchant for mischief is not.
Critics have described the new series as “nasty, offensive and – god help us – funny as ever”, so maybe comedy isn’t dead after all? All seven episodes of Ted are now available to stream on Peacock.
Now available to stream on Peacock.
Elevator (Netflix)
Originally slated to debut in August, Kevin Hart’s latest action comedy, Liftingis now streaming on Netflix.
This new heist movie – which comes from Fast & Furious director F. Gary Gray – follows a professional thief (Hart) as he and his crew try to steal $500 million in gold from an airplane safe at 40,000 feet. Sam Worthington, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jean Reno and Paul Anderson also star.
It may come as no surprise that critics have voiced criticism Lifting because it’s “an Ocean’s Eleven knock-off with no charm and terrible CGI,” so it’s unlikely to make our list of the best best Netflix movies shortly.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Criminal record (Apple TV)
Peter Capaldi is no stranger to dark and brooding characters, and the former Doctor who action returns to type this weekend Criminal record on Apple TV Plus.
The eight-episode crime series follows two detectives – one a seasoned veteran (Capaldi), the other early in her career (Cush Jumbo) – as they battle for control of a high-stakes murder investigation in London.
Both Capaldi and Jumbo have received near-universal praise for their turns in this “smart and timely corrupt police thriller,” so it looks like Apple TV Plus has another winner on its hands. The first two episodes of the show are available to stream now.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Roleplay (Prime Video)
The stewardess‘s Kaley Cuoco returns to screens this weekend in Prime Video’s new action thriller, Role play.
Directed by Thomas Vincent, this film is about a married couple, Emma (Cuoco) and Dave (David Oyelowo), whose attempt to spice things up in the bedroom backfires when the former’s secret life as a hit man is exposed.
Connie Neilsen and Bill Nighy also star Role play, who critics have described as a “competent but boringly unoriginal hairdresser.” But even if you are not one of the best Prime Video movies of the year, it’s probably worth it if you just want to switch off your brain for two hours.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Boy swallows universe (Netflix)
The second of this week’s Netflix-based recommendations is Boy swallows universe.
Set in Australia and based on the 2018 best-selling book of the same name, the seven-episode series follows a precocious boy (Felix Cameron) and his selectively mute brother (Lee Tiger Halley) as they grow up among a motley crew. a group of bandits and outcasts in a rough suburb of Brisbane.
If that synopsis sounds vague, that’s because Boy swallows universe covers the spectrum of the protagonist’s early years, but the series has nevertheless been praised for being a ‘sprawling’ and ‘unique’ coming of age story.
Now available to stream on Netflix.