7 new movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and more this weekend (September 23)
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We mentioned in last week’s introduction that House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power are currently dominating the cultural conversation, and while both series will continue to do so as we head into October, the folks at Disney Plus have been okay with throwing some more. another headline-grabbing TV show in the mix.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Star Wars is back. Just three months after the end credits rolled on Obi-Wan Kenobi, Andor – a new adventure starring Rogue One alumnus Diego Luna – has arrived to scratch fans’ intergalactic itch again.
But it’s not all lightsabers and speeder bikes this weekend, and below we’ve laid out six more movies and TV shows heading to Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, and other streaming services in the coming days.
Andor (Disney Plus)
There’s really never been a better time to be a Star Wars fan. Sure, the sequel trilogy didn’t go as well as Lucasfilm and Disney intended, but the duo is releasing interesting Star Wars stories in what looks like hyper-speed in 2022.
The latest offering is Andor, a 12-episode series that charts the exploits of the rebel-turned villain Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and his role in the early days of the Rebel Alliance. Set five years before the events of Rogue One, the show finds Cassian on the run from the Galactic Empire before being swept up in a Jason Bourne-esque tale of interstellar espionage.
In our review, we described Andor as “a heart-pounding spy thriller that is arguably the best Star Wars show yet” – which is indeed high praise given that we enjoyed the first two seasons of The Mandalorian. Andor Episodes 1-3 are now streaming on Disney Plus, with the remaining nine entries arriving every Wednesday.
Now available to stream on Disney Plus.
Restart (Hulu)
From the mind of Steven Levitan, co-creator of Modern Family, comes Reboot, a new comedy series now streaming on Hulu and Disney Plus (depending on your region).
Starring Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, Paul Reiser, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy and Krista Marie Yu, this eight-part show reunites a dysfunctional cast of actors for a reboot of the fictional sitcom Step Right Up.
Reviews for Reboot so far have been generally positive, with critics praising the series’ corny humor and topical satire. The first two episodes are available to stream now, followed by weekly episodes until October 25.
Now available to stream on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
Thai Cave Rescue (Netflix)
For our money, Nat Geo’s The Rescue (available through Disney Plus) was the best documentary of last year, while Prime Video’s recent dramatization of the same events, Thirteen Lives, was equally moving. So Netflix is tasked with proving why its own adaptation of the headline-grabbing 2018 incident should command your attention.
Thai Cave Rescue, the streamer’s eight-part limited series, certainly mixes things up by telling events from the perspective of the guys at the center of this incredible story. It is also the only production to have received likeness rights from real-life football team Wild Boars.
Critics have therefore praised Thai Cave Rescue for its accuracy and willingness to bring something new to the table – although viewers are advised to watch the series in its original Thai audio (rather than Netflix’s auto-enabled English dub).
Now streaming on Netflix.
Lou (Netflix)
Veteran cinematographer Anna Foerster is the name behind the camera work of several major Hollywood hits (including 2013’s White House Down), but now the specialist becomes a full-fledged feature film director with Lou.
The plot of this new Netflix movie It’s simple: When a young girl (Ridley Asha Bateman) is kidnapped, her mother (Jurnee Smollett) teams up with the mysterious loner who lives next door (Allison Janney) to pursue her captors.
If that synopsis is anything like Taken’s (but with Janney playing Liam Neeson’s character), that’s because it is — but the majority of critics have praised Lou for standing on its own two feet as a solid action thriller, despite its known premise.
Now streaming on Netflix.
Meet cute (Peacock)
For several reasons that we won’t go into here, Pete Davidson has had a great year. But at least this weekend the comedian returns to the big screen in Peacock’s Meet Cute.
A feature film by director Alex Lehmann, Meet Cute stars Kaley Cuoco (The stewardess) as Sheila, a troubled young woman who, after discovering a time machine in a nail salon, decides to relive her past and transform her boyfriend, Gary (Davidson), into the perfect man. Of course things go wrong and Sheila soon realizes that her well-intentioned actions could potentially have catastrophic consequences.
Meet Cute has received critical acclaim for its attempts to mix up the romcom genre, but most reviewers have described the film as ultimately unsatisfactory. Sorry Pete.
Now available to stream on Peacock.
Escape from Kabul (HBO Max)
This week’s documentary pick is Escape From Kabul, which has proven to be the subject of a lot of chatter about prizes in certain film circles.
Created in collaboration with the BBC, this HBO production examines 18 hectic days in August 2021 when thousands of Afghan civilians descended on Kabul’s airport after the city was taken by the Taliban.
Escape From Kabul features never-before-seen footage and exclusive interviews of Afghan civilians, US Marines and even members of the Taliban, and the documentary has been described by critics as “horrific” and “heartbreaking”.
Now available to stream on HBO Max.
Prism (prime video)
There’s always one major streamer whose content offerings lag behind the competition in any given week, and that mantle falls to Prime Video on this occasion.
However, Amazon’s platform has something new to offer this weekend in the form of Prisma, an Italian-language series that explores the relationships and identities of two identical twins, Marco and Andrea (both played by Mattia Carrano).
We can’t speak for the show’s critical reception just yet, but Prisma nevertheless looks like an engaging and important conversation starter about gender identity and brotherhood.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.