It’s time to bid farewell to summer – or winter, if you live below the equator. But, while the seasons are changing, one thing remains consistent: there’ll always be new movies and TV shows to watch at home.
Six of the eight best streaming services have gifted us plenty of exciting new things to check out this weekend, too. Whether you’ve been eagerly awaiting the second half of Wednesday season 2, or want to catch something less spooky and kooky, then, you’ll find something worth streaming with our experts’ help. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
Wednesday season 2 part 2 (Netflix)
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Wednesday season 2’s second half is here and it’s a perfect binge watch this weekend.
There’s plenty to get excited about as Gwendoline Christie returns as Principal Weems and Lady Gaga finally makes her long-teased cameo appearance. It’s a sophomore chapter that’s devilishly good, even if I was disappointed about one character’s backstory.
There’s also a brilliant dance sequence featuring Gaga’s new track ‘The Dead Dance’, too, which rivals Wednesday’s own dance scene in the first season. Even though we’re saying a sad goodbye, it’s not for long, as Wednesday season 3 is on the way. – Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer
Lilo & Stitch (Disney+)
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It’s about time that the first movie of 2025 to make over $1 billion at the global box office made its official streaming debut.
Lilo & Stitch, a live-action reimagining of the beloved animated film, is now available on Disney+ – and, while there’s a lot of love for one of September’s new Disney+ movies, it isn’t without its faults. Indeed, just look at how much its tweaked ending enraged fans of the original when the remake hit theaters in late May.
Nevertheless, if you’re looking to keep the kids quiet for a couple of hours on a rainy day, this funny and heart-warming tale of a boisterous alien who’s taken in by an orphaned pair of sisters is sure to do the trick. – TP
Task (HBO Max)
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I never wanted a second season of Mare of Easttown, so the HBO Max show’s creators moving onto fresh concept Task instead is music to my ears.
Mark Ruffalo takes the lead as FBI agent Tom, who heads up a Task Force putting a stop to a string of violent robberies. The crimes are being carried out by an unsuspecting family man, which sounds just like the popular true crime reveal that we most like to binge.
It’s incredibly gritty and, if you don’t mind a spot of overwhelming suffering wherever you look, you’re going to be in for a treat. The cast is top tier, so if anyone can sell life-destroying heartache and terrible tragedy, it’s them. I know I’m not selling this binge as a particularly happy watch, but you’re going to have to trust me when I say the payoff is worth it. – Jasmine Valentine, entertainment writer
Highest 2 Lowest (Apple TV+)
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You might be surprised that this new Apple Original from mad Spike Lee, the game-changing director behind Do The Right Thing and Malcolm X, isn’t getting much promotion, and you’d be right to be. It’s up to us to do, ahem, the right thing by throwing our support behind Lee when Apple TV+ has sorely let him down.
And why wouldn’t you? Starring Denzel Washington, Highest 2 Lowest tells the story of music mogul David King, who’s targeted by a ransom plot. He’s got a life-or-death fight on his hands, all the while playing opposite the likes of A$AP Rocky and Ice Spice. Frankly, it’s the best fever dream anyone in 2025 could ask for and, if there’s an industry that’s due a timely taking down a peg or two, it’s music. Mic drop, as the kids say. – JV
The Paper (Peacock)
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A spin-off of the beloved NBC sitcom The Office, this show was recently renewed for season 2, so it seems Peacock executives have high hopes for it.
Instead of going back to Dunder Mifflin, The Paper follows the employees of a fictional newspaper called the Toledo Truth Teller. The same documentary crew who followed Michael Scott and his team of misfits is back, creating a canon link between the two shows.
It’s debuted with an 85% Rotten Tomatoes critical rating, so perhaps it could be The Office follow-up that fans have been waiting for. All 10 episodes are out now but, if you hate it, you can always re-watch The Office for the umpteenth time instead. – LB
The Runarounds (Prime Video)
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Outer Banks season 5 isn’t out until 2026, but I think fans of the teen series might want to head over to Prime Video in the meantime to watch The Runarounds.
That’s mainly because this show is not only inspired by the band that featured in the third season of Netflix’s treasure-hunting series, but also comes from Outer Banks‘ co-creator Jonas Pate.
Anyway, this eight-episode Amazon TV Original follows a group of high-school graduates who form a rock band during what the synopsis says is an “unforgettable” summer Really, then, it should’ve been released before the 2025 Fall season, but whatever! – Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor
Friendship (HBO Max)
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If A24 was an acronym, should the ‘A’ stand for awkward? Judging by its latest movie Friendship, which has made its HBO Max debut, it should.
Think of this one as a twisted version of the 2009 comedy I Love You Man, which saw Paul Rudd playing a friendless real-estate agent looking to recruit groomsmen before a wedding. This time, though, the story takes a much more offbeat approach to the idea of male bonding.
Tim Robinson’s signature cringe humor, which some fans will recognize from Netflix’s I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson, takes centre stage here. Paired with Rudd, Robinson turns Friendship into a hilariously embarrassing watch about two of the most unlikely mates. – AS
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