The Thanksgiving feast is a few days away but this weekend brings a veritable streaming feast of new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Apple TV Plus and more of the best streaming services.
At the top of our TV watch list are two new series, the sleuthing comedy "A Man on the Inside" starring Ted Danson and the Gen Z "Cruel Intentions" reboot. Also, the Droughtlander is over as "Outlander" season 7 part 2 finally premieres.
On the movie side, "Blitz" explores an intense part of World War II, while male dancers get semi-naked in the Christmas rom-com "Merry Gentlemen." Here's our guide on what to watch this weekend.
New TV shows
‘A Man on the Inside’ (Netflix)
Welcome back to TV, Ted Danson! Netflix is the new good place. Danson stars in this comedy as Charles, a retired professor who gets a new lease on life when he answers an ad from private investigator Julie (Lilah Richcreek Estrada), who gives him an undercover assignment. His mission is to infiltrate the Pacific View Retirement Home in San Francisco and solve the mystery of a stolen family heirloom.
Everyone, residents and staff alike, is a suspect. Charles has to solve the case without drawing the attention of the home’s director Didi (Stephanie Beatriz), but he soon discovers keeping a low profile isn’t so easy.
All 8 episodes are streaming now on Netflix
‘Cruel Intentions’ (Prime Video)
The dangerous liaisons of Gen Z are front and center in this reboot of the 1999 film starring Sarah Michelle Gellar and Reese Witherspoon. At elite Manchester College near Washington, D.C., the social scene is ruled by fraternities and sororities. When the entire Greek life system may be shut down after a brutal hazing incident, ruthless step-siblings Caroline Merteuil (Catherine Hook) and Lucien Belmont (Zac Burgess) are determined to keep their status at the top. So, they come up with a plan to seduce Annie Grover (Savannah Lee Smith), the daughter of the Vice President of the United States.
All 8 episodes are streaming now on Prime Video
‘Outlander’ season 7 part 2 (Starz)
“Home is where the heart is — but it’s also where it can be broken,” Claire Fraser (Caitríona Balfe) muses in the trailer for the second half of “Outlander” season 7. Claire and Jamie (Sam Heughan) have finally journeyed back to Scotland, but are soon separated again when Lord John Grey (David Berry) needs Claire’s healing skills. Their daughter, Brianna (Sophie Skelton) is also separated from her husband, Roger (Richard Rankin), who has gone back in time through the stones to find their kidnapped son Jemmy.
With the series ending after an eighth and final season, this installment is sure to set up some epic storylines.
Episode 9 premieres Friday, Nov. 22 at 8 p.m. ET on Starz
‘The Sex Lives of College Girls’ season 3 (Max)
Let's talk some more about sex! When the Mindy Kaling-created comedy left off at the end of season 2, Bela (Amrit Kaur) wanted to transfer schools after getting canceled. But it looks like she's changing her mind ... because she might get to hook up with the school mascot?!
Meanwhile, Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) is still struggling with her financial situation and Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) is figuring out her academic future. As for Leighton, Reneé Rapp is departing the series so expect a suitably loud and proud farewell.
Episode 1 is streaming now on Max
‘Based on a True Story’ season 2 (Peacock)
Not only are the true crime podcasts massively popular, but so are comedic thrillers revolving around true crime podcasts. (See: "Only Murders in the Building.") This Peacock series has flown under the radar, despite a fantastic cast, but maybe season 2 will put it on the map.
Kaley Cuoco is Ava, a new mom determined to tamp down her true crime obsession and return to work as a real estate agent while her husband, Nathan (Chris Messina), trains private tennis clients. But of course, a spate of new murders pulls her back in. Ava begins to burn with questions: Is Matt (Tom Bateman) behind the killings? Is her sister Tory (Liana Liberato) in danger since she’s dating Matt? Ava tries to distract herself with TikTok and her new mommy friend Drew (Melissa Fumero), but then danger comes knocking … literally.
All 8 episodes are streaming now on Peacock
New movies
‘The Piano Lesson’ (Netflix)
This family drama is a true family affair behind the scenes, too. It’s produced by Denzel Washington, was co-written and directed by son Malcolm Washington and stars Denzel’s other son John David Washington.
Adapted from August Wilson’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, the tale is as old as time: a family ripped apart by greed. In 1936 Pittsburgh, still recovering from the Great Depression, the Charles family cherishes an heirloom piano with designs carved by an enslaved ancestor. Though her brother wants to sell it to build their fortune, Berniece (Danielle Deadwyler) is determined to hold onto this sole piece of their family’s heritage.Their uncle (Samuel L. Jackson) attempts to mediate, but he can’t hold back ghosts of the past.
Streaming now on Netflix
‘Blitz’ (Apple TV Plus)
The latest World War II drama comes from writer/director/producer Steve McQueen (“12 Years a Slave”) and looks to be a strong Oscar contender. During the German bombing campaign known as the Blitz, young mother Rita (Saoirse Ronan) sends her 9-year-old son George (Elliott Heffernan) away from London to safety in the English countryside. But George is defiant and determined to return home and to his mother and grandfather Gerald (Paul Weller). He soon finds himself in immense peril, while a distraught Rita searches for him.
Streaming now on Apple TV Plus
‘The Merry Gentlemen’ (Netflix)
Netflix’s campaign to rule holiday rom-coms over Hallmark continues with this slightly naughty piece of tinsel. Dancer Ashley Davis (Britt Robertson) hasn’t been home for Christmas since landing a role in the popular Jingle Bells show. But when she’s replaced by a younger dancer, Ashley ventures to her small hometown to visit her parents.
There, she’s dismayed to learn that their venue, the Rhythm Room, is on the verge of closing. So, she hatches a plan to put on a male dance revue that includes the hot handyman Luke (Chad Michael Murray). It’s up to some buff, shirtless men to save the Rhythm Room … and Christmas.
Streaming now on Netflix
‘Joy’ (Netflix)
IVF, or in vitro fertilization,is common these days, but once, it was just an idea hatched by medical professionals. This biographical drama tells the true story behind the ground-breaking 1978 birth of Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first “test tube baby,” and the 10-year journey to make it possible.
Jean Purdy (Thomasin McKenzie) is a young nurse and embryologist who teams up with scientist Robert Edwards (James Norton) and surgeon Patrick Steptoe (Bill Nighy) to find a solution for infertility. Through their perseverance and the wonders of science, they overcome opposition and the odds to help millions of people achieve their dream of having children.
Streaming now on Netflix
