Last week’s crop of new movies and TV shows to stream was pretty lackluster by 2024 standards, but this week’s batch of on-demand arrivals is decidedly more compelling.
Leading the charge is Knuckles on Paramount Plus, which expands the Sonic the Hedgehog cinematic universe (something that now inexplicably exists) with a six-episode debut season. Elsewhere, DC Comics adaptation Dead Boy Detectives begins streaming on Netflix, while Oscar-winning wartime drama The Zone of Interest makes its way to Prime Video.
Below, we've rounded up the seven biggest new movies and TV shows to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, Max, and more this weekend.
Knuckles (Paramount Plus)
You don’t need us to tell you that video game adaptations are all the rage right now, and the pixel-to-screen craze continues this weekend with Knuckles on Paramount Plus.
Set between the events of Sonic the Hedgehog 2 and its upcoming sequel, this six-part miniseries follows Knuckles the Echidna (Idris Elba) as he trains deputy sheriff Wade Whipple (Adam Pally) in the ways of the Echidna warrior. Ben Schwartz and Colleen O'Shaughnessey reprise their roles as Sonic and Tails, respectively.
Early reactions to Knuckles have been mixed, but we’ve seen the show’s first three episodes, and can vouch for the quality of its humor and signature Sonic-style spectacle. Existing franchise fans, then, will surely find plenty of hedgehog-related hijinks to enjoy here.
Now available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Dead Boy Detectives (Netflix)
Just two years after The Sandman premiered on Netflix, Neil Gaiman returns to the world’s best streaming service with new supernatural series Dead Boy Detectives.
Based on the DC Comics characters of the same name, this eight-part production – which weaves elements of Gaiman’s The Sandman universe into its story – follows two ghosts, Edwin (George Rexstrew) and Charles (Jayden Revri), who remain on Earth to help other ghosts solve the mysteries surrounding their deaths.
Kirby Howell-Baptiste reprises her role as Death from The Sandman, so it’s safe to expect more demon-slaying action from this one. Indeed, critics have described Dead Boy Detectives as a “fun paranormal romp,” suggesting it could be one of the best Netflix shows for some time.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
The Zone of Interest (Prime Video)
Jonathan Glazer’s wartime drama The Zone of Interest picked up two Oscars – including Best International Feature – at this year’s Academy Awards, and the film finally makes its streaming debut on Prime Video this weekend.
Set in 1943, The Zone of Interest centers on the domestic life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Höss (Christian Friedel) and his wife Hedwig (Sandra Hüller), who live with their young family in a seemingly idyllic home next to the infamous concentration camp.
Critics described the film as “an unforgettable, brutal masterpiece” upon its release in February, so this is indisputably one of the best Prime Video movies to debut on the service, well, ever. Essential viewing.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Goodbye Earth (Netflix)
It’s been a while since the last headline-grabbing K-drama, but Netflix will be hoping that its new dystopian sci-fi adventure Goodbye Earth changes that.
Based on the novel of the same name by Kōtarō Isaka, this 12-episode series asks the question: what would happen if humanity knew the exact date of its extinction? Starring Ahn Eun-jin and Yoo Ah-in, Goodbye Earth follows a young mother who refuses to give up hope when an asteroid is confirmed to be hurtling towards Earth.
The few reviews that do exist for this new Netflix series call it a “dystopian masterpiece,” so perhaps we’ll be hearing about Goodbye Earth in the same breath as Squid Game very soon.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Them: The Scare (Prime Video)
Horror fans, listen up: the second season of Amazon’s horror anthology series Them begins streaming on Prime Video this weekend.
Set in Los Angeles in 1991, Them: The Scare follows an ambitious LAPD Detective on the case of a brutal murderer whose crimes have left other hardened detectives shaken. Season 1 star Deborah Ayorinde returns to lead the show’s new episodes (though in a different role), while Pam Grier, Luke James, Wayne Knight and Joshua J. Williams also star.
Critics have described this one as “deeply unsettling” and “terrifyingly horrific,” so we’d advise against sitting down to watch Them: The Scare with the whole family.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Tiger (Disney Plus)
The first of this week’s two documentary picks is Tiger on Disney Plus.
Narrated by Priyanka Chopra Jonas, this feature-length production – which comes from Disney’s independent Disneynature film studio – aims to lift the veil on the titular cat species, paying particular attention to Ambar, a young tigress raising her cubs in the forests of India.
A companion series, Tigers on the Rise, is also streaming this weekend on Disney Plus, so tiger fans (or indeed animal lovers more generally) have plenty of feline features to dig into.
Now available to stream on Disney Plus.
Call Me Country: Beyoncé & Nashville's Renaissance (Max)
In case you hadn’t heard, country music is back, baby, so it’s no surprise that CNN has commissioned a documentary examining the context behind the genre’s resurgence.
Beyoncé & Nashville's Renaissance highlights how high-profile artists like Beyoncé and Lil Nas X have helped bring country music into the global mainstream, and challenged assumptions about what it means to be a country singer.
US viewers will find this one streaming on Max, though UK viewers will likely have to wait a few more weeks before Beyoncé & Nashville's Renaissance airs on the other side of the pond.
Now available to stream on Max.
For more streaming coverage, check out our guides on the best Disney Plus movies, best Netflix films, new Prime Video movies and new Max films.
