If variety is the spice of life, then you can make a very tasty meal out of the new TV shows and movies to watch this weekend on Netflix, Hulu, Max and more of the best streaming services.
The weekend lineup is led by Only Murders in the Building season 3, which adds queen Meryl Streep to the cast (and that guy, Paul Rudd). It wouldn’t be summer without another mysterious death in the Arconia.
Also returning, for its final season, is Billions season 7. Damian Lewis is back on board, which means we can expect a spectacular showdown between Axe, Chuck Rhoades and Mike Prince.
On the movies side, Wes Anderson’s latest gem Asteroid City makes its streaming debut, while Gal Gadot is in action in Heart of Stone and love is in the air and over the pond in Red, White and Royal Blue.
Here’s our guide on what to watch this weekend.
TV Premieres
Only Murders in the Building season 3 (Hulu)
When Meryl Streep shows up, you know a television show is about to level up. Only Murders in the Building hasn’t had any trouble attracting great guest stars, but Streep is in a class by herself. She and Paul Rudd join the main stars — Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez — for another mysterious murder connected to the Arconia.
The season 2 finale set up that death: On opening night of Oliver’s comeback play, lead actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd) falls down dead. The story jumps back and forth in time to show the play’s prep period and introduce all the potential suspects/red herrings, including struggling actress Loretta (Streep), ingénue Kimber (Ashley Park) and documentarian Tobert (Jesse Williams). Check out our Only Murders in the Building season 3 review for a spoiler-free look at what we thought.
Streaming now on Hulu
Billions season 7 (Showtime)
Axe is back and ready to f—- s—- up (his words)! When Damian Lewis left Billions at the end of season 5, Axe was sent off to exile in Switzerland. But the final season of the financial drama brings him back to Manhattan for what will undoubtedly be a fireworks show of epic proportions.
His return may give Chuck Rhoades (Paul Giamatti) two formidable foes. The other is Mike Prince (Corey Stoll), who took over Axe’s hedge fund. Although he lost $3.5 billion when his black-box drives were taken, Prince saved enough face to still be in the running for president. Chuck is prepared to take him down — at whatever cost. Well, as long as the cost isn’t to himself.
Streaming now on Paramount Plus With Showtime
Airing Sunday, Aug. 13 at 9 p.m. ET on Showtime
Painkiller (Netflix)
The opioid crisis has already served as tragic inspiration for one Emmy-nominated limited series (the excellent Dopesick); Netflix hopes there’s room for another. The drama tells the story of the origins and effects of the opioid epidemic that has ravaged hundreds of thousands of lives across America.
The six episodes, all directed by Peter Berg, trace the creation and proliferation of OxyContin, the power wielded by the pharmaceutical industrial complex, the government’s failures and the addictions that developed from the drug. The stellar cast includes Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler, Uzo Aduba as investigator Edie Flowers, and Taylor Kitsch as a man grappling with an injury.
Streaming now on Netflix
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 (Disney Plus)
One last encore awaits in this meta-take on the High School Musical franchise. After an epic summer at Camp Shallow Lake, the Wildcats return to East High where they prepare a stage production of High School Musical 3: Senior Year. But plans are disrupted when Principal Gutierrez announces that Disney has decided to make the long-awaited High School Musical 4: The Reunion movie on location at their school.
Streaming now on Disney Plus
Movie Premieres
Asteroid City (Peacock)
No need to Wes Anderson-ify this movie into a meme, since it comes from the auteur himself. He gathers his usual gang, plus a few new faces, in the same arid desert as Oppenheimer (though the movies couldn’t be more different).
Set in a retro-futuristic version of 1955, the story is framed as a televised adaptation of a play written by Conrad Earp (Edward Norton) about a Junior Stargazer convention held in the titular town. War photojournalist Augie Steenbeck (Jason Schwartzman) arrives with his brilliant teen son Woodrow (Jake Ryan) and younger daughters. Due to a strange and unusual occurrence, they are trapped there along with other convention goers, like the beautiful actress Midge Campbell (Scarlett Johansson).
Streaming now on Peacock
Heart of Stone (Netflix)
Wonder Woman 3 may or may not be happening, but you can still see Gal Gadot kicking butt in this action thriller. Covert agent Rachel Stone is part of an elite paramilitary group called the Charter, which has no political or national ties. Their only goal is to maintain peace in a turbulent world.
It comes from the same producers as The Old Guard (the Charlize Theron action thriller), which is why it may sound like that film. Rachel and the Charter are helped by an asset called the Heart, which has untold powers. Control the Heart, control the world. If it gets into the wrong hands, death and destruction could follow.
Streaming now on Netflix
Red, White and Royal Blue (Prime Video)
This romance is an international affair. Alex Claremont-Diaz (Taylor Zakhar Perez) is the son of the first female president of the United States (Uma Thurman), while Henry (Nicholas Galitzine) is a British prince. They're both handsome and charismatic, and everyone around the world loves them — they just hate each other.
When their feud breaks out in spectacularly embarrassing fashion, it not only threatens to cast a shadow on their public images but drive a wedge into American/British relations at the worst possible time. As damage control, Alex and Henry are forced into a fake friendship. But as they begin to bond, it becomes very real — and soon, sparks fly.
Streaming now on Prime Video
