I say this every week, but what a week it is for streaming – if you're a Netflix or Prime Video subscriber, then you've got some real treats lined up. I've been through the whole schedule for both platforms with a fine-toothed comb, and picked out some highlights that you need to know about.
From huge spy thrillers to the latest series from Stranger Things' creative team, there are some really interesting projects being added this week, and each of them looks pretty perfect for a mid-week binge or viewing session. Ahead of the real heights of summer, curl up with one of these and you should have a great time.
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan: Ghost War
- Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video from 20 May
There was definitely a time when I didn't think we were getting more Jack Ryan from Amazon – or, at least, that John Krasinski's time in the role was up. How wrong I was, though. He's back this week for Prime Video in what it's been billing as a special cinematic event, which is arguably a polite way of saying it spent more than usual on the film's effects budget, so it needs to do quite well.
The movie, thankfully, looks like a great big helping of thrilling fun. Ryan's getting drafted back into yet more fieldwork, since he's so clearly made for it. This will take him around the world once again, with a bunch of action clearly happening in London, and Sienna Miller will be joining as a punchy British agent to spice things up.
The Boroughs
- Streaming on: Netflix from 21 May
This one has looked super interesting for quite a few weeks now – I'm convinced that it's part of Netflix's strategy to get some big new shows in the wake of Stranger Things ending. From some of the same creative team, The Boroughs has a similar premise, in that it's set in a small community that has very weird things happening to it.
Unlike that huge older show, though, this time around it's not kids in the starring roles. Rather, The Boroughs stars older actors, since it's actually a retirement community that it's set in. When Alfred Molina's character arrives and starts to make connections, he swiftly realises that odd occurrences are normal in The Boroughs, and he'll clearly become obsessed with the idea of discovering just what's really going on.
Ladies First
- Streaming on: Netflix from 22 May
Now, this one might divide opinion. I'll be honest, I'm in the camp that thinks it looks almost satirically diabolical – with a trailer that barely tries to disguise the fact that it's a low-hanging-fruit kind of comedy. Others, though, might think it gives off the vibe of a charming throwback to 90s comedies and simpler times.
The movie stars Sacha Baron-Cohen as a conceited pig of a man who wakes up in a world run entirely by women when he gets a bang on the head. That includes being transformed into an assistant rather than the boss at work, which is now run by Rosamund Pike. She looks like she's having fun with the role, at least, and there are surely some laughs to be had while it teaches its morality tale.
