If nothing below suits your sensibilities, check out our guide to What You Should Watch On Streaming Right Now.
The Haunting Of Bly Manor (Netflix series) — Following Hill House, this anthology series brings back familiar faces for another disturbing story. This season puts a spin on Henry James’ The Turn Of The Screw, courtesy of showrunner Mike Flanagan, with more hauntings and murder and some unsettling orphans along for the ride.
The Boys: Season 2 finale (Amazon Prime series) — This season’s gone weekly while diving deeper into the skewering of superheroes and what makes them tick. Speaking of inner workings, Antony Starr helped us climb into Homelander’s head for his climactic raunchy scene that actually follows up on the season’s story-based climax, which largely deals with the Stormfront issue and the ladies getting it done.
Charm City Kings (HBO Max film) — During an acclaimed Sundance Film Festival debut, our own Vince Mancini singled out Meek Mill for his star turn in the coming-of-age story. Vince also praised the stunt work in this movie produced by Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith. Jahi Di’Allo Winston (Queen & Slim) co-stars as the teenage Mouse, who wants to fit in with the Midnight Clique group of bike riders while wavering between influences. One of those influences happens to be Mill’s stunt-happy ex-con, Blax, whose interests appear to be at odds with a detective (William Catlett of Black Lightning) and the teen’s mother (Teyonah Parris of If Beale Street Could Talk), who both want Mouse to reach his full potential, rather than dig into gang life.
The Right Stuff (NatGeo series on Disney+) — This eight-episode limited series (with two episodes dropping on Friday) is based upon Tom Wolfe’s landmark 1979 book about the American space program’s birth and the day-to-day lives of the original Mercury Seven astronauts. It’s an anti-nostalgic glimpse into what essentially functioned as the first U.S. reality show, and it’s executive produced by Leonardo DiCaprio.
Hubie Halloween (Netflix film) — This movie might be wonderfully funny escapism for you, or it might be Adam Sandler’s revenge for not receiving an Oscar nomination for Uncut Gems. Perhaps it can be both things? Regardless of intent from the Sandman, settle in for the latest Happy Madison production, which follows Sandler’s Hubie Dubois, a Halloween safety crusader who gets sucked into a murder mystery. Kevin James and Kenan Thompson play cops, and more co-stars include Julie Bowen, Ray Liotta, Noah Schnapp, Steve Buscemi, and Maya Rudolph.
The Forty-Year-Old Version (Netflix documentary) — New York playwright Radha Blank reinvents herself as rapper RadhaMUSPrime in order to engineer a breakthrough before age 40. She ends up finding her true voice in a deeply personal but refreshingly candid story while leaping in between worlds, and the final product won the Directing Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. This black-and-white 35mm feature takes a slice-of-life approach that ends up being an ode to those who seize fulfillment.
Deaf U (Netflix documentary series) — A collective of deaf students at Gallaudet University gathers in this coming-of-age film that offers a seldom-seen look inside the tight-knit Deaf community.
Fast & Furious Spy Racers: Season 2: Rio (Netflix series) — The animated series returns with teenage Tony Toretto hoping to be like Dom. The group gets recruited by the government to help take down a nefarious crime organization by joining elite racers.
Here’s the rest of this weekend’s notable programming:
Room 104 (Friday, HBO 10:00 p.m.) — The series finale arrives for Duplass Brothers’ bizarre playground with a man preparing for a Generations Ceremony while reflecting on painful memories and life in general.
Saturday Night Live (Saturday, NBC 11:29 p.m.) — Host Bill Burr and a mystery musical guest after Morgan Wallen got dropped for partying during a pandemic. Jack White is pinch-hitting, which is promising news.
The Vow (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — Legal action finally comes down against NXIVM and its founders, as well as some members. Evidence has been gathered for the sex-cult aspects of the organization, along with some tax evasion. It’s serious trouble for Keith Raniere and company.
Fear The Walking Dead (Sunday, AMC 9:00 p.m.) — Season 6 begins with a bounty hunter stalking Morgan, who’s considering whether to assist a stranger.
Good Lord Bird (Sunday, Showtime 9:00 p.m.) — Ethan Hawke stars as a violent abolitionist in this series that takes place in the Kansas territory in 1856. Hawke’s character, John Brown, accidentally mistakes a male slave for a girl and “frees” him. Things get complicated when Onion gets separated from Brown’s ragtag army and stumbles into a pro-slavery group.
Lovecraft Country (Sunday, HBO 9:00 p.m.) — Hippolyta’s back? Apparently so, and she leads a journey for Tic, Leti, and Montrose to join. I hope the new pet monster comes along, too.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond (Sunday, AMC 10:00 p.m.) — The next spinoff in this universe continues to feel itself out with an episode that’s actually called “The Blaze of Gory.” What happens? Hope and Iris aren’t getting along, and Felix is attempting to deal with his past.
Fargo (Sunday, FX 10:00 p.m.) — Chris Rock’s 1950s Kansas City crime syndicate leader is still navigating a precarious situation while working toward business deals. This week, Ethelrida makes a discovery, Loy seeks retaliation, and Josto’s trying to dig into his leadership role.
Last Week Tonight With John Oliver (Sunday, HBO 11:00 p.m.) — He’s back, baby.
