What are you going to be watching this week? We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+.
The biggies
Our Flag Means Death (season two on Neon from October 6)
From Stewart Sowman-Lund’s story on why the internet is in love with this show: “While the first handful of episodes are a quirky workplace comedy set aboard an 18th century pirate ship, the HBO Max show (screening on Prime and available on Neon in New Zealand) has pivoted in its second half – and in doing so has won a legion of new fans and become an online sensation … Darby plays Stede Bonnet, a largely unknown but actually real person who turned to a life of piracy after deciding he’d had enough of his cushy home with a wife and kids.
C*A*U*G*H*T (on TVNZ+ from October 2)
A satirical show about the Australian army? Could be tense! This series follows four Australian soldiers on a secret mission to retrieve, essentially, a dick pic sent by the minister of defence, but are captured by freedom fighters and produce a hostage video that goes viral. While the four leads are Australian (Alexander England, Ben O’Toole, Lincoln Younes, and Kick Gurry), this series has a stacked supporting cast, including Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Matthew Fox and Tuppence Middleton. / Sam Brooks
Sneakerholics (on TVNZ+ from October 6)
In this new docuseries, Aotearoa’s biggest sneaker enthusiasts reveal the complexities of the underground culture that is… well, sneakerholics. Hosted by “sneakerhead” and hip-hop artist Amon Tyson (SWIDT), the show unties the laces (or not) on the people behind the scene, and how it extends far beyond into fashion into lifestyle and culture. / SB
The notables
Loki (season two on Disney+ from October 6)
I wasn’t as hot on the first season of Loki as everybody else was, but I can’t say I’m mad about the series returning for a second go-around (if, because of nothing else, it ended on a cliffhanger). This second season sees Loki working with Mobius M. Mobius, Hunter B-15 and the rest of the TVA (Time Variance Authority) to navigate the multiverse in order to find Loki variant Sylvia, TVA judge Ravonna Renslayer and Miss Minutes, the anthropomorphic clock mascot of the TVA. If you feel dumb reading that, imagine how it felt typing it. / SB
Everything Now (on Netflix from October 5)
Netflix has a pretty chequered history of dealing with eating disorders, but this new British series seems much more promising. It follows Mia (Sophia Wilde from horror film Talk to Me) as a 16-year-old London girl who rejoins sixth form after being hospitalised for anorexia nervosa. Upon returning to her normal life, she devises a bucket list of quintessential teenage experiences to make up for lost time. / SB
Pretty Little Liars (all seasons on Neon from October 4)
Before Riverdale, but after Gossip Girl, there was Pretty Little Liars. This series follows five best friends whose secrets are threatened by the foreboding and anonymous “A”, who harasses them after the disappearance of their clique leader. I’ll be honest, I’ve never seen a second of this series, but from what I understand it goes fully off the rails in the most high stakes and delightful way, so if that sort of silly drama is your thing, go watch seven seasons of it! / SB
The films
Fair Play (on Netflix from October 6)
An erotic thriller? In 2023? Sound the alarm! In a premise that sounds like it came straight out of the steamy 90s, this film follows a couple pushed to the brink after one of them is promoted at a cutthroat hedge fund. Alden Eihenreich (Solo) and Phoebe Dyvenor (Bridgerton) star as the couple in question, and based on the reviews out of Sundance earlier this year, this one looks like it might be pretty damn great!/ SB
The Fabelmans (on Neon from October 5)
Ignore the haters, The Fabelmans is one of Steven Spielberg’s best films in years (and considering West Side Story was also pretty damn great, that’s high praise). It follows Sammy Fabelman, a very loosely autobiographical version of Spielberg as a child, who falls in love with movies after being taken to see The Greatest Show on Earth, and his journey through an adolescence that he sees mostly through a camera lens. It is as much a love letter to cinema as it is a criticism of the medium’s ability to manipulate and warp, and there are still moments from this film I think about almost a year after seeing it (Michelle Williams!). Watch it, is what I’m saying. / SB
Pearl (on Prime Video from October 7)
In January this year I wrote about how it was still impossible for New Zealanders to see Pearl (at least, legally), despite it being shot here and financially supported by taxpayers. By June, we could see it, but only at extremely limited cinema screenings. Now, about a year after it was released in American cinemas, we can see Pearl! The prequel to Ti West’s slasher X has rave reviews and a breakout performance from Mia Goth. There’s already a third film in production, which hopefully we will be able to see quicker. But for now, I’ll settle down to watch Pearl, something I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. / SSL
Netflix
October 3
Beth Stelling: If You Didn’t Want Me Then
October 4
Keys to the Heart
Beckham
Race to the Summit
October 5
Everything Now
Lupin: Part 3
October 6
A Deadly Invitation
Ballerina
House of Spies
Fair Play
October 8
Strong Girl Nam-soon
Neon
October 2
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Seasons 1-5
Free Willy
Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home
Free Willy 3: The Rescue
October 3
Corn and Peg: Seasons 1-2
Assassin Club
October 4
Pretty Little Liars: Seasons 1-7
October 5
The Fabelmans
October 6
Our Flag Means Death
The Tale of Despereaux
Friday
October 7
Champions
October 8
Extreme Sisters
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory
TVNZ+
October 2
C*A*U*G*H*T
October 3
The Witnesses
October 6
Sneakerholics
October 7
TLC Forever
October 8
Valkyrien
Man in Room 301
ThreeNow
N/A
Disney+
October 4
Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats
The Ghost and Molly McGee: Season 2
October 5
The Boogeyman
October 6
Loki: Season 2
Aaron Carter: The Little Prince of Pop
Trap Jazz
Bobi Wine: The People’s President
Camping Out
Fiddling Around
When the Cat’s Away
Chips Ahoy
Wynken, Blynken and Nod
Old Macdonald Duck
Inferior Decorator
Prime Video
October 3
Make Me Scream – Halloween Special
October 6
Totally Killer
Twin Flames
After Everything
The Smurfs (2011)
Beyond the Light Barrier
October 7
Champions
Pearl
Apple TV+
N/A
AMC+
N/A
Acorn
N/A
Shudder
October 2
Two Witches
Hell House LLC: The Director’s Cut
Hell House LLC: The Abaddon Hotel
Hell House LLC: The Lake of Fire
October 5
V/H/S/85
