We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+.
If you like true New Zealand stories: Escaping Utopia (TVNZ+, from March 23)
TVNZ’s new three-part documentary series takes us behind the scenes of Gloriavale and reveals what it’s like to live in – and leave – the extreme religious community. Over three consecutive nights, the series reveals the level of detailed planning that goes into escaping Gloriavale, and features “unprecedented access to its inner workings, the unravelling of its leadership and the pursuit of justice by the group of passionate and dedicated people known as The Gloriavale Leavers’ Trust”. It shares the true accounts of those who have managed to escape and seeks answers to some unanswered questions about Gloriavale’s dark history. A challenging but compelling watch.
If you love an all-star Hollywood cast: Palm Royale (March 20, Apple TV+)
Hold onto your cocktail and put on a hat covered in tropical fruit, because Apple TV+’s Palm Royale looks like one of 2024’s most promising new shows. The cast alone is incredible: Kristen Wiig, Alison Janney, Carol Burnett, Josh Lucas, Laura Dern, Leslie Bibb and even Ricky bloody Martin all star in this lively comedy-drama set in late 1960s America. Wiig plays Maxine Simmons, a woman prepared to do whatever it takes to be accepted into an exclusive and glitzy Palm Beach society. It’s the classic outsider-looking-in story, and the vibe is White Lotus mixed with Mad Men. A feast for the eyes, at the very least.
If you never want to sleep again: 3 Body Problem (Netflix, March 21)
Netflix’s new sci-fi series is adapted from Liu Cixin’s 2008 best-selling novel about a group of scientist friends who are trying to work out why the laws of nature have gone all wonky. Turns out, they’re about to be invaded by aliens. “The series portrays a fictional past, present and future wherein Earth encounters an alien civilization from a nearby system of three sun-like stars orbiting one another, in an example of the three-body problem in orbital mechanics,” Netflix tells us. Cool, cool, cool. Spanning several continents and decades, 3 Body Problem is a slick and impressive series that sci-fi fans should hoover up quickly, ideally before the aliens really do arrive.
If you like Award-winning films featuring a lot of men: Oppenheimer (March 22, Neon)
The Christopher Nolan epic about the inventor of the atomic bomb won the Oscar for best picture last week, and this week, it drops on Neon. Spinoff writer Stewart Sowman-Lund reckoned Oppenheimer was the best cinema experience he had in 2023, concluding that “Oppenheimer offers a worthy reminder that while Nolan is arguably best remembered for his work in the science fiction and action genres, he’s a master of the dramatic as well”. The great news? You can watch this three hour extravaganza from the comfort of your own home, perhaps while simultaneously reading this piece about all the female scientists who also worked on the Manhattan Project but for some reason didn’t feature in the movie.
If you love looking inside rich people’s homes: Buying Beverly Hills (Netflix, March 22)
Fans of Selling Sunset should check out the second season of Buying Beverly Hills, the Netflix reality series that follows Mauricio Umansky’s (husband of Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Kyle Richards) gazillion dollar real estate brokerage. Cue blue Californian skies, wealthy celebrity clients and a whole lot of luxury homes that have twice as many bathrooms than bedrooms. What’s that about, America?!
Netflix
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande (March 19)
Physical 100 S2 (March 19)
Young Royals Forever (March 19)
Brian Simpson Live from the Mothership (March 19)
Forever Queens S2 (March 19)
Homicide New York (March 20)
Dinner Time Live David Change (March 20)
3 Body Problem (March 21)
Androgyny (March 21)
Strays (March 22)
Buying Beverly Hills S2 (March 22)
Shirley (March 22)
The Martian (March 22)
Red Eye (March 22)
The Vault (March 22)
The Casagrandes Movie (March 22)
AppleTV+
Palm Royale (March 20)
TVNZ+
The Doll Factory (March 19)
Mission to Burnley (March 22)
Escaping Utopia (March 24)
ThreeNow
Platform 7 (March 24)
Quiet on Set (March 19)
Disney+
X-Men 97 (March 20)
Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told (March 21)
Prime Video
Road House (March 21)
Davie and Jonesie’s Locker (March 22)
Neon
Painting with John (March 19)
No Hard Feelings (March 20)
Oppenheimer (March 22)
Hayu
The Valley (March 20)
Top Chef S21 (March 21)
Acorn TV
Hinterland (March 18)
Shudder
Malum (March 18)
The Third Saturday in October (March 18)
The Third Saturday in October Part V (March 18)