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
Percy Jackson and the Olympians (on Disney+ from December 20)
Put all thoughts of the films from a decade ago out of your mind, because Percy Jackson is back in a brand new series, co-created by the author Rick Riordan himself. If you’re completely unfamiliar with the series, it follows the titular Percy, a 12-year-old demigod in the modern day who is accused of stealing Zeus’ thunderbolt. Newcomer Walter Scobell plays Percy, and the cast is rounded out by heavy hitters like Megan Mullally, Jason Mantzoukas and Lin-Manuel Miranda. / Sam Brooks
The Beautiful Lie (on TVNZ+ from December 18)
Have you been missing Sarah Snook on your TV screens? I know I have! Well, if you want to fill that hole in your life, TVNZ has digged into the archives, pulling out this 2015 Australian adaptation of Anna Karenina. In this series (which also stars Marlon Williams!), Anna and her husband Xander are reimagined as sports stars in modern day Australia. / SB
Gwyneth vs. Terry: The Ski Crash Trial (on ThreeNow from December 21)
Do we need a documentary series about perhaps the silliest trial of the year? Probably not! Do we want one? Absolutely. This two-part series will cover the trial that saw an optometrist allege several million dollars worth of damages against the Academy Award winning actress, and see that same actress claim that she lost “half a day of skiing”. Shakespeare couldn’t (and probably wouldn’t) write it. / SB
The notables
Bookie (on Neon from December 22)
This new Chuck Lorre series follows a veteran bookie (stand-up Sebastian Maniscalco) as he struggles to survive the legalisation of sports gambling, increasingly unstable clients, and the fast-paced high-life of Los Angeles. Although Lorre is best known for three camera sitcoms like Two and a Half Men and Mom, this seems like a pretty decent foray into single camera comedy, with a nice supporting cast that includes Omar Dorsey, Andrea Anders and Vanessa Ferlito. / SB
Dr. Death (on TVNZ+ from December 22)
While the first season of Dr. Death, based on the podcast of the same name, focussed on Christopher Duntsch, a neurosurgeon convicted of permanently mutilating (and even killing) his patients, this season follows Swiss-Italian surgeon Paolo Macchiarini (Edgar Ramirez), a surgeon accused of involuntary manslaughter who also happened to be a serial fabulist. Wild that you can get two seasons out of this concept! / SB
The Fall (all seasons on ThreeNow from December 22)
The Fall is one of those series that I’ve always meant to watch because a lot of people whose opinions I really trust were obsessed with it. And well, now I can! The series follows Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), a police officer from London who has been seconded to Northern Island to track the progress of a murder investigation. When it becomes apparent that a serial killer, Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan) is on the loose, Gibson has to work with local detectives to solve it. It might sound boilerplate, but by all accounts, this is a killer procedural (no pun intended). / SB
The films
Maestro (on Netflix from December 20)
If you’ve heard of this film, it’s probably because of the controversy around Bradley Cooper’s prosthetic nose. In this biopic, Cooper plays legendary American composer Leonard Bernstein, as he struggles against his own genius and, well, gayness throughout the 20th century. Cooper also directs which, depending on your view on A Star is Born, is either a good thing or a bad thing. / SB
Postcards from the Edge (on Neon from December 18)
This is more of a personal recommendation. For my money, Postcards from the Edge features Meryl Streep’s best comedic performance, as Suzanne Vale, an actress trying to rebuild her career after overcoming a drug addiction. She’s essentially playing a loosely veiled version of Carrie Fisher, who wrote the novel this film is based on. It’s not exactly a laugh out loud comedy, but it is painfully funny and beautifully dark. If you’re mostly used to seeing Streep under prosthetics and accents, I strongly implore you to check this film out, it’s the legend at her lightest. / SB
Saltburn (on Prime Video from December 20)
My short review of Saltburn: It is exactly the film that the actor who was correctly cast as Camilla Parker-Bowles in the Crown would make after watching Parasite. If you think that is a good thing, check it out. Otherwise, don’t. However, I will strongly recommend you do not watch this with your family. Trust me on that. / SB
Netflix
December 19
Trevor Noah: Where Was I
December 20
Love is Blind: After the Altar
Cindy la Regia: The High School Years
Maestro
Taming of the Shrewd 2
Everything Everywhere All At Once
December 21
Like Flowers in Sand
Supa Team 4: Season 2
December 22
Gyeongsang Creature: Part 1
Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire
December 24
The Manny
A Vampire in the Family
Neon
December 18
Postcards from the Edge
December 19
Coming to America
December 20
Danger Force: Season 6a
December 22
Bookie
The Man Who Would Be King
December 24
Happy Gilmore
TVNZ+
December 18
The Beautiful Life
December 19
Dream Team: Birth of the Modern Athlete
December 22
Dr. Death: Season 3
Cashmere Mafia
ThreeNow
December 18
SAS US: Season 2
December 19
Peltz Beckham vs The Wedding Planners
December 20
Love Me: Seasons 1-2
December 21
Gwyneth vs Terry: The Ski Crash Trial
December 22
The Fall: Seasons 1-3
Prime Video
December 19
The Donor Party
December 22
Escort Boys
Disney+
December 20
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
BTS Monuments: Beyond the Stars
Dragons of Wonderhatch
Black-ish: Season 8
December 22
Marvel Studios: What If…?: Season 2
Black-ish: A Celebration
Apple TV+
December 22
Sago Mini Friends: New Year’s Steve
AMC+/Acorn TV
December 18
Shetland: Season 8
Shudder
N/A
Hayu
N/A