From left to right: Tim Robinson in I Think You Should Leave, Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) in Succession, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and Misaki Watari (Toko Miura) in Drive My Car, and Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter) in The Piano.
From left to right: Tim Robinson in I Think You Should Leave, Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) in Succession, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and Misaki Watari (Toko Miura) in Drive My Car, and Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter) in The Piano.

Pop CultureMay 29, 2023

New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

From left to right: Tim Robinson in I Think You Should Leave, Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) in Succession, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and Misaki Watari (Toko Miura) in Drive My Car, and Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter) in The Piano.
From left to right: Tim Robinson in I Think You Should Leave, Kendall Roy (Jeremy Strong) and Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) in Succession, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima) and Misaki Watari (Toko Miura) in Drive My Car, and Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter) in The Piano.

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+, Neon and TVNZ+.

The biggies

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (season three streaming on Netflix from May 30)

When the first season of this show dropped on Netflix in 2019, I could never have anticipated that TV’s weirdest and most abrasive sketch show would last three seasons and sustain a thriving meme ecosystem. Tune into the new season on Tuesday before it gets memed to death on Wednesday.

Succession (series finale streaming on Neon from May 29)

If you need to be told that the finale of Succession airs this week, you are… probably not watching Succession. But just in case you’re a fan of the tragicomic trials and tribulations of the Roy family who has simply lost track of time, now’s your chance to catch up before the series goes away forever. 

Ted Lasso (series finale streaming on AppleTV+ from May 31)

On the other hand, you might need to be told that the one-time jewel of AppleTV+’s streaming crown is taking to the pitch for the last time this week. Has a comedy series had a faster fall from belovedness than this one? Probably not. If you’re still tuning in, Wednesday is when Ted will throw his final lasso.

The notables

Shiny Happy People (docu-series streaming on Prime Video from June 2)

Sadly not an adaptation of the REM song but a limited docuseries exposing the truth beneath the once kingpins of Americana reality TV, the Duggars. The series explores not just the multiple secrets and scandals of the family, but the radical organisation underpinning them: The Institute of Basic Life Principles.

School Spirits (series streaming on TVNZ from May 31)

School Spirits is set in the fictional town of Split River, Wisconsin, and follows Maddie, a teen girl stuck in the afterlife investigating her own mysterious disappearance. The closer she gets to the truth, the more secrets and lies she uncovers. Feels like a little bit Riverdale, a little bit Buffy.

Orphan Black (full series streaming on TVNZ from June 1)

Need a show to get into now that Succession is over, may I humbly recommend Orphan Black? The series focuses on Sarah Manning (Tatiana Maslany in a starmaking and Emmy-winning performance), one of several genetically identical human clones. Maslany plays over five different clones throughout this bonkers series, which raises issues about the implications of cloning and is really just a whole lot of fun. Alternate title? The Rolling Clones.

The films

Drive My Car (on Neon from June 1)

This Japanese film, adapted from the Haruki Murakami short story, follows a theatre director taking on a multilingual production of Uncle Vanya while dealing with the death of his wife. Even if that sounds like the definition of boredom to you, I could not recommend this film more highly – probably the best of the decade so far, for my money.

The Piano (on Netflix from June 1)

If your only exposure to Jane Campion is her Academy Award-winning film The Power of the Dog (also on Netflix) and you had a good time with it, then you’re in luck because her previous Academy Award-winning film The Piano hits the service this week. The film, about a mute Scottish woman (Holly Hunter) in the Victorian era who is sold into marriage to a frontiersman (Sam Neill) in New Zealand, is for my money, not just her best film but the best New Zealand film ever made.

The Worst Person in the World (on Neon from June 1)

Been a bit slack on keeping up with your critically acclaimed foreign films? Look no further than The Worst Person in the World, the hit of the Cannes Film Festival back in 2021. The simplest explanation of the film is “Fleabag, set in Norway”, which does a disservice to the film’s rich exploration of a woman on the cusp of her 30s still figuring out life, and even more of a disservice to Renate Reinvse’s tremendous performance.

The rest

Netflix

May 30

I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson: Season 3

May 31

Mixed by Erry

Dungeon Boss: Respawned

June 1

The Days

A Beautiful Life

The Piano

Once Were Warriors

Muster Dogs

June 2

Scoop

Manifest: Season 4: Part 2

Missed Connections

Rich in Love 2

Neon

May 30

Crag of the Creek

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

May 31

The Heights: Season 1-2

June 1

Fortitude: Season 1-3

Bubble Guppies: Season 3B

The Worst Person in the World

Gold

Drive My Car

June 2

Nitram

After Yang

June 3

Flee

Titane

June 4

Poker Face

TVNZ+

May 29

Orphan Black

May 30

Turn up the Volume

May 31

The Devil’s Playground

School Spirits

June 1

Future Man: Seasons 1-2

Madfin Shark

Battle Los Angeles

Big Daddy

My Best Friend’s Wedding

Only the Animals

Golden Voices

Let’s Get Physical

Kidnapped in Paradise

Girl in Room 13

The Lost Wife of Robert Durst

June 4

Sam Smith: Live at the Royal Albert Hall

Freddie: The Final Act

Disney+

May 31

The Actress

Prime Video

May 30

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

June 2

Deadloch

Medellin

With Love

Shiny Happy People

June 4

Poker Face

Keep going!