Choosing something to watch is going to be easy and hard, thanks to the new movies and shows to watch this weekend on netflix, HBO Max, Prime Video and more streaming services. Easy, because there are a ton of options; hard, because, well, there are a ton of options!
The lineup is dominated by the return of four popular shows: Better Call Saul season 6, Barry season 3, Russian Doll season 2 and The Flight Attendant season 2. Fans will be especially thrilled to see Barry and Russian Doll, as both have been on hiatus for three interminable years.
As for new series premieres, you can watch Gaslit and A Very British Scandal to see two notorious cases. In the former, Julia Roberts plays Martha Mitchell, an early whistleblower in Watergate. In the latter, Claire Foy and Paul Bettany portray the bitter, headline-making divorce between the Duchess and Duke of Argyll. For more juicy scandal action, check out White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (speaking of rising and falling, we think there’s another Netflix nuclear option on the table to fight subscriber churn).
Here’s our guide on what to watch this weekend (fans of The Wire may want to watch We Own This City online, btw).
Better Call Saul season 6 (AMC)
There must be a German word for feeling happy and sad at the same time. That’s how I feel about the premiere of the final season of one of the best shows on television: happy it’s back, sad that it’s all coming to an end. At least we’re getting 13 episodes to wrap up the story of Saul Goodman aka Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk). And we can look forward to cameos by original Breaking Bad characters Walter White (Bryan Cranston) and Jesse Pinkman (Aaron Paul).
Season 6 picks up where the show left off, with Jimmy and wife Kim Wexler (Rhea Seehorn) plotting the downfall of former boss Howard Hamlin. Slippin’ Jimmy is in top form, while Kim continues to stun with her newfound passion for misdeeds. In the more violently-criminal sphere of the show, Nacho (Michael Mando) is on the run after the botched assassination attempt on Lalo Salamanca (Tony Dalton). Worse, his calls to Mike (Jonathan Banks) are being ignored, because Gus (Giancarlo Esposito) may be hanging him out to dry.
Streaming now on AMC More gold Sling
Airing Mondays on AMC (via Sling gold Fubo)
Barry season 3 (HBO)
When it comes to television, three years feels like an eternity. Outlander fans have coined such a long wait between seasons “Droughtlander.” Due to the pandemic, many series have had to delay their next installment, including Barry and the next title on this list, Russian Doll.
Barry, one of the best shows on HBO Max, returns with the titular hitman-turned-actor in a state of boredom. After the bloodbath at the monastery, he’s gone back to contract killing and his quest to transition to acting has seemingly failed. Meanwhile, girlfriend Sally (Sarah Goldberg) has seen her star rise since their showcase; she’s signed a deal to write, direct and star in a semi-autobiographical series for a streaming service. As for acting coach Gene Cousineau (Henry Winkler), he’s still reeling from his girlfriend’s death, his arrest for her murder and subsequent release and the knowledge he’s gained about Barry’s true identity.
Airing Sunday, April 24 at 10 pm ET on HBO and streaming on HBO Max
Russian Doll season 2 (Netflix)
Like Barry, Russian Doll made us wait through a long hiatus for its second season. At least the first season wrapped up its time-loop story and didn’t leave off on a cliffhanger. Four years later, Nadia (Natasha Lyonne) engages in a new time-tripping adventure that sends her back to 1982 via the subway. Some strange quirk makes Nadia inhabit her mother’s (Chloë Sevigny) body and encounter figures from Leonora’s life, like shady boyfriend Chez (Sharlto Copley).
When she returns to the present, Nadia recounts the tale to Alan (Charlie Barnett). He goes on a time- and space-traveling journey of his own — and actually enjoys the experience. But both will discover that messing with the past can have serious consequences for the future.
Streaming now on netflix
The Flight Attendant season 2 (HBO Max)
After solving one globe-trotting mystery/conspiracy, Cassie Bowden (Kaley Cuoco) is ready to take off for a new one. Things have changed for Cassie. While she’s still working for Imperial Airlines, she has moved to Los Angeles, gotten sober and found a sensitive artist boyfriend. Oh, and she’s moonlighting as a CIA asset in her spare time.
Her now-perfect life begins to unravel after an assignment in Berlin goes wrong. The target she’s surveilling dies in an explosion, which she believes was caused by a bomb. Worse, the bomb was planted by a woman with an eerie resemblance to Cassie. Once again, she may be framed for murder. It’s enough to drive a person to drink.
Streaming now on HBO Max
Gaslit (Starz)
This is the latest in the massive wave of true crime dramas, but Gaslit is about one of the most infamous criminal acts in history: Watergate. Based on the podcast Slow Burn, the eight-episode story centers on Martha Mitchell (Julia Roberts), the socialite wife of Richard Nixon’s attorney general John Mitchell (Sean Penn).
Gaslit takes a more farcical take on Watergate, portraying Nixon’s supporters as bumbling, inept players in a comedy of errors. Martha’s big personality is equaled by her big mouth. Faced with the possibility of Martha blabbing about their plans to reporters, John, White House Counsel John Dean (Dan Stevens) and G. Gordon Liddy (Shea Whigham) do everything they can to shut her up, including kidnapping, drugging and calling her crazy .
Airing Sunday, April 24 at 8 pm ET on Starz (add on via Sling gold Fubo)
A Very British Scandal (Prime Video)
While you wait for The Crown to return with more royal intrigue, get the popcorn out for aristocratic dirt-slinging in A Very British Scandal. The titular scandal is the 1960s “divorce of the century” between the Duke of Argyll (Paul Bettany) and Margaret, Duchess of Argyll (Claire Foy).
Their acrimonious split dominates the front pages of newspapers, titillating readers with allegations of drug use, theft, and bribery. When an explicit Polaroid picture balloons the media frenzy, it results in Margaret being publicly shamed and abandoned by friends. She discovers the brutal truth that women are held to a double standard. Thirty years later, the same thing would happen to Pamela Anderson with the release of her sex tape with Tommy Lee. In the lifestyles of the rich and famous, misogyny apparently never goes out of style.
Streaming now on Prime Video
The Man Who Fell to Earth (Showtime)
The classic sci-fi 1976 film starring David Bowie and the Walter Tevis source novel inspires an updated version of the alien-lands-on-Earth story. Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Faraday, who arrives on Earth on a mission to save humanity. A flashforward reveals he eventually becomes a successful tech guru, but his early days on Earth are filled with errors and confusion.
Faraday must learn to act human, while also pursuing his goal — getting the help of brilliant scientist and engineer Justin Falls (Naomie Harris). Justin is struggling with personal issues like an ailing father and dependent daughter. Faraday must convince her to figure out how to prevent the impending cataclysm, but they encounter numerous obstacles in their quest.
Airing Sunday, April 24 at 10 pm ET on Showtime (add on via Sling gold Fubo)
They Call Me Magic (Apple TV Plus)
HBO’s Winning Time is currently airing a scripted take on the 1980s Los Angeles Lakers dynasty, which featured Earvin “Magic” Johnson. This four-part docuseries provides an intimate look at Johnson’s life and legacy, and unlike the HBO drama, has the blessing and involvement of the man himself. Along with testimonials from Johnson and his family, talking heads include Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Shaquille O’Neil, Jerry West, Samuel L. Jackson and Snoop Dogg.
They Call Me Magic chronicles Johnson’s teenage years as a basketball phenom, including how he earned his nickname, and moves onto his sojourn at Michigan State. It goes on to touch on his wildly successful career, the stunning public revelation of his HIV+ status and his post-NBA business ventures.
Streaming now on Apple TV Plus
White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (Netflix)
Stories of business fraud and disgrace are all the rage these days, with The Dropout, WeCrashed and Bad Vegan all generating a ton of online chatter. Now, it’s Abercrome & Fitch’s turn to get the documentary treatment.
White Hot tracks how the clothing retailer became a coveted, successful brand in the 1990s for its so-called “classic, cool American” (read: white) aesthetic and pioneering use of campus ambassadors as a form of early influencers. But the company soon became a cultural pariah for selling racist T-shirts and for tolerating racism and sexism in the workplace. Not cool at all.
Streaming now on netflix
Oprah + Viola (Netflix)
Nobody gets celebrities to open up about their personal lives like Oprah Winfrey. Her tell-all special with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle earned boffo ratings when it aired on CBS last year. Now, Winfrey is sitting down with Viola Davis, the first Black actor to achieve the Triple Crown of acting (an Oscar, Emmy and Tony).
Davis will discuss her new memoir, Finding Me, in which shares details of the extreme poverty and abuse she faced as a child. The special also reveals how Davis has found peace and a sense of self as an adult and what it took to become one of the most acclaimed actresses of her generation.
Streaming now on netflix
Selling Sunset season 5 (Netflix)
The addictive, can’t-stop-watching combo of feuding frenemies and lux real estate porn is back with a new season of interpersonal drama and tours of jaw-dropping Hollywood homes. And love, as realtor Chrishell Stause and agency co-founder Jason Oppenheim acknowledge their romance in Selling Sunset season 5.
Their coupling sends everyone into a tizzy, as their co-workers speculate about an eventual marriage (celebrity gossip followers will know how their relationship turns out). Meanwhile, Christine Quinn deals with estrangement from former friends and a new realtor arrives from overseas to shake things up.
Streaming now on netflix
What else to watch this weekend
In other entertainment news, CNN Plus is already dead after less than a month and Netflix just canceled another show before it even aired. Plus, check out the first Thor: Love and Thunder teaser trailer.