‘Tis the season for streaming! As busy as the holidays can be, you may find time to relax by watching the new shows and movies debuting on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu and other streaming services.
At the top of this weekend’s watch list is 1923, the latest Yellowstone spinoff. Starring Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren, it chronicles a different generation of Dutton ranchers.
Other new series include the Noah Centineo CIA drama The Recruit, the time-traveling historical tale Kindred and a young-adult revival of National Treasure called Edge of History.
On the movies side, two titles moved from theatrical release to streaming, Oscar contender The Banshees of Inisherin and the superhero flick Black Adam.
Here’s our guide on what to watch this weekend.
1923 (Paramount Plus)
Taylor Sheridan’s YCU (Yellowstone Cinematic Universe) is growing again and he’s lured in even bigger stars in the latest spinoff. Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren play the patriarch and matriarch of the Dutton family in the titular year. Jacob (the brother of James Dutton, played by Tim McGraw in 1883) and Cara are running the ranch at a fraught time in history, marked by breakneck Western expansion, droughts, pandemics, Prohibition and the looming Great Depression.
Jacob and Cara have survived a grueling, hard-scrabble life and look to prepare the next generation to take over the ranch. But their legacy is threatened by unscrupulous herders who covet their land.
Streaming Sunday, Dec. 18 at 3 a.m. ET on Paramount Plus (opens in new tab)
The Recruit (Netflix)
Noah Centineo appeared on the cusp of becoming Hollywood’s next big thing after his charming turn as a teen heartthrob in the To All the Boys franchise. Since then, though, he’s kept a relatively low profile, only appearing as the superhero Atom Smasher in this fall’s Black Adam.
With The Recruit, he’s returning to Netflix to headline his own series, as young CIA lawyer Owen Hendricks. During his first week on the job, Hendricks’ life is turned completely upside down by a threatening letter from a former asset (Laura Haddock). She plans to expose the agency unless they exonerate her of a serious crime. Owen becomes enmeshed in a dangerous game of international power politics that sends him across the globe.
Streaming now on Netflix (opens in new tab)
The Banshees of Inisherin (HBO Max)
Awards season usually brings a ton of great movies to the theaters, but with the rise of streaming, those films are arriving on our home screens sooner than ever. This complex, nuanced tragicomedy features some of the best performances of the year and you are almost certainly going to see Oscar nominations go to Colin Ferrell and Brendan Gleeson.
They play longtime drinking buddies on a remote fictional Irish island in 1923. When Colm (Gleeson) suddenly and inexplicably ends their friendship, Pádraic (Farrell) is left confused and hurt. With the help of sister Siobhán (Kerry Condon) and troubled young islander Dominic (Barry Keoghan), he tries to mend things with Colm. Things come to a head — and a shocking conclusion.
Streaming now on HBO Max (opens in new tab)
Kindred (Hulu)
Octavia Butler’s bestselling 1979 sci-fi novel finally makes it to the screen in this series starring Mallori Johnson. Dana James is a young Black woman and aspiring writer who moves to Los Angeles to pursue her dreams. But before she settles into her new home, she is violently pulled back and forth in time.
Dana’s taken to a pre-Civil War plantation, which has deep and surprising ties to her family, as her past and present are connected by interracial romances that challenge long-held ideas. When her visits to the past grow longer, she must find a way to survive slavery and ensure she can return to her own time.
Streaming now on Hulu (opens in new tab)
National Treasure: Edge of History (Disney Plus)
The National Treasure film franchise only yielded two installments, but always seemed ripe for a revival. It’s getting one via this series with a more young adult tone and cast. Jess Valenzuela (Lisette Olivera) is a puzzle-solving whiz who wants to work for the FBI’s Cryptanalysis division, but is DACA and needs citizenship to apply.
When she is given a clue to a centuries-old treasure connected to her long-dead father, Jess uses her skills to lead a group of friends on the hunt. They are directed to more clues, hidden in American landmarks and artifacts. But Jess will have to outmaneuver a savvy black market antiquities dealer (Catherine Zeta-Jones, snapping up another YA role after Wednesday) to get to the treasure first.
Streaming now on Disney Plus (opens in new tab)
Who Killed Santa? A Murderville Mystery (Netflix)
If you haven’t seen Murderville, the improv comedy/mystery stars Will Arnett as Detective Terry Seattle. In each episode, he tackles a different murder case with the help of celebrity partners (playing themselves).
In this special, Terry is facing the most critical case of all: Who killed Santa? This time, he’s got two celebrities aiding him, Jason Bateman and Maya Rudolph. Like it happens in previous episodes, neither gets a script. They must solve the mystery and name the killer by improvising their way through it.
Streaming now on Netflix (opens in new tab)
Black Adam (HBO Max)
DC’s latest movie was a bust, both critically and commercially. Which is a shame because Dwayne Johnson was basically built to play a superhero (not to say he still can’t in a different DC project or a Marvel movie). If you’re one of the many people who elected not to watch Black Adam in theaters, now you can do so from the comfort of your couch.
Some 5,000 years ago, Teth-Adam was bestowed with the powers of various ancient gods, including strength, speed and stamina, and then imprisoned. When he is freed in the present day, Adam is ready to unleash his wrath upon the world but the Justice Society takes him in hand to transform into a force for good.
Streaming now on HBO Max (opens in new tab)
What else to watch this weekend
Harry & Meghan: Vol. 2 (Netflix)
The Duke and Duchess of Sussex tell all.
Streaming now on Netflix (opens in new tab)
Last Chance U: Basketball season 2 (Netflix)
The East Los Angeles College Huskies seek glory on the court.
Streaming now on Netflix (opens in new tab)
The Game season 2 (Paramount Plus)
More professional and personal drama engulf pro football players and their wives.
Streaming now on Paramount Plus (opens in new tab)
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