Thanks to the arrival of Bridgerton season 2, Moon Knight and many other high-profile new series in recent weeks, it’s been an exceptionally busy period on streaming services – but the next few days are a refreshingly muted affair.
That’s not to say there’s nothing new to watch, mind, though this weekend’s additions are decidedly less headline-grabbing than we’ve become accustomed to. Michael Mann’s Tokyo Vice leads the line on HBO Max, while All the Old Knives adds some intrigue to proceedings on Prime Video, but you’ll be pleased (or disappointed?) to hear that there’s not a superhero in sight on any of the major streamers.
Below, then, we’ve rounded up the seven biggest new movies and TV shows available to stream on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and more this weekend.
Tokyo Vice (HBO Max)
Michael Mann fans, rejoice! Tokyo Vice is the first TV series directed by the Heat filmmaker in over a decade, and serves as an unofficial companion to his 2006 movie, Miami Vice.
Based on the 2009 memoir of the same name by investigative journalist Jake Adelstein, this 10-episode crime drama – which critics have praised as “pulsating” – finds Ansel Elgort (as Adelstein) getting in too deep with the Japanese yakuza as he chases a newspaper story in 1990s Tokyo. Tony award-winning playwright J.T. Rogers adapted the screenplay for this one, while Ken Watanabe and Rachel Keller star alongside Elgort.
Tokyo Vice’s first three episodes are available to stream now on HBO Max, with the remaining entries arriving every Thursday in two-episode instalments. UK viewers will be able to catch the series on StarzPlay (via Prime Video) next month.
Now available to stream on HBO Max.
All the Old Knives (Prime Video)
In the mood for more suspense? All the Old Knives, an Amazon-produced adaptation of Olen Steinhauer’s celebrated novel, looks to have it in spades.
Starring the powerhouse quartet of Chris Pine, Thandiwe Newton, Laurence Fishburne and Jonathan Pryce, this feature-length thriller follows an investigation to uncover the identity of a CIA mole who may have aided the hijacking of a Jordanian passenger plane.
Reviews for this one have been decidedly mixed so far, though fans of John le Carré-esque narratives will likely find plenty of intrigue to enjoy here.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Metal Lords (Netflix)
Game of Thrones co-showrunner D.B. Weiss swaps dragons for drums with his new Netflix movie, Metal Lords.
Fronted by It star Jaeden Martell, this one follows an unlikely trio of high school students – a shy cellist and geeky drummer among them – who team up to compete in a Battle of the Bands competition.
The trailer suggests Metal Lords is a little more than run-of-the-mill comedy in the vein of 2003’s (admittedly excellent) School of Rock, but critics have described the movie as “a true love letter to the metal genre.” Perhaps, then, Black Sabbath fans should give it a spin.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Cow (Mubi)
Having landed on Mubi some time ago (after debuting at Cannes in July 2021), Andrea Arnold's poignant documentary, Cow, is now available to rent through Apple TV and Prime Video.
The first factual feature from the American Honey director, Cow chronicles the challenging daily life of a single dairy cow, Luma, in the hope that viewers come to better appreciate the lived experience of livestock.
There are almost no human voices in this one, with the only bits of muffled conversation coming from peripheral farmers, which has led critics to describe Cow as a “meaty slice of bovine socio-realism.” It’s not likely to be a particularly enjoyable watch, then, but it’ll almost certainly be an enlightening one.
Now available to stream on Mubi, Apple TV and Prime Video.
Gentleman Jack (BBC iPlayer)
The second season of Sally Wainwright's acclaimed historical drama, Gentleman Jack, begins streaming on BBC iPlayer this Sunday.
Suranne Jones returns as Anne Lister, a real-life 19th-century landowner and industrialist whose extraordinary story was recorded in a series of diaries. Season 2 finds Anne happily (but controversially) married to wealthy heiress Ann Walker (Sophie Rundle), though disapproving relatives threaten to derail the security of their union.
Being a BBC One and HBO co-production, Gentleman Jack’s new episodes will become available to watch on HBO Max later in the month (April 25).
Available to stream on BBC iPlayer from Sunday.
Elite season 5 (Netflix)
The fifth season of hit Spanish teen drama, Elite, comes to Netflix this weekend.
The show, which follows the lives of (mostly despicable) students at fancy prep school Las Encinas, has built up a loyal following of fans since first airing in 2018, and is often described as a potent mix of fellow teen dramas Riverdale, Gossip Girl and Euphoria.
It’s no surprise, then, that Elite’s new episodes revolve around yet another mysterious death on campus. This time, though, the show’s cast of new and returning characters have a particularly difficult time avoiding the repercussions of their actions. Expect plenty of sex and scandals from this one.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story (Netflix)
It’s no secret that Netflix has a thing for fraudsters right now, but the deceitful actions of Anna Delvey, The Tinder Swindler and Bad Vegan Sarma Melngailis aren’t a patch on the crimes committed by infamous British paedophile Jimmy Savile.
Netflix’s latest exposé feature chronicles the heyday of the TV host and, in particular, examines how the establishment allowed him to get away with sexually abusing hundreds of children throughout the 1970s and 1980s.
Rowan Deacon’s documentary is just over three hours long, but has been described as “a welter of devastating detail” by critics. In our book, then, Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story is worth the time investment – just don’t expect to leave it feeling particularly uplifted.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
