Another week has come to a close, and two of the world’s best streaming services (step up your game, Hulu and Disney Plus) have something new to watch on their rival platforms this weekend.
Indeed, from a few new movies that were originally released in theaters in late 2024, to a bunch of new shows (and the return of a Smash Hit Netflix series), there’s plenty for you to wrap your head around your eyeballs over the next few days. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
The Night Agent Season 2 (Netflix)
To watch
From The rookie has Black dovesNetflix has slowly been building its back catalog of fun, dramatic, and exciting genre shows. Few are more popular on the service, however, than The Night Agentwhose first season was a surprise overnight hit for the streaming Titan and landed it a spot on our list of the best Netflix shows.
Two years after this unprecedented success, the spy thriller is back for its second season. This time around, trust is in short supply for newly minted nightshift agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso), which unravels into another wild conspiracy that will force him to question who he can really count on. I’ll be tuning in to see if Netflix’s seventh most-watched English TV original of all time can build on the almighty performance of its first season. Before you do the same, get the show’s return drop with our The Night Agent Season 2 hub. – Tp
Prime Target (Apple TV Plus)
To watch
Apple TV Plus keeps its busy start to 2025 with a new spy thriller Main targetwhich features A day Actor Leo Woodall alongside Quintessa Swindell of Euphoria. In the Apple TV Original, Woodall plays a mathematical genius, who works on a secret research project to discover patterns in higher numbers that ultimately attracts the attention of Swindell’s NSA surveillance operation.
The idea the story is constructed of is the fact that prime numbers form the basis of the world’s most common types of encryption which are still widely used today, which is why a Cambridge graduate cracking the code is des seismic global proportions in this new series. The best way I can think of to describe it is Da Vinci Code encounter Good hunting will And, while it might not rank among the best shows on Apple TV Plus, it’s an absorbing watch no less. – Amelia Schwanke, entertainment editor
The wild robot (peacock)
To watch
One of the 52 best movies of 2024 has finally debuted on streaming – well, in the US (sorry, UK and Australian). The wild robot is an absolute joy of a film, with its gorgeous painterly art style and wonderfully realized animation, emotionally resonant story, and top-notch voice acting making for a perfect, easy-to-watch movie on Peacock this weekend.
Marvel star Lupita Nyong’o Voices Roz, a service robot who becomes shipwrecked on a remote island that is inhabited by talking animals. Unsurprisingly, it is considered an outsider by the creatures that live there. But, armed with a steely determination to adapt to her environment, plus the fact that she becomes the adoptive mother of an orphaned goose called Brightbill (HeartKit Connor), Roz resolves not only to break in with the locals, but also to become their chief protector. A beautiful film in more than one way that deserves to be seen. – Tp
Gladiator II (Paramount plus)
To watch
Ridley Scott’s highly anticipated follow-up to the iconic 2000 film Gladiator is now available on Paramount Plus (again, only in the US, though). If you weren’t among those who participated in last year’s unexpected double bill (that’s Gladiator II And Wicked), you can bring the thrill of Colossuem to your home. He didn’t play as well as Wickedwhich was recently nominated for Best Picture, but its 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating means it could be worthy of a spot on our Paramount Plus Best Movies.
Featuring a brilliant ensemble cast like Pedro Pascal, Paul Mescal, Denzel Washington and Derek Jacobi, the film is set 15 years after the first and is definitely worth your time if you’re a fan of the original. It’s perfect if you’re looking for an action-packed movie this weekend. Altogether now: aren’t you entertained!? – Lucy Buglass, entertainment writer
CB Strike: The Ink Black Heart (Max)
Max is now home to the television adaptation of controversial author JK Rowling’s novel series of the same name, which was published under her pen name Robert Galbraith. The series follows private detective Cormoran Strike who teams up with his assistant Robin Ellacott to take on cases that have baffled the police, hoping they can finally get to the bottom of what happened. It’s not an easy task and they work in a cramped office, but they get the job done.
There will be weekly episodic releases for this one, and the series has already premiered in the UK where it was met with very mixed reviews. Its Rotten Tomatoes score is too low to guarantee a spot on our top max shows, but you might have a good time with it. – kg
Star Trek: Section 31 (Paramount plus)
Paramount Plus released its first made Star Trek TV movie; A 100 minute spin-off of galactic proportions that focuses on the Secret Star Fleet Agency called Section 31. Star Trek: Section 31 sees Michelle Yeoh reprising her role as Emperor Philippa Georgiou who we met in the first episode of Star Trek: Discovery Before she eventually became a member of the Special OPS division.
It’s a bit different from your usual Star Trek films, with Yeoh previously describing it as a mix of Assignment: Impossible And Guardians of the Galaxy, Which makes sense with the plot’s merry band of mercenaries finding themselves on a heist to defend the United Federation of Planets from multi-academic threats. This went through a lot of iterations to get here (it would originally be a series), which means that “There was so much more” that was left out, Yeoh’s compatriot Sven Ruygrok told us. Perhaps this is why long-time Trekkies and newcomers have absolutely slammed it, with many labeling it one of the worst projects in the franchise. Ouch! – AS
Harlem Season 3 (Prime Video)
To watch
The third and final season of Harlem is out now. Prime Video’s beloved comedy series is coming to an end, but I’m sure the Amazon TV original will come out on top. You’ll get two episodes each week until the finale on February 6, and I’m sure it will beat the January Blues some of us might be feeling.
The iconic cast of Meagan Good, Grace Byers, Shoniqua Shandaie, Jerrie Johnson, Tyler Lempley and Whoopi Goldberg are all back, with a few surprises and new faces teased for the final episode. We have lots of great comedy recommendations on our top-rated best video shows if you need to fill out the Harlem Shaped hole in your heart, although nothing can compare to how awesome it is. – kg
For more streaming suggestions, read our guides to the best Netflix movies, the best Prime Video movies, the best Disney Plus shows, and the best Hulu movies.
