Yes, it’s that time again, the weekend, and time to review the best new movies and television shows added online this week, to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. And there are some exciting new adds this week, so let’s get started.
HULU
Hulu has one big title added this week, with The Actor, the 2025 mystery drama. Based on the book Memory, by Donald E. Westlake(!), this finds New York actor Paul Cole (André Holland!) stranded in a small unknown town in 1950’s Ohio, without a clue to who he is. As he struggles to orient himself, and get back home to New York City, he gets a job at a tannery to survive. And as time goes by, he gains pieces of his memory, but also falls under the spell of Edna(Gemma Chan), who he meets in a movie theater. But when he regains his memory in New York City, will he like the man he was? Toby Jones, Tracey Ullman, May Calamawy, Asim Chaudhry, and Olwen Fouéré also star, while Duke Johnson directs. And this movie gets a 79% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com called it “an undeniably haunting piece of work, a story that’s out of place and time in a world that’s like our own but not quite. Rod Serling would have dug it.” so I’m tuning in. Hulu has also added Riff Raff, a 2024 comedy. This finds Vincent (Ed Harris!) hiding out in the woods, after having retired from being a hit man, living with his wife, Sandy (Gabrielle Union), and son. But his old life is catching up with him, with his ex, Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge), and her son , looking for him. And since a pair of hitmen, Hannigan and Lonnie (Bill Murray and Pete Davidson, respectively), are after Ruth, the whole crew ends up at Vincent‘s cabin, putting everyone’s life at risk. Lewis Pullman, Miles J. Harvey and Emanuela Postacchini also star, while Dito Montiel directed. And this movie gets a 56% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Tim Cogshell of FilmWeek said it’s “insanely violent in ways that are cringeworthy and not funny.” So you know I’m not watching. Hulu also offers Tourist Family, a 2025 Hindi comedy. Here, a family from Sri Lanka is forced to flee and find refuge in India. As Dharmadas (M. Sasikumar), his wife Vasanthi (Simran) and their two sons find a home to rent in Chennai, they find mixing in is a bit difficult. Neighbors immediately notice Dharmadas’ strong accent, and realize they are Sri Lankan. But the whole family invests in kindness and good acts, that keeps the family afloat, and might just win their new neighbors over. Sreeja Ravi, Bagavathi Perumal and Kamalesh also star, and Abhishan Jeevinth directed. And this movie gets a whopping 8.3/10 on IMDb, and Santanu Das of the Hindustan Times said “in Abhishan Jeevinth’s perceptive vision, kindness is no less than a superpower. The film marks the arrival of a major cinematic voice in Jeevinth, one rooted in hope and optimism.” And, finally, Hulu has Hamilton, the 2020 musical drama from Disney+. This recreates the legendary Broadway play by Lin-Manuel Miranda’ tells of Alexander Hamilton ( Miranda), and the American Revolution and Hamilton’s publication of the salacious Reynolds pamphlet. That leads to all kinds of trouble, but ending, of course, in Hamilton’s duel with Aaron Burr (Leslie Odom, Jr.!), that ends with Hamilton’s death. But in the mean time, there’s the storied characters of Jefferson, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Hamilton‘s wife Eliza(Phillipa Soo). Oh, and the birth of the United States of America. Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, and Daveed Diggs also star, and Thomas Kail directed. And this movie gets an astounding 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Odie Henderson ofRogerEbert.com said “‘it’s said that live theater is like catching lightning in a bottle in that every night is different and can never be repeated. It’s nice to have a bit of that lightning at your disposal courtesy of this movie.” And I couldn’t agree more, so I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix, again, has very few new titles added at all, but they do have Mr. Robot, the 2016-2020 thriller series. Rami Malek stars as Elliot, here, a withdrawn cybersecurity engineer by day, who is a cyber vigilante by night, working to take down the very corporation he works for. But by doing so, he draws the attentions of Mr. Robot, a hacking group, and it’s leader,(Christian Slater). but Mr. Robot want’s not only to destroy the corporation, but also much about America, itself, and Eliot finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Carly Chaikin, Martin Wallström and Portia Doubleday also star, and there are 4 seasons now available, with 45 episodes, in all for viewing. And this series has won multiple awards, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for Malek at the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards and Best Television Series at the 2016 Golden Globes. And it gets an impressive 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, an 8.5/10 on IMDb. And Richard Vine of the Guardian calls it “perfect binge-watch material: turn it on and on again.” So I’m watching. Netflix has also added The Royals, a 2022 British soapy drama series. This focuses on Queen Helena(Elizabeth Hurley!) who tries to hold the family together as they reign over England. But King Simon(Vincent Regan) is concerned more than ever that their dynasty won’t last, after the death of his heir Robert. And with the younger brother Liam(William Moseley) now in line for the throne, he must clean up his act, while learning the ropes of leading a country. But really, this storyline is just a pretext for all the scheming, back-stabbing and sex that fill this show. Joan Collins, Jake Maskall, Tom Austen and Alexandra Park also star, and there are 40 episodes available for streaming now. And this steamy drama gets a 7.3/10 on IMDb, but only a 31% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Tim Goodman of the The Hollywood Reporter said “even on a campy soap opera, viewers need to be invested in and care about the characters. That’s extremely hard to do here, since no one behaves like an actual human being.” You decide. Netflix also offers A Hundred Flowers, a 2022 Japanese drama. Here, Izumi(Masaki Suda) is faced with a dilemma, when his mother Yuriko’s (Mieko Harada) dementia worsens, and her well-being is threatened. For their relationship is fraught with difficulty and bad experiences, with one in particular haunting Izumi. But as he cares for his mother, his own memory is changed, by reliving it with his mother. And their relationship might be saved by experiencing this awful disease. Masami Nagasawa, Masatoshi Nagase and Yuka Itaya also star, and directs. and this movie won the Best Director Silver Shell Award at the 2022 San Sebastián International Film Festival, and gets an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes. And Antonio Trashorras of Fotogramas said “with an indisputable clean look and tidy narrative, A Hundred Flowers offers an universal message that’s impossible to reject if one is familiar with human frailty…” So I’m watching. Netflix has also added Rana Naidu, a 2025 Indian action series. Rana Daggubati plays the title character Rana Naidu, a fixer for the rich and famous of Bombay. But when his father, Naga(Venkatesh Daggubati), is released from prison, Rana has to deal not only with the bitterness and hatred he feels toward him, but also the family secrets and rivalry that bubble to the surface with his reappearance. Surveen Chawla, Ashish Vidyarthi and Rajni Basumatary also star, and there are 2 seasons, with 18 episodes in all, available for streaming now. And Rana Daggubati won Best Actor in a Series at the 2024 Indian Telly Streaming Awards for his work here, and this series gets a 7.1/10 on IMDb. And Sam of Aarcflick calls it “definitely worth checking out.” So I’m tuning in. And, finally, Netflix has also added Is Love Sustainable?, a 2025 Japanese romantic drama series. Here, yoga instructor Kyoka(Juri Ueno), moves back in with her father, Rintaro(Yutaka Matsushige), after the death of her mom. But Rintaro is shocked out his depression when he finds divorce papers among his wife’s things, realizing she intended to leave him. And so he enrolls Kyoka and himself in a dating app, intent upon marriage for the both of them. But Kyoka isn’t so sure, even after she meets meets Seita(Kei Tanaka), a single dad, who seems to be the perfect partner. Ayame Misaki, Yuriyan Retriever and Haruka Igawa also star, and there are 10 episodes available now. and this series gets a 6.6/10 on IMDb and Anjali Sharma of the Midgard Times calls it “quirky dive into family, love, and matchmaking mishaps.” So I’m tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has a big title added with Heads of State, a 2025 action comedy. Here,UK Prime Minister Sam Clarke (Idris Elba) and US President (and former action movie star) Will Derringer (John Cena)find themselves under fire, while heading to a NATO Summit. As the two have a frayed relationship, since Clarke supported Derringer’s opponent in the elections, they have to find a way to work together to evade the assassins. Luckily, Noel, a brilliant MI6 agent (Priyanka Chopra Jonas) shows up, to single-handedly to fight off a particularly brutal assault. But the three still have to survive the onslaught of violence, and save the British-American alliance. Paddy Considine(!), Carla Gugino and Stephen Root(!) also star, and Ilya Naishuller directs. And this movie gets a 6.5/10 on IMDb, and Olly Richards of Empire Magazine says a “really good, dumb comedy can be a joyous thing, and this is a really good, dumb comedy.” So it’s worth a shot. Amazon also offers Season 1 of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, the 2022 sci-fi series. This prequel revisits the classic characters of the original Star Trek series, Captain Pike(Anson Mount), and Science Officer Spock(Ethan Peck) serving on the U.S.S. Enterprise. Uhura(Celia Rose Gooding) returns, as does Nurse Chapel(Jess Bush), and several other characters you will recognize. And together, they seek out new life and new civilizations, in a galaxy before Captain Kirk, but replete with adventure, alien planets, and the Romulans, too. Rebecca Romijn, Melissa Navia and Christina Chong also star, and there are 10 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series has been nominated for multiple awards, and went on to win Best Streaming Science Fiction Series at the 2022 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films. And it gets an astounding 99% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 8.3/10 on IMDb. And Melanie McFarland of Salon.com said “Pike is the Starship captain Trekkies have been missing, and Strange New Worlds is a welcome return to the Star Trek they know and love.” So I’m definitely watching. And, finally, Amazon has Chantal, a 2025 Belgian dramedy/mystery series. This finds Inspector Chantal Vantomme(Maaike Cafmeyer), moving to Loveringem, in Flanders, to head the police division, while looking for a quieter life, with more time to study for her Commander exams. But, the people there resent a female cop, especially Rik “the Sheriff” Cloedt (Dries Heyneman), who assumed he would get her position. But the entrenched sexism in the rural area doesn’t prevent crimes from taking place, however strange they might be. And while there are cases of graffiti and other misdemeanors, there are also missing persons, and you guessed it , murder. Anna-Marie Missoul, Mathias Sercu and Zouzou Ben Chikha also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And Maaike Cafmeyer won Best Leading Performance at the 2025 Film Festival Oostende, for her work, here, and this series gets a whopping 7.6/10 on IMDb. And Mark Glass of We are Movie Geeks calls it a “charming intro to our side of the Atlantic.” And i am so tuning in.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 