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 a huge add this week with Washington Black, the 2025 adventure drama series. Based on the acclaimed novel by Esi Edugyan, this tells the life story of George Washington “Wash” Black, played by Eddie Karanja, a boy enslaved on a plantation in Barbados, whose genius attracts the attention of Christopher “Titch” Wilde (Tom Ellis), brother of the plantation owner. As Wash and Titch escape Barbados and slavery in an amazing way, Wash is next pictured as an adult, played by Ernest Kingsley Jr., in Halifax, Nova Scotia, determined to be an inventor, with big dreams. Then, he meets the influential Mr. Goff(Rupert Graves!) and his daughter, Tanna(Iola Evans), and as Wash and Tanna fall in love, their world adventures begin. But the threat of slavery never completely disappears. Miles Yekinni, Ernest Kingsley Junior, Jamie Hector and Sterling K. Brown(!) also star, and there are 8 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes and Caroline Siede of The Daily Beast calls it a “confident series that manages to be old-fashioned and modern all at once—clear-eyed about historical truths but also full of whimsical dreams that transcend their time.” And I’m so tuning in. Hulu also offers Red Eye, a 2024 British thriller series. This takes place on an all-night flight from London to Beijing, with Detective Hana Li(Jing Lusi) heading to Beijing with Dr. Matthew Nolan(Richard Armitage), accused of murder. While Nolan vehemently denies the charge, there’s trouble on their flight to Beijing, with another passenger falling ill, after eating a meal intended for Nolan. And so Detective Hana begins to suspect a conspiracy, with the body count increasing. Lesley Sharp(!), Jemma Moore and Dan Li also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series was nominated for Best New Drama at the National Television Awards, UK, and the TV Times Awards. And it gets a 7.1/10 on IMDb, and the Radio Times called it “unmissable TV...” adding “with its blend of suspense, action, and drama, set against the backdrop of an international conspiracy, Red Eye promises to be an unforgettable television experience.” And I love a mystery, so I’m watching. Hulu has also added A Nice Indian Boy, a 2024 romcom. Karan Soni plays the title character here, Naveen Gavaskar, a nice Indian young man, whose gayness is tolerable to his parents, so long as he doesn’t mention it too much. But then he meets Jay(Jonathan Groff), a photographer who sweeps him off his feet. And when Naveen dares to brings his boyfriend home to meet the parents, Megha (Zarna Garg) and Archit(Harish Patel), he has tons of rules for Jay on what can and cannot be said, or done. And as they tiptoe through this minefield toward their wedding, Jay bristles at Naveen’s timidity, and so their union may not come to pass. Sunita Mani, Peter S. Kim and Sas Goldberg also star, and Roshan Sethi directed. And this movie was nominated for multiple awards in 2024-25, and went on to win The Sherzum Award at the 2024 Hamptons International Film Festival, and the Best Narrative Feature award at the 2024 Tasveer Film Festival. And it gets an amazing 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, and a 7.4/10 on IMDb. And Chris Azzopardi of the New York Times said “in this vibrant addition to cinema’s romantic landscape, love isn’t the only winner: cultural understanding and the freedom to choose your own path triumph as well.” And I’m definitely watching. And, finally, Hulu has added The Nice Guy, a 2025 K-drama series. Lee Dong-wook stars as Seok-cheol, here, the title nice guy, born into a gangster family, who subsumes his desire to be a poet, until one fateful night, when he announces he’s leaving the gang. But he is given one last task, and as he tries to wrest himself free from his violent heritage, the woman he loves, Mi-yeong(Lee Sung-kyung) wants merely to survive violence and pay her bills. As their paths cross again, they may be able to save each other and their romance, too. Park Hoon, Ryu Hye-young, Oh Na-ra, and Cheon Ho-jin also star, and 2 episodes are available now, with 12 more to come. And this series gets an astounding 8.8/10 on IMDb, and Shabnam Jahan of K-Waves and Beyond says it ” is stunning, with the dark underground high contrast to the soft, nostalgic scenes.” So I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
The buzziest add on Netflix this week must be Happy Gilmore 2, the 2025 comedy sequel. In this cobbled-together story, Adam Sandler returns as Happy Gilmore, the retired golfer, who returns to the game, after losing his wife Virginia (Julie Bowen) in a freak accident, as he needs money for his daughter’s education. But then, he’s sentenced to a treatment facility after crashing his golf cart after a drunken binge, and finds Hal(Ben Stiller) is his counselor. But then he returns to golfing, to show up an old enemy, and maybe, get a shot at redemption. Margaret Qualley, Bad Bunny , Travis Kelce and Haley Joel Osment also star, and Kyle Newacheck directs. And it gets only a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Nick Shager of the Daily Beast say it “may be the worst sequel of all time.” And I definitely won’t be watching. But Netflix has also The Hunting Wives, a 2025 mystery series. Brittany Snow stars, here, as Sophie, who moves to East Texas from Cambridge, Mass, leaving her job in politics, just to be a dutiful wife to her husband Graham (Evan Jonigkeit), and finds it hard to adjust. to make matters worse, Graham works for the rich oil baron, Jed((Dermot Mulroney!), who has great political ambitions. But then she’s drawn into the orbit of Jed’s wife, Margo (Malin Akerman), and her friends at the Hunting Club. But when Jed starts making advances at Sophie, and then a murder occurs, and Sophie‘s life becomes all too exciting. Jaime Ray Newman, Evan Jonigkeit, George Ferrier and Katie Lowes also star, and there are episodes available now. And this series gets an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Esther Zuckerman of the New York Times calls it “soapy, sultry fun,” that’s “deliciously and audaciously not safe for work.” So it’s on my list. Netflix also offers A Normal Woman, a 2025 Indonesian mystery. Here, a young housewife, Milla (Marissa Anita), finds herself pressured by the rich family, especially her mother-in-law , to get plastic surgery. As she develops an awful skin rash, her husband Jonathan (Dion Wiyoko), and his family question her doubts. But Milla cannot remember her own childhood, so as she seeks the cause of her illness, she cannot help but wonder if there is some connection between her disapproving in-laws and her malady. Widyawati, Mima Shafa and Gisella Anastasia also star, and Lucky Kuswandi directed. And it gets a 5/10 on IMDb, but Archi Sengupta of LeisureByte.com calls it “a riveting watch that showcases the internal turmoil of losing yourself among others extremely well.” So I’m watching. Netflix has added Mandala Murders, a 2025 Hindu-language thriller series. This begins with ritualistic murders taking place in the small town of Charandaspur, and so CID officer Rea Thomas (Vaani Kapoor) is sent to investigate. She is aided there, by police officer Vikram Singh (Vaibhav Raj Gupta), and together, they find that the killings may be sacrifices related to a mandala cult in the area. And that there may be supernatural forces involved, that will bring more deaths to the small town. Sammy Jonas Heaney, Surveen Chawla, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Surveen Chawla also star, and there are 8 episodes available now . And though this series gets a 5.7/10 on IMDb, it also gets great reviews, like that of Lachmi Deb Roy of First Post, who says “every character of the show is well-written, layered, and nuanced. Binge-watch it or just watch it at one go, the way I did, but don’t give it a miss.” And I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has added Trigger, a 2025 K-drama thriller series. This takes place in a dystopian South Korea, where military grade guns have suddenly become readily available, with shootings rising immediately. So when police officer Lee Do (Kim Nam-gil) notices that trend, he tries to ferret out the source of those weapons, with the aid of his young partner Jeon Won-seong (Lee Suk), and a stranger called Moon Baek (Kim Young-kwang). But as they close in on the source of the weapons, the violence increases, so the pressure is on the trio to stop the madness. Kim Won-hae and Park Hoon also star, and there are 10 episodes available now. And this series gets a 6.9/10 on IMDb, and Karina “ScreamQueen” Adelgaard of Heaven of Horror calls it ” well-made and interesting all the way through.” And I’m definitely watching.
AMAZON
Amazon has one big add this week- Wicked, the 2024 award winning musical. This focuses on Elphaba(Cynthia Erivo!), aka the Wicked Witch of the West, and Glinda(Ariana Grande), a.k.a., the Good Witch, as Glinda tells their story. The pair meets at Shiz University, the preeminent college of magic in the Land of Oz, as they were forced to be roommates. But they slowly warm to each other, even as Elphaba is ostracized by the other students, for her differences. Finally, the instructor Madame Morrible(Michelle Yeoh) recognizes Elphaba‘s talents, and the young witch powers bloom. And their friendship takes off too, just as Elphaba reaches the heights fo her magical powers. Peter Dinklage(!), Jonathan Bailey and Marissa Bode also star, and Jon M. Chu(!) directed. And this movie was nominated for tons of awards last year, and won many, including 2025 Winner Oscar for Best Achievement in Production Design, and won the Spotlight Award for Grande and Erivo, Best Director for Chu, and Best Film at the National Board of Review awards. And it gets a sparkling 7.4/10 on IMDb, and Peter Travers of ABC News said “how do I love the film of the hit stage musical, let me count the ways, starting with the way Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande set the screen ablaze as frenemy witches and sets, costumes and songs to die for. Seeing this joyous eruption once is not enough.” So I’m tuning in. Amazon also has Season 1 of Bordertown, a 2023 Finnish Nordic Noir series. This finds Kari Sorjonen(Ville Virtanen) just arriving in Lappeenranta, to take his new job as Police Chief, and find some peace and quiet. Unfortunately, the body of a young girl is found soon after his arrival, and worse still, a serial killer is suspected to be the perpetrator. Oh, and that killer might just be related to Kari‘s own family. Anu Sinisalo, Lenita Susi and Matleena Kuusniemi also star , and there are 11 episodes available for streaming now. And this series won 3 awards in 2017, at the Kultainen Venla awards, including Best Actor for Virtanen, Best Actress for Anu Sinisalo, and Best Drama Program. And it gets a whopping 7.4/10 on IMDb, and Paul Levinson of Blog Spot said it’s “highly recommended, especially in the summer, when the snow and ice of Finland look refreshing on the screen, whatever the seething criminality being enacted upon it.” So I’m tuning in. But remember to watch before August 1, when the series reverts back to MHz Choice, only to be seen for a premium price. And, finally, Amazon has added Revolver, a 2024 K-drama revenge thriller. This considers the quandary of Ha Suu-young(Jeon Do-yeon), a cop who served two years in prison for corruption, covering for her fellow officers. But when she is released, and expects the reward promised her by the others involved, including a ritzy apartment, she gets nothing. And she wants revenge. Lim Ji-yeon, Ji Chang-wook and Kim Hye–Eun also star, while Oh Seung-uk directed. And this movie was nominated for multiple awards in 2025, including five nominations — Best Picture, Director, Actress, Supporting Actress, and Screenplay — at the 2025 Baeksang Arts Awards. And Matt Mahler of Movie Web called it “one of the best revenge thrillers since Oldboy,” so though it gets a 5.5/10 on IMDb, I’m watching.
So sit back and binge this weekend, on classics, old and new, on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime. Enjoy!
Grownups Guide to Streaming 