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 big title added this week with The Lowdown, the 2025 FX action drama series. This takes place in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where a self-described ‘truthstorian’ and bookstore owner Lee Raybon(Ethan Hawke!)lives, intent on solving injustice in Tulsa, past and present. So when the death of Dale Washberg (Tim Blake Nelson!), the son of the powerful Tulsa family, is ruled suicide, Lee doesn’t buy it, and begins to dig deeper. Especially since Dale’s brother Donald (Kyle MacLachlan) is running for governor, and has an exceptional interest in Dale‘s widow. But Lee finds more trouble than he had bargained for, that may not only threaten his own life, but that of his daughter, too. Keith David plays Lee’s best friend Marty, and Jeanne Tripplehorn(!), Tracy Letts, Scott Shepherd, Tina Parker and Abbie Cobbs also star, and there are 2 episodes available for streaming now, with more to come. And this series, written and directed by Sterlin Harjo(Reservation Dogs!), gets an incredible 97% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Nandini Balial of RogerEbert.com says it’s “a raucous stylistic marriage between the Coen Brothers’ filmography and P.T. Anderson’s Inherent Vice.….one of 2025’s best new series.” So I’m definitely tuning in. But Hulu also offers The Surfer, the 2024 Australian psychological thriller starring Nicolas Cage. Cage stars as the unnamed Surfer, here, who returns to his favorite beac,h Luna Bay, in Australia, with his unnamed son(Finn Little). He plans to show him his father’s old house, which he hopes to buy soon, but the pair are refused access to the beach by some surfing bums led by a guy named Scally. As life goes increasingly wrong for the surfer, with problems raining down on him from his ex-wife, and his real estate agent, the surfer obsesses about the surfer gang. As his life unravels, the gang steals the surfer’s surfboard, and then his car, and as the surfer seeks revenge, with violence sure to follow. Julian McMahon, Nic Cassim, Miranda Tapsell, and Alexander Bertrand also star, while Lorcan Finnegan directed. And it gets an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Peter Sobczynski of RogerEbert.com said it’s a “strange and not entirely successful cinematic freak-out that has its moments thanks to another unique turn from Cage.” but it’s too violent for me, so I’m not tuning in. Hulu also offers The Man In My Basement, a 2025 thriller. Based on Walter Mosley’s novel of the same name, this finds Charles Blakey(Corey Hawkins!), an eighth-generation resident of Sag Harbor, short on money and in debt. As he looks to sell some household items, a strange man, Anniston Bennet(Willem Dafoe!) appears at his doorstep, offering to rent his basement, for a huge sum. But Anniston is stranger than Charles realized, and soon, their relationship becomes bizarrely twisted. And Charles begins to wonder if he can ever escape it. Anna Diop, Brian Bovell and Pamela Nomvete also star and Nadia Latif directed. And though it gets only a 43% on Rotten Tomatoes, Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian said “the story feels like a supernatural horror or a ghost story, and yet doesn’t conform to either… It’s an eerie, disquieting experience.” You decide. And, finally, Hulu has added The Murky Stream, a 2025 Disney+ K-drama historical drama series. This takes place at the end of the Joseon period, and weaves the stories of three people as they try to survive, at the Mapo port on the Han River. Choi Eun (Shin Ye-eun) is an ethical merchant’s daughter, trying to get respect in a male-dominated world, while Jang Si-yool(Rowoon) lives a gangster, leaving his past behind him. And Jeong-cheon(Park Seo-ham) is an honest police officer, trying to keep order and honor in a dishonest and corrupt world. Park Ji-hwan, Jeon Bae-soo and Choi Gwi-hwa also star, and there are 3 episodes available now. And this series gets an outstanding 9.3/10 on IMDb, so , though I can find no online reviews, as yet, I’m tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has two big adds this week, the first of which is Wayward, the 2025 Canadian thriller series. This begins with two teens, Abbie (Sydney Topliffe), and her bestie, Leila (Alyvia Alyn Lind), navigate life and stay in school, after a death in her family unmoors Leila. But when Abbie’s father gets fed up with her behavior, he sends her to Tall Pines, a teen correctional center in Vermont. And though Twin Pines is bathed in sunlight and good PR, and run by the ever-smiling Evelyn Wade(Toni Collette!), Leila is suspicious. And so she tracks the facility down, intent on breaking her friend out, but a new cop in the area, Alex (Mae Martin), also grows suspicious. And as the behavior of his wife, Laura (Sarah Gadon), a graduate of Tall Pines becomes more and more strange, Alex begins to fear something ominous is happening at the center. Brandon Jay McLaren, Feaven Abera and Isolde Ardies also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And it gets a 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Kristy Puchko of Mashable says “don’t hit play on Wayward unless you’re ready to surrender yourself to 8 hours of this sensational series. Like the town at its center, it’s hard to walk away from.” And I agree, this is a gripping thriller, so plan on being absorbed. But Netflix has also added House of Guinness, a 2025 British historical drama series. this begins in 1868, Dublin, with the death of the Guinness family patriarch, Benjamin Lee Guinness. And what follows is a battle for power, after the will is read, leaving power over the ale empire to both his eldest son, Arthur(Anthony Boyle), and youngest, Edward(Louis Partridge). So, as all 4 children feel slighted, with Anne(Emily Fairn) and Ben(Fionn O’Shea) especially shorted by the will, the battle for power begins, against the background of Ireland’s fight for independence from Britain. Niamh McCormack, Dervla Kirwan and Danielle Galligan also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets an 87% on Rotten Tomatoes, and an astonishing 7.4/10 on IMDb. And David Bianculli of NPR says it’s “full of intense confrontations and unexpected complications — and anyone who enjoyed Peaky Blinders, or Succession, or The Gilded Age, should find House of Guinness very satisfying to watch.” So I’m watching. Netflix also offers Àngela, a 2025 Spanish thriller series. Verónica Sánchez plays Ángela , a married woman in the coastal town of Mungia, Spain, who lives the supposedly good life with her architect husband, Gonzalo (Daniel Grao). But that veneer of the good life is cracking as Gonzalo is abusive, and Ángela was driven to report him to the authorities. But Gonzalo is angry and resentful, and Ángela feels more and more threatened . So she is happy when Edu(Jaime Zatarain) comes into her life, delivering flowers, and recognizing her from high school. But Edu has secrets of his own, that may be more dangerous for Ángela than her abusive husband. Iván Marcos, Ane Gabarain and María Isabel Díaz Lago also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets a 6.5/10 on and Ben Carter of Gazettely calls it a “masterclass in psychological suspense.” So I’m definitely tuning in. Netflix has also added The Guest, a 2025 Colombian mystery drama series. Here, Silvia (Laura Londoño) and Lorenzo (Jason Day) retreat to their country estate, to repair their hurting marriage, when Sonia (Carmen Villalobos) comes to visit. While Lorenzo isn’t pleased, their daughter Isa (Kami Zea) is also causing the couple plenty of grief. But Sonia has sinister reasons for coming to stay, that may end up being deadly. Victor Mallarino, Juan Fernando Sánchez and Margarita Muñoz also star, and there are 20(!) episodes available now. And this soapy series gets a 6/10 on IMDb, and Joel Keller of the Decider says to stream it, adding “while we get the feeling that The Guest is going to get pretty absurd as its long season plays out, we admire that it puts its narrative cards on the table right away and doesn’t try to make itself into something different than what it is.” And it’s fun. But you decide. And, finally, Netflix has added After School Doctor, a 2024 Japanese dramedy series. this finds pediatrician Makino Shun (Matsushita Kouhei) assigned to work at an elementary school, to improve his people skills, while the school nurse is out on pregnancy leave. Makino’s sullen manner doesn’t endear him to anyone, but his medical prowess does end up catching some diseases that otherwise might not be caught. And the doctor might just learn how to be a better person, while helping the children and teachers, at the school. Morikawa Aoi, Saito Jun and Saitô Momoka also star, and there are 10 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets a whopping 7.9/10 on IMDb, and Karen of the Blossom Review calls it “gentle, sincere, and heartfelt, After School Doctor is not only entertaining but profoundly moving.” So I’m tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon‘s big add this week is Hotel Costiera, a 2025 action series. Jesse Williams(Grey’s Anatomy) stars as ex-marine Daniel De Luca, a concierge/fixer at the Hotel Villa Costiera on the Amalfi Coast, at the beck and call of hotel owner, Augusto(Tommaso Ragno). So Daniel spends his time finding a guest’s missing dog, jewelry, or even Augusto‘s missing daughter, Alice (Amanda Campana). Of course he has help from friends and associates, like Bigné (Antonio Gerardi) and Genny (Jordan Alexandra). Alejandra Onieva, Pierpaolo Spollon and Chloe Hirschman also star, and there are 6 episodes available now. And this series gets a respectable 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Sherin Nicole of RogerEbert.com says “with the weather turning chilly, ‘Hotel Costiera‘ is a sunny reason to gather around the streaming app, pour out a fruity beverage, and relax to a show that comes very close to a beach read.” And I agree, so I’m tuning in. But Amazon has also added Novocaine, the 2025 thriller. Here, Nate(Jack Quaid), the shy assistant general manager at the bank who has a genetic disorder that makes it impossible for him to feel pain, lives a quiet life, managing his condition with blended food and safety precautions. But that all changes when bank teller Sherry (Amber Midthunder),finally looks his way. Under Sherry’s influence, he finally tastes whole food, and does dangerous things he never dared before. But then, Sherry is kidnapped by would-be bank robbers, and Nate finds he can put his disorder to his advantage, to catch the bad guys, and save the girl of his dreams . Betty Gabriel, Jacob Batalon and Ray Nicholson also star, and Dan Berk and Robert Olsen co-direct. And this movie gets an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Peyton Robinson of RogerEbert.com said “Berk and Olsen accomplish a formidable action-comedy, one that puts their horror roots in neon lights and sense of humor on equal display.” And I’m tuning in. And finally, Amazon has Rebecka Martinsson, a 2017 Swedish mystery series. This finds attorney Rebecka Martinsson(Ida Engvoll) reluctantly leaving Stockholm for her home town, Kiruna, near the Arctic Circle, when she hears an old friend has died. But when she arrives , she learns her friend’s death was not an accident, but was murder. So she begins to search for what happened, even if she has to dig into a painful past she tried to leave behind. Ardalan Esmaili, Jakob Öhrman and Gunilla Röör also star, and there are 2 seasons, with 16 episodes total, available now, . And this series was nominated for Best Actress for Engvoll, and Best Television Drama at the 2017 Kristallen awards, and gets a 7.1/10 on IMDb. And Richard Marcus of Blog Critic says “dark and mysterious it might show you things you’d prefer not to see, but its still one of the finer pieces of television I’ve watched in a while.” So 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 