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‘s big add this week has to be Murdaugh: Death In The Family, a 2025 drama series. This is a fictionalized series about the well known murders involving the powerful Murdaugh family of South Carolina. Patricia Arquette(!) plays Maggie Murdaugh, the matriarch of the family, relied upon to fix the messes of her husband Alex( Jason Clarke). And Alex has many messes, including drug addiction and covering up a death, for which his son is responsible. But with time, the troubles and lies snowball, and soon, there are more murders in store. Patch Darragh, Andrea Powell and Johnny Berchtold also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets a 7/10 and Aramide Tinubu of Variety calls it “an engaging portrait of greed, cruelty and arrogance. The eight-episode series encapsulates what is so compelling about this particular family and why, ultimately, they self-immolated.” And I’m watching. Hulu also offers 40 Acres, a 2024 Canadian sci-fi dystopian thriller. This takes place on Earth years after a fungal pandemic wreaked havoc on the planet, destroying livestock and most animals, where Hailey Freeman(Danielle Deadwyler!) runs her farm with her partner, Galen (Michael Greyeyes) and their four kids. Already living in a highly guarded situation, with the children patrolling the land, Hailey learns on the CB that cannibals have attacked several nearby farms. And so, she prepares for attack, trusting no one, while one of her kids takes in a wounded girl in need of help. Kataem O’Connor, Milcania Diaz-Rojas and Leenah Robinson also star, and R.T. Thorne directed. And this movie gets an 89% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Robert Daniels of the New York Times said “there’s a tense beauty to 40 Acres. Deadwyler’s forceful energy fills the frame; through her rigid stature and her cleareyed speech, she lends power and humor to this lovingly stern mother.” But you know it’s too scary for me. Luckily, Hulu has also added The Balloonist, a 2025 Disney+ Dutch drama. This takes place on the farm of single mother Gaby Raaymakers (Sally Harmsen),where she raises heritage chickens and takes care of her son Kuif, and her mother Mientje(Frieda Pittoors), recovering from a brain injury. But then an arrogant balloonist, Arnaud(Pieter Embrechts), crashes into her chicken coop, disrupting her business and her well-ordered(if imperfect) life. And suddenly Gaby is forced to contend with the realities of her life, like her troubled son, and the new man who destroyed her business. Beau Minnaert, René Groothof and Nazanin Taheri also star, while Tim Oliehoek directs. And this movie was nominated for 3 Golden Calf awards in 2024, and so, though it gets but a 5.8/10 on IMDb, I’m watching. And Leen Megens of Film Totaal called it “a successful story about overcoming trauma,” So I’m tuning in. And, finally, Hulu has To Cook a Bear, a 2025 Disney+ Swedish mystery series. This takes place in 1852, with a new pastor(Gustaf Skarsgård), and his family moving to Kengis, in Northern Sweden, where his puritanical preaching is not exactly popular, and his views on social justice rankle with the town’s elite. And when a maid, Hilda (Eleonoora Kauhanen), goes missing, the townspeople are convinced a man-eating bear is responsible, but the Pastor and his adopted son, Jussi (Emil Karlsen), are convinced the culprit is a human, living among them. And the battle between the two sides is set, as the murders continue. Ane Dahl Torp, Pernilla August and Simon J. Berger also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. and this series gets an impressive 7/10 on IMDb, and Mary Munoz of Nordic Watch calls it “a must watch dark thriller…a story that is truly engrossing as it unravels, making attempts to resist the temptation to stick on another episode utterly futile.” So I’m definitely tuning in.
NETFLIX
Netflix has few big titles added this week, but they do have Romantics Anonymous, a 2025 Japanese romcom series. This tells the story of talented chocolatier Hana Lee(Han Hyo-joo), who is painfully shy, managing her business even though she can’t look people in the eye. But then she meets Sosuke Fujiwara (Oguri Shun), who shares Hana‘s love of chocolate, but who also has anxieties of his own. Somehow when they’re together, though, they can escape their difficulties, if only temporarily. But will Sosuke‘s corporate position at the giant Futago Confectionary corporation threaten Hana’s business, and their relationship? Yuri Nakamura, Ryo Narita, Ayumi Ito, Shima Ise and Koya Fukuda also star, and there are 8 episodes available now. And this series gets an astounding 8.2/10 on IMDb, and Archi Sengupta of Leisure Byte says it “will leave you charmed and smiling till the end.” So I’m watching. Netflix also offers No One Saw Us Leave, a 2025 Mexican drama series. Based on a true story , this tells of Valeria Goldberg (Tessa Ía), who returns home 1960′s Mexico City, after a trip , only to find her husband has absconded with their two children. As Valeria tries to find out what is going on, she hires an ex-Mossad agent turned detective Elías (Ari Brickman), but finds her husband Leo Saltzman (Emiliano Zurita) was urged to kidnap the children by his powerful (and rich) father, Samuel (Juan Manuel Bernal).And so Valeria begins her long chase to find her children, traversing Europe and even South Africa, in an effort to reunite with them, permanently. Alexander Varela, Marion Siro and Gustavo Bassani also star, and there are 5 episodes available now. And it gets a 6/10 on IMDb, and Giovana Gelhoren of Collider says “blends romance, heartwarming family moments, as well as a historical setting that gives viewers a peak into Mexico in the 1960s…one of Netflix‘s most unsettling thrillers yet…” And I’m tuning in. Netflix has also added Bad Shabbos, a 2025 comedy. This finds the newly engaged (Jewish) David (Jon Bass) and (Catholic) Meg (Meghan Leathers) hosting a sabbath dinner, to introduce their parents for the first time. And while David’s mom Ellen (Kyra Sedgwick) already disapproves of the match, a horrible practical joke by Adam (Theo Taplitz) drives the dinner off the rails, and only emergency efforts can save it from disaster. Milana Vayntrub, Catherine Curtin and Cliff “Method Man” Smith also star, and Daniel Robbins directs. This movie premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival where it won the Audience Award, and it also won Grand Jury Award for Best Feature at the 2024 Cordillera International Film Festival. And it gets an 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Alissa Simon of Variety said a “strong ensemble cast nails the tasty dialogue and increasingly frantic action without falling into shtick.” And I am so watching. Also new on Netflix is She Walks in Darkness, a 2025 Spanish thriller. Here, Amaia(Susana Abaitua), a young agent in the Guardia Civil in the 1990‘s, who goes undercover to infiltrate the notorious ETA, a Basque separatist group. Asked to find the ETA’s stockpile of weaponry, and so Amaia assumes her role in the group, under the supervision of the suspicious Begoña(Iraia Elias). But as the years grind on, Amaia becomes more and more uncomfortable with her position, with her own identity becoming subsumed by her role. And she finds herself desperate to escape her new identity. Ariadna Gil, Raúl Arévalo and Susana Abaitua also star, while Díaz Yanes directs. And this movie gets a 6.7/10 on IMDb, and Andrea G. Bermejo of Cinemanía (Spain)says “Díaz Yanes elegantly and subtly portrays the police fight against ETA.” And I’m definitely watching. And finally, Netflix has Good News, a 2025 K-drama satirical comedy. Based on a real incident, this takes place in 1970, with a Japanese airplane full of passengers, suddenly hijacked, by communists wanting to go to North Korea. But at the time, Japan and North Korea had no agreement on how to deal with a hijacking, and so begin the problems for the hijackers. Soon, the shadowy Mr. ‘Nobody'(Sul Kyung-gu) is brought in to solve the dilemma, while the military from Japan, South Korea, and the U.S. try to transmit a plan to the pilots. But, uh, the hijackers can hear the radio transmission from the cockpit. So this comedy of errors continues. Hong Kyung, Ryu Seung-beom also star, and Byun Sung-hyun directs. And this movie gets a stunning 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Archi Sengupta of LeisureByte.com call it “a hilariously unhinged yet tense watch that will leave anyone on edge.” And I am definitely tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has one title added this week, The Ballad of Wallis Island, a 2025 British musical dramedy. Here, an eccentric lottery winner Charles (Tim Key), who lives alone on a remote island, decides to make his dreams come true, by reuniting his favorite folk duo, McGwyer Mortimer . So he invites the pair, Herb McGwyer (Tom Basden) and Nell Mortimer(Carey Mulligan!), to his private island. But immediately, real problems arise, and old antagonisms reawaken. And the chances of a reunion seem to dim, with the possibility of all of Charles‘ plans running aground. Steve Marsh, Sian Clifford and Akemnji Ndifornyen also star, while James Griffiths directs. this movie premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival , and gets a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Bob Mondello of NPR called it “at once an odd-couple bromance, a quite respectable musical outing, and a nostalgic look at the memories we all lock up in the harmonies in our heads – the ones we carry with us through life.” So it’s on my list. Amazon has also added Coup de Chance, a 2024 French romantic thriller from Woody Allen. This finds Fanny Fournier(Lou de Laâge), living a successful life in Paris with her husband, Jean (Melvil Poupaud), until one day, when she bumps into an old classmate, Alain (Niels Schneider). As Fanny is charmed by him, she also begins to wonder ‘what if?’, and soon, becomes involved with him. But when Jean begins to suspect Fanny, things begin to fall apart for the couple, and Jean’s anger might lead to violence. Valérie Lemercier, Yannick Choirat and Anna Laik also star, and Woody Allen wrote the script, along with directing, here. And this movie gets an 84% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Manohla Dargis of the New York Times said it “looks and plays like many of his recent movies, only better; it sounds like them, too, except that it’s in French.” You decide. And, finally Amazon has added The Nature of Love, a 2023 romcom. Here, philosophy professor Magalie (Lépine Blondeau) has been in a sturdy relationship for 10 years with the wealthy Xavier (Francis-William Rhéaume). But when Magalie meets the contractor, Sylvain(Pierre-Yves Cardinal), hired to work on the couple’s cabin, she feels an instant attraction. And as Magalie‘s affair ensues, she finds herself coming alive. But as her deceptions entangle, she finds herself coming down to earth about her new amour, and wonders where it will all lead. Marie-Ginette Guay, Steve Laplante and Monia Chokri also star, and Monia Chokri directed, along with writing the script. And this movie was nominated for Un Certain Regard Award at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, and won the Best Foreign Film award at the 2024 César Awards. And it gets a smashing 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Peyton Robinson of RogerEbert.com calls it “a rom-com for the ages, examining the confoundment we find when trying to understand our deepest human feelings, and doing it with the deserved spectrum of “oohs” “hahas” and “oh gods.” 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 