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 added Percy Jackson and the Olympians , a 2023 Disney+ fantasy series. Based on Rick Riordan’s The Sea of Monsters, this finds Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and his friend Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries)working to find their friend, Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri), after his absence at camp. Add to that the fact that Camp Half-Blood is in deep trouble, and Percy and his friends find that the only way to solve both problems is to cross the Sea of Monsters. Daniel Diemer, Dior Goodjohn, Toby Stephens(!) and Courtney B. Vance(!) also star, and there are 8 episodes available for streaming now. And Season 2 of this series gets an awesome 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Kelly Lawler of USA Today says “Percy is a shining light. There aren’t enough stories anymore about growing up, finding your inner hero, being part of a community and a team and caring for each other. We should celebrate such stories whenever and wherever we find them.” And I’m watching. But Hulu has also added Neighborhood Watch, a 2025 thriller. Here, Simon McNally(Jack Quaid!) is certain he’s seen a woman abducted downtown, but can get no one to believe him. Because Simon also suffers from mental illness, with some delusions, and so the police won’t act on his report. Luckily, Simon has a gruff neighbor, Ed Deerman(Jeffrey Dean Morgan!) who was in law enforcement. Well, Ed was actually a security guard(fired) but he soon ends up tentatively investigating Simon’s story. And then, the pair end up making their own enquiries together, while Simon’s sister DeeDee(Malin Akerman) protests, and the police object. Jonathan Fuller, Jim Klock and Cecile Cubilo also star, while Duncan Skiles directs. And this movie gets a 70% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Glenn Kenny of RogerEbert.com said “if you’re a “they don’t make ‘em like they used to” type when it comes to genre, do have a look at this. It’ll very likely hit an old-school sweet (or sour) spot or two.” And Jack Quaid is great, so I’m tuning in. Hulu also offers Los Adioses, a 2017 Mexican drama. This takes place in 1950’s Mexico City, where Rosario Castellanos(Karina Gidi) begins college, and is inspired with the women’s rights movement. But she also meets Ricardo (Pedro de Tavira) a fellow student , who becomes the love of her life. As they progress through life, and marry, Rosario becomes a professor of poetry and tells her students of the fight against women’s oppression. But Ricardo is jealous of her success and places stumbling blocks in her way, his envy eating away at him and their relationship. Still, Rosario stays with him, even as he threatens her success. Tessa Ia, Pedro de Tavira and Ari Albarrán also star, and Natalia Beristain directed. And this movie was nominated for multiple awards, and won Best Film at the 2018 Festival del Nuevo Cine mexicano de Durango, and Best Film and Best Actress for Karina Gidi at the 2017 Morelia International Film Festival. And it gets a stunning 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Arturo Magaña of Cine Premiere said it “dares to show the duality of a feminist who, while urging her students to rebel against gender inequality, suffers in the privacy of their home that chronic machismo of Mexican society.” And I’m definitely tuning in. And, finally Hulu has added Ronth, a 2025 Hindu-language crime drama. This follows two officers, Yohannan(Dileesh Pothan) and Dinanath (Roshan Mathew), as they make their patrol, one night before Christmas. Yohannan is the senior officer, with years on the force, his jaded view begins to grate against that of Dinanath, who is more idealistic, but naive. And as the pressure of the evening rises with difficult cases and violence, the animosity between the two men grows, as well. Lakshmi Menon, Rajesh Madhavan and Roshan Abdul Gafoor also star, while Shahi Kabir directs. And this movie gets an impressive 7.1/10 on IMDb, and Manjusha Radhakrishnan of the Gulf News said “this superbly crafted thriller-drama will knock you out with its rawness and emotional heft. Here’s the beauty of this film — it’s unflinchingly real.”
NETFLIX
Netflix has a huge add this week, with Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the 2025 mystery. Detective Benoit Blanc(Daniel Craig!) returns to the case, this time at a Catholic parish in upstate New York, where Father Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor!) has requested his help. But soon, a murder has shocked the religious community, and the police move in. So Benoit has little time to work with the chief suspect, Father Jud, to solve the seemingly impossible crime, before the police arrest the priest for murder. Glenn Close(!), Jeffrey Wright(!) and Josh Brolin(!) also star, while Rian Johnson returns to direct. And this movie gets a smashing 92% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Dana Stevens of Slate says it “marks not just a return to form but an expansion of the series’ potential.” And I am so tuning in. Netflix has also added Flat Girls, a 2025 Thai drama. This follows best friends Ann (Fatima Dechawaleekul) and Jane (Fairy Kirana Pipityakorn), who both live in the same complex of police flats, for families of police officers. But as they near graduation from high school, Ann dreams of escape from the neighborhood, and wants to be a flight attendant. But Jane is more satisfied with her life, and wants Ann to stay, too. But then they meet Tong(Boy Pakorn Chatborirak), a young policeman who moves into the building , who inspires, first romantic feelings, and then a rift, between the two best friends. Namfon Pakdee, Wachirakon Raksasuwan and Pakorn Chadborirak also star, and Jirassaya Wongsutin directs. And this movie gets a sparkling 7.1/10 on IMDb, and Richard Gray of The Reel Bits says “quiet and empathetic, this gently observed coming-of-age story captures adolescent friendship and class divides with subtlety and care.” So I’m watching. Netflix also offers City of Shadows, the 2025 Spanish mystery series. Based on the book by Aro Sáinz de la Maza, this begins in 2010, with the ritualistic killing of a CEO in Barcelona, and so Detective Milo Malart(Isak Férriz) is called back from suspension, to be on the case. Malart and his new partner Deputy Inspector Rebeca Garrido(Verónica Echegui), head to the Antoni Gaudí-designed apartment La Pedrera– Casa Milà, where the body was found. And as the bodies amass at other Gaudí buildings, the culprits are called Gaudí’s Shadow. But their identities are destined to remain a mystery, unless Malart and Garrido find them. Ana Wagener, Isak Férriz, and Aina Clotet also star, and there are 6 episodes available for bingeing now. And this series gets a 6.7/10 on IMDb, and Archi Sengupta of Leisure Byte calls it “a thrilling and heartbreaking saga that questions authority.” And I’m definitely watching- I could use a trip to Spain. Netflix has added Man Vs. Baby, an 2025 British comedy series. Here, in a sequel to Man Vs. Bee, Trevor Bingley(Rowan Atkinson!) is anxious to provide a college education for his daughter, Maddy(Alanah Bloor), but his lack of funds is quite an obstacle, especially after he’s laid off as caretaker at St. Aldwin’s School. So when he gets a chance to house sit at penthouse in London, he’s determined to take it. So determined that he even brings the abandoned baby he found at St. Aldwin’s, when the police were delayed in coming. So they head to London, where comical chaos is sure to follow. Claudie Blakley, Susannah Fielding, Robert Bathurst and Ellie White also star, and there are 4 episodes available now. And it gets an 80% on Rotten Tomatoes, and Joel Keller of the Decider says to stream it, adding “is the kind of show that you can put on and just laugh without thinking too hard.” And I’m watching. And, finally, Netflix has added Kaantha, a 2025 Hindu language crime drama. This takes place in Madras, in 1952, where the legendary director Chandran Ayya(Samuthirakani) is at work on his latest masterpiece. But his star, T. K. Mahadevan(Dulquer Salmaan), has become nothing but trouble for Ayya, the man who made him a star. And when Madhevan changes the title of Ayya‘s movie without any okay from Ayya, it is the last straw. And then a murder occurs on set, and the investigator in charge sees Ayya and Madhevan as his chief suspects. Bhagyashri Borse, Gayathrie Shankar, Rana Daggubati, Bijesh Nagesh and Ravindra Vijay also star, and Selvamani Selvaraj directs. And it gets an astounding 8.3/10 on IMDb, and Vijaya Shankar of High on Films called it “a visually evocative and fascinating film as it’s both genre-specific and slightly bends the genre with powerful performances from the lead actors and astute production quality that powers the period drama with Selvaraj’s finesse writing and filmmaking.” And I’m tuning in.
AMAZON
Amazon has added Merv, an Amazon in-house 2025 romcom. This finds exes Anna (Zooey Deschanel!) and Russ(Charlie Cox) brought back together when they realize their dog Merv(Gus!) is depressed, probably by their recent split. And since their joint custody doesn’t seem to be enough to sustain the dog, Russ takes him to a dog spa in Florida. When Anna suddenly shows up, Russ is a bit perturbed, and when Anna see Russ dancing with another woman, Anna isn’t please, either. But little by little, the pair find their way back to each other, like I think, we all knew they would. Ellyn Jameson, Patricia Heaton and David Hunt also star, and Jessica Swale directs. And though this movie gets only a 33% on Rotten Tomatoes, Adrian Horton of the Guardian calls it “slight and sweet and entirely to expectations. Making a movie about co-parenting a dog is not a bad idea — though I wouldn’t say it’s a great one, either.” You decide. Luckily, Amazon also offers The Gone, a 2025 crime drama series from Acorn Tv. Here, a young Irish couple goes missing in New Zealand, and so Detective Theo Richter (Richard Flood), in the middle of quitting his job in Dublin, gets sent Mount Affinity to look for them. But Māori Detective Diana Huia(Acushla-Tara Kupe) is handling the case already there, though she, surprisingly, agrees to work with him. But it turns out, Huia fears the culprit is attached to organized crime in Dublin, so Richter could be in very helpful with that. But when the culprit appears to be someone closer to home, it causes unrest, and when another body appears, the two detectives may have more trouble than they can handle in the small town. Vanessa Rare, Carolyn Bracken and Wayne Hapi also star, and there are 6 episodes available for streaming now. And this series gets a 6.9/10 on IMDb, and Naser Nahandian of Gazettely calls it “a superbly atmospheric crime drama that transcends its genre trappings through a potent, culturally immersive lens.” So I’m definitely watching. And, finally, Amazon has added Surely Tomorrow, a 2025 K-drama romance series. Here, former lovers Lee Kyeong-do(Park Seo-jun) and Seo Ji-woo(Won Ji-an) meet again, when journalist Kyeon-do breaks a story on a scandal which finds Ji-woo right in the middle . And while the lurid scandal brings Ji-woo embarrassment, it also gives her the courage to leave her husband. But Kyeong-do and Ji-woo still have a world of resentment and anger that keeps them apart, even while they are free to come together. Lee El, Lee Joo-young, Kang Ki-doong, Jo Min-kook, and Han Eun-seong also star, and there are 3 episodes available to eat up now, with 9 more to come. And this series gets a whopping 7.5/10 on IMDb, and Caleb Anderson of Gazettely says “a mature, layered look at lost love and second chances, anchored by excellent chemistry between the leads and a compelling nonlinear structure.” So I’m 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 