Apple TV Plus has made serious gains in stature (if not necessarily subscribers) over the last year or so, and if this week’s list of streaming recommendations is anything to go by, the burgeoning platform’s cultural footprint looks set to continue growing in 2023.
Headlining the latest crop of new arrivals is Tetris, Apple’s fictionalized take on the creation of the famous video game, which is joined by new series The Big Door Prize and Eva the Owlet on Apple TV Plus. Also streaming this weekend is Murder Mystery 2 on Netflix, The Power on Prime Video and Rye Lane on Hulu.
Below, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest new movies and TV shows to catch on streaming services over the next few days.
Tetris (Apple TV Plus)
Hot on the heels of The Last of Us and Dungeons and Dragons, Tetris arrives on Apple TV Plus to add to 2023’s already-stacked plate of video game adaptations.
Okay, that’s not strictly true: Tetris isn’t an adaptation of its titular (and plot-less) puzzler. Instead, this Taron Edgerton-led drama tells a fictionalized story of how entrepreneur Henk Rogers (Edgerton) risked it all to bring inventor Alexey Pajitnov’s (Nikita Efremov) groundbreaking video game to the world in 1988. Think The Founder, but Tetris instead of McDonald’s.
Critics have described Tetris as “clever, crafty and shockingly entertaining,” so the new film could make its way onto our list of the best Apple TV movies very soon.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Murder Mystery 2 (Netflix)
One of several star-studded new Netflix movies heading to the streamer over the next few months, Murder Mystery 2 is now available to stream.
A sequel to the (not-so-good) 2019 comedy about a couple whose vacation is turned upside down when they’re framed for a billionaire’s murder, Murder Mystery 2 sees Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler reprise their roles as Audrey and Nick, respectively, for more wise-cracking whodunit action – this time on the streets of Paris.
Unfortunately, despite praise for its lead stars’ chemistry, critics have called this Netflix follow-up “an object lesson in descending from mild enjoyment to none at all” – so we’re not expecting it to feature on our list of the best Netflix movies any time soon.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
The Power (Prime Video)
Following the release of Swarm and Daisy Jones and the Six, Prime Video bosses will be hoping that The Power, which begins streaming this weekend, continues the platform’s March hot streak.
Set in an alternate world where all teenage girls suddenly gain the power to electrocute people at will, this 10-part adaptation of Naomi Alderman’s mega-popular novel of the same name stars Toni Collette, Auli’i Cravalho, Josh Charles, Eddie Marsan, John Leguizamo, Rob Delaney and Alice Eve. Suffice to say, that’s an extremely promising setup.
The first three episodes of The Power are available to stream on Prime Video now, with the remaining seven installments set to arrive weekly every Friday. Don’t miss this one, folks – it has the makings of being one of the best Prime Video series of 2023.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
The Big Door Prize (Apple TV Plus)
Tetris isn’t the only Apple TV Plus production in the offing this weekend – new series The Big Door Prize has also begun streaming on the platform.
Based on the book of the same name by M.O. Walsh and adapted by Schitt’s Creek scribe David West Read, this 10-episode drama centers on Dusty (Chris O’Dowd), a seemingly unremarkable man who stumbles across a mysterious, photobooth-sized machine that predicts the destinies of those who observe it (rather like the Zoltar machine in Big).
Critics have called The Big Door Prize “funny, friendly and beautifully light,” with particular praise being bestowed upon O’Dowd’s “immaculate” comic timing – so this could certainly be among the best Apple TV shows of 2023.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Unstable (Netflix)
Rob Lowe stars opposite his real-life son, John Owen Lowe, in new Netflix comedy series Unstable.
This eight-part show centers on Ellis (Lowe Sr.), an eccentric biotech entrepreneur who struggles to keep his company afloat following the death of his wife and the unexpected re-emergence of his estranged son (Lowe Jr.).
Sure, that all sounds remarkably bleak, but Unstable is most definitely a comedy – and one which has earned wildly mixed reviews from critics. Some have called the series “painfully funny,” while others have branded it “staggeringly joke-free.” As such, we’d suggest checking this one out for yourself to make your own judgment.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Rye Lane (Hulu)
Following a short-but-sweet theatrical run on both sides of the pond, Rye Lane is now streaming on Hulu in the US.
Starring David Jonsson and Vivian Oparah, this colorful South London-set rom-com – from first-time director Raine Allen-Miller – follows two twenty-somethings, Dom and Yas, who bond over the messiness of their respective recent breakups.
Critics loved Rye Lane when it debuted at Sundance earlier this year, so this “fresh and charming rom-com” is definitely worth checking out if you’re in the mood for a dose of saccharine storytelling this weekend. UK viewers will have to wait until May for the film to arrive on Disney Plus.
Now available to stream on Hulu in the US.
Eva the Owlet (Apple TV Plus)
Here’s one to enjoy with the (younger) kids this weekend. Arriving only a few months after Apple’s Oscar-winning children’s book adaptation The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse, another page-to-screen series, Eva the Owlet, is now streaming on Apple TV Plus.
Based on Rebecca Elliott’s Owl Diaries books, this eight-episode animation follows Eva, a creative owlet who keeps a record of her high-flying adventures in a colorful journal.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
