Want something to watch on Netflix and other streamers this weekend? It’s not the busiest week for new releases, but there are a bunch of highlights to remember. The White Tiger is an acclaimed new film from Netflix, and likely the choice of its originals to add to your watchlist over the next few days. But that’s not all that’s available at the moment.
In the world of the American television channel, a whole series of shows has just started, while the productions are finally catching up with the delays linked to the pandemic which pushed the premiere from last year to 2021. They include the second season from the DC Comics drama Batwoman and a Walker, Texas Ranger reboot that someone, somewhere had to ask.
Here are the highlights of what you can stream this weekend and how you can watch them in the US and UK where possible.
The White Tiger (Netflix)
Netflix has promised at least one new original movie every week in 2021, and while the result isn’t always something we love (last weekend’s robot-heavy sci-fi thriller Outside the Wire did didn’t do much for us), the subscription fee is definitely worth it.
This week’s big movie is an adaptation of the 2008 novel The White Tiger, which tells the story of a man from a poor background in modern India who becomes the driver of a few rich assholes, while trying to forge their own journey to financial success. One incident, however, will soon change the course of his life. Expect some extremely dark twists and turns in this acclaimed film, which stars Adarsh Gourav and Priyanka Chopra.
Now streaming on Netflix
Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba
A huge anime landed on Netflix this weekend. Demon Slayer is a show that grew so big that it spawned a sequel that went on to become Japan’s highest-grossing film of all time at the box office. The series has already aired on Crunchyroll and Funimation in the US, but here’s another way to catch it. Demon Slayer is about a young man whose parents are killed – he travels with his sister, suffering from a curse, in search of revenge. It’s based on a manga aimed at young male readers, so don’t expect it to be too gravelly. The animation, however, is great – you can see why it resonates with viewers.
Now streaming on Netflix
Gomorrah season 3 (HBO Max)
The big news around HBO Max is that it’s the controversial home of blockbuster movies this year. But while Christopher Nolan isn’t a fan, the service is pretty awesome. This is the place where you can watch all the HBO originals ever made, as well as an insanely good library of movies and old TV shows. Now it is home to the famous Italian crime drama Gomorrah, a formidable series about the tensions between criminal families in Naples. Worth a visit if you think you’ve exhausted all the high-profile dramas on your watchlist.
Gomorrah has been a long-standing staple for UK viewers, with every episode already available on Sky and Now TV.
Now streaming on HBO Max and Sky
Walker (The CW)
This week saw the return of many shows from The CW to the air after an extended absence. But if you’re not into teenage fodder like Riverdale, one of its weirder games is a new take on cheesy ’90s crime show Chuck Norris, Walker, Texas Ranger. It stars the handsome Supernatural boy Jared Padalecki, who comes right off the finale of this show. Padalecki plays Cordell Walker, who works undercover and has now returned to his Austin, Texas home to deal with crime.
Critical reception is 18% positive on Rotten Tomatoes at the time of writing. Ouch! This one does not yet have a UK broadcaster, but it is surely only a matter of time.
Now streaming on the CW app and website
Batwoman season 2 (The CW)
Batwoman actress Ruby Rose left the superhero show after one season, which would be a death sentence for many series. The producers of Batwoman however took it in their stride and found a new star in Javicia Leslie, playing a new iteration of the character called Ryan Wilder while surrounded largely by the same ensemble cast. Critics have mostly been warm with the change.
Batwoman Season 2 started airing on The CW last week, and in the UK it is slated to air at some point on E4 later in 2021.
Now streaming on the CW app or website
WandaVision episode 3 (Disney Plus)
MCU fans probably don’t need to be told about WandaVision’s third episode, but it’s worth the spotlight anyway. If you thought that the first two episodes of this quirky sitcom-style MCU show lacked a bit of an answer to what was really going on with Wanda and Vision, this one sheds some more light. This week’s sitcom riff has already hit the ’70s age of color. Still, you’ll have to wait a little longer to get proper responses to what’s really going on in this cool new show.
Now streaming on Disney Plus
Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous season 2 (Netflix)
The Jurassic World animated TV show spin-off is back for another series of episodes. This is a group of young campers who take a trip to Jurassic World, when – no way! – dinosaurs burst and are free. We don’t like the look of the animation, but big fans of anything to do with the Spielberg franchise might enjoy it, and it’s purposefully targeted at a younger audience anyway.
Now streaming on Netflix
Star Trek: Lower Bridges (Amazon Prime Video)
If you are in the United States, you have already had the chance to watch the Star Trek Lower Decks adult animated comedy series in 2020. Now anyone who owns Amazon Prime Video outside of the United States can finally give the show. – which received great reviews upon its release – an in-depth look.
As the name suggests, these are the crew who manage the lower decks of the USS Cerritos, with a voice cast including a few notable names like boys Jack Quaid and Jerry O’Connell. Maybe Trek fans can find out, or anyone who’s ever burned Netflix’s library of animated shows.
Now streaming on CBS All Access and Amazon Prime Video
