While Netflix, Disney Plus and HBO Max are said to be the “big three” of the streaming world, this week’s TV recommendations are dominated by Prime Video, Apple TV Plus and Paramount Plus.
Apple original series Hi tomorrow! comes with new seasons Star Trek: Picard AND Carnival row on Paramount Plus and Prime Video respectively, while Apple TV Plus also gets a new star-studded movie in the character Fraud. Surprisingly – and for the first time since we’ve been running these weekly lists – there are no new titles worth highlighting on Disney Plus or HBO Max.
Below, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest new movies and TV shows to watch on streaming services this weekend.
Star Trek: Picard season 3 (Paramount Plus)
The third and final season of the series Star Trek: Picard begins streaming on Paramount Plus this weekend.
Despite decidedly cool reception of the second season of the seriesPatrick Stewart’s titular space captain returns for a final 10-episode hooray. According to the official season 3 synopsis, “a desperate message from a long-lost friend draws Picard into the most daring mission of his life, forcing him to recruit allies from generation to generation.” Stewart’s associates include Star Trek: The Next Generation alumni Michael Dorn, LeVar Burton, Jonathan Frakes, and Marina Sirtis.
The first episode of Star Trek: Picard Season 3 is now available to stream on Paramount Plus in the US and Prime Video in the UK. Subsequent installments will be released every Thursday (or Friday if you’re in the UK) until the series finale on April 20.
Now available to stream on Paramount Plus in the US and Prime Video in the UK.
Carnival Row Season 2 (Prime Video)
Speaking of Prime Video, one of the streamer’s most talked about productions, Carnival rowreturns with the long-awaited second (and final) season this weekend.
Appearing well over three years after the premiere of the show’s first season, new episodes Carnival row Find Philo (Orlando Bloom) and Vignette (Cara Delevigne) forced to deal with rising tensions between humanity and the fae after a series of mysterious killings.
The show’s second season promises to be bigger and better than the first, with 10 episodes instead of 8, and an action-packed trailer teasing a lot more supernatural steampunk. Here is hope Carnival row may soon earn a spot on our list the best Prime Video shows.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
Hi tomorrow! (Apple TV Plus)
Apple TV Plus is quickly becoming a popular streamer for star-studded and boldly original prestige television, with Hi tomorrow! marking just one of many exciting new series coming to the platform in 2023.
This retrofuturistic series set in an alternate 1950s End of the fucking world creator Jonathan Entwistle – looks like he boasts a powerful mix of drama, comedy, and satire. Think Crazy people meets Fall.
The first three episodes Hi tomorrow! are now available to stream on Apple TV Plus, with the remaining seven entries appearing every Friday through April 7.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Red Rose (Netflix)
Another series produced by the BBC, Red roseheading to Netflix international this weekend.
WITH Haunting of Bly Manor From the creators of Michael and Paul Clarkson, this eight-episode drama follows a group of high school friends whose lives are turned upside down by a nefarious mobile app that threatens them with dangerous consequences if they fail to comply with its demands.
After releasing in the UK last year, Red rose was described by critics as “hilariously disturbing” and “more terrifying than Black Mirror”, which sounds like it could belong to best Netflix shows from 2023
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Sharper (Apple TV Plus)
The latest Apple movie with an all-star cast, Fraudis now available on Apple TV Plus after a brief theatrical release earlier this month.
Starring Sebastian Stan, Julianne Moore, John Lithgow, Justice Smith AND Briana Middleton, this A24-produced feature follows a group of talented con men who target only Manhattan billionaires.
Critics almost universally praised Fraud for being a “great, smart crook, full of intellectual ideas”, which gives him a shot at making our list the best Apple TV Plus movies.
Now available to stream on Apple TV Plus.
Full Swing (Netflix)
Arriving just a month later Breakpoint is on Netflix this weekend In full swingother Drive to survivestyle sports documentaries.
This eight-episode production follows a diverse group of professional golfers – on and off the course – during the perpetual season of the PGA Tour. People like Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, Collin Morikawa, Brooks Koepka, Scottie Scheffler, and Ian Poulter share their honest insights.
In addition to lifting the veil on the realities of the PGA Tour itself, In full swing will also delve into the golf “civil war” unleashed by the Saudi-backed LIV Golf getaway that should intrigue even those who aren’t fond of bogeys and birds.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
African Queens: Njinga (Netflix)
The second of this week’s documentaries is African queens: Njinga on Netflix, a hybrid anthology docudrama series produced and narrated by Jada Pinkett Smith.
The four-episode first season of the series – which has received mixed reviews so far – focuses on the life and legacy of the 17th-century warrior queen Njinga of Angola, who ruled modern Angola. The second season has already been ordered by Netflix and is expected to debut next year.
Now available to stream on Netflix.