ONLY THE BEST – The best new TV to stream next week – from Arnold to The Crowded Room
IF you are debating what to watch over the next week, then think no more.
The Sun’s TV Mag has complied the definitive list of all the best programmes to hit your streaming services this week.
NETFLIX
Arnold
DOCUSERIES Available from Wednesday
With Arnold Schwarzenegger riding high once again, thanks to his action-stacked Netflix spy series FUBAR, what better time to be reminded of his remarkable life story? This three-part documentary traces Arnie’s journey from the quiet Austrian countryside, through his early rise to fame as a professional bodybuilder, on to worldwide superstardom in Hollywood thanks to movies such as The Terminator, and all the way to the ultimate accolade of becoming the Governor of California in the Noughties. Built around interviews with the man himself, as well as friends and co-stars including Danny DeVito and Sylvester Stallone, it’s an intimate, entertaining and enlightening look at a true movie icon packed with star power.
Never Have I Ever
COMEDY Available from Thursday
Choosing to end a TV show when it’s still in its prime is a bold and brave but often beneficial decision. Just look at Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, The Office and Succession. While coming-of-age comedy Never Have I Ever – created by Mindy Kaling and loosely based on her own teenage experiences – has never quite reached the heights of those shows, it’s still been lots of fun. However, this new fourth season is set to be its last, with Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and her pals Fabiola, Aneesha and Eleanor entering their final year at Sherman Oaks High school. Of course, we’re all dying to find out what’s going to happen in the Devi/Ben/Paxton love triangle – but will a hunky new face add further complications? We’re about to find out.
Tour de France: Unchained
DOCUSERIES Available from Thursday
Forget Olympic Marathons or heavyweight boxing bouts, the Tour de France is generally acknowledged to be the toughest, most punishing sporting event in the world. Now, we get to find out exactly what it takes to win the race, thanks to this eight-part fly-on-the-wall series from the people behind Drive To Survive. It tells the dramatic story of the 2022 Tour de France – which (spoiler alert) was eventually won by Jonas Vingegaard – and features unparalleled access to seven of the cycling teams, extensive interviews with managers including Groupama-FDJ’s Marc Madiot and a host of journalists and experts. A must for all Tour nuts.
PARAMOUNT+
Queen Of The Universe
TALENT SHOW Available from today
Mel B gave TV Mag the low-down on this hit drag-singing competition last week, and now the second season of the show that invites queens from all over the globe to showcase their remarkable voices in front of a live audience is available to stream. A whopping $250,000 awaits the eventual winning queen, Graham Norton hosts and Mel is joined on the judging panel by the returning Vanessa Williams, Michelle Visage and Trixie Mattel. The line-up of contestants looks pretty special too, with Britain’s own Viola featuring alongside the likes of former Drag Race Italia star Aura Eternal, Drag Race Holland’s Love Masisi and queens from the US, Brazil, Australia and Israel, to name but a few. It’s going to be spectacular.
Claremont: A Killer Among Us
DOCUSERIES Available from Tuesday
When two young women were murdered and another went missing in the wealthy suburb of Claremont, Australia, in the mid-90s, it sent shockwaves across the country. The crimes led to Australia’s longest and most expensive manhunt, one which continued for over 20 years until the killer was finally apprehended. But how was he able to evade capture for so long? The story of the Claremont killings and the epic investigation that followed is told over three episodes, which drop as a box set this week. Featuring interviews with surviving victims and the officers who eventually cracked the case, this is true crime at its most compelling.
Joe Pickett
CRIME DRAMA Available from Thursday
If you’re partial to Yellowstone and its various spin-offs, then step right this way. Cut from a similar cloth, Joe Pickett follows the trials and tribulations of Wyoming game warden Joe (Michael Dorman) and his family. On the surface, life in Saddlestring – the small, rural town where Joe and his wife Marybeth (Julianna Guill) live – appears unremarkable. But scratch a little deeper and decades of secrets, lies and corruption mean that trouble is never far away – and it’s often world-weary Joe’s job to deal with it. Realistic and gritty but not without humour, it’s another engaging neo-western to add to the growing list.
DISNEY+
Avatar: The Way Of Water
FILM Available from Wednesday
The long-awaited sequel to James Cameron’s record-breaking, block-busting sci-fi epic is one of the most expensive movies ever made – and you can see why. Eye-poppingly spectacular and beautiful to look at, The Way Of Water is set 16 years after the first film and finds Jake (Sam Worthington) living alongside Neytiri (Zoe Saldana) as the chief of the Omatikaya clan. However, when a new human invasion begins, they’re forced to hide out with their children among Pandora’s reef people, but divisions between the clans quickly appear, endangering everyone’s survival. While it’s undeniably impressive, wading through the original movie first is compulsory, or you’ll be feeling very confused.
Saint X
THRILLER Available from Wednesday
When Bill and Mia Thomas take their two daughters, Alison and Emily, on an idyllic holiday to a luxury resort in the Caribbean, it’s meant to be a dream vacation, but the family are plunged into a waking nightmare when Alison (West Duchovny) dies in suspicious circumstances on their last night at the resort. Over several timelines, the eight-part thriller tells the story of Emily’s (Alycia Debnam-Carey) attempt years later to find out the truth behind her sister’s shocking death and what really took place that fateful night – but it’s a mission that will drag her into some very dangerous and traumatic waters. Inevitably, all those timelines can be rather disorientating, and a passing resemblance to The White Lotus is likely to make you long for that show instead of this, but Saint X is still a decent, diverting watch.
PRIME VIDEO
Creed III
FILM Available from Friday
Originally a spin-off from the classic Rocky movies, the Creed film franchise has gone from strength to strength, and this third movie in the series finds Donnie (Michael B. Jordan) encouraged to come out of retirement when a figure from his past reappears, threatening to destroy the new-found peace of his family life and dredge up an incident that he’d rather forget. While the storyline does teeter on the verge of formulaic, thanks to some committed performances and plenty of intense and highly realistic fight scenes, Creed III still manages to deliver a knockout blow.
APPLE TV+
The Crowded Room
THRILLER Available from Friday
“Another twisty-turny psychological thriller?” we hear you ask. Yes, The Crowded Room really does find itself in a, well, crowded field of well-made, mysterious series, but rest assured, it’s one that’s definitely worth checking out. It’s 1979 in New York and when troubled teenager Danny (Tom Holland) is arrested for his involvement in a shooting in the middle of Manhattan, a strange and disturbing story unravels. Based on interviews with sympathetic investigator Rya (Amanda Seyfried) and flashbacks, Danny tries to explain the complex events that led to the shooting. It’s riveting and involving, and looks the part too, thanks to some serious attention to period detail.
AMAZON FREEVEE
Tribunal Justice
Judge Judy Sheindlin is one busy lady. When she’s not presiding over complicated and often draining legal disputes, she’s creating new TV formats, such as Tribunal Justice. This court-based series runs along the same lines as Judy Justice but features a panel of three experienced judges – Judge Patricia DiMango, Judge Tanya Acker and Judge Adam Levy – who together adjudicate real and compelling cases, before deliberating over a verdict. What adds to the drama is that the trio don’t always see eye to eye, ensuring serious tension for both those involved in the case and viewers at home. Nice work, Judy.
DISCOVERY+
90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days
REALITY Available from Sunday
The internet has a lot to apologise for. But it’s also done plenty of good, including allowing singletons from different sides of the globe to meet. Yes, it’s sobering to think that without the internet, 90 Day Fiancé and its spin-off, 90 Day Fiancé: Before The 90 Days, probably wouldn’t exist. Talking of which, here comes the sixth season of the latter show, with seven new couples preparing to meet in person for the first time, and one returning pair trying to figure out if they have a future. As ever, the couples are an intriguing bunch, and include Christian, from Minnesota, who’s headed here to Britain to meet London trans woman Cleo, who he’s been chatting to online for a year.
WOW PRESENTS PLUS
Big Freedia Means Business
REALITY Available from Thursday
What do you mean you don’t know who Big Freedia is? Okay, here’s a crash course. Big Freedia is the undisputed queen of Bounce music, a twist on hip-hop that originated in New Orleans. Already an established artist, Freedia found worldwide fame in 2016 when she featured on Beyonce’s single Formation, and then again on her 2022 song Break My Soul. Now, following on from her docuseries Big Freedia Bounces Back, Freedia’s new show follows her as she continues to grow her burgeoning business empire and her band. With life getting increasingly busy, Freedia is feeling rushed off her feet, but with her family and friends there to support her, it seems the sky’s the limit.
ACORN TV
Love Me
DRAMA Available from Monday
If you saw the first season of this Australian family drama, you’ll know that it’s stylish, sexy and expertly tuned in to the emotional complexities of family life. Set in the city of Melbourne, the show follows the fortunes, both personal and professional, of widower Glen (Hugo Weaving) and his grown-up children Clara (Bojana Novakovic) and Aaron (William Lodder). As we rejoin them, Glen’s relationship with Anita hits a stumbling block, as does Clara’s with Peter. Aaron, meanwhile, is struggling to come to terms with the responsibilities of becoming a father with his ex-girlfriend Ella (Our Girl’s Shalom Brune-Franklin). With all episodes dropping this week, it’s the perfect binge for fans of shows like This Is Us.
Cassandra Britt serves as a Bailiff on Amazon Freevee’s Tribunal Justice, created by Judge Judy Sheindlin.
Tanya Acker serves as one of three judges on Amazon Freevee’s Tribunal Justice, created by Judge Judy Sheindlin. Acker is also host of “The Tanya Acker Show” podcast, available on iTunes, Google Play, Spotify, Overcast, and Pocketcasts. Most recently, Acker was a judge on the Emmy-nominated series, “Hot Bench.”
Petri Hawkins Byrd serves as a Bailiff on Amazon Freevee’s Tribunal Justice, created by Judge Judy Sheindlin. Previously, Hawkins Byrd (“Byrd”) was the bailiff on the Emmy®Award-winning Judge Judy for the entire 25 year run of the series, which was the #1 program in first-run syndication for 12 consecutive seasons.