10 Great New Shows to Watch This Weekend on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Hulu and More

We all know Alien’s famous tagline: “In space, no one can hear you scream.” That’s not so true on planet Earth, as we find out very soon in Alien: Earth’s superb debut episode. The series takes place long before Ripley and company venture to a distant planet and encounter some very unpleasant creatures. In Alien: Earth, we follow Wendy (Sydney Chandler), the world’s first hybrid synthetic being, and a motley crew of scientists and soldiers as they make a shocking discovery — the deadly Xenomorphs are on Earth, and they’re pissed.

Even more shocking? Alien: Earth is good … really, really good. What could’ve been a cheap franchise reboot is instead one of the best things to happen to the Alien franchise in years. That’s due to series creator, writer and director Noah Hawley, who provided a similar jolt of energy and eccentricity to the X-Men with his cult FX show, Legion.

Alien: Earth is a fascinating sci-fi study of what it means to be human and the lengths sentient beings will go to prolong their existence. That it also delivers the blood-and-guts horror goods we all know and love from the first two Alien films makes this series a must-watch for any fan of the franchise.

Way back in the 1990s, John Grisham could do no wrong. The lawyer-turned-novelist pumped out a quick succession of bestselling novels like The Firm and The Pelican Brief that were quickly made into blockbuster movies starring Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts, respectively. Yet while The Rainmaker did OK as both a book and a movie, it left virtually no cultural footprint. 

So why did Peacock decide to make a TV series of it in 2025? I have no idea, but what I do know is that The Rainmaker works far better as an episodic TV show than a two-hour feature film. Milo Callaghan stars as Rudy Baylor, a recently graduated lawyer who is looking for his big break. When he doesn’t find it, he’s forced to team up with the unscrupulous Bruiser (Lana Parrilla) and her crew of ambulance-chasing lawyers.

Together, they take on high-profile cases where the odds are almost always stacked against them. That’s a killer formula for a law and order procedural, and The Rainmaker has enough potential and fascinating characters to be an even bigger hit than Netflix’s popular The Lincoln Lawyer series.

Any show that opens with the lead protagonist singing the classic Killers song “Mr. Brightside” is a winner in my book. And while Butterfly, the new action series now streaming on Prime Video, doesn’t win any points for originality, it mostly delivers what it promises — globetrotting spy drama with the occasional explosion.

Lost’s Daniel Dae Kim stars as David Jung, a skilled secret agent who faked his death years ago. He wants to reunite with his long-lost daughter, Rebecca, but standing in his way is his old associate Juno (Coyote Ugly‘s Piper Perabo), who is now Rebecca’s mentor. Can David mend ties with his daughter while avoiding Juno’s wrath?

After almost three years, it’s time to return to Nevermore Academy and check in with everyone’s favorite goth student, Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega). As Wednesday season 2 begins, the titular heroine discovers something truly horrific — she’s popular now, and everyone wants to be her friend. Ew. 

She’s still besties with her trusty sidekick Enid (Emma Myers), but Wednesday soon has a vision that Enid will die and it will be all her fault. How and why are just some of the questions asked and answered throughout season 2, as the hit Netflix series dials up with the creepy and the kooky. The result is an entertaining return of a massively entertaining series that launched Ortega into stardom and made disembodied hands cool again.

Apple TV+ is one of the best streamers around at cranking out great, buzzworthy shows, but Platonic, a wonderful comedy/drama starring Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne as old college pals Will and Sylvia who reunite in middle age, didn’t quite get as much attention as, say, Severance. Now that it’s back for season 2, let’s hope it gets the love it deserves.

After season 1’s finale saw Rogen’s slacker Will become engaged to his new boss’s daughter and Byrne’s dissatisfied Sylvia at a crossroads, season 2 picks up with Will’s impending wedding. Sylvia is now a party planner, and she’s tasked with organizing her best friend’s ceremony. But will her disapproval of Will’s fiancée wreck the wedding — and their friendship?

Alison Woods (Rose Ayling-Ellis) is good at reading people. She has to — born deaf, she’s an expert lip reader who can tell what people are saying from great distances. That’s why she’s recruited by Detective James Marsh (Andrew Buchanan) to help crack a case involving a gang of jewel thieves. Alison isn’t a professional cop, so when she goes undercover to spy on them, she can’t help but fall in love with the youngest of the gang, Liam (Kieron Moore). Can Alison get the info she needs to help James apprehend the criminals he’s after? Or will her feelings for Liam prevent justice from being served — and put her in danger?

Those craving a solid British crime show that’s a bit different will enjoy Code of Silence. Alison’s deafness adds an interesting angle to an overly familiar story, as she has a talent no one else possesses and one she uses to her advantage. The series weaves an intriguing crime narrative with a touch of romance as Alison’s attachment to Liam threatens to blow up the case — and harm her. Season 2 is already in the works, so now is as good a time as any to start your next British crime show obsession.

Jason Momoa is now famous for his roles in the DCEU and Dune movies, but he’s also one of the most prolific TV stars of the last 15 years. His newest project, the historical drama Chief of War, is his best small-screen effort yet, with the Aquaman actor portraying the real-life warrior chief, Ka’iana. 

Chief of War is set primarily in late 18th-century Hawaii and chronicles a historical event seldom seen in mass media: the unification of the four Hawaiian island kingdoms from 1782 to 1810. Across nine episodes, Chief of War shows in vivid detail that this unification wasn’t peaceful; in fact, it was often violent, with Ka’iana leading the rebellion against it. 

The lavishly produced limited series doesn’t flinch from showing graphic violence to illustrate the high cost of war, nor is it entirely faithful to history. But much like Shōgun from last year, it contains such spectacular action set pieces that you won’t really mind if much dramatic license is taken by Momoa and company.

Fans of the CBS sitcom Mom with Anna Faris and Allison Janney will love Leanne, which possesses similar down-home, slightly bawdy but never naughty vibes. Comedian Leanne Morgan stars as the eponymous heroine, who has just been left by her loser of a husband after 33 years of marriage. Down but not out, Leanne relies on her little sister, Carol (Kristen Johnston), to help her pick up the pieces and crack a few jokes in the process.

Created by Morgan, Susan McMartin and Big Bang Theory mastermind Chuck Lorre, Leanne is a comfort food sitcom that’s good enough to go back for a second helping. The show doesn’t break new ground, but its familiarity is its biggest asset — sitcoms like Leanne aren’t really made anymore, and the few that are aren’t as charming as this one. 

When it premiered in 2023, Twisted Metal had a low bar to clear, and it failed. An adaptation of the cult ‘90s PlayStation video game, the show didn’t really adapt the game so much as tease how it would adapt it in later seasons. It was enough for many, including this author, to stop watching even before the season was finished.

Season 2 is finally here, and everyone involved with the show has learned from their mistakes. At last, Twisted Metal the show resembles Twisted Metal the video game and gives viewers what they want: exciting car races and gnarly deaths. Anthony Mackie returns as John Doe, a reluctant participant in the Twisted Metal tournament who is still trying to piece his life back together. Superman’s Anthony Carrigan joins the ensemble cast as Calypso, the mysterious organizer of Twisted Metal and John’s antagonist. 

Twisted Metal season 2 is better, bolder and bloodier than the last one, and it’s the perfect show to watch as the last lazy days of summer wind down.

Few TV shows are as sweeping and adventurous as Washington Black, Hulu’s excellent adaptation of Esi Edugyan’s 2018 novel. In the early 1800s, George Washington “Wash” Black (Ernest Kingsley Jr.) is born into slavery on a Barbados plantation, but escapes after the death of the plantation’s owner. He eventually befriends Medwin Harris (Sterling K. Brown), who shows him how to develop his burgeoning artistic talent. Soon, Wash is traveling through sea and sky on a quest to find a purpose in a world that fears and hates him.

Washington Black is part 12 Years a Slave and part Around the World in 80 Days. That’s an uneasy mash-up, but the series makes it work by emphasizing the extraordinary life of its young protagonist. It’s a historical epic with fantastical visuals, and you won’t see anything like it on the small screen.

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.