Who's ready for another month full of new movies and TV shows to stream? The answer, of course, is you – and you better be a Netflix subscriber this week, otherwise your streaming offerings will be comparatively piecemeal. For one, the usually reliable Prime Video doesn't have anything new to offer this weekend, so it's up to other top streaming services to fill the void.
And fill the void they have. Whether it's the return of critically-acclaimed Apple TV Plus and Hulu shows, or the arrival of Studio Ghibli's latest masterpiece on Max, there's still plenty to wrap your eyeballs around. Here, then, is what's worth watching on the world's best streaming services this weekend.
Rebel Ridge (Netflix)
When I first saw the official trailer for Netflix's Rebel Ridge, I couldn’t help but think it sounded like a modern take on the classic action flick Rambo: First Blood, which spawned an entire franchise built around its PTSD-laced lead character. Once you learn one of September's new Netflix movies' plot is about an ex-Marine passing through a small town who ends up having a run-in with corrupt local police that escalates with every passing minute, you'll understand why it sounds so familiar, too.
Rebel Ridge is Jeremy Saulnier’s first new project since he directed two of True Detective's first season. And, after reading an interview with him on Netflix Tudum, I can understand why he wrote the screenplay given that he’s a fan of "80s and ’90s action films that not only deliver on spectacle, but succeed in tying on-screen mayhem to a real and true emotional component". At the time of publication, Rebel Ridge sounds like one of the best Netflix movies of 2024, with critics giving it a stupendous 98% score. To say it seems like a promising watch is something of an understatment!
Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor
Slow Horses season 4 (Apple TV Plus)
It boggles my mind that Slow Horses hasn't enjoyed more mainstream success over the past few years. It's easily one of the best Apple TV Plus shows around, yet it continues to pass many people by.
Well, no more, I say! With its perfect 100% critical rating on Rotten Tomatoes, Slow Horses season 4 is the acclaimed spy thriller series' best entry yet. Simply put, you don't have a valid reason not to check out this Gary Oldman, Jack Lowden, and Kristin Scott Thomas-led TV show anymore. It's action-packed, dramatic, and comes equipped with that quintessential British humor that I love. Okay, you'll need to stream the other three seasons first, but they're only six episodes apiece, so you'll gallop your way through them, plus season 4, in a couple of days. You won't regret sticking this Apple TV Original on, trust me.
Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
The Boy and the Heron (Max)
Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, you've done it again. Just when I think the legendary director and his animation studio cannot outdo themselves again, they go and prove me wrong with The Boy and the Heron.
The latest cinematic masterpiece from Miyazaki-san is based on Genzaburō Yoshino's 1937 novel of the same name, albeit it doesn't adapt the story that unfolds in its pages. Nonetheless, Ghibli's take on The Boy and the Heron, which sees its young protagonist Mahito Maki transported to a typically magical land (typical for a Ghibli film, anyway) with a peculiar grey heron's help, is a visually gorgeous, thematically rich, and wonderfully realized movie that deserves to be seen. If it doesn't join our best Max movies guide with immediate effect, I'll be shocked.
Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
Tell Me Lies season 2 (Hulu/Disney Plus)
If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the next installment of Tell Me Lies, it's out now on Hulu (US) and Disney Plus (internationally). The Emma Roberts-produced series follows the turbulent relationship between Lucy Albright (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen DeMarco (Jackson White) over the course of eight years.
Season 2 picks up with Lucy beginning her sophomore year and, if the trailer is anything to go by, it’s off to an explosive start. Here, we see her trying to just get on with her all important second year of college, only to have plenty of spanners thrown in the works, including trying to avoid Stephen despite him being around every corner. It’s the messiest relationship on TV right now so, even if it's unlikely to make our best Hulu shows and best Disney Plus shows lists, you’ve still got front row seats to all the drama this weekend.
Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer
The Perfect Couple (Netflix)
I’ve been raving about The Perfect Couple for a while now (you may have seen me praising Nicole Kidman’s shady matriarchial character). I do love a good whodunnit, especially when you’ve got an ensemble of truly awful characters that could all be capable of committing whatever the crime is at the heart of its story. Trying to piece together the clues and figure out who the culprit is before the show does is always satisfying, too, although I’ve had mixed results so far.
If you’re in the mood for playing detective this weekend, get stuck into this six-episode series focusing on Kidman's Greer Garrison Winbury, who makes visitors sign an NDA before spending time there. She’s meant to be begrudgingly watching her son marry his fiancée, but a dead body on the beach takes precedent.
The Perfect Couple hasn't got off to the best start, with its mixed critical reception seeming like a turn off. But hey, when have we ever listened to them? Try it out for yourself and see if it's worthy of a spot on our best Netflix shows guide.
Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer
Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos (Max)
Oscar-winning documentary filmmaker Alex Gibney sits down with The Sopranos creator David Chase in this must-see two-part documentary. With talking heads from some of the cast as well as archive footage, including clips of the late, great James Gandolfini, this is the perfect companion piece for those wanting to know more about not only one of HBO’s most successful TV shows, but one of the best series ever made.
And, honestly, who could blame you? The Sopranos is still so ingrained in pop culture almost two decades (!) after its final season aired, it frequently appears on best HBO Max shows lists and is very quotable – “all this from a slice of gabagool?".
Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer
Selling Sunset season 8 (Netflix)
With eight seasons now under its belt, Selling Sunset is one of a few Netflix reality shows that just keep on giving. It seems there's no shortage of expensive, luxuriously designed homes in Los Angeles so, if you like your architectural digest to be paired with celebrities and cutthroat real estate brokers, this is the series for you.
I can say this with authority, too, because it's one of TechRadar entertainment writer Grace Morris' all-time favorite reality shows to stream on Netflix. Indeed, she's a fan of the agents from The Oppenheimer Group who are "style icons with their jaw-dropping outfits in every episode" – and she's not alone, with critics giving season 5 a perfect 100% rating. As one of the highest-rated new Netflix shows arriving in September, I'm sure there are plenty more fans that can't wait to stream the 11 new episodes, which are all now available. So, what are you waiting for?
Amelia Schwanke, senior entertainment editor
For more streaming coverage, check out our guides on the best Prime Video movies, best Disney Plus movies, best Paramount Plus shows, and best Hulu movies.
