If you’re looking for what to watch this weekend, we have good news. There’s lots of new shows and movies to check out on Netflix, Apple TV Plus, Amazon Prime and more, including the return of Yellowstone.
This weekend’s lineup is led by the premiere of Yellowstone season 4 on Paramount Network, which brings back the Western drama to resolve a massive cliffhanger involving Kevin Costner’s patriarch John Dutton. That’s not the only Western saddling up this weekend — The Harder They Fall features an all-Black cast in a revenge tale with a modern soundtrack.
This is definitely a dad entertainment weekend, with Tom Hanks starring in the post-apocalyptic adventure Finch and Michael C. Hall reprising his role in the revival Dexter: New Blood. For lighter fare, be sure to tune into the final season of Dickinson and a new installment of Big Mouth.
Here is our guide to what to watch this weekend.
Yellowstone season 4 (Paramount Network)
Kevin Costner’s Western drama ended season 3 with a literal bang — actually, multiple bangs in the form of an explosion and a shooting. The fates of Costner’s John Dutton, daughter Beth and son Kayce all hang in the balance. Let’s face it, John is totally safe; there’s no way the show would kill off its lead. His children are also assuredly going to survive, as well, though they may be a bit worse for wear.
Thus, the arc of season 4 won’t be about grief or tragedy, but about retribution. The Duttons have faced many enemies over the years, so they’ve honed their abilities to exact revenge. Their pursuit of their attackers won’t be the only storyline, though. Piper Perabo joins the cast as an environmental activist who joins the fight against a new airport. She is a very different kind of foe for the Duttons and one who won’t be easily dismissed.
Airing Sunday on Paramount Network via Sling or Fubo
The Harder They Fall (Netflix)
This Western had me at Idris Elba and Jonathan Majors, but add Regina King, Zazie Beetz, Lakeith Stanfield and Delroy Lindo? Take all of my money, Netflix (well, my monthly subscription fee). The film from director Jeymes Samuel draws inspiration from real-life cowboys, outlaws and lawmen to create memorable characters who are all Black.
Majors is Nat Love, the leader of a band of bandits whose specialty is stealing from other thieves and ruffians. He carries a grudge against Rufus Buck (Elba) and when the latter is freed from prison, leads his murderously merry men in a quest for vengeance. The stylish gunslinging and action scenes are set to a thumping, anachronistic soundtrack populated by Jay-Z and Kid Cudi among others.
Finch (Apple TV Plus)
Tom Hanks is the last man on Earth — no, not the one from the canceled FX on Hulu show. This is a different post-apocalyptic setting and Hanks might not even be the only man left, it just seems that way. He plays Finch, a robotics engineer who somehow survives a cataclysmic solar event that turns the world into a wasteland. For 10 years, he shares an underground bunker with his dog, Goodyear, and the robot he created (voiced by Caleb Landry Jones).
They leave the bunker to undertake a dangerous journey into the American West, where Finch attempts to show his robot, named Jeff, what it means to be alive. As they navigate the desolate landscape, Finch also tries to encourage Goodyear and Jeff to get along — because they’ll need each other when he’s gone.
Streaming Friday on Apple TV Plus
Dexter: New Blood (Showtime)
Dexter’s series finale is widely regarded as one of the worst time (alongside Seinfeld and How I Met Your Mother). With this New Blood revival, the Showtime drama has a chance to right that terrible wrong. The original series ended with the serial killer faking his death and becoming a lumberjack. Fans came away feeling bereft of any resolution to Dexter’s many murderous misdeeds and experiencing whiplash after the abrupt death of his sister Deb.
Now, the revival picks up a decade after Dexter disappeared into the woods. He is now living under the name Jim Lindsay in the town of Iron Lake New York, where he works at Fred’s Fish and Game. He’s dating the chief of police (!) and seems well-liked by other members of the community. But his bloodthirst hasn’t gone completely away and soon, Dexter will find himself killing again.
Airing Sunday on Showtime via via Sling or Fubo (as a premium add-on)
The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (Amazon Prime Video)
Benedict Cumberbatch is already getting awards season notice for The Power of the Dog, but that’s the only movie he’s in this fall. In this biopic, Cumberbatch stars as the eccentric artist Louis Wain, whose trippy, anthropomorphised paintings of cats helped transform the public perception of felines. His work is widely credited as starting the widespread adoption of cats as pets.
The movie follows Wain from the late 1800s to the 1930s, as he seeks to unlock the “electrical” mysteries of the world. His ruminations lead his art to become more stylized and psychedelic, but also give him more insight into the love he shares with wife Emily (Claire Foy).
Streaming Friday on Amazon Prime Video
Dickinson season 3 (Apple TV Plus)
The third season of Dickinson is its last, and we’ll mourn by reciting the poet’s famous work “Because I could not stop for death.” The final chapter is touched heavily by the Civil War. Emily (Hailee Steinfeld) corresponds frequently with Thomas Wentworth Higginson (Gabriel Ebert), an Union commander and — historical spoiler alert — the future editor of her poems. And Henry (Chinaza Uche) finds himself in the South, where he teaches Black soldiers how to read and write.
On the home front, Emily is dealing with divisions within her own family. Her father is grappling with his legacy, her mother has something of a feminist awakening and sister, her sister is using performance art to process grief, and brother Austin (Adrien Blake Enscoe) is in a dark place. Meanwhile, Sue (Ella Hunt) is happier than she’s ever been, now that she and Emily have acknowledged their relationship.
Streaming Friday on Apple TV Plus
Narcos: Mexico season 3 (Netflix)
The drug cartel drama is also coming to an explosive end after three seasons. The story has been chronicling the unification of the Guadalajara, Tijuana, Sinaloa, and Juárez cartels under one kingpin, Miguel Ángel Félix Gallardo. But now that the leader is in prison, a new boss emerges — Amado Carrillo Fuentes (José Mariá Yazpik), aka The Lord of the Skies.
Heavy is the head that wears the crown, though. Fuentes finds himself embroiled in a war that will eventually change Mexico and drug trafficking forever. He’s not only got independent gangs threatening to break free and DEA Agent Walt Breslin (Scoot McNairy) on his tail, but a journalist (Luisa Rubino) who wants to expose the corruption that’s taking over her country.
Streaming Friday on Netflix
Big Mouth season 5 (Netflix)
The pitfalls of puberty are explored in excruciating, cringe-inducing ways in the adult animated comedy. Season 5 is no different as it takes on all of the adolescent feelings that coalesce around “love and hate.” The concepts are illustrated as love bugs and hate worms, and they can transform from one to the other in the blink of an eye.
For instance, Nick’s love bug encourages him to act on his crush on Jessi, but when she rejects him, his hate worm leads him to a dark place. Meanwhile, Jessi has her own love bug pushing her toward Ali but their budding relationship soon runs into complications caused by Missy’s hate worm. New voices this season include Brandon Kyle Goodman, Keke Palmer, and Pamela Adlon.
Streaming Friday on Netflix
Father Christmas Is Back (Netflix)
Netflix kicks off its abundant Christmas movie season with this British comedy starring John Cleese, Elizabeth Hurley, Kelsey Grammer and Nathalie Cox. At the center of the film is a family with the last name Christmas (really). The four sisters come together, hoping for a perfect holiday to make up for the fact that their father abandoned them many years ago on December 25.
When dear old dad shows up out of the blue on Christmas Eve with a new girlfriend, the gathering erupts into total chaos. Then, one of the sisters uncovers a long-buried family secret that could save Christmas.
Streaming Sunday on Netflix
Taste the Nation With Padma Lakshmi season 2 (Hulu)
In season 1 of her food and travel series, Top Chef host/judge Padma Lakshmi took viewers on a journey across America to explore the vibrant culinary cultures of immigrant communities. This four-part holiday-themed edition highlights different traditions, such as Korean New Year in Los Angeles and Cuban Christmas in Miami.
The episode “Happy Challah Days” takes Lakshmi to New York City’s Lower East Side, while “Truth and the Turkey Tale” visits the Wampanoag Nation in Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard to challenge Thanksgiving myths.
Streaming now on Hulu
Love Hard (Netflix)
This holiday rom-com stars Nina Dobrev as Natalie Bauer, a Los Angeles woman who falls for a man on a dating app. But when she travels to his East Coast town to surprise him for Christmas, she discovers that she’s been catfished by someone named Josh Lin (Jimmy O. Yang)..
Her crush, Tag, actually does live in the town she’s visiting, so Josh offers to set her up with him if she pretends to be his girlfriend for the holidays. Natalie gives Josh one week to fulfill his promise, but somehow, we have a feeling she’s not going to end up with Tag. Come on, the name Tag alone is a major dealbreaker!
Streaming now on Netflix