These are all the new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend as 2021 draws to a close. Streaming services are bringing the fireworks with big releases like Cobra Kai season 4 and The Book of Boba Fett.
The Karate Kid sequel series returns with more high-kicking action and the long-awaited team-up of rivals Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence. Meanwhile, the new Star War series follows up on the teaser seen in The Mandalorian finale. Boba Fett and Fennec Shand return to Tatooine to take over Jabba the Hutt’s crime syndicate.
This weekend also unveils Maggie Gyllenhaal’s drama The Lost Daughter, which is getting Oscar buzz. And the kids are doing alright when you watch the Harry Potter reunion, which brings together cast members to celebrate the legacy of the films.
Here is our guide on what to watch this weekend.
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Cobra Kai season 4 (Netflix)
Talk about raising the stakes in Cobra Kai season 4 — the very soul of the Valley is on the line. The series brings back the main villain of Karate Kid III, but the big headline is that longtime rivals Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) are finally putting their beef aside and teaming up. Could these guys eventually be actual friends? We can dream!
They will face off against Johnny’s former mentor, John Kreese (Martin Kove) and his old buddy Terry Silver (Thomas Ian Griffith). The wealthy businessman and benefactor of Cobra Kai Dojo infamously tried to destroy Daniel and Mr. Miyagi in Karate Kid III. Now, he returns to support Kreese, whose students are taking on the pupils of Miyagi-Do and Eagle Fang in a winner-takes-all showdown at the All Valley Tournament.
Streaming now on Netflix
The Book of Boba Fett (Disney Plus)
If you don’t like sand, you’re out of luck, because the latest Star Wars series takes the action back to Tatooine. The desert planet has been quite the hot spot in the galaxy far, far away. Iconic bounty hunter Boba Fett (Temeura Morrison) returns there with right-hand mercenary Fennec Shand (Ming-na Wen) to take over the territory once ruled by gangster Jabba the Hutt.
The show flips back and forth between their present-day criminal adventures and Boba’s trauma-filled past. It explores what happened to him after he fell into the Sarlacc pit, how he escaped the monster and what he did to survive afterward. The familiar Jawas and Tusken raiders will make appearances, and if a recent Book of Boba Fett leak can be believed, cameos by two major characters from the Star Wars universe.
Streaming now on Disney Plus
Full details on how to watch The Book of Boba Fett right now
Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (HBO Max)
Emotional cast reunions seem to be something HBO Max is specializing in. The streamer made everyone laugh and cry with the Friends reunion; now, they’re doing the same with the Harry Potter movie franchise.
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the 2001 release of The Sorcerer’s Stone, the special brings together cast members and director Chris Columbus to talk about the magic of their magical film franchise. (J.K. Rowling also appears via archival footage, FYI.) Of course, the primary draw is seeing the three leads — Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint — together again. They’ve all continued working, so it’s not surprising to see them all grown up. But it is nice to see the warmth, camaraderie and genuine delight they feel for one another.
Streaming Saturday (Jan. 1) on HBO Max
The Lost Daughter (Netflix)
Maggie Gyllenhaal makes her feature film directorial debut with this psychological thriller based on the novel by Elena Ferrante. She’s recruited an outstanding cast, including Olivia Colman, Dakota Johnson, Jessie Buckley, Ed Harris, Paul Mescal and Peter Sarsgaard (her husband).
A middle-aged British professor (Colman) is enjoying a relaxing beach vacation when a large, raucous family arrives at the coastal villa. Leda becomes transfixed by one of the women (Johnson) and her daughter, who remind her of her own time as a mother. In flashbacks, we see the younger Leda (Buckley) struggle with parenting her daughters. Then, in the present day, the older Leda makes a strange, impulsive decision that hints at a deep, dark mystery in her past.
Streaming now on Netflix
Around the World in 80 Days (PBS)
David Tennant stars in this rollicking new take on 1873 Jules Verne novel. The BBC One series (already airing in the U.K.) makes its American debut on PBS’ Masterpiece Theatre. Tennant is the eccentric Phileas Fogg, who makes a £20,000 wager with his friend Bellamy (Peter Sullivan) at the snooty Reform Club that he can circumnavigate the world in 80 days.
The Frenchman
Passepartout (Ibrahim Koma) goes along as Fogg’s servant, while budding journalist Abigail Fix (Leonie Benesch) joins to chronicle the journey. Unbeknownst to Fogg, however, a debt-ridden Bellamy desperately needs to win the bet, so he secretly works to impede their progress.
Airing Sunday (Jan. 2) on PBS for FREE with one of the best TV antennas
Stay Close (Netflix)
Prolific crime author Harlan Coben’s deal with Netflix yields a new adaptation of his work. Stay Close weaves together the stories of four people who are all concealing dark secrets from their loved ones. As the past comes back to haunt them, long-buried secrets threaten to ruin their lives.
Megan (Cush Jumbo) is a soccer mum who once worked as a stripper. Once-promising documentary photographer Ray (Richard Armitage) is searching for his missing girlfriend. Meanwhile, Detective Broome (James Nesbitt) can’t let go of a cold case. And Lorraine (Sarah Parish) is an old friend of Megan’s who shows up with shocking news.
Streaming now on Netflix
Queer Eye season 6 (Netflix)
The Fab Five will mess with Texas, thank you. In this installment, Jonathan Van Ness, Karamo Brown, Bobby Berk, Antoni Porowski and Tan France travel to the Lonestar State to help 10 lucky residents become their best selves.
The Fab Five will provide new fits, new decor, new self-care routines and new perspectives to these diamonds in the rough. They include a two-step dance instructor at her family-owned honky tonk, a rancher who needs to shower more often and a trans body builder. It’s gonna be shamazing, y’all!
Streaming now on Netflix