Everyone is winning this weekend, because Ted Lasso season 2 is among the new movies and TV shows premiering on streaming services. When you’re not watching the Tokyo Olympics, fire up Netflix, Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus to enjoy these six gems.
Your options run the genre gamut, from the cheerful comedies Ted Lasso and Turner and Hooch to revenge action thrillers Jolt and Kingdom: Ashin of the North. Perhaps steamy romance is more your mood, in which case there’s the star-studded Last Letter From Your Lover. Fans of nostalgia and animation might get a kick out of Kevin Smith’s revival of He-Man, Masters of the Universe: Revelation.
And that’s not all: There are a ton of new TV shows and specials available on broadcast and cable. If you’ve cut the cord, just sign up for one of the best cable TV alternatives for access to your favorite channels.
Here are our picks for the new movies and TV shows to watch this weekend.
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Ted Lasso (Apple TV Plus)
Season 2 premiere | Episode 1 (TV-MA) | How to watch Ted Lasso season 2
BELIEVE this: Ted Lasso is back to help ease our pandemic pain (again). Last year, the show came out of nowhere to be the sweet treat we all desperately needed. Ted Lasso’s sunny optimism and good cheer won us over, just like his homemade biscuits warmed up his icy boss. By the end of the first season, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) had earned the respect of his players and owner Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham). Unfortunately, a loss in the previous season finale relegated AFC Richmond out of the Premier League. In season 2, Ted and team are trying to make a comeback, but a string of draws and loss of confidence lead to the hiring of a sports psychologist. Meanwhile, Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein) is grappling with retirement and his relationship with Keeley (Juno Temple), who has a new gig marketing a dating app.
Jolt (Amazon Prime Video)
Movie | 1 hr 31 min (R) | Watch now
Watching Kate Beckinsale kick ass and Stanley Tucci deliver sardonic quips is not a bad way to spend an hour and a half. This revenge thriller centers on a woman named Lindy (Beckinsale) who has suffered all her life from “intermittent explosive disorder,” which provokes extremely violent bouts of rage. She manages her condition with the help of her therapist (Tucci) and a special electric shock device. But then, a man she’s been dating winds up being murdered and Lindy sets out on a rampage to avenge him. Hell hath no fury like a woman smitten.
The Last Letter From Your Lover (Netflix)
Movie | 1 hr 50 min (TV-MA) | Watch now
This dreamy romantic drama has shades of The Notebook, as it involves two time frames and reading the details of a love story. In 1960s London, married socialite Jennifer Stirling (Shailene Woodley) is suffering from amnesia after an accident. She finds a stack of love letters and discovers she was having an affair with a man called Boot, whose real name is Anthony O’Hare (Callum Turner). Meanwhile, in present-day London, journalist Ellie Haworth (Felicity Jones) also comes across the letters and decides to uncover the lovers’ identities. When she gets help from the newspaper archivist, Rory (Nabhaan Rizwan), Ellie finds herself in a romance of her own.
Kingdom: Ashin of the North (Netflix)
Movie | 1 hr 33 min (TV-MA) | Watch now
The Korean zombie drama series has become a smash hit for Netflix, thanks to its epic and spine-tingling action scenes. Ashin of the North is a movie-length spinoff that serves as a prequel for a mysterious character introduced at the end of season 2 (which streamed in March 2020). Ashin (Jun Ji-hyun) is part of a Jurchen tribe who have settled in the Kingdom of Joseon. While seeking wild ginseng, Ashin discovers a resurrection plant that can bring people back to life — but for a price. When her family is slaughtered, the grief-stricken Ashin hones her fighting skills before embarking on a quest for revenge. As Kingdom fans know, that plant, saengsacho, turns people into zombies. Ashin’s story is the key to unlocking the secrets of the plague — and possibly how to reverse it.
Turner & Hooch (Disney Plus)
Series premiere | Episode 1 (TV-PG) | Watch now
Disney Plus certainly is leaving no IP stone unturned. Turner and Hooch was a hit 1989 comedy starring Tom Hanks; now, it’s getting a sequel series featuring the original lead character’s son. Scott Turner Jr. is a deputy marshal who inherits a dog named Hooch. At first, the giant unruly canine seems like he’s going to destroy Scott’s apartment, career and life. But wouldn’t you know, Hooch may just be the partner Scott needed, especially in solving an unfinished case that his father left behind.
Masters of the Universe: Revelation (Netflix)
Series premiere | Episodes 1-5 | Watch now
Indie writer/director Kevin Smith puts a fresh, modern spin on the classic He-Man animated series, which ran from 1983 to 1985. Revelation is billed as a direct sequel (and ignores the 1987 movie and 2002 TV show), though there isn’t much of a plot to remember or follow up on. All you need to know is that Prince Adam of Eternia (Chris Wood) uses a Power Sword to turn into He-Man and he’s locked in a struggle with Skeletor (Mark Hamill) over the Grayskull Throne. Revelation gives the characters much more nuance, humanizing both heroes and villains. And it shifts focus at times to He-Man’s love interest Teela (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and Skeletor’s deputy Evil-Lyn (Lena Headey). This is the He-Man story you loved as a kid but can now truly enjoy as an adult.
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