Entertainment
2025-04-17 02:03:18 What’s fresh in streaming this week? (January 17, 2025)
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Whatever your mood, we've got a pick for you. Credit: Composite: Mashable / Images: Amazon MGM / Apple TV+ /Max / Netflix / Netflix
Searching for an amazing show to enjoy at home? Streaming services offer an abundance of options with platforms like Hulu, Netflix, Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and many others. And that’s just scratching the surface when you consider the extensive collections of films and series available on each service!
Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, animation, and more.
However, if you're on the lookout for something completely fresh (or recently available for streaming), we've got you sorted as well.
Mashable's entertainment team has scoured the streaming services to highlight the most buzzed-about releases of this week and ranked them from worst to best — or least worth your time to most watchable. Whether you're looking for mind-bending mystery, nerve-fraying horror, addictive docs, teen romance, animated mayhem, or some of 2024's most buzzed-about movies, we've got something just for you.
Here’s a rundown of the latest streaming offerings, ranked from least impressive to most outstanding.
12. Unstoppable
Seeking a feel-good story about self-determination and overcoming adversity? Then you'll revel in Unstoppable, a sports drama based on the inspiring true story of NCAA Division wrestling champion Anthony Robles.
Jharrel Jerome (When They See Us, Moonlight) stars as Robles, who was born with one leg yet went on to win matches, fans, championships, and endorsement contracts. His story begins in Mesa, Arizona, where he's a high school wrestler balancing school, practice, a job, and drama at home — most of it stemming from his belligerent father (Bobby Cannavale). But no matter what hardships come his way, Anthony perseveres with the help of his spirited mother (Jennifer Lopez). Though the plotting of this William Goldenberg-helmed biopic is pretty by-the-numbers, Jerome is a terrific in the lead role, giving audiences an underdog who's easy to root for in a feel-good movie that's easy to watch.
Starring: Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Lopez, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Peña, and Don Cheadle
11. An Update on Our Family
For some, family vlogging appears to be innocent fun, showcasing the charming lives of attractive parents and their adorable children. However, what occurs when the facade of an ideal family begins to crack?
An Update on Our Family takes a look inside this kind of content creation, including the controversy that surrounded YouTubers Myka and James Stauffer following their decision to give up custody of their 4-year-old adopted son in 2020. This limited three-part series from filmmaker Rachel Mason explores what went down offline and what other vloggers make the Stauffers' story. From episode to episode, it may well make you rethink your online viewing habits.
10. SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night
If you love Saturday Night Live, you won't want to miss this documentary miniseries that takes audiences behind the scenes of Lorne Michaels' epic sketch show. Tracing SNL's origins from a scrappy risk to a comedy institution, documentarian Morgan Neville (Piece By Piece) offers a jaw-dropping array of interviews as well as never-before-seen footage and clips from the show's archives.
Over the course of four episodes, SNL 50: Beyond Saturday Night will usher audiences through everything from the intimidating audition process to the week-long development demanded of each episode to the creation of some of the show's most iconic sketches, including the challenges Michaels and company have faced as the concept of comedy in America has shifted. Featuring cast members past and present, this doc series is a treasure trove of fun facts and wild stories, sure to entertain.
Starring: Amy Poehler, Andy Samberg, Bill Hader, Bobby Moynihan, Bowen Yang, Cheri Oteri, David Spade, Ego Nwodim, Fred Armisen, Heidi Gardner, Jason Sudeikis, Jay Pharaoh, Jeff Blake, Joe Piscopo, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Kenan Thompson, Kyle Mooney, Lindsay Shookus, Marci Klein, Mike Shoemaker, Molly Shannon, Nasim Pedrad, Pete Davidson, Stephen Colbert, and Tracy Morgan
9. Castlevania: Nocturne, Season 2
Castlevania: Nocturne Season 2 reunites us with our merry band of vampire hunters, including Richter Belmont (voiced by Edward Bluemel) and sorceress Annette (voiced by Thuso Mbedu). But this time around, there's a big addition to the crew: Dracula's son Alucard (voiced by James Callis), a key character from the original Castlevania series.
With Alucard by their side, Richter, Annette, and co. hope to take down the Vampire Messiah Erzsebet Báthory (Franka Potente) before she can plunge the world into eternal darkness. Based on the trailer, we can expect more incredible fight sequences, dark magic, and even a dragon.* — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
Starring: Edward Bluemel, Pixie Davies, Thuso Mbedu, Sydney James Harcourt, Nastassja Kinski, Zahn McClarnon, Franka Potente, James Callis, Richard Dormer, Iain Glen, Elarica Johnson, and Aaron Neil
8. XO, Kitty, Season 2
To All the Boys I've Loved Before spin-off series XO, Kitty is back, this time with more love triangle drama and a super special guest.
It's a new semester at the Korean Independent School of Seoul (KISS), and Kitty Song Covey (Anna Cathcart) is ready to buckle down and study. She might be a little distracted though, given her romantic feelings for Yuri (Gia Kim) and Min Ho (Sang Heon Lee), and her confusion on what to do next. You know what'll cheer her up though? A surprise visit from Peter Kavinsky (Noah Centineo) himself, who appears briefly in Season 2's trailer to give her a sweet pep talk.* — B.E.
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Starring: Anna Cathcart, Choi Min-young, Gia Kim, Sang Heon Lee, Anthony Keyvan, Regan Aliyah, and Peter Thurnwald
7. A Different Man
One of the most buzzed-about movies out of the festival circuit in 2024 was Aaron Schimberg's A Different Man, which starred Sebastian Stan as a self-conscious actor who undergoes an experimental procedure to radically alter his face.
The MCU's Winter Soldier wore realistic prosthetics for the beginning of A Different Man to play Edward, who feels held back by his facial differences. When the aforementioned procedure makes him look like — well — a movie star, he has a new lease on life, embracing a new identity. That is, until his past comes back to haunt him in the form of a play inspired by his former self. Eager to reconnect with the playwright he once crushed on, Edward auditions for the role of himself — without revealing who he really is. But the arrival of the charismatic Oswald (Chained for Life star Adam Pearson) threatens his plans of artistic triumph and romantic bliss.
Critics, including Mashable contributor Siddhant Adlakha, cheered the film. In his review, Adlakha wrote, "By grounding its story in a character drama first and foremost, A Different Man anchors its many plot zig-zags, and its anxieties about its own existence, to a tangible emotional reality. Schimberg walks a razor-thin line between sincere self-critique and gaudy exploitation, and in the process, practically erases the boundary between them. The end result reveals uncomfortably funny new modes of on-screen representation, expressed in ways both innovative and exciting."
Starring: Sebastian Stan, Renate Reinsve, and Adam Pearson
How to watch: A Different Man debuts on Max on Jan. 17.
6. Harley Quinn, Season 5
This foul-mouthed and ferociously funny animated series has thrown sidekick turned anti-heroine Harley Quinn (voiced by Kaley Cuoco) firmly in the spotlight. She's gone from Joker's doting girlfriend to a supervillain in her own right to a messy member of the BatFamily and the one-and-only of Poison Ivy (Lake Bell). So, what's next for Harley to conquer? How about Metropolis?
In Season 5, Harlivy leave Gotham — and its piss-smelling residents — behind to see what the city that Superman calls home has to offer. There, this chaotic couple will make new friends and foes, like Lois Lane (Natalie Morales); Lena Luther (Aisha Tyler), sister of Lex; and the extraterrestrial baddie Braniac. But fret not, because Harley's old crew isn't far behind, as King Shark, Clayface, and Bane are all set to swing by. So what fresh hell will they raise? Tune in each week to find out! Same Harley Time! Same Harley Channel!
Starring: Kaley Cuoco, Lake Bell, Alan Tudyk, Ron Funches, Natalie Morales, and Aisha Tyler
5. Red Rooms
The internet can be a dark and twisted place. Red Rooms explores these treacherous corners with impressive restraint. This French-Canadian psychological thriller delves into deeply troubling territory, centering on the trial of an alleged serial killer who broadcast his torture and murder of three teen girls online. However, writer/director Pascal Plante keeps the grisly business offscreen, allowing our imaginations to fill in where the shrieking sound design leaves off.
If you've ever been sucked into a true crime rabbit hole, you might initially relate to Red Rooms' protagonist, Kelly-Anne (Juliette Gariépy). Fascinated by the case, she attends the public trial in person, then heads to the internet to learn more, turning to cyberstalking, online gambling, and dark web auction sites to uncover what even the police could not. What does she hope to gain? The deeper she descends into this spiral of obsession, the more unnerving Red Rooms becomes, urging audiences to reconsider their own unhealthy online fixations.
Starring: Juliette Gariépy, Laurie Babin, Elisabeth Locas, Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Natalie Tannous, Pierre Shagnon, and Guy Thauvette
How to watch: Red Rooms is now on Shudder.
4. Back in Action
After a decade away from acting, Cameron Diaz is back in action, opposite a dynamic Jamie Foxx in a winsome espionage comedy fit for the whole family. The premise is reminiscent of the beloved Spy Kids or the underwhelming The Sleepover. However, director Seth Gordon brings so much verve to this movie, it's a shame we'll never have the chance to see it in theaters.
Diaz and Foxx play a couple who met when they were both globe-trekking spies at the top of their game. 15 years after they faked their deaths (and made off with a powerful device), they're middle-aged parents whose teen son and daughter think they're boring. Well, when the whole family gets pulled into a rousing adventure, these kiddos will see who their parents really are, and what they're made of. Fun in a wonderfully throwback '90s way, Back in Action is a great pick for a movie night in.
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Andrew Scott, Jamie Demetriou, Kyle Chandler, and Glenn Close
3. Queer
Celebrated filmmaker Luca Guadagnino has bestowed upon cinema an audacious array of tales of lust and love, gnarly and magnificent. There was the tender summer love story of Call Me by Your Name, the cannibal coming-of-age adventure Bones and All, and the high-tension love triangle of Challengers. Then came Queer, Guadagnino's daring adaptation of William S. Burroughs' semi-autobiographical novella.
Daniel Craig stars as a drug-fueled American ex-pat, cutting a reckless path through Mexico's bars and into its deepest wilderness. Along the way, he becomes intoxicated with a dashing young Navy man (Drew Starkey), sparking a relationship that's as confounding as it is white-hot. Less adored than Guadagnino's previous films, Queer nonetheless awed some critics. In my review for Mashable, I waded through my qualms with the film, but ultimately cheered, "Queer is both visually lush, sexually explosive, and emotionally infuriating. It is not a journey that leaves our hearts full, but open and aching."
Starring: Daniel Craig, Drew Starkey, Jason Schwartzman, Henry Zaga, Omar Apollo, and Lesley Manville
2. A Real Pain
Written, directed by, and starring Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain follows an odd couple of cousins on a trip to Poland, where they hope to reconnect to their late grandmother's roots and their Jewish heritage. Where David (Jesse Eisenberg) is tightly wound and repressed, Benji (Kieran Culkin) is a charmingly chaotic chatterbox, who's quick with a hug, a witticism, and an out-of-pocket revelation.
The clever title A Real Pain plays on both the grief these cousins grapple with over the loss of their grandmother, and their decaying bond. It's also a cheeky way to allude to brash Benji. "Despite its title, A Real Pain is genuinely funny," Monica Castillo cheered in her review for Mashable, celebrating Culkin's incredible performance. "It's a level of unpredictability that can be funny yet sincere, and Culkin threads the needle between emotions with surprising acuity."
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes
How to watch: A Real Pain debuts on Hulu on Jan. 16.
1. Severance, Season 2
After three long years, Severance is back! And trust me when I say that Season 2 was well worth the wait.
AppleTV+'s workplace thriller returns with a vengeance, letting us know what happened to Lumon's Innies following their daring excursion to the outside world in Season 1. Expect more strange Lumon traditions, more baby goats, and more questions. But don't worry — you'll get some answers too.
In my Season 2 review, I said that Severance Season 2 may already be the best show of 2025. That's a pretty bold claim to make, especially in Jan., but when you know, you know. After all, as I wrote in my review, "somehow, Severance manages to top itself in its second outing, expanding further on its unique sci-fi premise and always, always keeping us on our toes. Expect the unexpected this season — starting with Lumon's response to the Macrodata Refinement workers' rebellion." — B.E.
Starring: Adam Scott, Britt Lower, Tramell Tillman, Zach Cherry, Jen Tullock, Michael Chernus, Dichen Lachman, John Turturro, Christopher Walken, Patricia Arquette, and Sarah Bock
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