Summer is winding down, which means the back-to-school countdown is officially on. Which means there are limited opportunities to squeeze in some quality couch time. As Tom’s Guide’s streaming editor, I’ve ranked the biggest new movies and shows to watch this weekend.
There’s a little something for every streaming mood. The lineup runs the gamut from DC superheroes in "Lanterns" and the action thrills of "Reacher" to a dinner party gone (hilariously) wrong in "The Invite" and Shane Gillis's dysfunctional workplace comedy "Tires."
Here are my ranked picks for the best new movies and shows to watch this weekend.
1. ‘Lanterns’ (HBO)
Genre: Superhero drama series
Release date: Episode 1 on Sunday, Aug. 16 at 9 p.m. ET (about 1 hour)
What it’s about: Veteran Green Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and rookie John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) are sent to investigate a murder in rural Nebraska. What looks like a straightforward homicide soon points to a much larger extraterrestrial conspiracy.
Why it’s worth your time: "Lanterns" is taking DC's Green Lantern mythology and mashing it up with a moody mystery in the vein of "True Detective." Chandler and Pierre’s prickly mentor-young gun dynamic looks to crackle, while Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) and Nathan Fillion’s gloriously bowl-cut Guy Gardner add some welcome comic-book chaos.
Where to watch: HBO Max
2. ‘Reacher’ season 4 (Prime Video)
Genre: Action thriller series
Available now: Episodes 1-3 (about 45–55 minutes each)
What it's about: Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) is back in New York, where a disturbing subway encounter sends him down a rabbit hole involving politicians, extremists and old wars. Season 4 adapts Lee Child’s "Gone Tomorrow," with Reacher punching his way through the investigation.
Why it's worth your time: This season promises to pick up the pace. Ritchson has teased an even more “high-octane” outing, so expect bigger conspiracies, nastier fights and plenty of the hulking hero's sardonic humor.
Where to watch: Prime Video
3. 'The Invite' (digital)
Genre: Comedy-drama movie
Runtime: 1 hour 44 minutes
What it's about: Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde)’s marriage is already strained when they invite their anything-goes upstairs neighbors, Piña (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), over for dinner. One soufflé, many glasses of wine and a whole lot of oversharing later, the evening spirals into a hilarious relationship pressure cooker.
Why it's worth your time: Think “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” but much hornier. The actors make a terrific quartet, while a sharp script from co-writers Wilde and Will McCormack and Wilde’s precise direction turns marital resentment and sexual awkwardness into a surprisingly moving comedy.
Where to stream: Prime Video (with purchase)
4. ‘My Brilliant Career’ (Netflix)
Genre: Period romantic drama series
Available now: All 6 episodes (around 50 min each)
What it's about: Sybylla Melvyn (Philippa Northeast) has one ambition: to become a writer. Unfortunately, she's a young woman in 1900 Australia, where her family just wants her to marry a rich man. When she's sent away from home, Sybylla finds herself juggling her literary ambitions with love.
Why it's worth your time: It's giving "Little Women" — a fiercely independent heroine determined to become a writer in a time when a woman's only job prospect is "wife." Add a swoony love interest and a gorgeous period setting and you have a pretty irresistible binge.
Where to watch: Netflix
5. ‘Don’t Say Good Luck’ (Netflix)
Genre: Musical teen drama movie
Runtime: 1 hour 45 min
What it's about: Sophie Birenbaum (Sunny Sandler) is a theater kid who finally lands the lead in her high school musical, only to discover that the real drama is happening at home. When her mom Elizabeth (Melanie Lynskey) learns her cancer has returned, Sophie has to juggle opening-night pressure and the need to grow up quickly.
Why it's worth your time: Yes, this is another Netflix project starring an Adam Sandler kid, so your nepo-baby alarms are allowed to beep. But Sunny Sandler has chops, both in acting and singing. The family melodrama is tender and not too treacly, with Lynskey bringing her usual warmth as Sophie’s mom.
Where to stream: Netflix
6. ‘Tires’ season 3 (Netflix)
Genre: Workplace comedy series
Available now: All 12 episodes (about 30 min each)
What it's about:
Shane (Shane Gillis) and Will (Steve Gerben) are now co-owners of the struggling Valley Forge Automotive. As the shop starts to fall apart, so does their friendship, forcing the cousins to reckon with their past.
Why it's worth your time:
This is a workplace comedy for anyone whose idea of team building is watching coworkers make each other miserable. Gillis and Gerben’s bickering remains the main draw.
Where to watch: Netflix
7. ‘Women in Blue’ season 2 (Apple TV)
Genre: Crime thriller drama
Available now: Episode 1 (56 min)
What it’s about: María (Bárbara Mori) has traded up to lieutenant, but her new rank comes with an old problem: institutional corruption. When a student activist is found dead, María and fellow female cops Valentina (Natalia Téllez), Gabina (Amorita Rasgado), and Ángeles (Ximena Sariñana) stumble into a case connected to Mexico’s 1968 student massacre.
Why it’s worth your time: Season 1 established the Azules as women fighting to be taken seriously in a deeply sexist police force; season 2 gives them an even bigger mess to untangle in a historical conspiracy.
Where to watch: Apple TV
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