11 new movies and shows to watch Thanksgiving weekend on Netflix, Hulu and more (Nov. 23-26)
Now that Thanksgiving is over and you've gotten your fill of food, family and fun (or perhaps dysfunction), you can sit back and relax by watching new movies and TV shows over the long holiday weekend.
Cyber Weekend Streaming Deals
• Hulu: 99 cents per month
• Paramount Plus: $1.99 per month for 3 months
• Peacock: $1.99 per month for 12 months
• Disney Plus and Hulu: $2.99 per month
• Max: $2.99 per month for 6 months
A veritable feast of streaming options awaits you. And they're spread across Netflix, Disney Plus, HBO Max, Peacock and other services, so you'll have your choice.
The lineup is led by the premium video-on-demand release of Oppenheimer. With Barbie already available on VOD, that means you can hold your own Barbenheimer viewing party at home.
On television, Fargo season 5 brings the crime anthology drama back, this time with Jon Hamm and Juno Temple in the cast. Other Thanksgiving weekend streaming treats include Doctor Who: Star Beast, Faraway Downs and Squid Game: The Challenge.
Here’s our guide on the new shows and movies to watch this weekend.
TV Premieres
Fargo season 5 (FX)
After a very long hiatus of three years, the crime anthology finally returns. And as usual, creator Noah Hawley has gathered together a killer cast: Jon Hamm, Juno Temple, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Joe Keery and Lamorne Morris, among others. The latest installment is set in Minnesota and North Dakota in 2019. An unexpected series of events lands Dot (Temple) in hot water with the authorities, plunging the seemingly typical Midwestern housewife back into a life she thought she'd left behind.
Streaming now on Hulu
Episodes air Tuesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on FX (via Sling or Fubo)
Doctor Who: The Star Beast
To celebrate its 60th anniversary, Doctor Who is bringing back one of its most iconic Doctors: David Tennant. He'll star in three specials as the 14th incarnation of the Doctor (not his previous 10th Doctor), with Catherine Tate returning as companion Donna Noble. The first special, Star Beast, finds the Doctor caught in a fight to the death after a spaceship crash-lands in London and an ensuing battle wreaks havoc.
Premieres Saturday, Nov. 25 at 3:01 a.m. ET on Disney Plus
Faraway Downs
Baz Luhrmann gets a do-over of his 2008 film Australia, which flopped at the box office. The director revisited his footage and emerged with a six-chapter miniseries. The sweeping romance follows English aristocrat Lady Sarah Ashley (Nicole Kidman) as she journeys to the Australian Outback to force her wayward husband into selling his struggling million-acre cattle ranch. But when he’s killed, she enlists the help of a rough-hewn cattle drover (Hugh Jackman) to protect the ranch. The story is told from the perspective of a young indigenous child named Nullah (Brandon Walters), whom Sarah takes under her wing.
Premieres Sunday, Nov. 26 at 12:01 a.m. ET on Hulu
The Velveteen Rabbit (Apple TV Plus)
The beloved classic children's book by Margery Williams comes to life again in this new screen adaptation that's part live-action and part animation. When 7-year-old William (Phoenix Laroche) receives a new favorite toy for Christmas, he discovers a lifelong friend and unlocks a world of magic. The voice cast includes Alex Lawther (Andor) as the Velveteen Rabbit, Helena Bonham Carter (The Crown) as Wise Horse and Nicola Coughlan (Bridgerton) as Playroom Fairy.
Streaming now on Apple TV Plus
Squid Game: The Challenge (Netflix)
While we wait for Squid Game season 2, Netflix is putting on the competition in real life — all the games seen in the hit Korean drama and a big cash prize, but no deaths (whew). The game show version of Squid Game pits 456 players against each other to win $4.56 million. Like in the fictional series, they'll endure a series of childhood games, including Red Light, Green Light overseen by the legendary animatronic doll, Young-hee. Along the way, alliances will be formed and betrayals will be made.
Streaming now on Netflix
Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and The Pool (Netflix)
Talk about long hiatuses — it's been four years since comedian Mike Birbiglia's last special, The New One. Not quite so new anymore, since he finally delivers a new new one, The Old Man and the Pool. The tight 85 sees Birbiglia in top storytelling form as he tackles life's big questions: why are we here? What's next? And how much chlorine are they putting in the YMCA pool?
Streaming now on Netflix
Mike Birbiglia: The Old Man and The Pool (Netflix)
Talk about long hiatuses — it's been four years since comedian Mike Birbiglia's last special, The New One. Not quite so new anymore, since he finally delivers a new new one, The Old Man and the Pool. The tight 85 sees Birbiglia in top storytelling form as he tackles life's big questions: why are we here? What's next? And how much chlorine are they putting in the YMCA pool?
Premieres Tuesday, Nov. 21 at 3:01 a.m. ET on Netflix
Hannah Waddingham: Home for Christmas (Apple TV Plus)
Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham got brief chances to use her gorgeous voice on that show. Now, she's got a full showcase where she can perform beloved Christmas classics to ring in the season. Recorded live at The Coliseum in London, the special sees Waddingham joined by co-star Phil Dunster (Jamie), Leslie Odom Jr. and Luke Evans, among others. Oh, and Juno Temple is able to leave the criminal underworld of the Midwest to make an appearance, too.
Streaming now on Apple TV Plus
Movie Premieres
Oppenheimer (PVOD)
If you missed out on the theatrical Barbenheimer experience, now you can put on a doubleheader at home via VOD. Cillian Murphy stars as J. Robert Oppenheimer, widely known as the “father of the atomic bomb.” The story follows the young Oppenheimer from his days studying theoretical physics to teaching quantum physics to developing an atomic bomb during World War II at the behest of Lt. Gen. Leslie Groves Jr. (Matt Damon).
Oppenheimer sets up the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he’s joined by brilliant minds including Isidor Isaac Rabi (David Krumholtz) and Edward Teller (Benny Safdie). But years later, Oppenheimer is haunted by regrets.
Buy to stream on Amazon or Apple starting Nov. 21
Good Burger 2 (Paramount Plus)
Sequels made decades after the first movie are all the rage (Top Gun: Maverick, Coming 2 America). Joining those illustrious titles is Good Burger 2, which follows up on the 1997 comedy based on a sketch from the Nickelodeon series All That. Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell reunite as Dexter Reed and cashier Ed, respectively. Dexter is down on his luck after another invention fails, but he’s welcomed back by Ed to the fast food restaurant with open arms. They’ve got a new crew of co-workers and, naturally, hijinks ensues.
Stream on Paramount Plus starting Nov. 22
Genie (Peacock)
‘Tis the season for new Christmas movies! And classic Christmas movies. Oh, and Hallmark Christmas movies. With Thanksgiving arriving this week, the holidays are truly underway.
In the new fantasy comedy Genie, Melissa McCarthy is the titular genie, who’s been doing her job for millennia. One day, she’s summoned by Bernard Bottle (Paapa Essiedu), whose marriage to wife Julie (Denée Benton) is crumbling and whose young daughter Eve (Jordyn Mcintosh) barley knows him. Just before Christmas, Bernard misses Eve’s birthday and gets fired. Despondent, he dusts off an old jewelry box and unintentionally releases Flora. Maybe, just maybe, she can help him get his family back.
Stream on Peacock starting Nov. 22
Leo (Netflix)
Adam Sandler lends his voice to this animated musical comedy with a coming-of-age story as told by a class pet. Jaded 74-year-old lizard Leo (Sandler) has been stuck in the same Florida fifth-grade classroom for decades with his tank-mate turtle named Squirtle (Bill Burr). After overhearing a conversation that leads him to believe he doesn’t have long to live, Leo decides to break out and experience life on the outside. He gets the chance when the teacher decrees that each student must take Leo home for a weekend, but as he gets caught up in the kids’ problems, freedom becomes an afterthought.
Stream on Netflix starting Nov. 21
