9 new movies and shows to watch this weekend on Netflix, Apple and more (Sept. 8-10)
Looking for new movies and shows to watch this weekend? We've got you covered with plenty of treats ready to be binged on Netflix, Apple TV Plus, Disney Plus and other top streaming services.
The weekend lineup is led by two big premieres. The first is the spinoff The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, which sees Norman Reedus head to France to fight off zombies. The other is The Changeling, a horror mystery starring LaKeith Stanfield as a desperate dad.
More great TV awaits, as Virgin River season 5 and Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 drop new episodes. And on the movie side, The Little Mermaid makes its streaming debut. Here's our guide on what to watch this weekend.
TV Premieres
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC)
A hardened fighter is tasked with escorting a special child across a ravaged post-apocalyptic landscape — no, this isn’t The Last of Us, though it sounds awfully similar. In his own standalone spinoff of The Walking Dead franchise, Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus) becomes the Joel to a French boy named Laurent (Louis Puech Scigliuzzi).
But let’s back up for a moment. After leaving the Commonwealth at the end of the flagship series, Daryl washes ashore in France, ground zero of the zombie virus. He has no idea how he got there but soon falls in with warrior nun Isabelle (Clémence Poésy). She recruits him for a mission to take Laurent to a refuge where his “miraculous” nature can turn the tide against the zombies.
Premieres Sunday, Sept. 10 at 9 p.m. ET on AMC (via Sling or Fubo)
Streaming now on AMC Plus
The Changeling (Apple TV Plus)
Just in time to kick off spooky season comes this eerie, horror-mystery fable based on Victor LaValle’s novel of the same name. LaKeith Stanfield stars as Apollo, an antiquarian book dealer who has a whirlwind courtship with librarian Emma (Clark Backo). Soon, she becomes pregnant and Apollo is thrilled to welcome a child.
But after Emma gives birth on a subway train, things take an unexpected and maddening turn. Whether she’s experiencing postpartum depression or taking a shaman’s pre-delivery words too seriously, Emma decides little Brian isn’t actually their baby. It leads her to commit a drastic act, one which Apollo struggles to comprehend.
Streaming now on Apple TV Plus
Virgin River season 5 (Netflix)
Baby on board … and in danger, on multiple fronts. Last we visited the small town of Virgin River, nurse practitioner Mel (Alexandra Breckenridge) and bar-owning boyfriend Jack (Martin Henderson) were expecting a little one. But Mel is experiencing a high-risk pregnancy and must make a difficult decision about her job. Things get even more stressful when the entire community is threatened by a devastating wildfire.
Elsewhere, Doc (Tim Matheson) and Hope (Annette O’Toole) are grappling with how their respective impairments are changing their identities. Still, there’s a silver lining on the horizon, as Preacher (Colin Lawrence) finds new love.
Streaming now on Netflix
Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4 (Paramount Plus)
The thoroughly unimportant crew members of the U.S.S. Cerritos return for more adventures in deep space. Season 4 begins with an unknown force destroying starships and threatening galactic peace. But that’s no business of Ensigns Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Boimler (Jack Quaid), Tendi (Noël Wells), Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) and Provisional Ensign T’Lyn (Gabrille Ruiz). They’re just here to keep busy and do the mundane tasks assigned to them — until zany occurrences derail them.
Streaming now on Paramount Plus
Selling the OC season 2 (Netflix)
Bigger listings, bigger paydays, bigger drama. The spinoff of the hit reality show Selling Sunset is back on the market. Reputations, romances and relationships are on the line for The Oppenheim Group's Orange County team, who are navigating a hot real estate market and even hotter rumors. Tension is (still) brewing between agents in the office, which only grows with the arrival of a new face, Alexandra Harper. As Gio Helou snarks, "She’s pretty, charismatic, but overrated." Tell us how you really feel!
Streaming now on Netflix
Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America (Netflix)
The Boys Scouts of America was an institution that was not just respected but revered as trustworthy, morally upright and as American as apple pie. Then, it all came tumbling down in 2020 when the organization filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy and more than 82,000 former Scouts came forward with claims of sexual abuse. Using interviews with survivors, whistleblowers and former employees, this documentary exposes one of the worst scandals of all time.
Streaming now on Netflix
Notable New Episodes
The Afterparty season 2 finale (Apple TV Plus)
And now we finally get the answer to “whodunit?” The previous nine episodes have laid out clues, dropped red herrings and revealed dark secrets about all of the guests at Edgar and Grace’s wedding, which was marred by his murder. Now, the finale brings us the perspectives of Zoe (Zoë Chao) and her mother Vivian (Vivian Wu), told in the alternating styles of campy horror and ‘80s soap opera. By the end, Detective Danner (Tiffany Haddish) may slap handcuffs on whatever man, woman or lizard killed Edgar.
Streaming now on Apple TV Plus
Movie Premieres
The Little Mermaid (Disney Plus)
Disney’s nostalgia machine revs up another live-action remake of one of their animated classics. This time, The Little Mermaid gets the treatment, following in the footsteps of Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Mulan. Like those remakes, this one has its naysayers, though the high level of vitriol targeting Black actress Halle Bailey is truly disturbing.
Of course, a fictional cartoon mermaid doesn’t have to look a certain way, nor does any remake need to be 100% faithful to its predecessor. As Ariel, Bailey is an utterly charming screen presence with a powerful voice. The story of an outsider yearning for a different life is as familiar and comforting as ever. Plus, the ubiquitous Lin-Manuel Miranda adds new music to make this IP-plumbing cash grab a little more interesting.
Streaming now on Disney Plus
Sitting in Bars With Cake (Prime Video)
Inspired by true events, this celebration of female friendship follows best friends Jane (Yara Shahidi) and Corinne (Odessa A’zion) as they navigate life in Los Angeles in their twenties. Jane is a shy but very talented home baker, and the extroverted Corinne convinces her to commit to a year of baking cakes and bringing them to bars with the goal of meeting people.
Their year of “cakebarring” is filled with joy and madcap adventures. Then, Corinne gets a life-changing diagnosis and the friends face the biggest challenge of their young lives.
Streaming now on Prime Video
