With spin-off series, new thrillers, and another capitalist horror story based on real life, this week spans genres and interests to deliver something for everyone. Plus, King Richard is back on streaming, so you can watch the performance that might just help Will Smith nab his first Oscar. This a week filled to the brim with new shows and new movies, so make sure to make time for these picks!
What to watch on Netflix
Human Resources
For fans of Big Mouth, the spin-off series Human Resources premieres this week. This animated sitcom is a new workplace comedy about the different Hormone Monsters who embody the feelings of pubescent teens and fully-grown adults alike. There are creatures who control love, hate, anxiety, shame, depression, and a whole range of other human emotions. Basically, it’s like Inside Out, but more adult. The voice cast is star-studded, including Aidy Bryant, Nick Kroll, Maya Rudolph, Keke Palmer, Ali Wong, and David Thewlis. Human Resources premieres on Friday, March 18th.
Windfall
Though his talents are now being recognized for his performance in The Power of the Dog, actor Jesse Plemons has already shown himself to be quite the chameleonic actor. His complex and slyly hilarious turns in movies like Game Night and shows like Fargo make quite the case for his newest movie, Windfall. This thriller follows a semi-failed home invasion, where the vacation home of rich-guy Plemons and his wife Lily Collins gets broken into by a bumbling nobody played by Jason Segel. The movie is tense, but clearly has a sharp sense of humor about it with plenty of jabs at the wealth Plemons’ tech CEO enjoys. Windfall premieres Friday, March 18th.
What to watch on Hulu
Life & Beth
Comedian Amy Schumer leads this new dramedy about an adult who needs to rethink growing up. Schumer’s Beth is in a bit of a midlife crisis: she doesn’t love her boyfriend, she’s tired of her wine-based career, and she’s got some trauma to reckon with instead of shrugging off with a joke. It’s a coming-of-age story for those who realized in their mid-30s that the life they’ve been leading has actually kind of sucked. It’s a comedic show, but Schumer gets to show off her dramatic chops with the series’ more serious beats. Oh, and Michael Cera plays Beth’s eventual farmer love interest. Life & Beth premieres on Friday, March 18th.
Deep Water
Ben Affleck might just be the king of the psychosexual thriller. He has Gone Girl under his belt, and Deep Water looks like it’ll be joining the ranks this week. Affleck stars as Vic Van Allen, and alongside him stands Ana de Armas as his wife Melinda. Their happy couple façade has faded long ago; Melinda constantly toys with other men, and Vic is at the end of his rope with having to watch it all happen. It promises to be a twisty, twisted thriller. Deep Water premieres Friday, March 18th.
What to watch on Amazon Prime
Master
This recent Sundance success features a haunting story on the legacy of racism and sexism at a fictional Ivy League school in Salem, Massachusetts. Master follows three separate Black women: Regina Hall’s recently promoted professor Gail, Amber Gray’s radical academic Liv, and Zoe Renee’s new student Jasmine. Each must grapple not only with the school’s past—the first Black female student to attend committed suicide in the same dorm Jasmine now lives in—but with its more subtly racist present. It’s a smart horror movie that analyzes the deep-seated racism that has built many of our great American institutions. Master starts streaming on Friday, March 18th.
What to watch on HBO Max
King Richard
With his recent wins at the SAG Awards and the Critics Choice Awards, Will Smith has become the favorite to take home the Oscar for Best Actor for his must-see performance in King Richard. Luckily, for those who didn’t catch it back in the fall, it’s coming to HBO Max this week. King Richard tracks the early careers of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams from the perspective of their father, Richard Williams, who has began drawing up plans for their success before they were born. The movie goes beyond the cliched tropes of a sports drama to tell a nuanced, powerful story. King Richard will be available to stream on Thursday, March 24th.
What to watch on Apple TV+
WeCrashed
With shows like Succession, Inventing Anna, and The Dropout at the center of the pop cultural zeitgeist, giving capitalism a reality check via semi-fictionalized television shows is very in right now—and WeCrashed wants to capitalize on that trend. This new series follows the couple who created WeWork, played by the incomparable Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto, as their office-renting company rises and rises, then inevitably falls. It’s a fascinating drama that’s as much about the enigmatic but immoral couple at its center as it is about messy and exploitative business practices. WeCrashed premieres Friday, March 18th.
What to Watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
