Streaming subscribers have more choice than ever, with major platforms including Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, and Peacock offering extensive movie and TV libraries. To help you find something worth watching, here are the best new movies and shows arriving on streaming services this week, covering true crime, horror, action, comedy, science fiction, documentaries, and more.
15. Death of the Pastor’s Wife
John-Paul Miller and his wife, Mica Miller, appeared to have a happy marriage. Before Mica was found dead in a state park in April 2024, however, she had told family and friends about alleged manipulation, abuse, and stalking by her husband.
Across three episodes, Death of the Pastor’s Wife examines the breakdown of the Millers’ marriage through interviews with Mica’s surviving friends and siblings. The filmmakers were unable to interview John-Paul or his new wife, whom he married a year after Mica’s body was discovered. However, video-recorded sermons offer insight into his views on love, marriage, and a wife’s duties. The result is a chilling documentary that does not offer an easy or satisfying conclusion.
How to watch: Death of the Pastor’s Wife is now streaming on Netflix.
14. Penny Lane Is Dead
Australian writer-director Mia’kate Russell draws on the ’80s Ozploitation films that helped put Australian horror cinema on the map in Penny Lane Is Dead. The film begins with “school’s out” teen fun and overt Australiana before taking a dark, ultraviolent turn. Viewers should be aware that it includes rape-revenge genre themes.
After finishing high school, Penny (Bailey Spalding), Toni (Tahlee Fereday), and Amy (Alexandra Jensen) plan a girls’ night to celebrate. Penny’s scheming cousin Kat (Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn) crashes the party with her criminal adult boyfriend and his criminal friends, sending the celebration in a dangerous direction. The film fully embraces its exploitation roots, leaving audiences to decide how that approach lands in 2026.
Starring: Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn, Tahlee Fereday, Alexandra Jensen, Bailey Spalding, Ben O’Toole, Steve Le Marquand, and Fletcher Humphrys
How to watch: Penny Lane Is Dead premieres Aug. 28 on Shudder.
13. Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special
Adult Swim is celebrating its 25th birthday with a new Robot Chicken special featuring characters from shows including Smiling Friends, The Venture Bros., Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law.
The special sends these beloved characters and others on a cruise that goes, predictably, terribly wrong. Viewers can expect plenty of animated mayhem.
How to watch: The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special premieres at midnight ET on Aug. 31 and streams on HBO Max the next day.
12. Motor City
For stylized action, Motor City follows Reacher star Alan Ritchson as ex-con John Miller, who seeks revenge against Detroit mobster Reynolds (Ben Foster) in 1977.
Reynolds framed John for a crime and stole his fiancée, Sophia (Shailene Woodley). John’s pursuit unfolds with minimal dialogue and a rock-heavy soundtrack, making every punch feel like part of a headbanging revenge story.
Starring: Alan Ritchson, Shailene Woodley, Pablo Schreiber, Ben Foster, and Ben McKenzie
How to watch: Motor City is now available to buy or rent digitally.
11. Above & Below
Jesse V. Johnson’s Above & Below forces a group of vacationing friends to face both great white sharks and a crime gang. During a shark-diving trip, the group becomes entangled in a cartel drug operation.
Some of the friends are held at gunpoint while the others are trapped in a shark cage with only 10 minutes of oxygen remaining. With Antonio Banderas among the cast, this horror-action thriller turns a vacation into an impossible choice.
Starring: Laura Marano, Antonio Bandera, Christina Ochoa, Diego Llinás, Timothy V. Murphy, Louis Mandylor, Jess Liaudin, Donncha Tynan, Ryan Bertroche, Ramiro Alonso, Rodrigo Poisón, and Mario Tardón
How to watch: Above & Below is now available to buy or rent digitally.
10. Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young
Vince Young became a football star after his MVP performance in the 2006 Rose Bowl game between the Texas Longhorns and USC Trojans. Once expected to become the NFL’s next major star, Young’s career took a different path after injuries, conflicts, and other setbacks.
The latest installment of Netflix’s Untold sports documentary series explores Young’s rise and decline, including insight from Young himself.
How to watch: Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young is now streaming on Netflix.
9. The Deb
Rebel Wilson’s directorial debut, The Deb, has taken a lengthy and turbulent route to release, including a defamation lawsuit brought by the director against star Charlotte MacInnes. Two years after premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, the musical comedy arrives for digital viewing this week.
The film follows Taylah (Natalie Abbott), an awkward farm girl from the small town of Dunburn, where the local debutante ball is a major event. Her influencer cousin Maeve (MacInnes) arrives from the city after being sent away following an anti-patriarchy protest. The two relatives have opposing views on feminism and “the deb,” but may have something to learn from each other.
Starring: Rebel Wilson, Natalie Abbott, Charlotte MacInnes, Stevie Jean, Brianna Bishop, Karis Oka, Tara Morice, Shane Jacobson, Costa D’Angelo, Alex de Crespigny, Ioane Sa’ula, Ben Turland, Hal Cumpston, Stephanie Tisdell, Amanda Kour, and Sophea Pennington
How to watch: The Deb is now available to buy or rent digitally.
8. The Undeclared War Season 2
Created by Peter Kosminsky, the cyber thriller The Undeclared War debuted on the UK’s Channel 4 in 2022, taking viewers inside the intelligence world of the Government Communications Headquarters.
Four years later, Season 2 arrives with Paul McGuigan as director, Colin Teevan as writer, and Simon Pegg playing Danny Patrick, the head of GCHQ operations. The new season promises surveillance, bureaucracy, and escalating tension.
Starring: Simon Pegg, Siân Brooke, Hannah Khalique-Brown, Alex Jennings, Danny Sapani, Ed Stoppard, and Chloe Pirrie
How to watch: The Undeclared War Season 2 is now streaming on Peacock.
7. Leanne Season 2
Stand-up comedian Leanne Morgan returns to Netflix in the second season of her self-titled sitcom. The first season followed Leanne as she dealt with the shock of her husband leaving her for another woman after 33 years of marriage.
Season 2 continues Leanne’s process of self-discovery and reinvention, supported by her family, including her sister Carol (Kristen Johnston).
Starring: Leanne Morgan, Kristen Johnston, Celia Weston, Blake Clark, Ryan Stiles, Jayma Mays, Tim Daly, Graham Rogers, and Hannah Pilkes
How to watch: Leanne Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
6. The Last Sunrise
Based on Anna Todd’s novel, The Last Sunrise offers a summer romance set in Mallorca. College student Ry (Maia Reficco) travels there on vacation with her mother (Eva Longoria) and begins a relationship with Julián (Fernando Lindez).
Their connection faces challenges as Ry manages a chronic illness and discovers family secrets. The film asks whether those obstacles can overcome the couple’s growing bond.
Starring: Maia Reficco, Fernando Lindez, Eva Longoria, Andrés Velencoso, Chloé Sweetlove, and Sabrina Bartlett
How to watch: The Last Sunrise is now streaming on Prime Video.
5. Mousetrap
South Korean thriller Mousetrap has arrived on Netflix, taking viewers into the unsettling world of “identity laundering.” When novelist Je Moon-jae (Ryu Jun-yeol) discovers that his identity has been completely stolen and finds loan shark No-ja (Sul Kyung-gu) pursuing him, he must uncover why a mysterious figure known as “The Rat” took his identity and determine how to reclaim his life.
Directed by Kim Hong-sun and written by Lee Jae-gon, this mind-bending thriller twists through the streets of Seoul as its mystery deepens.
Starring: Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu
How to watch: Mousetrap premieres Aug. 28 on Netflix.
4. Hadestown: The Musical
Audiences who have not seen Hadestown on stage can now watch a filmed performance of the Tony-winning musical. Filmed in London’s West End, Hadestown: The Musical brings Anaïs Mitchell and Rachel Chavkin’s adaptation of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice to digital platforms.
The live capture features original Broadway cast members Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Amber Gray, André De Shields, and Patrick Page, making it an opportunity to watch or revisit the acclaimed stage production.
Starring: Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Amber Gray, André De Shields, and Patrick Page
How to watch: Hadestown: The Musical is now available to buy or rent digitally.
3. The Whisper Man
Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, and Adam Scott lead the crime thriller The Whisper Man, based on Alex North’s novel of the same name. The film centers on a disturbing playground rhyme:
“If you leave a door half open, soon you’ll hear the whispers spoken. If your window’s left unlatched, you’ll hear him tapping at the glass. If you’re lonely, sad, and blue, the Whisper Man will come for you.”
When children begin disappearing, including the 8-year-old son of a crime writer (Scott), his detective father (De Niro) is brought out of retirement. The case may be connected to a serial killer he arrested years earlier.
James Ashcroft directs a script by Ben Jacoby and Chase Palmer. The result promises a dark mystery filled with chilling twists.
Starring: Robert De Niro, Michelle Monaghan, Adam Scott, Hamish Linklater, Owen Teague, Acston Luca Porto, and Will Brill
How to watch: The Whisper Man premieres Aug. 28 on Netflix.
2. Dark Matter Season 2
With Silo Season 3 nearing its conclusion, Apple TV is offering another major science-fiction release in Dark Matter Season 2. Based on Blake Crouch’s novel, the first season followed physicist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton) as he traveled through alternate versions of his life.
The second season moves beyond the book, placing the Dessen family in danger as powerful enemies force them back on the run. Viewers can expect more multiverse-driven science-fiction drama.
Starring: Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, and Jimmi Simpson
How to watch: Dark Matter Season 2 premieres Aug. 28 on Apple TV.
Best of Streaming This Week: Adults Season 2
FX’s Gen Z sitcom Adults made a strong impression in its first season by introducing a messy but lovable group of housemates: Samir (Malik Elassal), Billie (Lucy Freyer), Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), Issa (Amita Rao), and Anton (Owen Thiele).
Season 2 raises the show’s comic energy, with the cast thriving both individually and in ensemble scenes. The new episodes include secret friend groups, awkward pop-star careers, a raccoon invasion, and the possibility of more romantic sparks between Anton and Paul Baker.
The season contains only eight short episodes, making it easy to binge. Once the finale ends, viewers may be tempted to return to the beginning and revisit the group’s chaotic path into adulthood.
Starring: Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen, Amita Rao, and Owen Thiele
How to watch: Adults Season 2 premieres Aug. 27 at 9 p.m. ET on Hulu and FXX.
Source: mashable.com
