If you’re planning a spring break binge, you’re in luck! You can choose from an abundant crop of new movies and shows available to watch this weekend on Netflix, Max and more of the best streaming services.
Truly, my weekend watch list is packed. At the top is “The Last of Us” season 2 premiere, which has been highly anticipated by fans. Other returning favorites include “Hacks” season 4, “Black Mirror” season 7 and the sixth and final season of “The Handmaid’s Tale.”
The big new debut is “Your Friends and Neighbors,” a dark comedy crime caper starring Jon Hamm. Plus, make time to catch the finale of one of the best new shows of the year, “The Pitt.”
On the movie side, Viola Davis is a president-turned-action hero in “G20” and Bong Joon Ho’s most recent skewering of society, “Mickey 17,” hits premium video-on-demand.
Here’s my guide on what to watch this weekend.
New TV shows
‘The Last of Us’ season 2 (HBO)
The highly awaited return of the video game adaptation arrives two years after the first season’s overwhelming success and critical acclaim. However, within the show’s timeline, five years have passed since Joel (Pedro Pascal) made a life-altering decision that set everything in motion.
Now residing in the safe haven of Jackson, Joel and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) live in relative peace, but a palpable tension lingers between them as past secrets threaten to unravel their fragile connection. New characters inject fresh conflict: Ellie’s romantic interest, Dina (Isabela Merced); Joel’s therapist (Catherine O’Hara); and the determined Abby (Kaitlyn Dever), whose thirst for revenge will change the course of the story.
Season 2 raises the stakes, delivering even more intense drama, danger, and emotional turmoil.
Episode 1 premieres Sunday, April 13 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and Max
‘Hacks’ season 4 (Max)
Deborah Vance and Ava Daniels are back — and this time, it’s all-out war. Season 4 of “Hacks” picks up right where the explosive season 3 finale left off, with Ava (Hannah Einbinder) blackmailing her way into becoming the head writer for Deborah’s (Jean Smart) long-awaited late-night show.
Betrayal is old news for Deborah, but this one cuts especially deep. As the two friends-turned-foes navigate the cutthroat world of late-night television, Ava scrambles to prove she’s worthy of the position while Deborah, a seasoned expert in vengeance, begins plotting her next move.
Tensions flare in the writers’ room, at Hollywood parties, and even in a strip club, as the two fight for creative control — and perhaps, what’s left of their fractured relationship.
Episodes 1-2 streaming now on Max
‘The Handmaid’s Tale’ season 6 (Hulu)
In its powerful sixth and final season, “The Handmaid’s Tale” goes out with a bang. June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) returns to the fight, determined to bring down Gilead once and for all.
As Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) pushes forward with a plan to reform Gilead, key figures like Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) and Nick (Max Minghella) begin to feel the pressure as their empire starts to crumble.
Meanwhile, Luke is imprisoned, Moira is rallying the resistance, and Aunt Lydia faces the painful realization that her “girls” were never truly safe. Righteous anger builds to a fiery climax in the final chapter of this dystopian saga. Get ready: The revolution is here.
Episodes 1-3 streaming now on Hulu
‘Black Mirror’ season 7 (Netflix)
The sci-fi anthology is back with new episodes, venturing into uncharted territory for “Black Mirror” — a sequel. The USS Callister crew returns in Into Infinity, and the stakes are even stranger.
Creator Charlie Brooker promises a return to the series’ roots: six new sci-fi nightmares (two of which are feature-length), with tones ranging from darkly humorous to downright unsettling. The episodes explore a memory-altering eulogy machine, a dangerous ’90s video game obsession, and a rom-com that’s anything but sweet.
With a star-studded cast (featuring Paul Giamatti, Rashida Jones, Issa Rae, and Awkwafina) and that signature tech-fueled dread, “Black Mirror” delivers once again.
All 6 episodes streaming now on Netflix
‘Your Friends and Neighbors’ (Apple TV Plus)
Jon Hamm shines in this sharp dramedy as Andrew “Coop” Cooper, a slick, smirking character entangled in privilege, bad decisions, and petty theft in an affluent suburb. Recently divorced, Coop is a hedge fund executive with a Maserati and a mansion —until he gets fired and spirals into stealing from his country club neighbors.
As he lifts watches, wine, and the occasional Warhol, Coop finds that his neighbors’ secrets are even more scandalous than his own fall from grace. Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn join the star-studded cast.
The series kicks off with a bloody mess — literally — and what follows is a thrilling unraveling of suburban life, full of style, sharp wit, and Hamm at his finest.
Episodes 1-2 streaming now on Apple TV Plus
‘The Pitt’ season 1 finale (Max)
This medical drama has emerged as one of the year’s biggest surprises — and a top contender for best show of the year. The end of the day shift is finally in sight, but it’s been a grueling, nightmarish one for Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) and the hospital staff.
Though fewer victims from the mass casualty event are arriving at the ER, the team still has plenty of patients to care for. Unresolved issues continue to hang over them, including Langdon’s struggles with drug use and his job status.
As the shift draws to a close, Robby is forced to face the emotional fallout from the day’s events, which takes him back to the roof where it all began.
Episode 15 streaming now on Max
‘Yellowjackets’ season 3 finale (Showtime)
Winter is coming … again. In the season 3 finale, the teen Yellowjackets are bracing for another harsh, icy season. Teen Shauna (Sophie Nélisse) has transformed into a full-blown megalomaniac, forcing the others to stay instead of seeking rescue as the snow begins to fall.
With no food or resources, it’s clear what’s coming: a hunt. Now that Travis has created the spike-filled pit, will we finally learn the identity of Pit Girl?
In the present day, adult Shauna (Melanie Lynskey) remains just as power-hungry and bloodthirsty. She and the other adult Yellowjackets must confront Van’s death at the hands of Melissa. And of course, the mystery of who killed Lottie still looms large.
Episode 10 streaming now on Paramount Plus With Showtime
‘Doctor Who’ season 15 (Disney Plus)
In his second season, Ncuti Gatwa’s Doctor partners with Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) on a high-stakes mission to return her to Earth. But there’s a twist: A mysterious force is bent on preventing their journey.
As the TARDIS crew faces increasingly dangerous enemies, surreal challenges, and mind-bending realities, they confront a growing cosmic threat. The journey takes them from a 51st-century future to the eccentric 803rd Interstellar Song Contest and even into an animated world.
Expect to see Emmy-winning Alan Cumming as the menacing Mr. Ring-a-Ding, alongside a fantastic guest cast.
Episode 1 premieres Saturday, April 12 at 3 a.m. ET on Disney Plus
New movies
‘G20’ (Prime Video)
Oscar winner Viola Davis ditches awards bait for this action thriller that requires her to deploy a very particular set of skills. She plays U.S. President Danielle Sutton, a war hero turned world leader who’s forced to channel her inner John McClane when terrorists crash the G20 summit in Cape Town.
With crypto-bro villain Rutledge (Antony Starr) taking global leaders hostage and destabilizing markets with deepfakes, Sutton — armed with grit, a Glock and a teenager on TikTok — must outwit mercenaries, rescue her family, and still look presidential while dodging missiles.
Streaming now on Prime Video
‘Mickey 17’ (PVOD)
Oscar-winning director Bong Joon Ho trades subtlety for savage satire and sci-fi spectacle to deliver a darkly hilarious gut punch of a film. Robert Pattinson stars as Mickey, an “Expendable” worker who’s given the most hazardous, often fatal tasks. When he dies, he’s cloned, memories intact.
Mickey joins a journey to colonize the icy hellscape of the planet Niflheim, but when he survives a mission and returns to find Mickey 18 already printed, things get weird. Very weird.
Bong blends bonkers with brilliance, skewering everything from tech bros to totalitarianism. You’ll laugh, wince, and maybe question your own replaceability.
Streaming now with purchase on Amazon or Apple