If you’re looking to spend the weekend catching up on your watchlist, you’re in luck. Netflix, HBO Max and other streaming services are kicking off the new year with a smorgasbord of new must-watch TV, and we’re highlighting the best of the bunch so you can skip the scrolling and get to streaming.
This week’s highlights include “The Pitt’s” highly anticipated second outing on HBO Max and the long-awaited return of “The Night Manager” on Prime Video. For twists and turns that’ll have you glued to your seat, check out “His & Hers” on Netflix or the emotional roller coaster that is “Girl Taken” on Paramount Plus. And while it’s technically not “new” (it came out in 2016), “11.22.63” just arrived on Netflix, and it’s the best Stephen King adaptation I’ve seen in years.
‘The Pitt’ (HBO Max)
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I was dragging my feet on “The Pitt,” but with season 2 premiering this week, I figured this weekend was the perfect time to catch up. HBO Max’s massive hit medical drama is just as addictive as everyone says, though you’ll need a box of tissues to get through the whole thing.
Season 2 sees Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) return to the floor at Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Center and diving straight into another high-pressure shift. It all plays out in real-time once again, this time taking place over the Fourth of July weekend about 10 months after the end of season 1. Though there’s only one episode out so far, early signs (it’s currently sitting at 96% on Rotten Tomatoes) suggest this second chapter will be another binge-worthy treat.
Streaming now on HBO Max
‘Girl Taken’ (Paramount Plus)
This six-episode British psychological thriller is a tough watch, but it’s pretty faithful to Hollie Overton’s novel Baby Doll. “Girl Taken” centers on twin sisters, Lily (Tallulah Evans) and Abby (Delphi Evans), whose lives are shattered after a beloved local teacher (Alfie Allen) abducts Lily from their quiet rural English town.
If you’re starting to think this plays out like a regular whodunnit, think again. “Girl Taken” is less about the abduction than the damage such unimaginable cruelty leaves behind. Years later, Lily escapes captivity, only to face the painful reality that the world she dreamed of returning to has moved on, and freedom is more terrifying than she bargained for.
Streaming now on Paramount Plus
‘His & Hers’ (Netflix)
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There are two sides to every story, and at least one of them is hiding something. “His & Hers,” Netflix’s latest twisty mystery thriller, makes that loud and clear, leaving it up to the viewers to piece together the truth. “His & Hers” follows an estranged husband and wife pulled back into each other’s orbit: Anna Andrews (Tessa Thompson), a disgraced former TV news anchor living off the grid in Atlanta after ditching both her career and her social life, and Jack Harper (Jon Bernthal), a detective with the sheriff’s office of the small town where her life all fell apart.
When a murder rocks the community, Anna returns to chase down the truth on her own, hoping that finding answers will help rekindle a sense of purpose. Harper’s the head detective on the case, and wary of her sudden interest. With each new lead, their buried past resurfaces, making an already tangled investigation even messier. With just six breezy episodes packed with twists and turns that’ll have you swearing “just one more,” “His & Hers” is the definition of bingeable TV.
Streaming now on Netflix
‘The Night Manager’ (Prime Video)
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After a decade away from our screens, Jonathan Pine returned to the field this week with season 2 of Prime Video’s slick spy thriller series “The Night Manager” — and it was well worth the wait. Tom Hiddleston’s suave hotel manager-turned-undercover agent is still working for MI6 these days, though he sticks to low-profile surveillance jobs and convinces himself the past is finally done catching up to him.
Naturally, that’s precisely when one familiar voice flings him headfirst back into the action. He sets out on another globe-trotting mission to infiltrate the ranks of another dangerous player, Colombian businessman Teddy Dos Santos (Diego Calva). Cue another high-stakes undercover op with a reluctant assistant (Camila Morrone) somehow roped into all this mess. You can catch the first three episodes of season 2 on Prime Video now.
Streaming now on Prime Video
‘11.22.63’ (Netflix)
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“11.22.63” is quite an impressive mesh of genres, combining both time travel sci-fi intrigue, espionage thrills, and a compelling romance subplot without feeling bloated. The Hulu series has now made the jump to Netflix, and anyone who missed this binge-worthy Stephen King adaptation should add it to their watchlist. Jake Epping (James Franco) is a small-town high school teacher who’s given the chance to rewrite history. His friend Al Templeton (Chris Cooper) discovers a time-travel portal that always leads to the same date, October 21, 1960, and recruits Jake for a dangerous mission: stop the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Life in the ’60s suits Jake a little too nicely, and he carves out a new life, falling for fellow teacher Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon) while quietly tracking Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber). As the infamous day approaches, it becomes clear that when you mess with time, time fights back. With just eight episodes, “11.22.63” is easy to squeeze in for a weekend binge.
Streaming now on Netflix
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