Doja Cat’s 15-track album “Vie” and James Gunn’s “Superman” flying to HBO Max are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: The fifth season of the misfit espionage drama “Slow Horses,” a sequel to the 2020 indie megahit video game Hades and Mariah Carey will release her first new album in seven years.
— After notching one of the summer’s biggest box-office hauls, James Gunn’s “Superman” has flown to HBO Max and is available there now. The film, the first from a rebooted DC Studios, stars David Cornswet as the Man of Steel, alongside Rachel Brosnahan’s Lois Lane, Nicholas Hoult’s Lex Luthor and Edi Gathegi’s Mr. Terrific. After grossing some $615 million in ticket sales, a sequel has already been greenlit for “Superman.” In my review, I praised Gunn’s light and earnest touch: “For anyone who found Zack Snyder’s previous administration painfully ponderous, this ‘Superman,’ at least, has a pulse.”
— Brett Goldstein is better known for another Apple TV+ release, “Ted Lasso,” but in “All of You” (streaming Friday, Sept. 26), he stars alongside Imogen Poots in a tender and heartbreaking romance. Goldstein, who co-wrote the script with director William Bridges, is about a pair of best friends who haven’t worked up the courage to confess their feelings to the other. Set in the near future, a matchmaking service that identifies soul mates further complicates matters.
— Not much that Nicolas Cage does flies below the radar, but Lorcan Finnegan’s psychological thriller “The Surfer” (Thursday on Hulu) deserved a wider audience. It’s one of Cage’s best recent performances. He plays a man who returns to the Australian beach of his childhood with dreams of buying a house nearby. But after being accosted by pushy local surfers, his world quickly disintegrates. In my review, I wrote: “For a long, sun-addled stretch, Lorcan Finnegan’s beach-set ‘The Surfer’ simmers as a deliciously punishing nightmare, driving Nicolas Cage into his most natural state: a boil.”
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
— Two years ago, the chameleonic Doja Cat released a stellar fourth full-length album, the take-no-prisoners “Scarlet.” It was an aggressive collection, a hard pivot away from the glossy pop of her last two albums, 2021’s “Planet Her” and 2019’s “Hot Pink.” On Friday, Sept. 26, she’ll release her fifth, the 15-track “Vie.” Little is known about it beyond the single “Jealous Type,” which appears to channel her previous cheeriness. She brought back her disco-pop, now front-loaded with ’80s synths. But is that the direction of the full release? Only time will tell.
— In 2002, Cher embarked on “Living Proof: The Farewell Tour.” At the time, it was the highest grossing tour by a female artist — a massive global undertaking of 325 shows. A live album, appropriately titled “Live! The Farewell Tour,” was released to CD shortly thereafter. But on Friday, it will hit streaming and receive a vinyl release. Just, you know, newly remastered and with three bonus tracks: “Save Up All Your Tears,” “We All Sleep Alone” and “Different Kind of Love Song.”
— Your eyes are not deceiving you. Mariah Carey will release her first new album in seven years, “Here for It All,” on Friday. Start with “Sugar Sweet,” featuring Shenseea and Kehlani. Or “Type Dangerous,” with its sample of Eric B. & Rakim’s “Eric B. Is President.” Start anywhere — and expect smooth R&B-pop bliss.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— A fifth season of the misfit espionage drama “Slow Horses” debuts Wednesday on Apple TV+. Based on novels by Mick Herron, it’s about a group of MI-5 agents whose mistakes have sent them to spy purgatory but they nevertheless find themselves embroiled in high-stakes cases. Their leader is the brash, messy, seemingly uninterested Jackson Lamb, played by Gary Oldman. Critically acclaimed, the show is already renewed through a seventh season.
— If you’ve got to work on location, former “Grey’s Anatomy” star, Jesse Williams, found a pretty sweet deal. His new show, “Hotel Costiera” is set on Italy’s Amalfi Coast where he plays Daniel De Luca, a “fixer” for a luxury hotel. When the resort’s guests have problems, De Luca solves them. At the show’s recent premiere in Rome, Williams described the show to the AP as “a kind of international, old school, caper show that is smart.” It premieres Wednesday on Prime Video.
— Netflix’s new historical drama “House of Guinness” tells the story of the famed brewing company. Set in the 19th century, it’s like “Succession”-meets-beer where the Guinness family patriarch had died and his adult children battle over the company. Anthony Boyle, Louis Patridge, James Norton and David Wilmot star. The eight-episode series debuts Thursday.
— Also new on Netflix on Thursday is “Wayward,” starring Toni Collette as the leader of Tall Pines Academy, a boarding facility for troubled teens. Its practices come under question after Alex, a former cop (played by creator Mae Martin) moves with his pregnant wife Laura (Sarah Gadon) to her small town. Laura is a former student at the school and has a creepy familial relationship with Collette’s, Evelyn. Alex quickly picks up on the weirdness of it all and starts to investigate.
— Tsukasa Hojo’s popular manga series from the 1980s called “Cat’s Eye” has been adapted into a new, 12-part anime series for Hulu premiering Friday, Sept. 26. It follows three sisters who run a cafe by day and then steal art at night. One of the sisters also happens to be dating a detective looking into the theft.
— Konami’s Silent Hill series has brought the distinctive style of Japanese horror to an American setting for years now, but it’s finally returning to the homeland in Silent Hill f. The new chapter also travels backward to the 1960s, as a schoolgirl named Hinako is hanging out with friends in her small town. After an ominous fog descends, the streets are empty except for the ghastly mutants chasing the kids. Are they for real or is Hinako losing her mind — or both? Start your Halloween season early Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
— A different kind of hell is the setting for Hades II, Supergiant Games’ sequel to its 2020 indie megahit. The protagonist this time is Melinoe, Princess of the Underworld. She’s on a mission to conquer Chronos, the Titan of Time, before he can escape Hades and wage war on Mount Olympus. The witch Hecate is around to teach you how to wield ancient magic, and you can expect guest appearances from other characters in Greek mythology. Reports from early access indicate the underworld of Hades II is twice the size of the original, so fans will want to start digging in as soon as it arrives Thursday on Switch and PC.
