Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara teaming up to star in a new psychological thriller for Apple TV called “Imperfect Women” and fresh music from both BTS and Luke Combs 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: A new “Peaky Blinders” movie called “The Immortal Man,” spring’s
buzziest video game, the ambitious role-playing adventure Crimson Desert, and Bradley Cooper directs Will Arnett and Laura Dern in his third feature, “Is This Thing On?”
— Get your best Birmingham accent ready, Cillian Murphy’s Tommy Shelby is back in the new “Peaky Blinders” movie, “The Immortal Man,” which will be on Netflix as of Friday, March 20. Series creator Steven Knight wrote the script and Tom Harper directed the film in a cast that includes Rebecca Ferguson and Barry Keoghan. The six seasons of the show are also available on Netflix for re-watches and catching up.
— Bradley Cooper directs Will Arnett and Laura Dern in his third feature, “Is This Thing On?” about a man going through a divorce who turns to stand-up comedy. It’s loosely based on the story of Manchester comedian Joseph Bishop. In her review for The Associated Press, Jocelyn Noveck wrote that it is “a deeply felt film about one teetering marriage, and a work whose power sneaks up on you slowly.” It’ll be on Hulu on Friday, March 20.
— “Wicked: For Good,” the epic conclusion to Jon M. Chu’s two-film adaptation will finally be streaming on Peacock on Friday, March 20. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Michelle Yeoh, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum and more are all on hand for the decidedly darker second half, which was less well received than the first but still surprised when it received zero Oscar nominations. In his review, AP Film Writer Jake Coyle wrote “‘Wicked: For Good,’ rather than conjuring Oz anew, always feels like it’s jumping from one set piece to another. Maybe this is a silly gripe for a fantasyland. (‘I don’t have any idea where the offices of the Lollipop Guild are!’) But I rarely found myself lifted into a movie world, but rather sat watching it — sometimes with admiration, rarely with delight — from the mezzanine. The rub of going for maximum effect all the time is that the actors never have a chance to simply be.”
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
— Call it the most anticipated K-pop album of the year, or the biggest comeback: The mighty BTS return on Friday, March 20, with “ARIRANG,” their first full-length project since all seven members — RM, Jin, Jimin, V, Suga, Jung Kook and j-hope — completed South Korea’s mandatory military service. Excitement couldn’t be higher for its loyal audience, called ARMY. And there’s a lot celebrate: In addition to the new release, fans can also stream their comeback performance live on Netflix on Saturday, titled “BTS THE COMEBACK LIVE ' ARIRANG,” broadcast from Seoul’s Gwanghwamun Square.
— Luke Combs has big shoes to fill – his own. The country singer has become a full-on pop phenomenon, due in no small part to his ubiquitous cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car.” The question is now, what comes next? It’s a simple answer: a new album, “The Way I Am,” out Friday. Singles “Be By You” and “Sleepless in a Hotel Room” have made for fast country radio hits; it’s only a matter of time before the album becomes one of the genre’s biggest releases of the year.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington and Kate Mara star in a new psychological thriller for Apple TV called “ Imperfect Women. ” The trio play longtime friends whose bond is fractured after a crime occurs. Moss and Washington are executive producers on the series which is based on a novel by Araminta Hall. The ensemble also includes Joel Kinnaman, Corey Stoll, Leslie Odom Jr., Sheryl Lee Ralph and Ana Ortiz. The first two episodes of the eight-episode series drop Wednesday.
— “ The Lady ” is a new Britbox limited-series fictionalizing the true story of Jane Andrews, a dresser for the former Duchess of York who ended up in prison for murdering her lover. The four-part series premieres Wednesday and stars Mia McKenna-Bruce as Andrews and Natalie Dormer as Sarah Ferguson.
— After the cringey, ingenious comedy “ Jury Duty ” debuted in 2023, many wondered how they could ever pull off another season. It followed Ronald, a man serving jury duty on what he believed was a real trial. Oh, and the trial was also being covered by a documentary crew. Thing is, everyone was an actor except Ronald. The unsuspecting protagonist of season two is Anthony, a new, temporary hire at a family-owned hot sauce business. The employees attend a company retreat and Anthony has no idea that his new colleagues are actors and all situations are pre-planned. “ Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat " debuts Wednesday on Prime Video.
— The popular long-running Hallmark series “When Calls the Heart” gets a prequel called “ Hope Valley: 1874 ″ for the streaming platform Hallmark+. Bethany Joy Lenz stars as Rebecca Clarke, a Chicago mother who takes her daughter to settle in the Canadian west and build a new life. When their wagon breaks down, she must accept help from a local rancher who is single. Jill Hennessy also stars. It premieres Saturday, March 21 on Hallmark+.
— Lisa Kudrow returns to HBO as B-list actor Valerie Cherish for a third and final season of “ The Comeback. ” All three seasons of the show have been spaced a decade-ish apart and follow a woman navigating aging and staying relevant in showbiz what its ever-changing landscape. In the new episodes, Cherish lands a new TV series that is written by AI. The dark comedy streams Sunday, March 22 on HBO Max.
— Alicia Rancilio
— Spring’s buzziest game is Crimson Desert, an ambitious role-playing adventure from South Korean studio Pearl Abyss. It’s the tale of a warrior named Kliff in a quasi-medieval world called Pywel. After Kliff and his comrades get ambushed, he sets out on a mission of vengeance — but you know you can expect to fight more than other humans in a sword-and-sorcery epic like this. Trailers have featured intense-looking combat against familiar fantasy foes like witches, demons, ogres and dragons, with a flying mech thrown in for good measure. Take up arms Thursday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
— Baseball fans got an early treat this year with the World Baseball Classic, so it’s only appropriate that Team USA captain Aaron Judge is on the cover of MLB The Show 26. This year’s edition lets you replay the WBC along with however many Major League seasons you like, whether you’re managing an entire franchise or guiding a player from the minors to Cooperstown. New features include “Bear Down Pitching” and “Big Zone Hitting” for high-stress moments — and you can now challenge balls and strikes! Opening Day arrives Monday on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and Switch.
— Lou Kesten
