15 Shows and Movies to Watch This Weekend

Yes, there are a lot of streaming services, and, yes, there's a lot of buzz around the latest releases. But just because something's trending or on lists of most-viewed titles doesn't mean it's always worth a watch (like these six shows that were rightfully canceled).

The last few weeks delivered a ton of great new content, from Carrie and YAGA to Phony and Nobody Wants This. And this week is no different.

Allow me, an entertainment editor, to help you parse through it all with shows and movies that are actually worth watching. I'm talking holiday flicks like The 12 Dates of Christmas, buzzy new shows like 12 12 12 and The Good Daughter and returning series like Rivals and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Enjoy the best selections (recommended by yours truly) on Apple TV, Prime Video and more.

From How to Rob a Bank to Ebenezer, here's what to watch this weekend.

• Rating: TV-MA
• Number of seasons: 1

Someone give this casting director an award for bringing together two of my absolute favorite actors. Anthony Mackie and Jamie Dornan go head-to-head in a game of cat-and-mouse, as Mackie's detective tries to stop Dornan's criminal from committing a massive underground bank heist. The thrilling story unfolds across three different timelines: the 12 months leading up to it, the 12 hours of execution and the 12 days afterwards.

• Rating: TV-MA
• Number of seasons: 1

We have another powerhouse female-led thriller series based on a bestselling book on our hands, y'all. Rose Byrne and Meghann Fahy star (more genius casting!) in this intense limited series about two sisters who reunite in their hometown to help solve a violent case. Naturally, they're forced to reckon with some long-buried secrets of their own in the process.

• Rating: R
• Runtime: 122 minutes

We've got another bank heist selection on our list (I'm not mad about it). This one involves a group of social media-driven young adults who are intent on going viral with their high-stakes robberies. The stacked cast includes Nicholas Hoult (one of my favorite Lex Luthors), Anna Sawai (award-winning Shōgun actress), Zoë Kravitz (who is having a moment) and Pete Davidson (Staten Island native).

• Rating: TV-MA
• Number of seasons: 2

Fans of this critically acclaimed series about two rivals battling over a local television station will be thrilled to learn that the second part of Rivals season two arrives this week. The show stars the incomparable David Tennant, and as my colleague wrote in her review, "while the sex may be headline-making, it’s the soapy plotlines (all set to an ‘80s soundtrack) that kept me binging."

• Rating: PG-13
• Runtime: 116 minutes

Soooo, I guess Johnny Depp is...not canceled? (Hmm. I have questions.) This A Christmas Carol remake's trailer promises that if we think we know the story, we should think again. However, the storytelling in the trailer also looks, um, identical to the plot of A Christmas Carol, so we'll see.

• Rating: NR
• Runtime: 96 minutes

Pretty Little Liars alums Lucy Hale and Ian Harding reunite for an actually good Christmas movie. It delivers exactly what I want in a holiday flick: romance, predictability, quirky humor and just the right serving of Christmas magic. I even found myself laughing out loud, particularly at the comically overbearing mother (who just wants her daughter to find a man) and at one scene involving Hale's bumbling onscreen parents trying to figure out how to end a FaceTime call.

• Rating: TV-14
• Number of seasons: 3

Despite the fact that this show got off to a slow start in season one, the epic (and complicated) LOTR series is back with a much faster-paced, action-packed season three. We've got a five year time jump this time around, and evil forces are trying to forge "the One Ring" (I have no idea what that means, but I'm excited to find out).

• Rating: TV-MA
• Number of seasons: 1

Queen of sarcasm, Instagram memes and The Traitors Gabby Windey stars in this teen drama with a very dark edge. The show's creator says, “Tonally, I would describe the show as gritty camp. It’s a raunchy teen psychodrama with a dash of Catholic horror.” While that last sentence made my head hurt, I'll absolutely be watching what promises to be the season's next Carrie.

• Rating: TV-14
• Number of seasons: 1

Miss USA and Miss Universe may be all glitz and glam on the surface, but according to this riveting new docuseries, there's something much more upsetting bubbling underneath the surface. The show features pageant contestants and insiders who blow the whistle on what they call a history of misconduct, intimidation and abuse of power. *Tosses popcorn into mouth*

• Rating: TV-MA
• Number of seasons: 1

Speaking of revealing docuseries, GET HUGE follows Dr. Tony Huge, "a guru pushing homemade biohacks on a devoted following willing to risk everything for the cause." When members of his inner circle end up dead, online influencers become amateur sleuths and try to figure out what is really going on.

• Rating: TV-MA
• Number of seasons: 1

After a high school swimmer loses his leg to illness, he retreats to a quiet life. But things are upended when "the right person" enters his life, leading to an unexpected romance. This South Korean romantic drama looks like the ideal sweet and satisfying binge-watch after a week that's otherwise full of thrillers and dark docuseries.

• Rating: TV-MA
• Number of seasons: 3

My colleague wrote of the first season of The Empress, "This must-watch show may just be the new Crown." Now, the series—which tells the story a German princess who became an Austrian empress—is back with season three. The show has a whopping 89 percent audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so consider my interest piqued.

• Rating: TV-14
• Number of seasons: 1

This brand-new Prime Video series about the rise of boxing icon Muhammad Ali is a masterclass in great acting. The series follows the journey of Cassius Clay (played brilliantly by newcomer Jaalen Best), exploring his family roots and detailing his evolution into Ali. I'm not always a huge fan of boxing dramas, but this one is so good it'll be nabbing a spot on my Best Shows of the Month list.

• Rating: TV-MA
• Number of seasons: 2

Owen Wilson, Judy Greer, Timothy Olyphant and Rhea Seehorn star in this Apple TV comedy about a pro golfer (Wilson) who has a very public, career-ending meltdown. Season two arrives this week and sets up a Happy Gilmore-esque comeback story as our lead attempts to become the oldest golfer to ever win the U.S. Open.

• Rating: TV-14
• Number of seasons: 2

Season one of this mockumentary about a former football star mounting a comeback delivered major 30 Rock vibes when it hit NBC back in February. At the time, I wrote, "In a season of thrillers and dark documentaries, Reggie Dinkins is a much-welcomed beacon of laughter." Last week, the sitcom returned, bringing us more laughs courtesy of Tracy Morgan, Erika Alexander, Bobby Moynihan and Harry Potter himself, Daniel Radcliffe.

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