New to streaming: What to watch on Netflix NZ, Neon and more this week

Clockwise: Talk to Me, VIrgin River, The Artful Dodger, Love, Actually. Photo / The Spinoff

Originally published by The Spinoff.

What are you going to be watching this week? We round up everything coming to streaming services this week, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, ThreeNow, Neon and TVNZ+.

The biggies

The Artful Dodger (series on Disney+ from November 29)

This is a weird one, you guys. In this continuation of Oliver Twist, Jack Dawkins (Thomas Brodie-Sangster, last seen in The Queen’s Gambit) finds himself in 1850s Australia, working as a respectable surgeon. However, when an old friend comes into his life, so does his love of crime, and he leans back into his old persona: The Artful Dodger. Hey, why not, Oliver Twist is a pretty sturdy source material to spin something off. / Sam Brooks

Slow Horses (season three on AppleTV+ from November 29)

From Ashley Bloomfield’s My Life in TV: “The last thing I watched was… a great series called Slow Horses, which is about a group of not very capable and slightly rogue MI5 agents. The last episode I watched was the culmination of quite an exciting first season.” If you can’t trust Sir Ashley, who can you trust?/ SB

Interview with the Vampire (series on TVNZ+ from November 30)

For some, the title Interview with the Vampire is synonymous with Brad Pitt and Tom Cruise being kind of homosexual around each other. For others, it is synonymous with a pretty decent Anne Rice novel. For the rest of us, there is this new series, which centres on the life of vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac, and is romanced by Lestat de Lioncourt, and introduced to his newest fledgling teenage Claudia. It’s apparently really good! / SB

The notables

Doctor Who: Wild Blue Yonder (special on Disney+ from December 3)

It’s been a hard few years to be a Doctor Who fan. Several mediocre seasons made it seem as though the show was destined to be cancelled for the second time in its 60-year history. But now, with returning talent behind and in front of the camera in the forms of writer Russell T Davies and stars David Tennant and Catherine Tate, it’s starting to feel like Doctor Who has been saved from extinction. The uniquely British show has partnered with Disney+, bringing international production values to a programme that has historically been made on a shoestring budget. Hype for these three specials, celebrating six decades of the time lord, is at an all-time high. / Stewart Sowman-Lund

Virgin River (season five part two on Netflix from November 30)

Season five (part two!) of the soapy drama about a nurse-midwife living in a sleepy town in Northern California is nearly here, and frankly, I am counting down the hours. Virgin River is the sort of warm and friendly place where everyone knows everyone and nothing ever happens, apart from a worrying number of murders, drug busts, robberies, kidnappings and paternity scandals. Still, the women of the town love to quilt and there’s always some kind of drama at the bakery, and Martin Henderson’s character Jack is probably about to pull some epic s*** to save the town from the raging wild fires of last season’s finale. Absolute scenes, I’ll be hoovering up every drop. / Tara Ward

Unwanted (series on Neon from December 1)

Inspired by the book Bilal by journalist Fabrizio Gatti, this series follows an undercover human rights advocate aiding African migrants in their journey to Europe while human traffickers and government authorities confront them after a cruise ship packed with tourists unexpectedly rescues a group of refugees. Marco Bocci, Jessica Schwarz and Dada Fungula Bozela star. / SB

The films

Talk to Me (on Netflix from December 3)

“Even for the most hardened of horror fans, A24′s Gen Z seance flick, self-funded and made by South Australian YouTube duo RackaRacka, is a bone-chilling watch. Chris Schulz said it will “taunt your soul”, while other critics have said it “guides you straight by the hand into hell” and “plunges the adrenaline syringe deep.” I can confirm I haven’t been so upset by a horror film since Toni Collette picked up that razor wire in Hereditary. Must see. / Alex Casey

A League of Their Own (on Neon from November 29)

If you haven’t seen A League of Their Own, I suggest you open up a new tab on November 29, log in to Neon, and watch it immediately. It’s maybe one of the best sports films of all time, revolving around the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League and their performance in the 1943 tournament. It also has a killer cast, including Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Rosie O’Donnell, Lori Petty, Madonna (!), and weirdly, Pretty Woman director Garry Marshall (who is the brother of this film’s director Peggy Marshall). / SB

Love, Actually (on Neon from December 1)

You know what Love, Actually is. You either love it, or you hate it. Everybody cries when Emma Thompson listens to Joni Mitchell. The end. / SB

Netflix

November 27

Go Dog: Season 4

November 28

Onmyoji

Verified Stand-Up

Love like a K-Drama

Comedy Royale

November 29

Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife

American Symphony

November 30

The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday

Hard Days

Family Switch

Virgin River: Season Five: Part Two

Obliterated

December 1

Sweet Home: Season 2

Fisk: Season 2

The Batman

December 3

Welcome to Samdal-ri

Neon

November 27

Love in Taipei

November 28

Mavka: The Forest Song

November 29

Immortals

A League of Their Own

November 30

65

December 1

Unwanted

Spongebob Square Pants: Season 13a

Love, Actually

Arthur Christmas

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas

The Grinch

Jack Frost

Prancer: A Christmas Tale

December 2

Memories

Nude Tuesday

After Love

December 3

Sweet Home Sextuplets: Season 1-2

Official Competition

TVNZ+

November 29

Red Bull Defiance

The MAD Life: Full Throttle

Braden Currie: Dedicated

Made In New Zealand

Broxh: Uncovered

Brook MacDonald: Road To Recovery

Nico’s Blank Canvas

Mt Fuji In One Stroke

Space Jump

One With The Water: Aotearoa

Pushing Progression: Breaking

November 30

Interview with the Vampire

December 1

Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Seasons 1-8

Hunt For The Wilderpeople

Coraline

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

The Addams Family

The Princess Bride

The Neverending Story

December 2

We Need to Talk About Cosby

The Big C: Seasons 1-4

ThreeNow

December 1

My Mom, Your Dad US: Season 1

Married at First Sight: US

Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays

Celebrity IOU: Season 4

December 2

Scrublands

Disney+

November 29

The Artful Dodger

Prime Video

November 27

The Marsh King’s Daughter

November 28

Mavka: The Forest Song

November 30

65

December 1

Candy Cane Lane

Spoiler Alert

December 2

My Man is Cupid: Season 2

Apple TV+

N/A

AMC+/Acorn TV

November 27

Mrs. Wilson

December 1

Ride with Norman Reedus

Shudder

It’s a Wonderful Knife

Hayu

December 1

Paris in Love