What Should You Watch This Weekend?

A mystery lover’s guide to what’s new to streaming this weekend.

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New and Returning Mystery and Thriller Series

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Cape Fear
(Apple TV)

I’ll admit to being a little torn on this one. Let me quickly walk you through the factors. First, I love John D. MacDonald, and of course this is based on his novel, The Executioners. Two, I find this particular story almost unbearable, in all its iterations. Three, the cast is fantastic, starring Javier Bardem and Amy Adams. Four, just the name, Max Cady, gives me a shiver, and not the fun, thriller kind. Five, the showrunner is Nick Antosca, whose work I tend to enjoy. So…I’m leaning in favor of making this my weekend watch. Cape Fear remains one of the quintessential crime stories of the last seventy-five years.

The Vampire Lestat
(AMC)

So in case there’s any confusion, as far as I understand it, The Vampire Lestat is the new title for the third season of what was Interview with the Vampire; it’s also the title of Anne Rice’s sequel to Interview with the Vampire, so I assume that’s where the story is headed, although this series has always really been about the vampire, Lestat, so I suppose that could mean anything. Are you following? It really doesn’t matter. This remains one of the most atmospheric and surprising shows on TV. It’s well worth your time.

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Movie Night

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Okay so I’m going to lay out three movie options for your streaming pleasure this weekend, and honestly it’s really just going to depend on your mood and inclinations. First, there’s Keeper (Hulu/Disney), which is billed as folk horror, and is about a couple at a getaway in a cabin in the woods, and things start to get strange and dangerous, which, let’s be honest, is sort of a sub-genre of its own, right? It’s a Neon movie, which suggests to me this is probably a little better than average thriller. Then, if you’re in the mood for something a little more romantic, but still gothic and chilling and dangerous feeling, you could check out last year’s sensation/scandal/date movie, Wuthering Heights (HBO Max). If you’re blanking, this is the one your friends were telling you about where Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi run around in the rain and get it on. Emerald Fennell’s movies are not for everyone, though, so you might need some backup material in case you want to switch over real quick. So, last option, something a little more down-the-middle, is Jack Ryan: Ghost War (Prime), which is basically just Jon Krasinski getting the gang back together again in their version of Bourne/Bond/Fill-in-your-save-the-world-thriller-here. There’s a lot of banter in this, which for me is always a good thing, especially in a spy movie. If my spies aren’t cracking jokes and having a good time together, what’s the point of saving the world?

And 5 more movies new to the streaming libraries:

In the Cut (2003) (Tubi)
Seven (1995) (Tubi)
Catch Me If You Can (2002) (Pluto)
Pulp Fiction (1994) (Pluto)
12 Angry Men (1957) (Prime)