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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Jo Nesbõ’s Detective Hole
(Netflix)
If Nordic Noir is your bag (and I’ll admit, it is very much not mine), then Jo Nesbõ is probably already a household name. (And if there was any about that, he’s getting the title treatment here, as in, his name is right there in the series title, à la Harlan Coben or Tom Clancy.) Worldwide audiences finally get a Harry Hole series this month. The first season is picking up the action with The Devil’s Star, the fifth installment in the book series. If you need a primer, just know that Harry Hole is very troubled and Oslo has a shocking number of serial killers on the loose.
Daredevil: Born Again
(Disney)
Somewhat improbably, Daredevil, starring Charlie Cox, is back. If you’ll recall, the series was part of the original slate of Marvel shows adapted for streaming, all of them working in the register of noir. Daredevil was canceled in 2018, but after nearly a decade, a triumphant return is in order. Cox is still in the title role, as Matt Murdock / Daredevil, and you’ll be shocked to learn that Hell’s Kitchen is as corrupt as ever. (This also seems like a good place to issue another reminder that this week, there’s also a new Daredevil book out, Enemy of My Enemy, written by CrimeReads favorite and stalwart, Alex Segura.)
Cross, Season 2
(Prime)
In case you’ve missed Cross thus far, it’s pretty good, you might want to give it a shot. The series follows Alex Cross, forensic psychologist and homicide detective, and of course is based on the James Patterson novels. Aldis Hodge stars, alongside Isaiah Mustafa, Juanita Jennings, and, in the new season, Matthew Lillard.
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Movie Night
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The pick of the weekend is probably Mike & Nick & Nick & Alice (Hulu), a new feature about gangsters and molls struggling through a wild, lethal night; and because this is the streaming era let’s throw in one more high-concept twist: there’s a Time Machine involved. The cast alone is well worth it on this one: Vince Vaughn, James Marsden, Eiza González, Keith David, and Jimmy Tatro star. If my imdb perusal is to be trusted, Vaughn hasn’t played a gangster since season 2 of True Detective, which actually makes me more excited to see this one. (Also, coming off Bad Monkey, he’s quickly rising the ranks of actors who just really seem to enjoy doing whacky crime stories.) If none of that convinces you, and if you’re in the mood for a little gore somewhere between a survival thriller and a slasher flick, you could also try out Pretty Lethal (Prime Video), about a ballerina troupe stranded mid-road trip at an inn that turns out to be more than it first appears; also, the ballerinas are all rivals and pretty poised for bloodsport.
And 5 more movies new to the streaming libraries:
Sweet Bird of Youth (1962) (HBO)
Point Break (1991) (Hulu/Disney)
Speed (1994) (Hulu/Disney)
Gattaca (1997) (Tubi)
De Palma (2015) (Tubi)
