10 Best New TV Shows To Check Out This Weekend

After a long week, a lot of people don’t want to do anything but sit back and unwind, turning to a good show for relaxing and entertainment. Unfortunately, looking through various streaming platforms and through countless options can feel like information overload. At times, it feels like there’s simultaneously too much to pick from and nothing interesting at all.

If you’re looking to park on your couch in front of the TV this weekend, then don’t worry! This list has you covered with the 10 best new TV shows worth checking out. So, say goodbye to scroll fatigue and pick one of these great options. There’s something noteworthy available on almost every major streaming platform, including Netflix, Hulu, Prime Video, HBO Max, Peacock, Starz, and MGM+. You’re bound to find something that interests you, whether you’re looking for a horror show, a legal drama, a true crime docuseries, a thriller, or a miniseries to binge.

‘The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox’

Streaming on Hulu

With all the international press, TV specials, documentaries, and dramatizations over the years, you probably think you know the story of Amanda Knox, but you’d be wrong. After spending decades being unjustly portrayed by the media as a disreputable young woman and called things like “a sadist in sheep’s clothing” and a “sex-crazed murderer,” Amanda Knox finally reclaims her narrative in The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox.

A Dramatization Critics Are Calling Compelling

The eight-part limited Hulu series stars Grace Van Patten (Tell Me Lies) and follows the eponymous American college student as she’s wrongfully convicted for the 2007 murder of her roommate Meredith Kercher while studying abroad in Italy, depicting the biases and injustices she faced, her years-long fight for exoneration, and the media circus that sensationalized a tragedy. Knox produces the show herself alongside Monica Lewinsky, who also has experience of being unfairly portrayed and scrutinized by the media. Episodes 1 and 2 are now available, with subsequent episodes streaming every Wednesday at 12 a.m. ET on the platform.

‘Hostage’

Streaming on Netflix

Hostage is a Netflix original limited series created by Matt Sherman (Suite Française and Bridge of Spies). The political thriller stars Suranne Jones as British Prime Minister Abigail Dalton, whose husband, Alex (Bashy), is abducted amid a summit with French President Vivienne Toussaint, played by Julie Delpy (Before Sunrise), who’s also being blackmailed and receiving escalating threats. As they weigh impossible choices, the two political leaders must decide whether to work together or take each other down.

A Female-Led, High-Stakes Political Thriller

All five episodes of the British miniseries are now available for streaming on the platform. If you liked Netflix’s critically acclaimed Bodyguard, Hostage will be up your alley. The trailer promises high stakes, motorcades, action, crisis response rooms, explosions, double crosses, conspiracies, and loads of tension. The Guardian writes that “The pace is absolutely flawless, it’s twisty, it has emotional heft.”

‘Rivers of Fate’

Streaming on Netflix

River of Fate is set in the river communities of Pará in the Atlantic Amazon, and dives into the dark world of human trafficking and crime. It depicts the intertwined lives of three characters who try to shake the curse, or “pssica,” that has been cast on them: Janalice (Domithilia Cattete), a teenage girl abducted by human traffickers, Preá (Lucas Galvino), who is struggling to come to terms with his doomed fate as a gang leader, and Mariangel (Marleyda Soto), who seeks revenge for the murders of her family.

A Gripping Miniseries

The Brazilian miniseries is based on the novel Pssica by Edyr Augusto, and is now available for streaming on Netflix. At only four episodes, it’s a show you can easily watch in one sitting during your weekend. If you want an intense, character-driven story to immerse yourself in, then this should be your pick.

‘Alien: Earth’

Streaming on Hulu and Disney+

Set in 2120, between the events of Alien: Covenant (2017) and Alien (1979), Alien: Earth is the latest addition to the Alien franchise. The series is a must-watch for horror lovers, whether you’re familiar with the Alien films or not, as the story is designed to be self-contained and easily accessible to newcomers. Boasting a score of 96% on Rotten Tomatoes, it has been well-received by critics. It airs on FX every Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, and is available for streaming the next day on Hulu and Disney+.

Your Next Sci-Fi Horror Watch

The premise: While nearing the end of its 65-year mission, the Weyland-Yutani ship USCSS Maginot finds itself overtaken by its onboard alien specimens, crash-landing on earth with only its cyborg security officer, Morrow (Babou Ceesay), left alive. Meanwhile, Prodigy, a company run by a young genius named Boy Kavalier (Samuel Blenkin), has become the first to transfer human consciousness into the bodies of synthetic beings, known as hybrids. Obsessed with Peter Pan and having used terminally ill children for the achievement, Kavalier dubs his hybrids “The Lost Boys,” naming each after a character. The trillionaire sends Wendy (Sydney Chandler) and the other Lost Boys to the site of the crash to take possession of his competitor’s precious cargo.

‘The Rainmaker’

Streaming on Peacock and Airing on USA

Based on a John Grisham novel of the same name, with the author also serving as executive producer, The Rainmaker stars Milo Callaghan as Rudy Baylor, a rookie hotshot lawyer who’s fired on his first day working at the prestigious firm Tinley Britt for sparring back and forth with his new boss, Leo Drummond (John Slattery), and proving him wrong on a topic. With nowhere to turn, he’s forced to start at J. Lyman Stone and Associates, which is run by the not-so-reputable Jocelyn “Bruiser” Stone (Lana Parrilla) and operates out of an old fast-food taco restaurant.

A New Legal Drama

Disappointed with the “ambulance chase” on his first day of the job, he convinces Bruiser to take on a wrongful death lawsuit against a hospital represented by his former employer, which causes a rift between him and his girlfriend, Sarah (Madison Iseman), who’s settling into Tinley Britt. New episodes air on USA on Fridays at 10 p.m. ET and are available for streaming on Peacock the next day.

‘Butterfly’

Streaming on Prime Video

The Prime Video series Butterfly is based on Arash Amel’s graphic novel of the same name. Daniel Dae Kim stars as David Jung, a former intelligence operative in South Korea who faked his death nine years prior to keep his family safe. He emerges from hiding to pull his daughter Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), who now works as a top-ranked assassin, from the clutches of Caddis Private Intelligence, a firm he co-founded with Juno (Piper Perabo). Now reunited, Rebecca is caught between her loyalty to her father and the one she feels for Juno.

An Espionage Thriller Full of Action, Suspense, and Family Drama

If you’re looking for an action-packed thriller, this espionage story should be your binge over the weekend. The show is filled with nail-biting suspense, but also sprinkles in a great deal of family melodrama. All six of its episodes are now available for streaming on the platform.

‘The Yogurt Shop Murders’

Streaming on HBO Max and Airing on HBO

The city of Austin, Texas, was hit by an unspeakable tragedy involving a quadruple homicide on December 6, 1991. 17-year-old Jennifer Harbison was working at I Can’t Believe It’s Yogurt! with her co-worker, 17-year-old Eliza Thomas. 15-year-old Sarah Harbison and 13-year-old Amy Ayers were there to catch a ride with the former’s sister. None of the four girls ever made it home that night after the shop closed at 11:00 p.m. While responding to a nearby fire around midnight, first responders discovered their bodies inside the store. The case remains unsolved to this day.

A Profound True-Crime Docuseries

The Yogurt Shop Murders delves into the chilling crime, the investigation, the trauma of family members, and the lasting impact on the Austin community. The four-episode documentary miniseries has been praised by critics, with many applauding its sensitivity and its reflection on true crime. The first three episodes are now on HBO Max, with the last episode streaming this Sunday.

‘Outlander: Blood of My Blood’

Streaming and Airing on Starz

With the final season of Outlander looming on the horizon, Starz has recently released a spin-off prequel series, Outlander: Blood of My Blood. The show revolves around two love stories, depicting how the parents of each Outlander protagonist came together. It follows Jamie Fraser’s (Sam Heughan) parents, Ellen MacKenzie (Harriet Slater) and Brian Fraser (Jamie Roy), in early 18-th century Scotland, as well as Claire Beauchamp’s mom and dad, Julia Moriston (Hermione Corfield) and Henry Beauchamp (Jeremy Irvine) during World War I in England. Like its predecessor, the show has a time travel element.

A Series for the True Romantics

Even if you haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying the immersive and epic romantic historical drama that is Outlander, you should give Blood of My Blood a shot. The series works well as a standalone. During a press conference, executive producer Maril Davis stated that, “It’s a way to experience two unique love stories. One is a thunderclap moment and love at first sight and one is a slow-growing one that turns into a great love. So, I think it’s just wholly its own. You do not have to have watched Outlander to watch this series,” continuing on to say, “And if anything, if you haven’t seen Outlander, I would suggest starting with Blood of My Blood and then you can go all the way through to Outlander.” The new show has gained the approval of critics and audiences alike, boasting a high 91% on Rotten Tomatoes.

‘The Institute’

Streaming on MGM+

Luke Ellis (Joe Freeman), a genius teenager with telekinetic powers, is kidnapped from his home and taken to the titular Institute, run by Ms. Sigby (Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds). Inside the facility, Luke learns from fellow minor hostages that each of them possesses telekinetic and/or telepathic abilities. The place is dedicated to torturing them to enhance those supernatural powers for a mysterious, unknown, top-secret mission. Although they’re told that eventually they’ll get to go home, Luke and his companions discover a horrifying truth that says otherwise.

An Underappreciated Stephen King Adaptation

While their journey unfolds, so does that of Tim Jamieson’s (Ben Barnes), a former cop who takes a post as a nightknocker in the nearby town, and who might be their only salvation. The Institute is based on Stephen King’s 2019 novel of the same name, and is one of the author’s most underrated adaptations to date. The show deserves a lot more buzz than it’s getting. Fans of Stephen King would be remiss to skip out on this tale. All the first seven episodes are now available on MGM+, with the finale streaming this Sunday.

‘Revival’

Streaming on Peacock and Airing on SyFy

On December 18th, in the rural town of Wausau, Wisconsin, dozens of deceased people who had died in the last couple of weeks are suddenly resurrected, coming back completely sound and healthy. The town’s residents grapple with the mysterious event, with new factions emerging. Meanwhile, Dana Cypress (Melanie Scrofano), a deputy cop and the daughter of Police Chief Wayne Cypress (David James Elliot), investigates the murder of her sister, Em (Romy Weltman), who is secretly among the “revivers.”

A Fun Midwestern Mystery Horror Show

Revival is based on Tim Seeley and Mike Norton’s comic book series of the same name. Although the SyFy series has done well among critics and scored a high 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s been vastly overlooked by audiences, and deserves a lot more attention than it’s getting. The show does an excellent job of blending dark humor, family drama, and horror. If you’re a horror fan looking for a cozy mystery, look no further than this unique tale. All 10 episodes are available for streaming on Peacock.