This week promises a variety of streaming entertainment including an album from R&B-pop artist Kehlani, a fourth season of Kevin Hart’s “Hart to Hart” on Peacock, and Jack Black lends his voice to “Kung Fu Panda 4.” PBS gets its groove on with a “Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution.” There’s also the debut of “Echoes,” a sequel series to “Orphan Black,” and Paul Mescal starring in “Aftersun” over at Netflix.
MOVIES TO STREAM
Jack Black returns to the world of Kung Fu Panda for the fourth installment in the series, coming to Peacock on Friday. In “Kung Fu Panda 4,” his character Po has been asked to depart the position of Dragon Warrior and pick a successor. Critic Mark Kennedy wrote in his review for The Associated Press, “The series’ first new installment in eight years is a reliably funny, sweet and wonderfully realized passing of the torch, with a paw in the past and another into the future — an elegant goodbye and a hello.” The film also features the voices of Awkwafina, Bryan Cranston, Viola Davis, Ke Huy Quan and James Hong.
If those “Gladiator II” set photos have you craving more Paul Mescal before that film is out in November, you’re in luck: “Aftersun” is coming to Netflix on Friday. His poignant performance as a single father on vacation in Turkey with his 11-year-old daughter scored him an Oscar nomination in 2023 (the award that year went to Brendan Fraser for “The Whale”). The film, from writer-director Charlotte Wells, topped the AP’s list of the best movies of 2023. Film writer Jake Coyle wrote that it is “such a keenly observed accumulation of detail and feeling that you hardly notice the undertow of heartache that will, in the end, absolutely floor you.” For something completely different, you can watch Jessica Alba as a Special Forces commando in “Trigger Warning,” which is also streaming on Friday.
The documentary “Bread & Roses” looks at how three Afghan women’s lives were impacted after Kabul fell to the Taliban in 2021. Filmmaker and producer Sahra Mani explained that “Closing girls’ schools in Afghanistan is not just a matter of feminist concern; rather, it is a matter of international security. … The Taliban recognizes that the children of educated mothers are difficult to indoctrinate and are less susceptible to becoming their future soldiers.” Produced by Jennifer Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi and executive produced by Malala Yousafzai, “Bread & Roses” will be available on Apple TV+ on Friday.
MUSIC TO STREAM
The Grammy-award-winning R&B-pop artist Kehlani will soon return with her fourth studio album, “Crash,” a follow-up to 2022’s critically acclaimed “Blue Water Road.” (That one, AP Entertainment Writer Mark Kennedy described as showcasing her “effortless ability to move from pop, R&B, rap, trance and dance.”)
Disco, for many, is the sound of resilience and joy — which makes it so odd to consider that its history is, many decades from its inception, still overlooked and under-celebrated. On Tuesday, PBS looked to challenge any leftover vintage biases with a three-part documentary series titled “Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution.” It features disco greats from the past and present: Labelle’s Nona Hendryx, Sylvester’s Jeanie Tracy, Kim Petras and Jessie Ware.
On Saturday, HBO and MAX will debut a new documentary chronicling the life of Stevie Van Zandt, beloved actor, musician and member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, titled “Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple.” It promises to deliver a treasure trove of never-before-seen footage — from “The Sopranos” to early days in Jersey clubs, headlining stadiums and everything in between. And, yes, Springsteen is featured — with other talking heads, including Paul McCartney, Bono and Darlene Love.
SHOWS TO STREAM
Kevin Hart’s interview show “Hart to Hart” returned for a fourth season on Peacock on Wednesday. This season, the actor and comedian will sit down for one-on-one chats with Ben Affleck, George Lopez, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Samberg, Judd Apatow and Niecy Nash.
Hulu is delving into the wild true story of Sherri Papini, the California woman who faked her kidnapping in 2016. Her claims were so bizarre that it took investigators six years to piece together what happened. All three episodes of “Perfect Wife: The Mysterious Disappearance of Sherri Papini” drop Thursday.
Echoes,” a sequel series to “Orphan Black,” debuts Sunday on AMC and BBC America. The show, executive produced by and starring Krysten Ritter, takes place nearly in 2052, almost 40 years after the events of the original. Ritter plays Lucy, a woman we meet after she has had a medical procedure that she can’t remember. Her wife is Kira, the now adult daughter of Sarah Manning. “Orphan Black” fans may remember Manning (played by Tatiana Maslany) was the protagonist of the original show. At the recent premiere, Ritter told The Associated Press that “Echoes” is different than its predecessor, saying, “How we’re approaching the clones is different actresses play my character at different ages.” Episodes will also stream on AMC+.
Erin French, the TV personality, chef and owner of the famous Maine restaurant Lost Kitchen, has a new nonscripted series on Magnolia Network called “Getting Lost with Erin French.” In the series, she travels around the country in an Airstream with her husband, Michael, looking for recipe ideas. The series debuts on Magnolia Network on Sunday. It streams on Max and Discovery+ on the same day.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
It’s December 1975 and you’re stuck on an oil rig off the coast of Scotland. To make this Christmas even bluer, you’re all alone — except for some mysterious entity that seems to have wiped out the rest of the crew. That’s the setup for Still Wakes the Deep, the latest mystery from U.K. studio The Chinese Room. The developers are known for off-kilter interactive tales like Dear Esther and Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture. Take a deep breath and dive in on Xbox X/S, PlayStation 5 or PC.
