Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume with “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” and Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film, are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also, among the streaming offerings worth your time include Anna Kendrick starring in a movie about the time a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game” and “NCIS” looking back at character Leroy Jethro Gibbs in “NCIS: Origins.”
MOVIES TO STREAM
In 1978, a serial killer made his way onto the television show “The Dating Game.” Rodney Alcala was already a murderer by the time he appeared on the show as one of three bachelors seeking a date with a woman named Cheryl Bradshaw. Had they done a background check, they might have discovered that he’d been on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list and already been imprisoned for violent crimes against an 8-year-old.
In the new Netflix film “Woman of the Hour,” streaming Friday, Anna Kendrick stars as the woman on the show and puts the attention back on the victims.
If fake serial killers are more your style, “MaXXXine” starts streaming on MAX on Friday. The third film in Ti West and Mia Goth’s unlikely trilogy (following “X” and “Pearl”) takes the audience to the sleazy underground of 1980s Hollywood. Goth’s Maxine Minx is an adult film star hoping for a big break in mainstream movies. She gets a shot from Elizabeth Debicki’s refined director. But she’s also running from her past and a killer terrorizing the town. It’s very stylized and a little silly and underdeveloped, but it’s a fun watch with a fun, extended Lily Collins cameo.
And for those looking for a comedy, Josh Brolin and Peter Dinklage play brother, and former partners in crime in a starry new movie coming to Prime Video on Thursday. Brolin is the one trying for a more normal life when Dinklage convinces him to embark on a road trip to a promised big score. “Brothers,” directed by Max Barbakow (who made the delightful time loop romantic comedy “Palm Springs”), also features Marisa Tomei, Glenn Close, Brendan Fraser and Taylour Paige.
MUSIC TO STREAM
On Friday, Lin-Manuel Miranda — in his first full post-”Hamilton” musical — and the award-winning actor and playwright Eisa Davis will release “Warriors,” a musical concept album inspired by the 1979 cult classic film that follows a street gang as they make their way from the Bronx to their home turf of Coney Island amid an all-out blitz. There are some notable departures here, including some gender-flipping and inventive genre-melding, no doubt an extension of its all-star cast, which features everyone from Lauryn Hill and Marc Anthony to Colman Domingo, Busta Rhymes and more.
SHOWS TO STREAM
Austin Stowell plays a younger version of Mark Harmon’s “NCIS” character, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, in “NCIS: Origins,” a series set 25 years before the original. We meet this Gibbs as he’s beginning his career as a naval investigator. “NCIS: Origins” is available on CBS and streams on Paramount+.
A new Peacock docuseries digs into the wild but true story of Elizabeth Finch, a former writer on ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy.” Finch wrote storylines she claimed were inspired by her own life and medical history, including a battle with bone cancer. She later admitted to lying. The three-part docuseries also tells the story of Finch’s ex-wife, who was the one to expose her deceit in the first place. “Anatomy of Lies” is streaming on Peacock.
Travis Kelce adds game show host to his growing resume. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end hosts “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” on Prime Video. On the show, adult contestants answer elementary-grade questions with a pool of celebrities on standby, ready to help.
In the Apple TV+’s dramedy “Shrinking,” Jason Segel plays Jimmy, a therapist grieving the death of his wife and trying to navigate being a single parent to a teen daughter. In season one, he begins to give his patients unorthodox advice, like inviting one (Luke Tennie) to move into his home. We also saw a new kind of family blossom between Jimmy, his colleagues (Harrison Ford and Jessica Williams) and neighbor (Christa Miller). Season two of the heartwarming comedy premieres Wednesday on the streamer.
In season three of Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer,” Mickey Haller is rocked by the murder of his former client Gloria Days (Fiona Rene), but he also agrees to defend the man accused of killing her. The story is based on No. 5 of Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer book series called “The Gods of Guilt.” It premieres Thursday on Netflix.
The “Sheldon-verse” continues with “Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage” debuting Thursday on CBS. The series stars Montana Jordan as Sheldon’s older brother, George “Georgie” Cooper, and his new bride, Mandy, played by Emily Osment. It’s a sequel to “Young Sheldon,” which wrapped last May after seven seasons. Episodes also stream on Paramount+.
Coming to Peacock on Friday, “Hysteria!” follows members of a high school band who pretend to be in a Satanic cult for attention. Their plan falls apart when town members target the teens in a witch hunt. The series stars Julie Bowen of “Modern Family” and “Evil Dead” star Bruce Campbell.
VIDEO GAMES TO PLAY
The holiday season is almost here, and for Nintendo fans, there’s no party like a Mario Party. Super Mario Party Jamboree follows the classic formula: It’s a virtual board game in which most of the spaces lead to a multiplayer contest. Up to four people can play in-person or online, though one online mode lets up to 20 compete in a hectic “Koopathlon.” There are 22 characters, seven different boards and more than 110 minigames covering the gamut of Mario Party silliness, from races to brawls to minigolf. The festivities start Thursday on Switch.
