Stream on Demand: ‘Andor’ gives a grittier look at the rise of the ‘Star Wars’ rebellion
What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max, Amazon Prime, and other streaming services.
Top streams for the week
“On the Come Up” (2022, PG-13) follows 16-year-old Bri (Jamila C. Gray), daughter of a local hip-hop legend killed by gang violence, and her efforts to find her voice and establish herself in the battle rap scene. Based on the novel by Angie Thomas, this coming-of-age drama is the directorial debut of actor Sanaa Latham. (Paramount+)
“Andor” (TV-14), the latest small screen spinoff of the “Star Wars” movies, chronicles the transformation of Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) into the rebel hero of “Rogue One.” In many ways it is a prequel to “A New Hope,” a darker, grittier kind of series that tells the origins of the rebellion against the Empire. Three episodes available, new episodes on Wednesdays. (Disney+)
The dysfunctional cast of an early 2000s family sitcom is reunited in “Reboot: Season 1” (not rated), a comedy from “Modern Family” creator Steven Levitan starring Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, Johnny Knoxville, Paul Reiser and Rachel Bloom. Three episodes available, new episodes on Tuesdays. (Hulu)
Tyler Perry takes on a different kind of story in “A Jazzman’s Blues” (2022, R), a drama of forbidden love, art, music and racial violence that plays out in the Jim Crow Deep South of the 1930s and 1940s and post-war Chicago. Joshua Boone, Solea Pfeiffer, and Amirah Vann star in the historical melodrama, set to a score of juke joint blues. (Netflix)
Allison Janney takes on the Liam Neeson mantle in “Lou” (2022, R), playing a mystery woman with a violent past roused from retirement by the mother (Jurnee Smollet) of a kidnapped child. This action thriller from executive producer JJ Abrams plays out in the chaos of a storm. (Netflix)
The documentary “Sidney” (PG-13) profiles Sidney Poitier, who was born to poverty and reinvented himself as one of the great actors of his generation and the first African American to win the Oscar for best actor. (Apple TV+)
International pick: The death of a young Algerian-French man in the Paris suburbs at the hands of the police sparks an urban war in “Athena” (France, 2022, with subtitles). (Netflix)
Streaming Network TV
Hulu streams the shows from ABC and Fox a day after their respective network debuts, including the second season of the Emmy-winning sitcom “Abbott Elementary” (TV-PG) and new seasons of “9-1-1” (TV-MA), “The Resident” (TV-14), and “Big Sky” (TV-14).
NBC’s new season streams exclusively on Peacock this year, including Dick Wolf’s three “Law & Order” (TV-14) shows and “Chicago Fire” (TV-14) and its spinoffs.
Paramount+ has the CBS procedural warhorse “NCIS: Season 20” (TV-14), the three “FBI” (TV-14) procedurals, sitcom “Bob Hearts Abishola” (TV-PG), and news magazine “60 Minutes” (TV-PG), among others.
Netflix
Evan Peters is notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer in “Dahmer” (TV-MA), a limited series from Ryan Murphy.
Peacock
Kaley Cuoco and Pete Davidson star in “Meet Cute” (2022, TV-MA), a romantic comedy with a time travel twist.
Other streams
“Paris Police 1900: Season 1” (France, with subtitles) is a sweeping crime drama set in turn-of-the-20th-century Paris. (MHz)
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at streamondemandathome.com.
© 2022 by Sean Axmaker