Stream on Demand: Emmy-winning ‘Mandalorian’ returns to Disney+ with Season 2
What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO and other streaming services.
Top streams for the week
The second season of “The Mandalorian” (TV-PG), the first live-action TV spinoff of the “Star Wars” universe and Emmy-winning breakout hit of Disney+, starts rolling out new adventures of the intergalactic bounty hunter (Pedro Pascal) and his adopted sidekick, the Child (nicknamed Baby Yoda by fans). New episodes each Friday. (Disney+)
“Truth Seekers: Season 1” (TV-14), co-created by buddies Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, combines comedy and creepy horror as it follows a group of amateur paranormal investigators led by a lonely widower (Frost) investigating ghost sightings across the U.K. and recording their adventures. (Amazon Prime)
The limited series “The Undoing” (TV-MA) reunites “Big Little Lies” star Nicole Kidman and writer/creator David E. Kelley in this thriller about a wealthy couple whose life unravels when the cheating husband (Hugh Grant) is accused of murder. New episodes of the six-part show each Sunday. (All HBO platforms)
The lively, witty new adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Emma” (2020, PG) stars Anya Taylor-Joy as the society Queen Bee who learns humility and compassion as she tries to engineer romances around her. Director Autumn de Wilde fills the film with vivid characters, nuanced performances and a mix of period detail and modern flair. (All HBO platforms)
Claire Danes returns as the brilliant but troubled bipolar CIA operative in the eighth and final season of the Showtime espionage thriller “Homeland” (TV-MA). It’s now streaming on Hulu.
The third season of “Star Trek: Discovery” (TV-14) opens with the crew trapped in the far-flung future. New episodes each Thursday. (CBS All Access)
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
“The Craft: Legacy” (2020, PG-13), a sequel to the cult 1996 film, follows a group of high school students who form a coven of witches.
Netflix
Emma Roberts and Luke Bracey are singles who spend the holidays together in the romantic comedy “Holidate” (2020, not rated).
“Sarah Cooper: Everything’s Fine” (2020, not rated) is a sketch comedy special featuring the comedienne who became famous for her ingenious Trump lip-synching videos.
International Passport: Cop thriller “Rogue City” (France, 2020, not rated, with subtitles) follows a special squad caught between police corruption and the warring gangs of the Marseille underworld.
Hulu
True stories: The five-part series “City So Real” (TV-14) is filmmaker Steve James’ multifaceted portrait of modern Chicago.
HBO Max / HBO Now
The documentary “The Soul of America” (2020, TV-14) puts today’s polarized culture in context of our past. (All HBO platforms)
Other streams
Episodes of the new seasons of “This Is Us” (TV-14) and the sitcom “Superstore” (TV-14) stream a day after their network debuts. (Hulu and Peacock)
The documentary “Citizen Bio” (2020, TV-MA) digs into the underground world of biohacking. (All Showtime platforms)
Also new on Showtime is “The Current War” (2019, PG-13) starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Thomas Edison and Michael Shannon as George Westinghouse battling to determine the electrical future of America.
The witty British crime drama “New Tricks: Seasons 1-6” (2003-2009, TV-14) stars Amanda Redman as the commander of a team of retired detectives who re-examine unsolved crimes. (Britbox)
Eccentric teams of detectives investigate challenging cases in the French mystery series “Perfect Murders” (France, TV-14, with subtitles). New episodes arrive Tuesdays. (MHz)
The Criterion Channel spotlight on “New Korean Cinema” offers a dozen genre pictures including the offbeat black comedy “The Quiet Family” (South Korea, 1998, not rated, with subtitles); powerful political drama “Joint Security Area” (South Korea, 2000, not rated, with subtitles) from “Oldboy” director Park Chan-wook; alien invasion satire “Save the Green Planet!” (South Korea, 2003, not rated, with subtitles); haunting horror film turned family tragedy “A Tale of Two Sisters” (South Korea, 2003, not rated, with subtitles); and thrilling 21st century monster movie “The Host” (South Korea, 2006, not rated, with subtitles) from Bong Joon Ho, the Oscar-winning director of “Parasite.”
Also new on Criterion Channel is a collection of five films “Directed by Catherine Breillat,” including her boundary-pushing dramas “Romance” (France, 1999, R, with subtitles) and “Abuse of Weakness” (France, 2013, not rated, with subtitles), and a double feature of “Nosferatu” (Germany, 1922, silent with score) and Werner Herzog’s remake “Nosferatu the Vampyre” (Germany, 1979, PG, with subtitles).
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and television can be found at streamondemandathome.com.