Stream on Demand: Ambitious sci-fi epic looks to shake the ‘Foundation’
What’s new for home viewing on Video on Demand and Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, Disney+, HBO Max and other streaming services.
Top streams for the week
“Change is frightening. Especially to those in power.” Apple TV+ launches its most ambitious production to date with the science-fiction epic “Foundation” (2021, not rated), based on the landmark trilogy written by Isaac Asimov. Jared Harris stars as the revolutionary scientist who predicts the collapse of the galaxy-spanning empire. Lee Pace, Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey also star. Three episodes available, new episodes on Fridays. (Apple TV+)
A struggling fishing town experiences miracles when a mysterious new priest (Hamish Linklater) takes over the congregation in “Midnight Mass” (TV-MA), a limited series with a horror twist from Mike Flanagan, creator of “The Haunting of Hill House.” (Netflix)
Five new network shows debuting this week are available to stream a day after their respective broadcast debuts: the revival of the family sitcom “The Wonder Years” (TV-PG), narrated by Don Cheadle and set in an African-American family in late 1960s Alabama;
“Ordinary Joe” (TV-14), a drama that follows one man (James Wolk) through three possible futures (Hulu and Peacock);
“The Big Leap” (TV-14), a comic drama about the contestants in a reality-TV competition (Hulu)
“Our Kind of People” (TV-14), a melodrama set in a wealthy African American community in Martha’s Vineyard (Hulu);
“Alter Ego” (TV-PG), a new singing competition series in which the contestants appear as animated avatars (Hulu).
“F9: The Fast Saga” (2021, PG-13) pits Dominic (Vin Diesel) and the crew of the long-running action franchise against a new villain (John Cena), sends a car into orbit, and lets Helen Mirren drive a getaway car. On Cable on Demand and VOD, also on DVD and at Redbox.
Pay-Per-View / Video on Demand
Emma Stone is young fashionista Cruella de Vil in the live-action prequel “Cruella” (2021, PG-13). Also on DVD and at Redbox.
Tom Skerritt stars in “East of the Mountains” (2021, not rated), the screen version of David Guterson’s novel.
Netflix
“The Starling” (2021, PG-13) stars Melissa McCarthy and Chris O’Dowd as a married couple grieving the loss of a child.
Freida Pinto and Logan Marshall-Green star in the home-invasion thriller “Intrusion” (2021, TV-14).
International TV: a Holocaust survivor hunts Nazis hiding in 1960s Spain in “Jaguar” (Spain, TV-MA, with subtitles).
Kid stuff: “My Little Pony: A New Generation” (2021, PG) is a new animated feature in the long-running series.
Amazon Prime Video
“Goliath: Season 4” (TV-MA), the final season of the legal drama created by David E. Kelly, pits its underdog hero (Billy Bob Thornton) against the opioid industry.
Hulu/Peacock
The animated comedy “The Croods: Family Tree” (TV-G) continues the story of the prehistoric family from the movies (Hulu and Peacock).
Other streams
“Wolfboy and the Everything Factory” (TV-Y7) is an animated adventure to the center of the earth. (Apple TV+)
“Star Wars: Visions” (TV-PG) presents a collection of animated short films produced by Japanese anime studios. (Disney+)
Before becoming Mrs. Maisel, Rachel Brosnahan starred in “Manhattan: Complete Series” (2014-2015, TV-14), a drama about the development of the atomic bomb. (AMC+)
New on disc and at Redbox
“F9: The Fast Saga,” “Cruella,” “Lady of the Manor”
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and television can be found at streamondemandathome.com.