What To Watch This Week | May 6–12

So Netflix’s hot series of the moment, Baby Reindeer, slipped by me when it premiered a few weeks ago. I saw the title and thought it was a children’s show; apologies for not previewing it. Also, do not let your kiddies watch it.

This week’s What to Watch picks include the streaming debut of The Iron Claw, new series Bodkin and Dark Matter, the remastered release of The Beatles’ Let It Be, the return of Doctor Who, and NFL Schedule Release football (calendar) action. Put some new batteries in that remote!

What’s new on TV this week

The Iron Claw | Max | Drama

Movie streaming premiere, Friday, May 10: The true story of the Von Erich pro wrestling dynasty of the ’70s and ’80s plays like This Is Spinal Tap with piledrivers—bad luck and tragedy are constant. Von Erich brothers Kevin (Zac Efron), Kerry (Jeremy Allen White), and David (Harris Dickinson) are pushed to the limits by their wrestling legend father Fritz (Holt McCallany) as The Iron Claw ecks out the occasional moments of physical and emotional triumph. It’s one of the best movies you missed out on in 2023.

NFL Schedule Release | NFL Network, NFL+, ESPN2 | Sports, football

Coverage begins Thursday, May 9, 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET: I was this many years old when I learned that there’s an entire night of TV dedicated to the announcement of the NFL’s game schedule for the upcoming fall football season. It’s probably going to attract more viewers than the current UFL season (sorry, Dwayne Johnson). Expect breathless sports-talker analysis of the calendar drop across NFL Network, NFL+, and ESPN2, a show that will somehow last as long as the Oscars (minus Jimmy Kimmel).

Jump to your preferred streaming service for more recs

What to watch on Netflix this week

Bodkin | Netflix | Comedy, drama

Series premiere, Thursday, May 9: An American podcaster (Will Forte) teams with a researcher (Robyn Cara) and a journalist (Siobhan Cullen) to investigate the disappearance of three people in the small Ireland town of Bodkin 21 years ago. Besides pitch-black comedy and stunning Irish scenery, Bodkin also boasts of having two big-deal production companies behind it: Wiip (Mare of Easttown) and Higher Ground (Barack and Michelle Obama from America’s Before Times). All seven episodes stream on May 9.

Mother of the Bride | Netflix | Comedy, romance

Movie premiere, Thursday, May 9: Emma (Miranda Cosgrove) returns from traveling abroad with an announcement: She’s getting married next month in Thailand, which sends her mom Lana (Brooke Shields) into an understandable tizzy. Complicating matters, Emma’s new beau turns out to be the son of Lana’s long-ago ex (Benjamin Bratt, in the requisite Benjamin Bratt role). Mother of the Bride may not break any new rom-com ground, but it’s a fun time (as assembled by AI from the Netflix algorithms).

What to watch on Max this week

Pretty Little Liars: Summer School | Max | Drama

Series premiere, Thursday, May 9: In 2022, former Freeform hit Pretty Little Liars was rebooted at Max with a new cast and story under the title Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin. For season 2, it’s Pretty Little Liars: Summer School and the series is leaning more into classic horror movie tropes (think American Horror Story: 1984, minus the arch camp). Summer School also introduces a new villain in the form of Bloody Rose, who will “test every one of the girls.” Two of eight episodes will stream on May 9.

Nikki Glaser: Someday You’ll Die | HBO, Max | Comedy

Stand-up special premiere, Saturday, May 11: The hardest-working woman in comedy returns for her second HBO stand-up special, the cheerily named Someday You’ll Die. The hourlong special, recorded before a sold-out crowd at the Moore Theater in Seattle, includes jokes about Glaser’s favorite topics, sex and herself, as well as a new appreciation for mortality: “The thoughts of death, I don’t like to dwell on them for longer than, like, 10 or 15 hours a day.” See also: Good Clean Filth, Glaser’s 2022 special.

What to watch on Disney+ this week

Let It Be | Disney+ | Documentary, music

Movie streaming premiere, Wednesday, May 8: When Let It Be was originally released in 1970, The Beatles had just broken up, and fans couldn’t help but feel sad leaving movie theaters. Upon the release of Peter Jackson’s meticulously remastered version for Disney+, Let It Be director Michael Lindsay-Hogg thinks it will now be seen in a happier light: About The Beatles’ final London rooftop concert in 1969, he says “You see their excitement, camaraderie, and sheer joy in playing together again as a group.”

Doctor Who | Disney+ | Drama, sci-fi

Season 14 premiere, Friday, May 10: It’s been almost 20 years since the long-running British series Doctor Who began renumbering seasons, and now Disney+ wants us to refer to this as season 1? No thanks, Mickey. Season 14 introduces a new Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa, Sex Education) and new companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson, Coronation Street) as the pair travels across space and time in the trusty Tardis for an even global-er audience, thanks to Disney+. Two episodes stream on May 10.

More of what to watch on streaming this week

Dark Matter | Apple TV+ | Drama, sci-fi

Series premiere, Wednesday, May 8: Not to be confused with the 2015–2017 Syfy space drama of the same name (which, admittedly, only I remember), this Dark Matter is a high-budget, higher-concept thriller starring Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, and Alice Braga. Chicago physics professor Jason Desson (Edgerton) is kidnapped and dropped into an alternate reality where he’s married to Braga instead of Connelly (the guy did pretty well in both realities). Two of eight episodes stream on May 8.

Reginald the Vampire | Syfy | Comedy, horror

Season 2 premiere, Wednesday, May 8: If you haven’t seen the first season of Reginald the Vampire, get yourself to Hulu and catch up on Syfy’s funniest original behind Resident Alien. In season 1, smoothie shop employee Reginald (Jacob Batalon) dealt with being a newbie vampire whom the undead higher-ups really didn’t approve of and a hopeless crush on his coworker Sarah (Em Haine). In season 2, as per the Fat Vampire novels that Reginald is based upon, a “war with the angels” is imminent. Buckle up, Reg.

New movie releases available to rent/buy on VOD this week

• Abigail (May 7)
• For Sale (May 7)
• Housekeeping for Beginners (May 7)
• Indigo Girls: It’s Only Life After All (May 7)
• Kitty the Killer (May 7)
• Mind Body Spirit (May 7)
• One Hand Don’t Clap (May 7)
• Red vs. Blue: Restoration (May 7)
• Roots of Fire (May 7)
• Ruby’s Choice (May 7)
• Sira (May 7)
• Uncropped (May 7)
• Aisha (May 10)
• Foil (May 10)
• Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (May 10)
• The Image of You (May 10)
• The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare (May 10)
• H2: The Occupation Lab (May 10)
• The Last Stop in Yuma County (May 10)
• Lazareth (May 10)