What To Watch This Weekend: Stream Our Top 7 TV and Movie Picks (Jan. 19–25)

The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants | VOD | Animation, family

Movie, Tuesday, Jan. 20: Attention, goofy goobers! There’s a new feature-length film starring everybody’s favorite box-butted cartoon character, SpongeBob SquarePants. This time SpongeBob has something to prove: He’s not ”the world’s most innocent soul;” he can be brave and tough, too. All he has to do now is go up against the dreaded ghost pirate known as The Flying Dutchman in the (shudder) Underworld. What do you think, readers? Is he . . . ready?

The Beauty | FX, Hulu | Drama, horror

Series premiere, Wednesday, Jan. 21, 9 p.m. ET: Based on Jeremy Haun and Jason A. Hurley’s comic book series, this Ryan Murphy joint is yet another swipe at our culture’s dangerous obsession with beauty (the others being 2024’s outstanding The Substance and meh Shell). The series stars Ashton Kutcher (ex-husband of The Substance lead Demi Moore) as a shadowy tech mogul known as “The Corporation.” The Corp, as we’ll nickname him, has a miracle drug that promises to put the purdy back on our faces—but also infect us with an STD that should stand for “sudden, traumatic death.” Is it as freaky as over-plumped monster lips? We shall see.

Steal | Prime Video | Drama

Series premiere, Wednesday, Jan. 21: In this thriller, Sophie Turner (Game of Thrones) plays an office worker who gets caught up in the heist of the century when she and her bestie are taken hostage at work. And the investigator charged with solving the crime and freeing the captives is a gambling addict with his own problems. All six episodes are available to stream as of today.

Drops of God | Apple TV | Drama

Season 2 premiere, Wednesday, Jan. 21: If you’re not already into this acclaimed, multinational (French, Japanese, and American) wine drama based on Tadashi Agi and Shu Okimoto’s manga series, I won’t spoil it for you. In the first season, the death of a top wine expert pits his daughter against his protégé in a battle to inherit the sommelier’s peerless private wine collection. This new second season takes place three years after the first, presumably because it had to age.

Mel Brooks: The 99-Year-Old Man | HBO, HBO Max | Documentary

Limited series premiere, Thursday, January 22, 8 p.m. ET: Filmmaker and comedian Mel Brooks may not make it to the age of 2,000—but 99 ain’t nothin’ to sneeze at. Neither is his body of work, which contains legendary laugh-fests as Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Spaceballs. Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio co-direct this two-part, 3.5-hour look at Brooks’ lengthy, storied life and litany of comedy classics. The first part airs tonight on HBO and streams tomorrow on HBO Max, while the second part airs tomorrow and streams on Saturday.

Memory of a Killer | FOX, Hulu | Drama, thriller

Series premiere, Sunday, Jan. 25, 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT: Patrick Dempsey (Grey’s Anatomy, Eli Roth’s Thanksgiving) plays a hitman with early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in this thriller adapted from a Belgian novel. I can already feel the suspense based on the concept. Imagine finding yourself on a ledge holding a sniper rifle and having no idea why you’re there. Or knowing your diagnosis makes you a target for people (like costar Michael Imperioli) who rely on your discretion. Note: Tonight’s premiere episode airs live after the NFC Championship Game and streams the next day on Hulu. Subsequent eps air live at 9 p.m. and keep the same streaming schedule.