The first weekend of 2023 brings us plenty of new movies and TV shows to get stuck into from the comfort of our sofas. On Netflix, you can watch The Pale Blue Eye, a new murder mystery horror-thriller featuring Edgar Allan Poe, with a cast that includes Christian Bale and Gillian Anderson. The streamer also just launched Copenhagen Cowboy, a new series from Drive director Nicolas Winding Refn.
Over on Prime Video, there’s new supernatural thriller The Rig, about the crew of a North Sea oil rig in peril, while Disney Plus has a brand new season of animated Star Wars series The Bad Batch. UK Disney Plus subscribers can also catch Reservation Dogs season 2. Meanwhile, film festival favorite Aftersun has arrived on MUBI (watch with a box of tissues nearby) and dark comedy The Menu is now on HBO Max in the US and Disney Plus in the UK.
The Pale Blue Eye – Netflix
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix (opens in new tab)
The Pale Blue Eye sees Christian Bale play Augustus Landor, a veteran detective hired to solve a series of murders that took place in 1830 at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He’s helped by a young cadet who will later become a world-famous author – Edgar Allan Poe, the master of gothic fiction, played by The Queen’s Gambit’s Harry Melling. The cast also includes Gillian Anderson, Toby Jones, and Timothy Spall.
Copenhagen Cowboy – Netflix
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix (opens in new tab)
Copenhagen Cowboy follows Miu, played by Angela Bundalovic, in a neon-drenched, noir-tinged descent into the criminal underworld of the Danish capital. Freed from a lifetime of servitude, she sets out on a mission of vengeance and justice. The series comes from Drive and The Neon Demon helmer Nicolas Winding Refn, his first Danish-language work since the Pusher trilogy (the last installment of which was released back in 2005).
The Rig – Prime Video
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Prime Video (opens in new tab)
Set on board an oil rig in the North Sea, communication to the mainland is suddenly cut off after a mysterious fog descends and the crew is unable to return home. Tensions and paranoia start to rise, and the cause of events is not all it seems… The cast includes Schitt’s Creek’s Emily Hampshire, Game of Thrones’ Iain Glen, and Line of Duty’s Martin Compston. All six episodes are available to stream on Prime Video now.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch season 2 – Disney Plus
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Disney Plus
Animated Star Wars series The Bad Batch returns for season 2, reuniting us with the titular squad of elite clone troopers – each of them possesses a singular exceptional skill that makes them extraordinarily effective soldiers and a formidable crew. The show finds them in a rapidly changing galaxy as they take on daring mercenary missions in the immediate aftermath of the Clone Wars.
Aftersun – MUBI
Available: Worldwide
Watch now: MUBI (opens in new tab)
Film festival favorite Aftersun is finally available to watch at home. Normal People breakout Paul Mescal stars in this poignant drama as Calum, a young father on holiday to Turkey with his 11-year-old daughter (played by Frankie Coriro) in the ’90s. A nostalgic portrait of memory and grief, the film still manages to make you laugh and Coriro has a star-making turn as precocious Sophie.
Available: US/UK
Watch now: HBO Max (opens in new tab)/Disney Plus
Ralph Fiennes stars as eccentric and terrifying Chef Slowik in The Menu, a darkly comic take on the world of fine dining. Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor-Joy are two unwitting guests at Hawthorne, Slowik’s exclusive restaurant located on a private island. Joined by restaurant critics, a fading actor, and other wealthy customers, the group soon finds out they’ve bitten off more than they can chew by booking a table at Hawthorne.
Reservation Dogs season 2 – Disney Plus
Available: UK
Watch now: Disney Plus
Co-created by Taika Waititi and filmmaker Sterlin Harjo, Reservation Dogs follows four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma as they attempt to raise money – by means both noble and slightly more unscrupulous – to escape their lives and head to California. The second season of the critically acclaimed comedy-drama aired on Hulu in the US last fall, but it’s finally available to watch across the pond.
If there’s nothing here that tickles your fancy, then you might have to start looking into each streaming service’s back catalogue, which can be a daunting task given how many titles they each host. Fear not, though… if you’re a TV fan, then we’ve got you covered with our lists of the best Netflix shows, best Disney Plus shows, and the best Amazon Prime Video shows.