What to Stream: ‘Wicked: For Good’ soundtrack, Ted Danson, ‘The Bad Guys 2’ and Black cowboys
Ted Danson’s “A Man on the Inside” returns to Netflix for its second season and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo singing the soundtrack to “Wicked: For Good” are some of the new TV shows, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among this week’s worthwhile streaming deals, selected by Associated Press entertainment reporters: Aerosmith teams up with Yungblud on new EP, ‘The Bad Guys 2’ hitting Peacock and Jordan Peele looking at black cowboys in new documentary series.
— “Train Dreams” (Friday, Nov. 21 on Netflix), Clint Bentley’s adaptation of Denis Johnson’s acclaimed short story, stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a railroad worker and lumberjack in the early 20th century in the Pacific Northwest. The film, scripted by Bentley and Greg Kwedar (the duo behind last year’s “Sing Sing”), evokes a frontier past to tell the story of an anonymous worker and the currents of change around him.
— DreamWorks Animation’s sequel “The Bad Guys 2” (Friday, Nov. 21 on Peacock) sends the reformed animal crime gang back for another heist. In the film, with a returning cast including Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos and Marc Maron, the Bad Guys meet a new heist team: the Bad Girls. In his review, AP’s Mark Kennedy lamented an over-amped sequel with a plot that extends into space: “It’s hard to see a franchise drifting so expensively and needlessly into Earth’s orbit.”
— In “The Roses,” Jay Roach (“Meet the Parents”), from a screenplay by Tony McNamara (“Poor Things”), remakes Danny DeVito’s 1989 black comedy, “The War of the Roses.” In this version, Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch play a loving couple who become bitter enemies. In his review, Kennedy called “The Roses” “an escalating hate-fest from which, by the time a loaded gun comes out, all the fun has been sucked out.”
— AP writer Jake Coyle
— Musical theater fans, your time has come… again. “Wicked: For Good” is upon us, and with it the release of its official soundtrack. On Friday, after or before seeing the film in theaters, stream its invigorating compositions at your leisure. May we suggest Ariana Grande’s “The Girl in the Bubble”? Or “No Place Like Home” by Cynthia Erivo? And for lovers of Jeff Goldblum and Jonathan Bailey, yes, there’s gold to be found too.
— Rock this way: Aerosmith is back with new music. Following their 2023 “Greatest Hits” collection and just months after the conclusion of their “Peace Out: The Farewell Tour” (the band said they would no longer hit the road due to singer Steven Tyler’s voice having been permanently damaged by a vocal cord injury), they teamed up with next-gen rock ‘n’ roll Yungblud. It’s a collaborative EP called “One More Time,” released Friday. The anthemic opening track, “My Only Angel,” sets the tone. What else for the road?
— Maria Sherman, AP music editor
— Raise your hand if you still miss “Succession” Sundays on HBO. An acclaimed Swedish drama called “Vanguard” debuts Tuesday on Viaplay and is in a similar vein. It is a dramatization about Jan Stenbeck, one of Europe’s most influential media moguls. There’s ambition, betrayal, and, yes, sibling rivalry.
— “A Man on the Inside” by Ted Danson returns to Netflix on Thursday for its second season. Danson plays a widower named Charles who has found a new purpose as an amateur private detective. In season one, Charles moved into a nursing home to catch his culprit. In the second season, he returns to college to solve a case. Danson’s real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen, joins the cast as Charles’ love interest as he explores the idea of second chances when it comes to romance.
— Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore co-star in “The Assassin” for AMC+. Hawes (“Bodyguard”) plays a retired assassin living in solitude on a Greek island whose peaceful life is turned upside down when his estranged son (Highmoore) comes to visit. When the two find themselves in danger, they must work together to stay alive. It will be presented on Thursday.
— Jordan Peele has a new documentary series called “High Horse: The Black Cowboy” coming to Peacock on Thursday. The three-part series examines how stories of black cowboys have been erased from pop culture and history books.
— If you bought Mario Kart World when Nintendo launched the Switch 2 in June, you might be wondering: Do I really need another racing game? Kirby Air Riders comes from designer Masahiro Sakurai, the mastermind behind Super Smash Bros., so it adds that franchise’s chaotic combat to the mix. Each of the competitors has different weapons and each of the vehicles has different advantages and disadvantages. And everyone can use Kirby’s signature “inhalation” technique, which lets you absorb an opponent’s skills by swallowing them. So if you like weird racing, rev your engine on Thursday.
