What to Stream: ‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps,’ Tracy Morgan, Kim Kardashian and ‘Downton Abbey’
The gritty superhero team story “Fantastic Four: First Steps” and Tracy Morgan returning to TV with a new comedy called “Crutch” are some of the new TV shows, movies, music and games coming to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth checking out this week, selected by Associated Press entertainment reporters: the up-and-down drama “Downton Abbey” bids farewell in one final film, Kim Kardashian plays a divorce lawyer in Hulu’s “All’s Fair” and Willie Nelson continues to demonstrate his prolific output with the release of another new album this year.
— Guillermo del Toro realizes his long-held dream of a sumptuous Mary Shelley adaptation in “Frankenstein” (Friday, November 7 on Netflix). Del Toro’s film, starring Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein and Jacob Elordi as his monster, uses all the trappings of craft cinema to give Shelley’s classic an epic twist. In her review, AP Film screenwriter Lindsey Bahr wrote, “Everything about ‘Frankenstein’ is larger than life, from the runtime to the emotions displayed.” »
— Matt Shakman’s endearing and earnest tale, “Fantastic Four: First Steps” (Wednesday on Disney+), helps smooth over a rocky history at best in big-screen adaptations of the classic Stan Lee-Jack Kirby comic. Pedro Pascal, Vanessa Kirby, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Joseph Quinn play Mister Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Thing and Human Torch respectively. In 1964, they work to defend Earth from its imminent destruction by Galactus. In my review, I praised “First Steps” as “a stunning ’60s game, drenched in retrofuturism and old-time American optimism.”
— “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” (Friday, Nov. 7 on Peacock) bids farewell to the Crawleys 15 years after Julian Fellowes first launched his top-to-bottom drama. The cast of the third and final film, directed by Simon Curtis, includes Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery and Paul Giamatti. In her review, Jocelyn Noveck of AP wrote that the film gives “loyal Downton fans what they want: a satisfying moment of closure and the sense that the future, while a little scary, may look good for Downton Abbey.” Peacock also streams the previous two films and all six seasons of “Downton Abbey.”
— “The Materialists” (Friday, Nov. 7 on HBO Max), Céline Song’s follow-up to her 2023 Oscar-nominated breakthrough “Past Lives,” stars Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in a romantic triangle. The film, shot in New York, adds a dose of economic reality to a romantic comedy plot in what was, for A24, a modest summer success. In her review, Jocelyn Noveck of AP called it “a smart romantic comedy that tries to be honest about life and still leaves us smiling.”
— AP writer Jake Coyle
— The legendary Willie Nelson continues to demonstrate his prolific output with the release of another new album this year. “Workin’ Man: Willie Sings Merle,” released Friday, Nov. 7, is exactly what it sounds like: Nelson offers new interpretations of 11 classic songs written by Merle Haggard. And we’re talking classics: check out Nelson’s latest version of “Okie From Muskogee,” “Mama Tried,” “I Think I’ll Just Stay Here And Drink” and more.
— Maria Sherman, AP music editor
— Tracy Morgan returns to television with a new comedy called “Crutch.” Morgan plays a widower whose family is empty and whose world is turned upside down when his adult children move in with his grandchildren. The Paramount+ series debuts Monday.
— Kim Kardashian says she’ll soon find out if she passes the bar exam to become a lawyer, but she plays a sought-after divorce lawyer in “All’s Fair,” her new TV series for Hulu. Kardashian stars alongside Glenn Close, Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash-Betts, Naomi Watts and Teyana Taylor in the show about an all-female law firm. Ryan Murphy created the series with Kardashian in mind after starring in “American Horror Story: Delicate.” It premieres Tuesday on Hulu and Hulu on Disney+.
— The old adage that truth is stranger than fiction applies to Netflix’s new four-episode limited series, “Death by Lightning.” It is a historical dramatization (with some comedy) of how James Garfield became the 20th President of the United States. He was shot four months later by a man named Charles Guiteau (Matthew Macfadyen), who was desperate for Garfield’s attention. Two months later, Garfield died from complications from his injuries. It’s a crazy story that also stars Betty Gilpin, Nick Offerman, Bradley Whitford, and Shea Whigham. The series will air on Thursday.
— HBO has a new documentary series about the life of retired baseball superstar Alex Rodriguez. “Alex Vs. A-Rod” features intimate interviews with people connected to and who know Rodriguez, as well as the man himself. The three-part series will air on Thursday.
— The next installment of “Wicked,” titled “Wicked: For Good,” hits theaters on Nov. 21, and NBC has created a musical special to boost the release. Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande lead “Wicked: One Wonderful Night,” a concert premiering Thursday on NBC and airing Friday, Nov. 7, on Peacock. Other actors from the film like Michelle Yeoh, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode and Ethan Slater also appear.
— It’s going to be a while before the next Legend of Zelda game, but if you want to spend some time with the princess, check out Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment. In this spin-off, a prequel to 2023’s Tears of the Kingdom, Zelda travels back in time to join forces with the Six Sages in a war against the invading Ganondorf. You can also drag another human into battle using split-screen or the GameShare feature on Nintendo’s new console. Like previous collaborations between Nintendo and Koei Tecmo, it’s more about hack-and-slash action than exploration and discovery. It arrives Thursday on Switch 2.
