A family drama and a family comedy, a moving documentary, and multiple Australian period pieces are some of this week’s biggest streaming attractions. Plus, the creator of some of the 21st century’s biggest sitcoms is back with a new show, and you can bet it’ll be a good time.
What to watch on Netflix
American Symphony
Already tapped as a likely nominee for Best Documentary at next year’s Oscars ceremony, American Symphony is a story of love and life at its most bittersweet. The film focuses on a year in the life of Grammy winner Jon Batiste, as he works on a massive new project composing a symphony for Carnegie Hall and, devastatingly, as his wife and fellow creative Suleika Jaouad learns that her leukemia has returned. It’s a documentary about life’s inevitable give and take, but its central couple and their outlook make it more than a story about sickness. American Symphony premieres Wednesday, November 29th.
Family Switch
Take Freaky Friday and mix it with some holiday fun to get Family Switch. Mere days before Christmas, parents Jess and Bill (Jennifer Garner and Ed Helms) are determined to keep their family close in spite of hectic schedules and major upcoming milestones. So imagine their surprise when an astrological alignment leads to them swapping bodies with their two teen children (Brady Noon and Wednesday’s Emma Myers). Mercury isn’t quite in retrograde, and neither is this family—yet. It’s the kind of silly, high-concept family comedy you don’t see much of anymore. Family Switch premieres Thursday, November 30th.
What to watch on Hulu
Faraway Downs
Baz Luhrmann has never been one to shy away from on screen experiments, from the contemporary Romeo + Juliet to last year’s massive Elvis. Now, though, the filmmaker is directing his attention to the small screen—specifically, he’s stretching his 2008 movie Australia into a six episode miniseries called Faraway Downs. The same pieces are there (Hugh Jackman and Nicole Kidman as a cattle drover and a lady inexplicably attracted to each other, a historical Australian epic set against cattle monopolies, and the beginning of World War II), but this experiment in editing will greatly change the final product. Faraway Downs premieres Sunday, November 26th.
The Artful Dodger
For another Australian period piece miniseries on Hulu, give The Artful Dodger a watch. The show takes its cues from Dickens’ Oliver Twist, focusing on the titular pickpocket years after he’s left London behind him. The Artful Dodger, or Jack Dawkins (played by Thomas Brodie-Sangster), has made a quiet life for himself as a surgeon in 1850s Australia, but his life of crime threatens to rope him back in. It’s another show set to treat its historical setting with a bit of a wink and some contemporary flair. The Artful Dodger will be available to stream starting Wednesday, November 29th.
What to watch on Amazon Prime
A Good Person
Zach Braff writes and directs this drama starring Florence Pugh, Morgan Freeman, and Molly Shannon. Pugh plays Allison, an aspiring musician excited to get married to her high school sweetheart. However, her role in a major accident that destroys her in-laws’ family ruins everything, leaving her suffering and almost entirely alone. Dealing with that fallout and addiction issues, Allison finds herself in AA, where she meets someone from her past that may just be able to help her get back on the right path and embrace life again. A Good Person streams starting Tuesday, November 28th. Read Observer’s review here.
What to watch on Max
Bookie
From Chuck Lorre, creator of sitcom hits like The Big Bang Theory and Two and a Half Men, comes a new comedy starring Sebastian Maniscalco. Bookie sees the comedian play, well, a bookie, but his way of life is at risk thanks to second thoughts about the legalization of sports gambling. In a world where online betting is advertised on the court, on the field and in ads between quarters, the old way of face-to-face customer interaction and personal shakedowns is just falling out of favor. Omar J. Dorsey, Vanessa Ferlito and Jorge Garcia co-star as Maniscalco’s co-conspirators. Bookie premieres Thursday, November 30th.
What to Watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
