What To Watch This Week | May 27–June 2

Hang onto your dark passenger: There are two—two!—Dexter spinoffs in the works at SHOWTIME (sorry, Paramount+ with SHOWTIME). The one we already sort of knew about is a continuation of 2021’s Dexter: New Blood, centered on Dex’s son Harrison. The other will be a prequel about young Dexter, but it won’t be titled Young Dexter (in deference to Sheldon). Who expected a Dexter Expanded Universe?

This week’s What to Watch picks include the returns of We Are Lady Parts and Mayor of Kingstown, the star-studded music documentary Camden, the streaming premieres of Madame Web and The First Omen, true-crime cult doc Dancing for the Devil, and American Ninja Warrior Memorial Day action. To the TV!

What’s new on TV this week

We Are Lady Parts | Peacock | Comedy

Season 2 premiere, Thursday, May 30: It’s been three years since the first season, so here’s a refresher: British import We Are Lady Parts is a fast and funny comedy about four Muslim women who form an anarchic punk band in London. Ph.D. student Amina (Anjana Vasan) is Lady Parts’ unlikely new lead guitarist, a shy nerd unlike her new crew of outspoken outcasts—but, on their journey to land a gig, rocking leads to bonding. Also, the songs are (noisily) catchy. All six episodes stream on May 30.

American Ninja Warrior: Couples Championship | NBC, Peacock | Reality, competition

Special premiere, Monday, May 27: In 2023, American Ninja Warrior introduced the Couples Championship, with 10 teams competing on the ANW obstacle course and the Power Tower. This year, 12 couples will compete for a $25,000 prize in this TV special leading up to the season 16 premiere of American Ninja Warrior next week. Sidebar: While researching this blurb, I found several Reddit threads about the bitter rivalry between American Ninja Warrior fans and Wipeout fans. Huh?

Jump to your preferred streaming service for more recs

What to watch on Netflix this week

Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult | Netflix | Documentary

Series premiere, Wednesday, May 29: Sisters Miranda and Melanie Wilking were popular TikTok dancers for years, with millions of followers and lucrative brand sponsorships. But in 2019, Miranda broke away from her sister and her family to spend more time with her talent management company 7M Films, run by the Shekinah Church and its charismatic leader—yes, this is a cult documentary—Robert Shinn. Also, his company/cult is still operating, so don’t expect a completely happy ending from Dancing for the Devil.

Madame Web | Netflix | Drama, fantasy

Movie, now streaming: Was the 2023 Spider-Man-adjacent bomb Madame Web really that bad? Find out for yourself now that it’s streaming on Netflix. After a near-fatal accident on the job, NYC paramedic Cassie Webb (Dakota Johnson in no-effs-given mode) learns she has the power to see the future. This draws her to protect three teen girls (Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced, and Celeste O’Connor) from the evil Ezekiel (Tahar Rahim). Just relax and treat Madame Web as a comedy—Johnson certainly did.

What to watch on Hulu this week

Camden | Hulu | Documentary, music

Series premiere, Wednesday, May 29: The birthplace of countless music careers, London borough Camden finally gets the rock-doc treatment courtesy of director Asif Kapadia (1971: The Year Music Changed Everything) and executive producer Dua Lipa (mega popstar—perhaps you’ve heard of her). In addition to Lipa herself, the four-part Camden features interviews with Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, Mark Ronson, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, Questlove, Nile Rogers, Boy George, and more. Turn it up!

The First Omen | Hulu | Drama, horror

Movie streaming premiere, Thursday, May 30: Only six (six-six?) Omen films have been produced since the ’70s: The Omen (the 1976 original), Damien: Omen II (the 1978 sequel), The Final Conflict (the 1981 “finale”), Omen IV: The Awakening (the 1991 comeback), The Omen (the 2006 remake), and now this year’s The First Omen. In the 1971-set prequel, Margaret (Nell Tiger Free) uncovers a Roman church conspiracy to birth the Antichrist. Make it a double-feature night with the even gnarlier Immaculate.

More of what to watch on streaming this week

MoviePass, MovieCrash | Max | Documentary

Movie premiere, Wednesday, May 29: Remember when you could see all the movies in theaters for just $10 a month? What a great idea/terrible business model. MoviePass, MovieCrash chronicles the rise and fall of the hit cinephile app from its DIY beginnings to a bungled corporate takeover that saw MoviePass lose $150 million in 2017 and shut down two years later. How miffed were customers when the deal went bad? One mailed a box of excrement to the company, recalls a former MoviePass employee.

Mayor of Kingstown | Paramount+ | Drama

Season 3 premiere, Sunday, June 2: Why the long wait for a new season of hardboiled crime drama Mayor of Kingstown? Star Jeremy Renner had a bit of a setback via snowplow last year. “Mayor” Mike McLusky (Renner) still has his hands full keeping the peace between mobsters, Arayans, and Crips in Kingstown, Michigan, not to mention warring factions in the local prison—and now there’s a new Russian mob boss on the scene. Maybe the Mayor of Kingstown should hire the Tulsa King for backup (a little Paramount+ humor).

New movie releases available to rent/buy on VOD this week

Boy Kills World (2023)

Deaf-mute Boy (Bill Skarsgård) and his inner voice (H. Jon Benjamin) are out for revenge against the ruling class of the city responsible for murdering his family—a classic dystopian tale. Boy Kills World is a gonzo martial arts action flick you’d assume is based on a video game, but isn’t. Jessica Rothe, Michelle Dockery, Brett Gelman, Isaiah Mustafa, Yayan Ruhian, Andrew Koji, Sharlto Copley, and Famke Janssen also star.

• Amelia’s Children (May 28)
• American Mileage (May 28)
• Arthur the King (May 28)
• Boy Kills World (May 28)
• The Execution (May 28)
• The First Omen (May 28)
• The Girl in the Trunk (May 28)
• Rani Rani Rani (May 28)
• Tarot (May 28)
• Creation of the Gods: Kingdoms of Storms (May 28)
• Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning (May 28)
• Drinkwater (May 28)
• Backspot (May 31)
• East Bay (May 31)
• Invaders From Proxima B (May 31)
• Tacoma (May 31)
• What You Wish For (May 31)
• The Young Wife (May 31)