The 7 best new movies and shows to stream this weekend

Another weekend means another batch of streaming recommendations, and there's plenty of variety to choose from this week. Julia Roberts, Ethan Hawke, and Mahershala Ali star in new Netflix thriller Leave the World Behind, while Todd Haynes' May December, which is already generating Oscar buzz for actor Charles Melton, has made its way to the UK via Sky Cinema. If you're in the mood for something a little more festive and lighthearted, try animated movie Merry Little Batman or Christmas rom-com Your Christmas or Mine 2, both on Prime Video.

As for TV, the final Doctor Who 60th anniversary special, The Giggle, airs this weekend, with Neil Patrick Harris bringing the villainous Toymaker back to our screens. Elsewhere, new heist drama Culprits is now streaming on Disney Plus (or Hulu, if you're in the US), and Apple TV Plus' three-part documentary John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial is also ready to binge-watch.

Leave the World Behind

Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Netflix

Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail is in the director's chair for Leave the World Behind, a new apocalyptic thriller about a vacation gone horribly wrong. Julia Roberts and Ethan Hawke play a married couple on a spontaneous trip to Long Island with their kids, who suddenly find that their technology isn't working and they've been affected by a cyberattack. Matters are complicated further when two strangers, played by Mahershala Ali and Myha'la, appear at their door, claiming to own the house they're staying in.

Doctor Who: The Giggle

Available: Worldwide
Watch now: BBC iPlayer in the UK, Disney Plus everywhere else

David Tennant and Catherine Tate return to our screens this weekend for the last of the Doctor Who 60th anniversary specials. This time, they're up against the Toymaker, played by Neil Patrick Harris, who's responsible for a giggling puppet that's driving the human race insane, alongside a cast that also includes Indira Vharma, Bonnie Langford, and Jemma Redgrave. The episode will also feature the regeneration of Tennant's Fourteenth Doctor into Ncuti Gatwa's Fifteenth Doctor, so it's one you won't want to miss.

Culprits

Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Hulu in the US, Disney Plus everywhere else

Created by I Care A Lot director J Blakeson, new crime thriller Culprits picks up with the crew who conducted a heist after the event – when they find themselves being picked off one by one, despite going their separate ways. The ensemble cast includes Candyman's Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Gemma Arterton, The Sandman's Kirby Howell-Baptiste, Censor's Niamh Algar, and Eddie Izzard. All eight episodes are available to stream now on Hulu in the US and Disney Plus elsewhere in the world.

Merry Little Batman

Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Prime Video

Holy Christmas, Batman. The festive season comes to Gotham City in Merry Little Batman, a new animated movie on Prime Video that follows Little Batman, AKA Damian Wayne (Yonas Kibreab), as he finds himself needing to singlehandedly protect Wayne Manor from a host of villains after he's left home alone on Christmas Eve. The voice cast also includes Luke Wilson as Bruce Wayne, James Cromwell as Alfred Pennyworth, It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's David Hornsby as the Joker, and Veep's Reid Scott as Commissioner Gordon.

John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial

Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Apple TV Plus

New three-part documentary John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial examines the murder of the singer-songwriter and former member of The Beatles, who was shot in New York City in 1980. Narrated by Kiefer Sutherland, the series features exclusive interviews with witnesses, including a taxi driver and a doorman who were at the scene, and the psychiatrist who first assessed murderer Mark David Chapman, while friends of Lennon share personal memories and talk about what happened on the night of his death.

May December

Available: UK
Watch now: Sky Cinema

The latest movie from Carol helmer Todd Haynes, May December stars Natalie Portman as an actor who goes to meet and study the life of a woman she'll be playing in an upcoming film. That woman is Gracie (Julianne Moore), whose relationship with her husband Joe (Charles Melton) was a tabloid scandal when it first began twenty years prior when he was still a minor. Laugh-out-loud funny and viscerally uncomfortable in equal measure, this under-the-radar gem is not one to miss.

Your Christmas or Mine 2

Available: Worldwide
Watch now: Prime Video

Sex Education's Asa Butterfield and Cora Kirk return for a sequel to last year's Christmas rom-com Your Christmas or Mine, which sees a young couple unintentionally spend Christmas alone with their partner's family after an attempt to surprise the other goes wrong. In the sequel, the two families head off to a ski resort to spend the holiday period in the Alps – and, needless to say, things don't quite go as planned. The cast also includes Jane Krakowski, David Bradley, Daniel Mays, and Angela Griffin.

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.