New to Streaming This Week (5/3/21), Including ‘Star Wars: The Bad Batch’ and ‘Girls5eva’
A one-hit-wonder girl group from the Nineties captures a young rapper’s attention — and reunites to take one final shot in “Girls5eva.” The Peacock series stars Grammy winner Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry (“Hamilton”), Paula Pell and Busy Philipps.
On the fantasy front, Disney+ debuts “Star Wars: The Bad Batch” with a special 70-minute premiere on Disney+. A new squad of elite clones determines their future in the immediate aftermath of the Clone War.
Monday, May 3
- Scales: Mermaids are Real (IMDb TV) On her 12th birthday, a young girl faces an unusual fate: She’ll turn into a mermaid.
- 300: Rise of an Empire (HBO Max) Based on a graphic novel, it’s the story of the war between the Greek cities of Sparta and Athens.
- Pray, Obey, Kill (HBO Max) The 5-part docu-series finale examines a 2004 shooting in a tiny Swedish town.
- The Legend of Baron To’a (Hulu) A young Tongan man faces up to the legacy of his wrestling superstar father.
- The Brokenwood Mysteries Series 7 finale (Acorn) The unconventional Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) solves cases in the crime-filled New Zealand town of Brokenwood.
Tuesday, May 4
- Star Wars: The Bad Batch (Disney+) The premiere finds Rex, Cody and Clone Force 99 forming an elite squad to recover the Republic’s strategy algorithm.
- John Waters’ Hairspray (1988) (TCM) A Baltimore teen fights segregation via a 1950s local dance show. The movie inspired the hit Broadway musical.
- The Clovehitch Killer (Netflix) A Boy Scout discovers his father, a pillar of the community, may be a serial killer. Dylan McDermott stars.
- Love Sarah (Hulu) A young woman fulfills her mother’s dream of opening her own bakery in Notting Hill, London.
- Selena: The Series: Part 2 (Netflix) The show chronicles singer Selena during significant career and family moments in her life. Actress Christian Serratos takes over in season two, transforming into the Queen of Tejano music.
- The Lady In The Van (IMDb TV) The true story of British playwright Alan Bennett’s prickly friendship with a homeless woman who parks her van in his driveway. Starring Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings and Jim Broadbent.
Wednesday, May 5
- Framing John DeLorean (Netflix) Charting the visionary’s rise in the auto industry to his fall from grace.
- The Sons of Sam: A Descent into Darkness (Netflix) Journalist Maury Terry was convinced the Son of Sam murders in the 1970s were linked to a satanic cult.
- Shadow in the Cloud (Hulu) While traveling with top-secret documents on a B-17 Flying Fortress, a female WWII pilot encounters an evil presence on board.
- Skyfall (Amazon Prime Video) James Bond’s loyalty to M is put to the test, starring Daniel Craig as 007 and Judi Dench as M.
Thursday, May 6
- Girls5eva, Season 1 (Peacock) A 1990s girl group re-groups, taking another shot at performing.
- Dead Man Down (Netflix) A gangster (Colin Farrell) plots revenge against the criminal kingpin (Terrence Howard) who ruined his life.
- Citizen Penn (discovery+) Charts the moment actor Sean Penn and his volunteer team landed in Haiti, just days after the earthquake struck.
- That Damn Michael Che Premiere (HBO Max) A six-episode original comedy series that addresses a different theme each week. Starring Michael Che of “Saturday Night Live.”
- West Side Story (HBO Max) The 1961 movie, blessed with a gorgeous Bernstein-Sondheim score and Jerome Robbins choreography, put the Sharks and the Jets on the cultural map.
- The Drowning (Acorn) Since losing her son eight years ago, Jodie (Jill Halfpenny) has been rebuilding her life. Then she sees a teenage boy she is convinced is her missing son.
Friday May 7
- Girl from Nowhere: Season 2 (Netflix) Nanno is a clever Thai girl who exposes the lies and misdeeds of the students and faculty at every school she attends.
- Flicka 2 (Disney+) When her grandmother is diagnosed with dementia, skateboarder Carrie McLaughlin is forced to leave the city and help care for her.
- Jupiter’s Legacy (Netflix) Can the super-powered children of superheroes live up to their parents’ legacy?
- La Boda De Rosa (Aka Rosa’s Wedding) (HBO Max) A 45-year-old decides to live for herself instead of serving everyone else.
- Everyone’s Hero (Disney+) An animated comedy about a Yankee Stadium custodian falsely accused of stealing Babe Ruth’s bat. His 10-year-old son vows to get it back.
- Monster (Netflix) The story of a 17-year-old Harlem boy at a prestigious film school who is charged with murder.