BOX SETS AND ON DEMAND
Stranger Things (Netflix, from Fri)
All good things must come to an end, and although we’re aware of that, it doesn’t make the loss of the sci-fi horror series any less easy to bear.
The streaming giant has already commissioned a fifth and final season, but before that, we’ve got the fourth run to enjoy.
The first set of episodes appearing before a break of five weeks.
After that, the remaining editions will head our way from July 1. The trailer suggests the storyline picks up six months after the Battle of Starcourt as the young characters struggle to return to normal life.
The friends find themselves going it alone for the first time, and life at high school isn’t making life any easier.
What’s more, Jim Hopper appears to be being held in a Russian prison camp... Winona Ryder, David Harbour and Millie Bobby Brown star.
Prehistoric Planet (Apple TV+, from Mon)
The streaming service is getting a little bit inventive with its scheduling. Rather than dropping either one episode per week or the entire season all at once, one edition per day of this documentary will be delivered.
That means we can consume the entire run quickly, but with time to digest all the information before a new batch heads our way. Executive produced by Jon Favreau with a score by recent Oscar-winner Hans Zimmer and narrated by David Attenborough, the series transports viewers back in time 66 million years to see what life on Earth was like when dinosaurs roamed freely.
You may think you’ve seen it all before in the BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs series, but plenty of new discoveries have been made since then, updating our knowledge of the prehistoric world.
Ricky Gervais: Supernature (Netflix, from Tue)
The comedian, actor and writer’s love affair with Netflix continues. The streaming service has already launched his previous stand-up show, Humanity, as well as three seasons of his much-admired existential comedy Afterlife.
Supernature would probably have appeared a while ago if it hadn’t been for the pandemic. Gervais began touring it back in 2020, but was forced to put it on hold for 18 months.
Since he’s picked the show back up again, the comedian and writer has rejigged sections to keep it fresh and claims it’s better than ever before (though he’d hardly say it was worse).
Subjects include his take on the rules of comedy, why he spoils his cat and how fantastic nature can be.
Star Wars: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney+, from Fri)
Let’s face it, the Star Wars prequels released between 1999 and 2005 were pretty disappointing, with only the third, Revenge of the Sith, receiving any kind of acclaim.
Nevertheless Disney felt there could still be an audience for more action involving Obi-Wan Kenobi, who ended that film in defeat as his friend and Jedi apprentice, Anakin Skywalker, moved to the dark side to become Darth Vader.
There are certainly high hopes for Ewan McGregor’s return to the role originally played by Alec Guinness. Hayden Christensen also returns as Anakin in a story that picks up a decade after the Revenge of the Sith, with Kenobi now keeping an eye on young Luke while exiled on Tatooine before embarking on another rollicking adventure.