STREAMING THIS WEEK
WHAT’S NEW ON APPLE TV+ “Trying” Season 2
Jump right back into the adoption process with a new season of Apple’s British comedy series “Trying,” premiering globally on Friday, May 14. Featuring Esther Smith (“Cuckoo”) and Rafe Spall (“The Big Short,” 2015), the series follows Nikki (Smith) and Jason (Spall) as the couple awkwardly navigates through the adoption process following their request’s approval by an adoption panel. This initial success isn’t long-lasting, however, as children are seemingly being picked up by countless other couples, leaving the duo feeling left behind. This all changes when Nikki, attending an adoption event, feels an instant connection with a little girl named Princess, which unfortunately only seems to add more hurdles. Costar Imelda Staunton (“Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix,” 2007) returns as the couple’s eccentric social worker, Penny, among many other returning cast members such as Ophelia Lovibond (“Elementary”), Oliver Chris (“Four Weddings and a Funeral”), Sian Brooke (“Sherlock”), Darren Boyd (“Luther”) and Robyn Cara (“Life”). Season 2 of “Trying” (which has already been renewed for a third season) will be released under the form of eight weekly installments on Apple TV+.
WHAT’S NEW ON PRIME “The Underground Railroad”
Experience an engrossing fictional retelling of American history with Amazon Prime’s new limited series “The Underground Railroad,” premiering on Friday, May 14. Based on Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer-winning book of the same name, “The Underground Railroad” features Thuso Mbedu (“Is’Thunzi”) as Cora Randall, a young enslaved woman who escapes from a Georgia plantation and discovers a literal underground railroad (as opposed to the figurative railroad famous in American history) that she hopes will lead her to freedom. Starring opposite Mbedu is Joel Edgerton (“The Gift,” 2015), who plays Ridgeway, a bounty hunter with a personal vendetta hell-bent on catching Cora, whose mother was the only slave he was never able to catch. The series also prominently features young actor Chase W. Dillon (“Little America”), who stars as Homer, a slave freed by Ridgeway who inexplicably chooses to stay alongside him. Aaron Pierre (“Krypton”), William Jackson Harper (“Midsommar,” 2019), Sheila Atim (“Bruised,” 2020), Amber Gray (“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”), Peter De Jersey (“The Bank Job,” 2008), Chukwudi Iwuji (“John Wick: Chapter 2,” 2017), Damon Herriman (“Mindhunter”), Lily Rabe (“Miss Stevens,” 2016), IronE Singleton (“The Blind Side,” 2009), Mychal-Bella Bowman (“The Haves and the Have Nots”), Marcus “MJ” Gladney, Jr. (“City on a Hill”), Will Poulter (“We’re the Millers,” 2017) and Peter Mullan (“Westworld”) round out the cast. The limited series, directed by Academy Award winner Barry Jenkins (“Moonlight,” 2016), will consist of 10 episodes.
WHAT’S NEW ON DISNEY+ “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” - Season 2
Clear your voice and shake the rust off your pom-poms as Disney’s “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” returns for a second season on Friday, May 14. Season 2 of the meta reimagining of the popular movie franchise follows the East High Wildcats as they prepare for their spring musical performance of “Beauty and the Beast.” The stakes are that much higher as they go head-to-head with their rival school, North High. The main cast consisting of Olivia Rodrigo (“Bizaardvark”), Joshua Bassett (“Stuck in the Middle”), Matt Cornett (“The Goldbergs”), Sofia Wylie (“Shook”), Larry Saperstein (“First Wives Club”), Julia Lester (“Mom”), Dara Reneé (“My Stepfather’s Secret,” 2019), Frankie Rodriguez (“Will & Grace”), Joe Serafini (“Scientastic!”), Mark St. Cyr (“Marshall,” 2017) and Kate Reinders (“Work It”) all return, with new recurring guest stars such as Derek Hough (“Dancing with the Stars”) in the role of Zack, the new North High drama teacher, Roman Banks (Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hansen”) as Howie, a high school junior who works for Big Red’s family’s pizza shop, and Olivia Rose Keegan (“Days of Our Lives”) as Lily, a sweet yet competitive East High student. Additional guest stars include Andrew Barth Feldman (Broadway’s “Dear Evan Hansen”) and Asher Angel (“Shazam!,” 2019). The second season of “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series” will feature 12 episodes on Disney+.
WHAT’S NEW ON HBO MAX “Those Who Wish Me Dead”(2021)
Murder, suspense and a raging wildfire are all at play in HBO Max’s new neoWestern film “Those Who Wish Me Dead,” set for release on HBO’s streamer and in theatres on Friday, May 14. Featuring Angelina Jolie (“Maleficent,” 2014), “Those Who Wish Me Dead” follows the story of a young boy named Connor Casserly (Finn Little, “Storm Boy,” 2019), who witnesses a murder and enlists the help of Hannah Faber (Jolie), a smokejumper with a painful past, to protect him from two assassins (Aiden Gillen, “Game of Thrones” and Nicholas Hoult “Mad Max: Fury Road,” 2015) who are dead set on tying up loose ends. The film also stars Tyler Perry (“Gone Girl,” 2014), Jon Bernthal (“The Wolf of Wall Street,” 2013), Jake Weber (“Dawn of the Dead,” 2004) and Tory Kittles (“Colony”), among others. Based on a 2014 book of the same name by author Michael Koryta, “Those Who Wish Me Dead” promises to deliver a female-driven Western directed by acclaimed screenwriter Tyler Sheridan (“Sicario,” 2015 and “Hell or High Water,” 2016).
WHAT’S NEW ON NETFLIX “The Woman in the Window” (2021)
Lock your door, close your windows and settle in for a tense psychological thriller courtesy of Netflix’s “The Woman in the Window,” set for release on Friday, May 14. The film features Amy Adams (“Arrival,” 2016) as Anna Fox, an agoraphobic child psychologist who keeps an eye out on the seemingly perfect family that recently moved across from her home. Things take a turn for the worse, however, when she inadvertently witnesses a gruesome act through her window. Based on American author A.J. Finn’s 2018 book of the same name, “The Woman in the Window” features an all-star cast in the form of Gary Oldman (“Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy,” 2011), Anthony Mackie (“Captain America: Civil War,” 2016) and Julianne Moore (“Still Alice,” 2014). Fred Hechinger (“News of the World,” 2020), Wyatt Russell (“Overlord,” 2018), Brian Tyree Henry (“Spiderman: Into the SpiderVerse,” 2018), Jeanine Serralles (“Inside Llewyn Davis,” 2013), Mariah Bozeman (“Chicago Med”), Liza Colón-Zayas (“David Makes Man,” 2019), Anna Cameron (“Birthday Girl,” 2019), Donat Balaj (“The Pirates of Somalia,” 2017), Rand Guerrero (“Pose”),Amanda Rabinowitz (“You”) and Ben Davis (“30 Rock”) round out the cast.
“Oxygen”(2021)
Take a deep breath and try not to fidget in your seat while watching the new Netflix survival-thriller “Oxygen,” releasing on Wednesday, May 12. The American-French film features Mélanie Laurent (“Inglourious Basterds,” 2009) as Elizabeth Hansen, a young woman who wakes up in a cryogenic chamber with no knowledge of who she is and how she got there.With the oxygen levels in her unit quickly dropping, Elizabeth must remember who she is in order to survive.The cast also includes Mathieu Amalric (“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” 2014), Malik Zidi (“Lines of Wellington,” 2012), Marc Saez (“Borgia”), Eric Herson-Macarel (“The Wyvern’s Lair”), Cathy Cerda (“Je Promets d’Être Sage,” 2019) and Laura Boujenah (“House of Time,” 2015).
“The Upshaws”
A new Netflix series full of heart and hilarity is set for release on Wednesday, May 14, as “The Upshaws” makes its way to the streaming service’s lineup. The show, starring Wanda Sykes (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) and Mike Epps (“Dolemite Is My Name,” 2019), tells the story of a working-class Black family in Indiana that tries to balance various hardships and family life. Epps plays the role of Bennie Upshaw, the show’s patriarch, who works as a car mechanic in his own shop while trying to be a good husband to his wife, Regina, played by Kim Fields (“What To Expect When You’re Expecting,” 2012). Sykes, on the other hand, plays Regina’s sister, Lucretia, who usually has a bone to pick with Bennie, whom she deems irresponsible. The Upshaw family also includes Bennie’s eldest son, Bernard (Jermelle Simon, “Animal Kingdom”), who has a rocky relationship with his father, among other siblings played by Khali Spraggins (“Empire”), Journey Christine (“Let It Snow,” 2019) and Diamond Lyons (“5th Ward”) with whom Bennie has better relationships. The show, created by Sykes and Regina Y. Hicks (producer of “Insecure”), also features Page Kennedy (“The Meg,” 2018) as Bennie’s ex-con, newly religious friend for added hilarity.
WHAT’S NEW ON DISCOVERY+ “Clipped”
Get in the gardening mood for the summer with Discovery’s new topiary competition “Clipped,” set to premiere with a 90-minute episode on Wednesday, May 12. Starring Martha Stewart (“Martha Knows Best”), Chris Lambton (“Going Yard”) and critically acclaimed landscape architect Fernando Wong as the competition’s judges and Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”) as the show’s host, this artistic plant-cutting competition will feature seven contestants battling their topiary skills out with the ultimate prize of $50,000 cash on the line. Throughout six episodes, a wide array of high-stakes challenges will be issued in order to weed out (pun definitely intended) the ultimate topiary master. New episodes will be released every Wednesday on discovery+.