Some say our streaming services have waited all year to deliver the most anticipated, diverse and dramatic content so far to our TV sets, laptops and smart devices.
With up to 6.5 million households around Australia with a current subscription – Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ the top three in the September quarter – there’s no need to panic about what to watch on a weekend or after work.
There’s a series, a documentary or a film this month to suit almost all palates.
And one earmarked with controversy even before it’s aired? Let’s start with The Crown.
In between the Queen’s death in September and Prince Harry’s memoir dropping in early January, season five of Netflix’s No.1 global hit is back on November 9, promising to revisit some of the most traumatic episodes in the British monarchy through the 1990s.
It will be the first season of the series to be released after the death of Prince Philip in April 2021 and the death of Queen Elizabeth II in September.
There has been widespread anxiety about sensationalising the British royal family, with Dame Judi Dench writing a letter to Britain’s Times newspaper, urging Netflix to add a disclaimer.
“The closer the drama comes to our present times, the more freely it seems willing to blur the lines between historical accuracy and crude sensationalism,” Dench said.
“Given some of the wounding suggestions apparently contained in the new series – that King Charles plotted for his mother to abdicate, for example, or once suggested his mother’s parenting was so deficient that she might have deserved a jail sentence – this is both cruelly unjust to the individuals and damaging to the institution they represent.”
McEnroe: Prime Video, Google Play, iTunes
Tennis legend John McEnroe still has a lot to say, and in this compelling documentary of life from bad boy with historic on-court moments, to respected commentator of the game, we get it all.
With insights from Billie Jean King to his wife, musician Patty Smyth, saying “there is no one else on this planet like John. He is a strange bird”, McEnroe reveals his inner demons and complex personality.
We all know his famous “you cannot be serious” tantrum to the umpire (Wimbledon, 1981), but rarely do we get such raw admissions about his own frailty and his anger from one of the most compelling sports stars of the past 50 years.
The Mosquito Coast: Apple TV+, November 4
Based on Paul Theroux’s best-selling novel, this 10-episode second season follows the dangerous journey of inventor Allie Fox, who uproots his family to find refuge from the US government, cartels and hitmen.
In season two, and starring Melissa George, after barely escaping Mexico with their lives, the Foxes venture deep into the Guatemalan jungle to meet an old friend and her community of refugees.
The beauty of streaming? You can catch up on the first season anytime you like.
Save Our Squad with David Beckham: November 9, Disney+
In a UK original series, former soccer star David Beckham returns to his East London roots to mentor Westward Boys, a young, grassroots team who are at the bottom of their league, facing relegation.
It’s the same league Beckham played in as a young boy and if you’re a fan of his, watching him meet the players’ families, learning about their hopes and dreams, is inspirational.
Selena Gomez, My Mind and Me: Apple TV+, November 4
We love her for Only Murders In the Building, but a new documentary about the singer, songwriter, actor, producer, entrepreneur and activist Selena Gomez, directed and produced by Alek Keshishian (Madonna: Truth or Dare) examines her mental health issues.
“After years in the limelight, Selena Gomez achieves unimaginable stardom. But just as she reaches a new peak, an unexpected turn pulls her into darkness. This uniquely raw and intimate documentary spans her six-year journey into a new light,” writes the official synopsis.
Hidden: Stan, November 9
All episodes all at once. The series of the hit Welsh crime drama stars Sian Reese-Williams and Siôn Alun Davies. After a local man’s body is found in a remote river DCI Cadi John gets embroiled in the case which bears the signs of a brutal and frenzied attack.
The English: Prime Video, November 11
Starring Emily Blunt as Lady Cornelia Locke, this is described as an epic chase Western, where she finds herself with a Pawnee ex-cavalry scout, Eli Whipp (Chaske Spencer), who come together in 1890s middle America “to cross a violent landscape built on dreams and blood”.
Once settled in the new town of Hoxem, Wyoming, there’s a series of bizarre and macabre unsolved murders to be investigated.
My Policeman (exclusive): Prime Video, November 5
Harry Styles is back.
Queer-baiting or not, all eyes are on Styles’ highly anticipated role in his follow-up movie after Don’t Worry Darling. He plays a gay policeman Tom growing up in 1950s Britain alongside teacher Marion (Emma Corrin) and museum curator Patrick (David Dawson).
Based on the book by Bethan Roberts, director Michael Grandage carves a visually transporting, heart-stopping portrait of three people caught up in the shifting tides of history, liberty and forgiveness.
Tulsa King: Paramount+, November 14
Rocky fans rejoice! Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone stars as New York mafia capo Dwight “The General” Manfredi, who has just spent 25 years in prison.
After being exiled by his boss to set up shop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, he establishes a new criminal empire in a place that to him might as well be another planet.
Yellowstone: Stan, November 14
The No.1 drama on US cable TV with an incredible 14 million viewers during its fourth season, Yellowstone Season 5 will premiere with a special two-hour event as we see John Dutton (Kevin Costner) take office as the Governor of Montana.
The original drama series chronicles the Dutton family, which controls the largest contiguous cattle ranch in the United States.
Amid shifting alliances, unsolved murders, open wounds and hard-earned respect – the ranch is in constant conflict with those it borders – an expanding town, an Indian reservation, and America’s first national park.
Upright: Foxtel, November 15
Milly Alcock went from 27,000 Instagram followers to more than one million after her five-episode epic journey on House of the Dragon. Now she’s come back down to earth, she’s reunited with Tim Minchin in the second series of this much-loved series.
Spirited: Apple TV+, November 18
No, he’s not playing an Elf this time. Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds together in a pre-Christmas movie is pure gold.
What’s it about you ask? Every Christmas eve, the Ghost of Christmas Present (Ferrell) selects one dark soul to be reformed by a visit from three spirits. But this season, he picked the wrong Scrooge.
Clint Briggs (Ryan Reynolds) turns the tables on his ghostly host until Present finds himself re-examining his past, present and future.
For the first time, A Christmas Carol is told from the perspective of the ghosts in this hilarious musical twist on the classic Dickens tale.
Tweet from @wtchippendales
Special mention to two movies recently on cinematic release: Sonic The Hedgehog 2: November 18 and Wog Boys Forever: November 21 are both available to stream on Paramount+.
Welcome to Chippendales: November 22, Disney+
Missing Murray Bartlett (The White Lotus)? He’s back as a Chippendale!
A sprawling true-crime saga, this tells the outrageous story of Somen “Steve” Banerjee, an Indian immigrant who became the unlikely founder of the world’s greatest male-stripping empire – and let nothing stand in his way in the process.
Echo 3: Apple TV+, November 23
Based on the award-winning series When Heroes Fly, set in South America, the action-packed thriller follows the disappearance of scientist Amber Chesborough, her brother and husband struggle to find her in a layered personal drama, set against the explosive backdrop of a secret war.
Wednesday: Netflix, November 23
A lot of social media chatter about Wednesday, an American coming-of-age supernatural mystery comedy TV series based on the character Wednesday Addams from The Addams Family.
Tweet from @FilmUpdates
Poker Face: Stan, November 22
Russell Crowe has a lot to be happy about this year, especially now his film project Poker Face – filmed during COVID-19 lockdowns in New South Wales last year – finally gets a time slot.
The Peripheral: Prime Video, November
Flynne Fisher (Chloe Grace Moretz) and her Marine veteran brother, Burton (Jack Reynor) make extra money playing simulations (“Sims”) as the siblings share Burton’s avatar, “jockeying” for high-paying customers to beat challenging game levels.
Nothing goes to plan … and, of course, their lives end up in danger.
