Welcome to Streaming Rewind, a weekly breakdown of the new and noteworthy as we work to help readers wade through the absolute deluge of television series and movies in the streaming space.
New releases in the streaming space slow a bit during the holidays. Because of that, it can be hard to point you in the direction of the new and noteworthy each week while we’re in the limbo between Christmas and the New Year. But, this week, Apple TV+ decided to be particularly kind and make my job pretty easy due to the fact that they’re making everything on their platform free to watch for the first weekend of 2025 (which is this weekend somehow, time has no meaning).
From January 3-5, you can watch whatever you want on the platform. And, given the fact that it’s the favorite streaming service of several of us here at IGN, I can promise you that the riches are endless in that department.
With that in mind, here’s what you should prioritize if you’re going to spend the weekend binging.
Severance
Y’all know that I worship the ground that Shrinking walks on but, given the fact that Season 2 is coming to an end and Severance Season 2 is right around the corner, I’ve got to put the latter at the top of this list. I wrote an indepth ending explained immediately after watching the first season several years ago, but there’s so much that even I don’t remember! So, if you’re hyped for Season 2 and were looking for a reason to power watch Season 1 before hopping back in — now’s your shot.
Shrinking
Of course this was going to be the second entry. It was all I could do not to make it half of the first. Shrinking has been consistently one of the very best shows of the last couple of years, and you deserve the belly laughs that come with it. I don’t know that you deserve the ugly sobs that come along with it too, but listen… it’s worth it. Harrison Ford is giving the performance of his career, ok? I know that sounds like hyperbole, but I assure you that it is not.
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters
If you found Anna Sawai to be utterly remarkable in Shogun (you are right) might I suggest the surprisingly solid Monarch: Legacy of Monsters? One of my biggest complaints of the Legendary Monsterverse is that it often fails to make its human characters matter at all (not you, Kong: Skull Island, you’re lovely). Monarch largely solves that problem, telling a story across two generations as the world learns to leave with or around Godzilla.
Ted Lasso
It is I, one of the 3 defenders of Season 3. One day, I will write a dissertation on the fact that Ted Lasso didn’t change, our needs as an audience did. In the meantime, it is worth prioritizing this absolute joy of a series as one of your first watches as 2025. You can even stop after Season 2. I think you’re wrong, but I still won’t tattle on you.
Four shows’ll probably do you, right? You’ve got to sleep somewhere in there, right? If none of these are tickling your fancy, we also have a whole list of shows that we love on Apple TV+. May your binges be merry, your New Year safe, and your biscuits be plentiful.
