An extra two days to our weekend? Now that’s surely something to be thankful for — and so is the sheer amount of exciting projects out this week.
This weekend, Nov. 27-30, is, of course, Thanksgiving, a.k.a the best excuse to curl up with your family (or yourself), after you’re feeling as stuffed as your turkey, and turn on the TV. To that end, Netflix is serving up what is likely its most anticipated project of the year (or perhaps of the last three, even … ) with the final season of Stranger Things!
In theaters, the family-friendliness continues with the release of the sequel to a beloved animated movie from nearly 10 years ago. Plus, don’t think we’ve forgotten the iconic Thanksgiving staple: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade couldn’t miss our list.
And there’s more! Here’s a list of the nine best new movies and shows to watch this weekend and where to stream them.
Zootopia 2
Nine years after the first movie, everyone’s favorite unlikely duo is back on the case — and this time they’re working with yet another previously taboo animal: a snake!
Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), the (literally) bushy-tailed and bright-eyed cop pairing of bunny and fox, are trying to prove themselves to their boss and the mayor. However, when they uncover the secret world of reptiles and the threats they face, they discover a more nefarious plot at play.
Zootopia 2 releases in theaters on Nov. 28.
Stranger Things 5: Volume 1
In keeping with the trend of releasing a follow-up nine years later, Stranger Things is taking us back into the Upside Down nearly a decade after the series first premiered in 2016 — and over three years since the previous season was released in 2022.
The Hellfire gang is going head-to-head with the biggest, baddest villain of all time, Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), in an epic three-part final season. Will Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown), Will (Noah Schnapp), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) and Max (Sadie Sink) survive and save Hawkins, Ind.? Only time will tell …
Watch the first four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 on Netflix.
Eternity
Elizabeth Olsen, we feel you. In Eternity, her character is faced with a truly impossible choice: should she join her first husband, who died prematurely, Mr. Dua Lipa himself, Callum Turner, in the afterlife? Or her current husband, who died shortly after her, beloved internet hottie Miles Teller? How can one decide such a thing? Frankly, unjust.
But such is the question Joan must face when she finds herself in the afterlife and is given the choice of spending it with only one of her beaus — for eternity (duh).
Eternity releases in theaters on Nov. 28.
Hamnet
Consider yourself warned: you’ll have deep regrets if you don’t bring an entire box of tissues — make that two — to watch Paul Mescal take on William Shakespeare and Jessie Buckley as his wife, Agnes.
A fictionalized approach to the true story behind Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Hamnet takes a more personal look at the Bard, sharing how the loss of his son, Hamnet, impacted him and, even more so, his wife — and how the writing of Hamlet started the healing process for both. If you’re a parent, you’re in for a doozy — and if you’re not, you’ll want to hug the kids you don’t have.
Hamnet premieres in theaters on Nov. 26.
Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember
Chris Hemsworth is known for his big and brawny roles like Thor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and Dementus in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga, but for his most recent project, the Australian heartthrob is getting vulnerable.
After discovering that a literal road trip down memory lane — i.e., visiting key places from the past — helps people with Alzheimer’s, Hemsworth embarks on such a journey with his dad, Craig Hemsworth, who was recently diagnosed with the degenerative disease.
Watch Chris Hemsworth: A Road Trip to Remember on Hulu.
Bel-Air season 4
The fresh remake of the show that brought Will Smith into the spotlight in the ’90s, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, is coming to an end — but not without making a splash with its final season.
It’s Will’s (Jabari Banks) final year of high school, and he is determined to make it count, with the help of his best pal Carlton (Olly Sholotan), who’s dealing with the repercussions of his past choices. Meanwhile, the rest of the Banks family is dealing with trials and tribulations of their own.
Watch Bel-Air season 4 on Peacock.
Jingle Bell Heist
Who doesn’t love their Christmas movie to have a bit of romance, holiday cheer and … a robbery? That’s what Jingle Bell Heist is bringing you as two down-on-their-luck overworked employees, Sophia (Olivia Holt) and Nick (Connor Swindells), band together to take down Big Santa (a.k.a their horrible boss).
Except they’re no professional thieves — and their plan to rob London’s largest department store goes awry at every turn.
Watch Jingle Bell Heist on Netflix.
Heated Rivalry
Imagine if two NHL athletes — specifically Canadian star Sidney Crosby and Russian icon Alexander Ovechkin — were more than just rivals? What if they were … lovers?
That fun little dream is what Heated Rivalry, based on the book by Rachel Reid, brings to life as it tells the story of Canadian Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Russian Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie), who are entering the professional hockey world at the same time — and have a steamy romance to boot.
Watch the first two episodes of Heated Rivalry on Nov. 28 on HBO Max.
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade
I mean, would it even be allowed to not include this iconic American tradition?
The annual parade kicks off at 8:30 a.m. ET and will follow some never-before-seen floats — from a Pop Mart float, complete with a giant Labubu, to a Stranger Things one with a life-size Demogorgon — as they take the streets of New York City, starting at West 77th Street and Central Park West down to Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square.
Watch the three-and-a-half-hour event live on NBC and Peacock.
