What to watch on streaming: today's picks from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and more

Michelle Yeoh reprises her role as Star Trek: Discovery's Emperor Philippa Georgiou in this bombastic feature-length outing, Star Trek: Section 31, which finds the ruthless one-time despot pressganged into joining a secret division of Starfleet on a race-against-time mission.

Among the members of this black-ops unit are some recognisable names and races, including a shapeshifting Chameloid called Quasi (Sam Richardson), whose species was introduced back in 1991’s Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. And then there’s Rachel Garrett (Kacey Rohl), who as fans of the Next Generation know, will go on to captain the USS Enterprise-C.

But, to be honest, these nods to the wider universe are merely surface dressing, as what we get is a noisy affair in which the optimistic ethos and iconography of Trek are mostly jettisoned in favour of a grungy aesthetic and a bog-standard sci-fi plot about a destructive weapon being put to ill use.

David Brown

With its history of being taken over by various invading forces, and its more modern reputation as a place riven by gang violence but arguably more vibrant and vital than any other city in Italy, Naples is catnip to documentary-makers.

The latest to try to capture its essence is Trudie Styler — her film speaks, among others, to Gomorrah author Roberto Saviano, to those affected by the crimes of the Mafia, and to community activists working to keep ordinary Neapolitans safe.

Jack Seale

If you’ve used up everything on CBeebies, try parking your infant-school tots in front of this instead. Based on the Owl Diaries book series, it makes a nightly visit to the treetop home of Eva, who always has a lesson to learn and always has some fun along the way.

Parents will appreciate the way the show wholesomely leans on writing and drawing as ways of pleasantly passing time — it’s also as much about emotions as it is factual education.

Jack Seale

Quietly, this espionage thriller was one of the best dramas of 2023, so it’s very welcome back for a second season.

Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) began the show as a low-level FBI employee with a chequered past but, having seen off a massive government conspiracy single- handed, his strong morals and resourcefulness are now put to work as a proper agent of Night Action, US intelligence’s elite fixing force. Soon he’s hunting a mole within the CIA and, as the stakes rapidly rise, Peter can trust nobody.

Jack Seale

Looking for a smart new police procedural? Here’s a corker. It’s one of those where the regular cops are joined by a maverick “consultant”, in this case a woman who is the LAPD’s office cleaner — until they find out she has a sky-high IQ and a photographic memory.

The script is snappy and, as the hyper-intelligent Morgan — a chaotically eccentric single mum — Kaitlin Olson is a fantastically entertaining lead.

Jack Seale

Sharper and funnier than most shows about gangs of pals in their 30s supporting each other through myriad work and relationship crises, Harlem is back for a third and final season. That means big decisions, about careers but mainly about who these women want to be and who they will settle down with.

As ever, the dialogue, often delivered during nights at New York cocktail bars or boozy brunches where home truths are told, perfectly captures the rude robustness of lifelong best friends.

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In a conspiracy thriller with a touch of The Da Vinci Code about it, a strong cast powers through the silliness of the story. Leo Woodall (The White Lotus, One Day) is Edward, an obsessive maths whiz whose talents are, in the eyes of his tutor Robert (David Morrissey) and Robert’s wife Andrea (Sidse Babett Knudsen), exciting and worrying in equal measure.

When Edwards tries to investigate the untapped power of prime numbers, the sinister surveillance operation closely monitoring the Cambridge University maths department (!) quickly claims its first victim.

Jack Seale

In 1981, a Soviet submarine caused a scary but farcical international incident by running aground in Swedish waters near a sensitive naval base. This unlikely but true story is perfect fodder for a wry, dry Scandi comedy drama, which finds humour in portraying the Swedish government as humble, methodical and ordinary — the prime minister is feeding his sheep when the scandal breaks — in contrast to the brash bluster of Reagan and Brezhnev, whose foibles are entertainingly caricatured.

Jack Seale

Conceived during the making of Ti West's excellent slasher film X (2022) and shot right after that wrapped, this prequel details the backstory of X's pensioner antagonist Pearl (Mia Goth). Set in 1918, we meet Pearl as a lonely young woman who dreams of becoming a dancer, and falls under the spell of a charming cinema projectionist (David Corenswet).

West creates a technicolor psychodrama steeped in classical Hollywood lore that casts new light on the original film.

Matt Glasby

Courtney Eaton (Yellowjackets) and Thomas Mann impress in an otherwise rote issues-drama. Riley (Eaton) struggles with body image and an eating disorder, and finds her journey both helped and hindered when she meets Mann's amiable Ethan.

The script is a touch thudding and contrived, but the stars' natural chemistry papers over the cracks.

Calum Baker

Ralph Fiennes leads a fine cast in this sophisticated thriller, which has 12 Bafta nominations including best film and actor. After the Pope dies, Cardinal Lawrence (Fiennes) has to oversee the secretive selection of a new leader. What follows is a surprisingly exciting, twisty drama, as four papal candidates emerge, including ideological opposites Stanley Tucci and John Lithgow.

Director Edward Berger pays due respect to Catholicism, while asking deep questions of the institution.

James Mottram

This breathless twist on Cinderella from writer/ director Sean Baker has seven Bafta nominations, including best film and actress. Ani (Mikey Madison) is a fiery New York sex worker who is introduced to rich client Ivan (Mark Eydelshteyn).

The two elope to Las Vegas, but Ivan's parents quickly dispatch the lad's hapless minders to have the marriage annulled. Baker's electric script shifts effortlessly between tense drama and screwball comedy, while Madison is magnetic at the centre of it all, anchoring a complex character study.

Max Copeman

A tremendous turn from Ian McKellen as a mercurial, catty theatre critic is the clear standout of this enjoyable but preposterous 30s-set melodrama. His character finds himself in a desperate situation when his magazine’s new owner demands he tone down his vitriolic verdicts, leading to a far-fetched plot involving blackmail and ultimately murder.

The thriller plot is formulaic, but it’s a joy watching McKellen sink his teeth into a meaty role, while Gemma Arterton gives solid support.

Patrick Cremona

A high-concept drama, but one that is still hanging together as it returns for a long-awaited second series. Adam Scott is Mark, an employee of a mysterious company that puts its staff through a procedure, the result of which is that in the office they remember nothing about their lives outside, and vice versa. But now that divide has fractured, Mark and his colleagues are closer to sniffing out a grand conspiracy.

Smart writing and Ben Stiller’s angular, innovative direction keeps you forever on your toes.

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The world of factual television was dealt a hammer blow when social media influencer Molly-Mae Hague and boxer Tommy Fury announced their split last August — it had been hoped the couple would make a behind-the-scenes documentary about their life together.

Fear not, however, because Molly-Mae has gone solo with this revelatory series, in which she speaks about the break-up, adapts to motherhood and launches a new clothing brand.

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In her first film since 2014, a Cameron Diaz plays Emily, a former CIA spy who, along with husband Matt (Jamie Foxx), has been keeping a low profile after their covers were blown 15 years prior. Since then, they've taken on a job that's equally unforgiving: raising children.

Co-written and directed by Seth Gordon (Horrible Bosses), this mostly family-friendly action-comedy is at its best when exploring domestic conflict. Emily is under-appreciated by her teen daughter Alice (McKenna Roberts) and yearns to reconnect with her former ass-kicking identity. Their relationship forms the core of a film that tries to balance heart with blood-pumping stunts.

Sean McGeady

The fourth film in the buddy cop franchise sees Miami detectives Martin Lawrence and Will Smith trying to clear the name of their late captain, only to find themselves on the run from the law.

The cliché-ridden screenplay lacks any surprises but the movie delivers generously when it comes to the slick comic interplay between the two leads and superbly choreographed fast-cut action sequences.

Terry Staunton

Eve Myles and Katherine Kelly lead an excellent new crime series. First we meet DCI Jeanette Kilburn (Myles, above, with Dougray Scott as her colleague, DI Lou Stanley), a likeable and down-to-earth Bristol detective who finds her common-sense professionalism isn’t enough to solve a disturbing new case — enter psychologist Sophie Craven (Kelly), who might be able to unlock the darker elements.

The real star, however, is writer Milly Thomas, who elevates the whole piece by ensuring each scene is its own tough, neat mini-drama.

Jack Seale

As conventional as it gets, this biopic of one-legged college wrestling champion Anthony Robles inspires despite a predictable trajectory. Jharrel Jerome stars as the Arizona teen, determined to prove himself but facing troubles at home from his abusive stepfather (Bobby Cannvale).

The cast, including Jennifer Lopez as Anthony’s struggling mother, does well with a screenplay that often resorts to caricature. But Jerome brings conviction to his role and director William Goldenberg slots the pieces into place with assurance.

David Parkinson

The Netflix fact-based drama Monsters: the Lyle and Erik Menendez Story has reignited interest in a case that was a huge global news story in the mid-1990s. As young adults, the two brothers gunned down their parents in the family home in California; this series from 2017 offers an opportunity for one of them, Erik, to give his version of events.

Other interviewees reflect on the trial and its wider cultural impact.

Jack Seale

The island of Harris is a spectacular location for a flashback-heavy detective drama, with dialogue in a mixture of Gaelic and English. When murder strikes the rich family who dominate Harris life, former islander PC Kat Crichton (Sorcha Groundsell) is sent there as a family liaison officer. She hasn’t told her bosses that she has a connection to the victim — this knowledge becomes powerful when the tragedy disturbs a tangle of dark secrets.

Plot-wise it’s by the numbers but it’s well performed and atmospheric.

Jack Seale

Colm Meaney stars here as undertaker Ciaran, tasked by his ailing dad with reconciling the Irish and American sides of the family. Ciaran contacts and befriends his New York cousin Barry (Paul Reiser), who gets a royal welcome in rural Ireland, but the situation descends back to squabbling.

This tourist-board tale painted in broad strokes is perfectly likeable, with a wry humour.

Sean McGeady

Writer Bruno Heller (Rome, The Mentalist) is behind this eccentric Batman prequel — first shown on Starzplay way back
in 2019 — in which future butler Alfred (Jack Bannon) is a former soldier trying to make his way in an alternate-reality 1950s London. Immediately he’s enmeshed in a war between sinister fascist goons and the CIA and a casting process that’s determined to include as many familiar British faces in amusingly unexpected roles as possible.

It’s hammy and objectively not very good, but it’s not dull.

Jack Seale