Best news shows & films streaming this week – quick links
Disney+ & ESPN: best new shows & films streaming this week
Women’s Champions League (21 November)
- Genre: Sport
- Format: Live
Chelsea vs. Barcelona.
Sebastian Maniscalco: It Ain’t Right (21 November)
- Genre: Comedy
- Format: TV special
Sebastian Maniscalco’s newest comedy special tackles modern life’s absurdities, filmed during his record-setting It Ain’t Right tour.
UFC Fight Night (23 November)
- Genre: Sport
- Format: Live
Tsarukyan vs Hooker.
Stan: best new shows & films streaming this week
Blackshore (18 November)
- Genre: Crime
- Format: Series
Directed by Dathaí Keane, Blackshore follows a police detective who returns to her home town and becomes involved in a missing person case, which is linked to her traumatic past and the town’s dark history.
He Had It Coming (20 November)
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Format: Series
This feisty feminist comedy-drama series follows mismatched friends who get caught up in on-campus gender politics and murder. He Had it Coming is a comedic whodunnit as two women accidentally entangle themselves in a murder mystery when their spontaneous feminist art activism is co-opted by a killer. Watch the trailer.
CMA Awards (20 November)
- Genre: Music Awards Show
- Format: Special
Nine-time CMA Award winner Lainey Wilson will return as host for The 59th Annual CMA Awards for a second consecutive year. Wilson, tied for the most nominations at this year’s awards including a prestigious nod for Entertainer of the Year, will lead the star-studded evening as the CMA Awards shine a spotlight on the industry’s most outstanding talent and unforgettable moments.
Canada’s Drag Race (21 November)
- Genre: Game show
- Format: Series
Drag queens showcase their Canadian charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent to become Canada’s Drag Superstar and win the $100,000 grand prize.
HBO Max: best new shows & films streaming this week
Thoughts and Prayers (19 November)
- Genre: Documentary
- Format: Film
This arresting yet sobering feature documentary captures the current landscape of America’s school safety rituals, where classrooms double as tactical training grounds, bullet-proof backpacks become armour and conferences showcase the latest survival gadgets for a nation where mass shootings have become a part of everyday life.
Equal parts absurd and unsettlingly real, the film traces the USD$3 billion active shooter preparedness industry and its effect on students and educators, raising important questions. What are the unintended consequences of intense preparations? How does a focus on combatting violence potentially obscure efforts to treat the causes of gun violence and seek prevention?
BritBox: best new shows & films streaming this week
Royal Paintbox (17 November)
- Genre: Documentary
- Format: Film
Hosted by then-Prince Charles, this fascinating documentary opens a window into the Royal Family’s passion for art. With rare access to centuries of royal sketches and paintings, it explores how creativity has shaped royal identity through generations. A must-see for lovers of history, heritage and fine art.
Alice and Jack Season 1 (19 November)
- Genre: Drama
- Format: Series
Andrea Riseborough and Domhnall Gleeson star in this emotionally charged romantic drama about two people whose connection endures through decades of love, heartbreak and circumstance. Created by Victor Levin (Mad Men), it’s an intimate portrait of human connection, flawed but magnetic, told with cinematic flair. Watch the trailer.
Paramount+: best new shows & films streaming this week
ARIA Awards (19 November)
- Genre: Awards show
- Format: Live
Get ready for Australian music’s biggest night. The ARIA Awards 2025 return to celebrate the artists, albums and anthems that shaped the year. The star-studded event will feature unforgettable live performances, surprise collaborations and appearances from Australia’s most celebrated musicians and global superstars.
Deer Squad Season 4 (19 November)
- Genre: Family
- Format: Series
In season four of Deer Squad, Kai, Lola, Rammy and Bobbi return with even more action, adventure and heart as they continue to protect Central Forest and Platinum City from new challenges and villains. Armed with their incredible powers of Earth, Water, Fire and Air, and their unbreakable friendship, the Deer Squad leap into exciting new missions that test their bravery, teamwork and quick thinking.
Novocaine No Pain (21 November)
- Genre: Comedy
- Format: Film
Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) has lived a quiet life with a rare genetic disorder that makes him unable to feel any physical pain. When the girl of his dreams, Sherry (Amber Midthunder), is taken hostage in a daring bank heist, Nathan turns his lack of pain into his greatest weapon as he plunges into a dangerous rescue mission. Watch the trailer.
Apple TV: best new shows & films streaming this week
The Family Plan 2 (21 November)
- Genre: Action, Comedy
- Format: Film
Dan (Mark Wahlberg) plans the perfect vacation during the holiday season for his wife Jessica (Michelle Monaghan) and their kids to celebrate overseas – until a mysterious figure from his past (Kit Harington) shows up with unfinished business. An international game of cat-and-mouse ensues as Dan and his family battle, bicker and bond their way through a series of bank heists, holiday hijinks and car chases amid scenic European terrain. Watch the trailer.
ABC iview: best new shows & films streaming this week
When the War is Over (18 November)
- Genre: Documentary
- Format: Series
Acclaimed actor and art enthusiast Rachel Griffiths returns to the ABC in a powerful new series that explores how art and pop culture help us understand and heal from war. Griffiths explores the game-changing songs, iconic paintings, blockbuster films, best-selling books, jaw-dropping artworks and spine-tingling performances that have helped transform Australians’ understanding of our five major wars: World War I, World War II, Vietnam, Afghanistan and the Australian Wars.
SBS On Demand: best new shows & films streaming this week
Vigil Season 2 (20 November)
- Genre: Crime
- Format: Series
When a British Air Force weapons test goes disastrously wrong, DCI Amy Silva (Suranne Jones) is called
in to investigate. With seven military personnel dead, two from Britain’s allies in the Middle East, Amy
finds herself caught in the crosshairs of a fraught international incident. The Air Force think they have the
guilty party in custody and push for Amy and DI Kirsten Longacre (Rose Leslie) to close the case. But
Amy isn’t convinced.
Liaison (23 November)
- Genre: Thriller
- Format: Series
Liaison is a high-stakes, contemporary thriller exploring how the mistakes of the past have the potential to destroy the future, combining action with an unpredictable, multilayered plot where espionage and political intrigue play out against a story of passionate and enduring love.
The action hurtles from the Élysée Palace in Paris to the Home Office in London, and to Brussels’ European Quarter from the ravaged suburbs of Damascus to a refugee camp in Belgium, as one woman must uncover whether she can save her country from catastrophe without losing herself in the process.
Binge: best new shows & films streaming this week
The Great British Bake Off Season 16 (18 November)
- Genre: Reality
- Format: Series
The Great British Bake Off is back, as the famous tent gets pitched in the grounds once again. Alison Hammond once again joins Noel Fielding to lead the latest batch of Baker’s through 30 brand new challenges set by Judges Paul Hollywood and Prue Leith. Twelve bakers. Three challenges. Who will be the first Star Baker and who will be the first to leave the tent?
The Death of Bunny Munro (20 November)
- Genre: Drama
- Format: Series
Starring BAFTA-award winning actor Matt Smith and based on the novel by Australian musician and author Nick Cave, The Death of Bunny Munro follows door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-styled lothario Bunny who, following his wife’s untimely death, finds himself saddled with his young son.
Southern Charm Season 11 (20 November)
- Genre: Reality
- Format: Series
After a season that seemed to usher the group into a new grown-up era, many of the Charmers find themselves single or on the brink of breakup. Though businesses are thriving, life after love presents inevitable fractures in friendships and new romances.
Novocaine No Pain (21 November)
- Genre: Comedy
- Format: Film
Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) has lived a quiet life with a rare genetic disorder that makes him unable to feel any physical pain. When the girl of his dreams, Sherry (Amber Midthunder), is taken hostage in a daring bank heist, Nathan turns his lack of pain into his greatest weapon as he plunges into a dangerous rescue mission. Watch the trailer.
AFLW Preliminary Finals (22 November)
- Genre: Sport
- Format: Live
The 10th season of the NAB AFL Women’s competition is reaching its crescendo with the AFLW Preliminary Finals. The league’s milestone year has celebrated rivalries, history and expansion, with the preliminary finals set to continue building the momentum for fans across the country.
Prime Video: best new shows & films streaming this week
The Mighty Nein (19 November)
- Genre: Fantasy
- Cast: Laura Bailey, Liam O’Brien, Marisha Ray, Matthew Mercer, Sam Riegel, Travis Willingham, Taliesin Jaffe, Ashley Johnson, Anjelica Huston, Lucy Liu, Nathan Fillion
- Format: Series
The Mighty Nein follows a group of fugitives and outcasts, bound by secrets and scars. But when a powerful arcane relic known as ‘The Beacon’ falls into dangerous hands, they must learn to work together to save the realm and stop reality itself from unraveling. Watch the trailer.
Netflix: best new shows & films streaming this week
Gerry Dee: Funny You Should Say That (18 November)
- Genre: Comedy
- Format: Special
With dry wit, Canadian comic Gerry Dee explores his perilous years as a schoolteacher, the pitfalls of open marriages and the truth about Santa.
Envious Season 3 (19 November)
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Format: Series
Vicky has it all: a hot boyfriend, a bright career and a growing family. But can she finally let go and enjoy it or is she doomed to self-sabotage?
The Son of a Thousand Men (19 November)
- Genre: Drama
- Format: Film
In a small village, a lonely fisherman yearning for a son is drawn to an ethereal light that links him to others and their long-buried secrets.
Champagne Problems (19 November)
- Genre: Romance
- Format: Film
An ambitious American exec heads to Paris determined to acquire a champagne brand by Christmas – and accidentally falls for the heir to the bubbly empire.
The Follies (20 November)
- Genre: Drama
- Format: Film
Six women are bonded by a shared ‘friend’ – madness. It visits them all, prompting them to distill reality, make bold decisions and transform their lives.
A Man on the Inside Season 2 (20 November)
- Genre: Comedy
- Format: Series
Charles goes undercover at a college campus, where the suspects are as unpredictable as the clues, and the hijinks get unexpectedly personal.
Train Dreams (21 November)
- Genre: Drama
- Format: Film
A logger leads a life of quiet grace as he experiences love and loss during an era of monumental change in early 20th-century America. Watch the trailer.
ONE SHOT with Ed Sheeran (21 November)
- Genre: Drama, Reality
- Format: Film
One singer. One city. One shot. Ed Sheeran rocks the streets of New York with his greatest hits in this groundbreaking, real-time music experience.
AMC+, Shudder & Acorn TV: best new shows & films streaming this week
Inside (17 November) – Acorn TV
- Genre: Drama
- Format: Series
The new season of this Welsh prison drama continues to explore the lives of those on both sides of the prison walls and how the new dynamics affect their relationships and survival. Inmate Barry is trying to maintain control as new staff and inmates disrupt his unit, while a new, dangerous inmate named Kit Brennan arrives and forms a tentative alliance with Barry.
The Ugly Stepsister (17 November) – Shudder
- Genre: Horror
- Format: Film
A sinister twist on the classic Cinderella story, The Ugly Stepsister follows Elvira as she prepares to earn the prince’s affection at any cost. In a kingdom where beauty is a brutal business, Elvira will compete with the beautiful and enchanting Agnes to become the belle of the ball.
A Remarkable Place to Die (17 November) – Acorn TV
- Genre: Drama, Mystery
- Format: Series
Detective Anaís Mallory (Chelsie Preston-Crayford) goes home to New Zealand to lead homicide investigations. Contending with her estranged mother (Rebecca Gibney) and a hard-to-avoid ex-fiancé, she finds links to an unsolved mystery from her past.
