New Orleans legend Big Freedia returning with a new gospel album and the acting trio of Eddie Murphy, Pete Davidson and Keke Palmer teaming up for the armored truck action comedy “The Pickup” are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: The animated “King of the Hill” returns after a 15-year pause, the first half of season two of “Wednesday” lands on Netflix appropriately on Wednesday and the “Welcome to Wrexham” spinoff “NECAXA” premieres with Eva Longoria.
New movies to stream from Aug. 4-10
— Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson are armored truck drivers coerced into a heist in the action comedy “The Pickup.” Keke Palmer plays the criminal mastermind who disrupts their routine drive. Eva Longoria, Andrew Dice Clay and Marshawn Lynch co-star in the movie, which made headlines during its Atlanta production after several crew members were injured in a collision during the shoot. It streams on Prime Video on Aug. 6.
— Filmmaker Osgood Perkins’ latest horror “The Monkey” will be streaming on Hulu starting Thursday. The follow-up to his breakout hit “Longlegs” was inspired by a 1980 Stephen King story. Theo James plays twin brothers whose lives turn to chaos when a demonic toy monkey stars causes deaths around them. In her review for The Associated Press, Jocelyn Noveck wrote that it felt “uneven.” She added that, “surely there will be an audience for the creatively rendered gore. The rest of us may feel left with a witty, visually arresting, highly inventive quasi-mess on our hands.”
— If you haven’t had enough Pedro Pascal this year, he’s a key part of Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s “Freaky Tales,” streaming on HBO Max on Friday, Aug. 8. The anthology action comedy follows four interconnected stories in Oakland, California, in 1987. Before the film’s Sundance debut in 2024, Boden told the AP that “It’s a movie lover’s movie … It has one foot in reality and then one foot just launches off into fantasy.”
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
New music to stream from Aug. 4-10
— New Orleans legend Big Freedia, the queen of bounce music (and a notable Beyoncé collaborator, lest anyone forget the zeitgeist-shifting “Renaissance” ), is back with a new album. But “Pressing Onward” is new territory for the artist. It’s her first gospel album and it still manages to induce as much booty-shaking as ever before. The difference this time is that her vibrant sonic celebrations are all about faith. Start with “Holy Shuffle” featuring Billy Porter or “Sunday Best” with Tamar Braxton. It’s good for the soul.
— For several years now, one of the most exciting names in heavy rock music has been BABYMETAL, Japanese kawaii metal trio that marries pop idol culture with chugging riffs, full-throated vocals, blast beats and bilingual lyricism. They’ve inspired fanfare across the globe, and on Friday, they’ll release their fifth studio album, “METAL FORTH.” It features guest spots from Poppy, Spiritbox and Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. Clearly, it’s not for the faint of heart.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
New series to stream from Aug. 4-10
— Would you believe it’s been 15 years since “King of the Hill” went off the air? The animated comedy returns Monday with a new 14th season on its new home, Hulu. All 10-episodes drop at once for bingeing. The show picks up give or take 10 years after the events of season 13. Hank and Peggy are both retired after returning from Saudi Arabia, where Hank had been working. Their kids are now grown. Adjusting to life as retirees and in the current political climate in America presents challenges for the couple.
— Another long wait comes to an end Wednesday when the first half of season two of “Wednesday” premieres on Netflix. The show follows teen Wednesday Addams (played by Jenna Ortega) as she studies at a boarding school called Nevermore Academy. Ortega’s deliciously deadpan delivery earned her an Emmy Award nomination for her work on Season 1. Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzmán play Wednesday’s parents, Morticia and Gomez.
— Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne proved that yes, men and women can be just friends in the first season of their Apple TV+ comedy called “Platonic. ” The codependent buddies, Will and Sylvia are back with a new season on Wednesday. We meet them again and Will is engaged to his boss — who doesn’t like Sylvia. And Sylvia is planning their wedding. Will is struggling to open his bar and Sylvia’s event-planning business has yet to take off.
— More than two years ago, AMC Networks pulled the plug on its sci-fi comedy “Demascus ” as a cost-cutting measure even though production was already completed. Tubi has rescued the show, starring Okieriete Onaodowan, and it premieres Thursday. It’s about a man who begins using an experimental technology that allows him to experience different timelines of his life.
— The “Outlander” prequel “Outlander: Blood of my Blood” debuts on Starz on Friday, Aug. 8. It’s about the parents of Claire and Jamie from “Outlander.” Unlike its predecessor, “Blood of my Blood” does not have source material by author Diana Gabaldon but its showrunner Matthew B. Roberts also works on “Outlander” and is very familiar with the lore. The cast is already filming a second season. It streams on the Starz App or through platforms like Hulu and Prime Video.
— The “Welcome to Wrexham” spinoff “NECAXA ” premieres Thursday on FX on Hulu. After their success owning the Welsh soccer team Wrexham AFC, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney join Eva Longoria and buy a stake in a Mexican club, NECAXA, “It’s more than winning games. We’re gonna win hearts. We’re gonna inspire pride. We’re gonna empower the team,” Longoria says in the trailer.
— Alicia Rancilio
New video games to play from Aug. 4-10
— The Mafia series from 2K Games has moved from 1930s Chicago to 1940s New York to 1960s New Orleans, but now it’s going back in time and space. Mafia: The Old Country aims to deliver an origin story of sorts, traveling to 1900s Sicily. Enzo Favara is a young man who’s suffered a rough childhood, and he is hoping to improve his status by working for the Torrisi crime family. That means pulling off heists, punching out rivals and killing anyone who might threaten the Don. The cars may be slower and the weapons may not be as slick, but if you’re bummed out about having to wait for the next Grand Theft Auto, you might want to spend some time with the original gangsters. It arrives Friday, Aug. 8, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
— Lou Kesten
