It’s quite the time for those pop-culture obsessives who also are big days-of-the-week nerds.
Netflix’s hugely popular “Wednesday” has returned for a second season, with more gothic adventures and death glares from Jenna Ortega’s reluctant teen heroine Wednesday Addams. Then there’s more for the youngsters with “Freakier Friday,” the highly anticipated sequel featuring more body-swapping shenanigans with Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis. And while adding to your must-see list, prepare your funny bone for the buddy comedy of “SNL” alums Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson in “The Pickup.”
Now on to the good stuff:
See Jenna Ortega, Emma Meyers back as besties in Netflix’s ‘Wednesday’ Season 2
After a long wait, “Wednesday” is back and it’s more “Addams Family” than ever. Jenna Ortega’s adorably deadpan Wednesday returns for another year at Nevermore Academy, with mom Morticia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) and dad Gomez (Luis Guzmán) playing a more central part in her school life. TV critic Kelly Lawler finds that to be a positive, writing in her Season 2 review that the first four episodes back – with four more coming Sept. 3 – brandish a “general confidence and watchability” missing from the first season.
Also back is Emma Myers as Wednesday’s bubbly werewolf roommate/bestie Enid. I chatted with the Florida native about all sorts of things, from people yelling “Chicken jockey!” at the “Minecraft” actress to Enid’s character growth over her summer break. “She’s a bit more headstrong and she goes out and gets what she wants” in Season 2, Myers says. “I love to stay true to the original old Enid, but also just bringing in that subtle strength behind her as well.”
Have a ‘Freakier Friday’ with Lindsay Lohan, Jamie Lee Curtis
Fans of 2003’s original “Freaky Friday” really love that movie and have been bugging stars Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis for years about when a sequel was coming. But as Curtis told my colleague Erin Jensen, it was all about timing: There was “no possible way” a follow-up could work until Lohan had aged enough to have a 15-year-old daughter to swap bodies with. However, Lohan admits she still had some concerns about her character being a mom. “Am I going to be swapping with a baby?” she says. “I’m like, ‘How do I act like a toddler?’ ”
If you dug the OG fantasy comedy, you’ll be into this one, too. But with the sequel being rated PG, it’s going to bring in a large kid and family contingent, and I put together a parent’s guide for what moms and dads need to know about “Freakier Friday.”
Stream Eddie Murphy’s new action comedy ‘The Pickup’ on Amazon
Eddie Murphy teams with Pete Davidson as armored truck drivers caught up in a high-stakes heist in the action comedy “The Pickup,” and it’s a genre that the comedy legend knows well from back in the ’80s, starting with “48 Hrs.” Before that it was all “hard-nosed cops,” Murphy tells my bud Marco della Cava. “After our movie, it seemed suddenly every tough guy had the one-liners: (Arnold Schwarzenegger’s) ‘Hasta la vista’ or (Bruce Willis’) ‘Yippee ki-yay.’ So, yeah, I kind of pioneered the genre.”
It’s no “Beverly Hills Cop” but there’s some great chemistry and banter between Murphy and Davidson. “The Pickup” is one of several new movies streaming this week, including horror film “The Monkey” and anthology flick “Freaky Tales.”
Even more goodness to check out!
On this week’s “South Park”: Cartman and the gang goofed on President Donald Trump again, plus had some fire for Vice President JD Vance, Kristi Noem and ICE.
In other animated news … “King of the Hill” is back! And with the Season 14 revival, the show’s creators and cast have rediscovered its signature voice.
Don’t throw away your shot, folks. The filmed version of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway show “Hamilton” is coming to the big screen.
The new trailer for “The Office” spinoff “The Paper” moves the mockumentary from a paper company to a newspaper.
And if you’re worried about the fate of Hulu after the news of this week’s big streaming moves, here’s a good breakdown of what’s happening with that, Disney+ and ESPN.
Got thoughts, questions, ideas, concerns, compliments or maybe even some recs for me? Email btruitt@usatoday.com and follow me on the socials: I’m @briantruitt on Bluesky, Instagram and Threads.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What to watch this weekend: ‘Wednesday,’ ‘Freakier Friday’
