November streaming comes in all flavors
As we are all surely knee-deep in the busiest stretch of the semester, it’s hard not to get caught up in all the stresses of assignments and exams… which means it’s more important than ever to find the time to unwind and recharge. One of the most reliable ways to do that is with great entertainment. From HBO Max to Apple TV+, the streaming gods have given us a plethora of films and shows to look forward to in November. Here are the hottest titles coming to your screen.
Apple TV+
“Mythic Quest” Season 3 – Nov. 11
The criminally underseen video game comedy returns to Apple TV+ with another 10-episode third season, with a fourth season already on the way! If you’re at all into video games or the entertainment industry… or the comedic mastermind that is Rob McElhenney, then this is the show for you.
“Spirited” – Nov. 18
Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell and Octavia Spencer are looking to create a new holiday classic with this modern musical spin on “A Christmas Carol,” told from the perspective of the three ghosts this time, and featuring original music by “La La Land” and ”The Greatest Showman” songwriters Benj Pasek and Justin Paul. In the film, Ferrell plays the Ghost of Christmas Present, who in this version of the tale, reexamines his own past, present and future after picking the wrong Scrooge in Ryan Reynolds’ Clint Briggs. Before its streaming release on Nov. 18, the film will have a limited theatrical run on Nov. 11.
Netflix
“Blockbuster” – Nov. 3
As the great Michael Scott once said, “How the turn tables.” The irony of Netflix making a show about the last Blockbuster store standing is hilarious in itself. This 10-episode comedy, starring Randall Park and penned by Vanessa Ramos of “Superstore” and “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” looks to be another fun ensemble workplace sitcom in the making, but this time packed with more movie references and meta-entertainment jokes that only such a setting could provide.
“Enola Holmes 2” – Nov. 4
This sequel to the 2020 breakout film will see Millie Bobby Brown’s fourth-wall breaking detective opening up her agency and entering the workforce as a young woman in late-19th century England (what fun!). The entire cast from the first film returns, including fan favorite Henry Cavill as her brother/other world-famous detective Sherlock Holmes (hopefully in a much bigger role this time).
“The Crown” Season 5 – Nov. 9
The motto of the fifth season of the royal saga is “a house divided,” which can also extend to the public consensus on the series. With the series edging closer and closer to the present day, with this season being set in the 1990s, how the show chooses to cover critical events is becoming a heated point of debate. Netflix, for one, has buckled under pressure to include a disclaimer to the season five trailer after an open letter from Dame Judi Dench criticizing the show for its “crude sensationalism.” It goes without saying that this season will be the most controversial yet, as it will focus on Charles and Diana’s separation and the repercussions on the royal family, as well as Diana’s death, steeped in conspiracy to this day. And, as with every two seasons on this show, they’re switching up the cast again, with Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge herself) now taking on the late Queen, while Elizabeth Debicki and Dominic West will play Diana and Charles.
“Wednesday” – Nov. 23
Tim Burton takes a crack at the Addams Family with this creepy, kooky, Wednesday-focused series reimagining, starring Jenna Ortega in the title role. Ortega will be joined by Catherine Zeta-Jones as Morticia, Luis Guzmán as Gomez and Fred Armisen as Uncle Fester. The series will follow Wednesday as she attends Nevermore Academy, a school for “outcasts, freaks, and monsters,” where she will learn to master her psychic powers whilst contending with the horrors of high school. Snap snap.
Disney+
“Zootopia+” – Nov. 9
It’s time to return to the city of Zootopia with these bite-size original shorts encompassing characters new and old from the anthropomorphic city. From “The Real Rodents of Rodentia,” a spin on the “Real Housewives” franchise, to “The Godfather of the Bride,” continuing the Godfather parody from the original film, these should be perfect pick-me-ups between all the studying.
“Disenchanted” – Nov. 18
It’s time to wake up from that 15-year slumber, because here is the long-awaited sequel to “Enchanted,” coming exclusively to Disney+ just in time for Thanksgiving. “Disenchanted” will take place 15 years after the events of the first film and follows Amy Adams’ Giselle as she and her family move from Manhattan into Monroeville, a suburb nefariously overseen by Maya Rudolph’s Malvina Monroe. When problems begin to arise, Giselle wishes for their lives to return to being a perfect fairytale, but when the spell backfires, the fate of her family and homeland of Andalasia fall into jeopardy, and she must save them before the last stroke of midnight. In addition to Adams, the whole cast is back from the first film, from Patrick Dempsey to James Mardsen, and the film will feature a slew of new songs by Disney legend Alan Menken.
HBO Max
“The Sex Lives of College Girls” Season 2 – Nov. 18
The fate of Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble’s hit college series about four freshmen balancing their sexually active lifestyles with the struggles and hardships of college life was very much in question after David Zaslav’s spree of tax-motivated cancellations at Warner Bros. Discovery, mainly targeting HBO Max original projects, earlier this year. But fans of the show can rest at ease because it is officially back with 10 episodes (two episodes weekly), exclusively on HBO Max starting Nov. 18.