Renée Zellweger returning to one of her most indelible roles in “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” and Questlove offering the definitive documentary on funk crossover star Sly Stone 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:
NEW MOVIES
Renée Zellweger returns to one of her most indelible roles in “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.” If you’ve lost track, the film, streaming today on Peacock, is the fourth “Bridget Jones” movie and first since 2016’s “Bridget Jones’ Baby.” In “Mad About the Boy,” based on Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel, Jones, a widow now in her 50s, is drawn toward two romantic possibilities: a teacher played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and a 29-year-old played by Leo Woodall.
Questlove, the Roots drummer and ubiquitous performer, has turned into a must-watch documentarian. In “Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius),” Questlove follows his Oscar-winning “Summer of Soul” and the recent “Ladies & Gentlemen ... 50 Years of SNL Music” with the definitive documentary on Sly Stone, the funk crossover bandleader of Sly and the Family Stone. The film, stuffed with archival footage and contemporary interviews, and spanning the meteoric rise and tragic fall of Stone, streams today on Hulu.
Scott Derrickson’s “The Gorge” stars Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy as a pair of operatives assigned to guard towers on opposing sides of a gorge, within which a mysterious evil lurks. The film, which debuts Friday on Apple TV+, co-stars Sigourney Weaver.
— AP film writer Jake Coyle
NEW SHOWS
“Muslim Matchmaker” is a new Hulu docuseries streaming now that follows two matchmakers dedicated to helping Muslim American singles find love while also keeping in line with their religious values. Viewers will see these professional cupids navigate their clients’ expectations in a world of dating apps and ghosting. The series is created by the same person who brought “Indian Matchmaking” to Netflix.
It may still be cold outside but it’s summertime on Bravo with season 9 of “Summer House.” The reality series stars a group of Manhattanites who share a house on the weekends in the Hamptons. Whereas last season followed the tumultuous engagement of cast members Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke, the new episodes were filmed about a year later — after their breakup. The two may have moved on, but it doesn’t take a Magic 8 Ball to assume they’ll still have issues. “Summer House” streams on Peacock.
Ice skaters of color and their coaches are the focus of a new docuseries called “Harlem Ice.” Viewers will follow the young skaters experience triumphs and challenges as they train and compete in a sport that is traditionally white. “Good Morning America” host Robin Roberts is an executive producer alongside Ron Howard and Brian Grazer. All five episodes dropped Wednesday on Disney+.
The first two episodes of season three of Showtime’s horror series “Yellowjackets” drop Friday on Paramount+. When a plane carrying a girls’ high school soccer team crashes in the middle of nowhere, its survivors are in a fight to survive. It’s inspired by William Golding’s 1954 classic, “Lord of the Flies.” “Yellowjackets” unfolds in two timelines: one at the time of the crash and one two decades later when the girls are adult women. Its stars include Melanie Lynskey, Christina Ricci and Lauren Ambrose.
— Alicia Rancilio
NEW MUSIC
It wasn’t that long ago that Alessia Cara’s full-hearted pop was unavoidable; it earned her the coveted best new artist Grammy in 2018 and “Scars to Your Beautiful” endures as a 2010s classic. But much has changed in that time, and the Canadian singer-songwriter has lived a lot of life since. Her forthcoming fourth studio album, “Love & Hyperbole,” out on Valentine’s Day, is an expression of that growth.
Giants of country music with the pipes to back it up, husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty return with a new album, “Plus One.” Like the bulk of their discography, this is a collection meant to inspire love and connection in its listeners (of course amplified by the Valentine’s Day release date) with soulful, twang-y songs about family and faith.
For many, Shygirl is a new name, perhaps most immediately associated with her remix of Charli xcx’s “BRAT” hit “365.” But that’s just for now. The forward-thinking English DJ and musician is making waves for her inventive approach to experimental pop, grime, house and club music that works on a sweaty dancefloor as much as it does behind a browser. Just take a look at some of the names on her coming EP, “Club Shy Room 2”: Jorja Smith, Saweetie, BAMBII, SadBoi, PinkPantheress, Isabella Lovestory and more.
In 1992, Eric Clapton recorded an hour-long performance at Bray Studios in Windsor, England, titled “Eric Clapton Unplugged,” one of the best-selling live albums of all time. (And of course it is — no one is immune to the charms of an acoustic “Tears in Heaven.”) Now on Paramount+, subscribers can experience the magic once more — in the form of an extended, remixed and remastered 90-minute edition titled “Eric Clapton Unplugged ... Over 30 Years Later.” It features new interview footage, captured before the performance.
— AP music writer Maria Sherman
NEW VIDEO GAMES
The world today seems utterly chaotic, so what better time to experiment with starting the whole thing over from scratch? That’s always been the appeal of Firaxis Games’ long-running Civilization series, and Sid Meier’s Civilization VII adds some intriguing new twists to the formula. First, each session is divided into three eras — Antiquity, Exploration and Modern — and each era ends with an empire-shattering crisis. You can bounce around between different cultures — say, starting in ancient China and winding up in the U.S.A. And you have a fresh batch of leaders, from Confucius to Machiavelli to Harriet Tubman, to lean on for advice and inspiration. As usual, you get to decide whether to be peaceful and diplomatic or run around blowing your neighbors to smithereens. The world is yours as of Tuesday on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Switch or PC.
— Lou Kesten
