What to Stream: 'Andor,' 'Babygirl' and new Wu Tang Clan music
[April 21, 2025]
NEW YORK (AP) — The second season of the Star Wars series “Andor” and
the streaming release of the Wu Tang Clan's latest album 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: Willie Nelson releases his
77th solo studio album, “Oh What A Beautiful World,” and the arrival of
Nicole Kidman's “Babygirl” on Max.
New movies to stream from April 21-27
– Halina Reijn’s “Babygirl” (streaming April 25 on Max) stars Nicole
Kidman as a CEO who has an affair with a much younger male intern (
Harris Dickinson ). The A24 film, which earned Kidman a Golden Globe
nomination, resurrects the steamy, campy atmosphere of erotic thrillers
like “Basic Instinct” and “9 ½ Weeks” but tells it from a more female
perspective. In my review, I wrote that the “ever-shifting gender and
power dynamics make ‘Babygirl’ seldom predictable — even if the film is
never quite as daring as it seems to thinks it is.”
– Gareth Evans, the Welsh filmmaker of “The Raid” franchise, returns
with more brutal, choreographed mayhem in “Havoc” (Netflix, April 25),
an action thriller starring Tom Hardy as a detective battling a criminal
underworld. Jessie Mei Li, Timothy Olyphant, Forest Whitaker and Luis
Guzmán co-star.
New music to stream from April 21-27
— Wu-Tang Clan is forever, but their touring days are numbered. In June,
the legendary hip-hop group will embark on a final tour titled the
“Wu-Tang Forever: The Final Chamber.” Whether you’re planning on
attending or not, there is no bad time to throw on one of their records.
On Friday, April 25, Wu-Tang’s joint album with Mathematics, “Black
Samson, The Bastard Swordsman,” released earlier this month as a Record
Store Day exclusive, will hit streaming platforms. Why not start there?
— Calling Willie Nelson prolific is about as revelatory as saying the
sky is blue; it is self-evident. On Friday, he’ll release his 77th solo
studio album, “Oh What A Beautiful World,” celebrating the work of
songwriter Rodney Crowell. Nelson embodies many Crowell classics – like
1976’s “Banks Of The Old Bandera,” recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker and
1981’s “Shame On The Moon” for Bob Seger. Crowell and Nelson join forces
on the song’s title cut. The album also arrives just five months after
his 76th solo studio album, “Last Leaf on the Tree,” his first produced
entirely by his son Micah. “He’s a real artist,” Nelson described his
son to The Associated Press at the time. “He picked all the songs.”
— Twangy punk band Rodeo Boys are experts in sugary, spirited hooks –
from 2019’s debut “Cherry” to their 2023 Don Giovanni Records debut
“Home Movies.” But the Lansing, Michigan, group's 2025 album “Junior,”
out Friday, that takes them to great new heights — a collection of
sardonic, queer Americana, melodic songs for and by the heartland. The
best description of the band is the one they wrote themselves: “Rodeo
Boys is what happens when the Miller High Life gets legs and starts
walking around on its own.” Yeehaw.
New television to stream from April 21-27
— The “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” prequel series “Andor” returns for
its second and final season Tuesday on Disney+. Diego Luna stars as
Rebel spy Cassian Andor and follows his radicalization against the
Galactic Empire leading up to “Rogue One” and “Star Wars.” The first
season of “Andor” was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for
outstanding drama series and received praise from critics. It also stars
Kyle Soller, Adria Arjona, Stellan Skarsgard, Fiona Shaw and Genevieve
O’Reilly.
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This combination of photos show promotional art for the series "Andor,"
left, the series "You," center, and the comedy special "Brett
Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life." (Disney/Netflix/Max
via AP)
 — Penn Badgley is closing out his
chapter as the stalking serial killer Joe Goldberg --who is also
disturbingly likeable but that’s for a therapy session-- in
Netflix’s “You.” Its fifth and final season debuts Thursday. While
Season 4 took place in London with Joe working as a literature
professor, he’s now returned to his hometown of New York. Joe is
married to Kate Lockwood (played by Charlotte Ritchie) whom he met
in season four -- and they’re a New York power couple. Joe is happy
with Kate and intends to stop killing people, but the guy is prone
to building tangled webs of obsession that leave dead bodies in his
wake. The new episodes also feature Madeline Brewer of “The
Handmaid’s Tale” and Anna Camp.
— In Season 1 of Hulu’s “Vanderpump Villa,” Lisa Vanderpump oversaw
a young staff at French chateau that both lived and worked together
for the summer. For Season 2, she’s relocated to a castle in Italy
and brought roughly half of the “Villa” staff with her. She’s also
invited “Vanderpump” all-star, Stassi Schroeder to be a special VIP
and to serve as her eyes and ears with the staff. Schroeder starred
on “Vanderpump Rules” for eight seasons before she was fired for
slurs and racial profiling in 2020. Schroeder has since written two
best-selling books, launched a new podcast, got married and become a
mother of two. She also has her own show for Hulu in the works.
“Vanderpump Villa” premieres Thursday.
— When Brett Goldstein isn’t writing and acting in hit shows like
“Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking,” he’s a busy stand-up comedian.
Goldstein recently taped his first comedy special called “Brett
Goldstein: The Second Best Night of Your Life” for Max. It premieres
Saturday.
— Bravo has tapped some of its most famous single ladies from “The
Real Housewives” to star in a new dating show called “Love Hotel.”
Cameras follow Shannon Storms Beador (“The Real Housewives of Orange
County”), Luann de Lesseps (“The Real Housewives of New York City”),
and Gizelle Bryant and Ashley Darby (“The Real Housewives of
Potomac”) as they stay at a hotel in Los Cabos, Mexico and meet
eligible bachelors who are just visitors to the property, unless
they get an official invite from one of the ladies to check in.
Bravo superfan Joel Kim Booster hosts as their “Love Concierge.”
“Love Hotel,” premiering Sunday on Bravo, streams next day on
Peacock.
New video games to play week of April 21-27
— Every year, the mystical Paintress paints a new number, and every
person of that age dies. This year’s number is 33, so its up to the
crew of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 to try to stop her. It’s the
debut title from French developer Sandfall Interactive, and it
aspires to the storytelling, exploration and turn-based team combat
of classic role-playing games like Final Fantasy and Persona. The
graphics evoke the lush glamor of Belle Epoque Paris, while the
voice cast features heavyweights like Charlie Cox (“Daredevil”) and
Andy Serkis (“The Lord of the Rings”). It’s rare for a young studio
to launch such an ambitious RPG series — and we’ll see if it pays
off Thursday, April 24, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S and PC.
— Lou Kesten
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