What to Stream: John Krasinski, 'Ladies First,' Rod Stewart, Brooke
Shields and a 'Lego Batman' game
[May 18, 2026]
John Krasinski returning as Jack Ryan in “Jack Ryan: Ghost War” for
Prime Video and “Stranger Things” masterminds the Duffer Brothers
producing a Netflix show in which a retirement community teams up to
battle monsters are some of the new television, films, music and games
headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as
selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Sacha Baron
Cohen and Rosamund Pike starring in the gender satire “Ladies First,”
“The Chi” returning for its eighth and final season and an ambitious
Lego Batman video game acting like a career retrospective for the Caped
Crusader.
New movies to stream from May 18-24
— Four years after his series run in the Tom Clancy spy series ended,
John Krasinski returns as Jack Ryan in “Jack Ryan: Ghost War” (Prime
Video, Wednesday). It’s the sixth film and third reboot in the “Jack
Ryan” franchise. Many series regulars return also, including Wendell
Pierce, Michael Kelly and Betty Gabriel.
— “Ladies First” (Netflix, Friday, May 22) stars Sacha Baron Cohen and
Rosamund Pike in a gender satire. Cohen plays a chauvinistic man who
wakes up in a parallel world dominated by women. Co-starring Charles
Dance, Emily Mortimer and Richard E. Grant.
— An Oscar nominee for best animated feature, “Arco” (Hulu, Friday, May
22) is a rainbow-colored French time-traveling fantasy. A boy named
Arco, living in the year 2932, accidentally travels to 2075. There, he’s
found and befriended by a young girl whose future world includes robots
that do most of the parenting and near-constant climate disaster. In my
review, I praised it as a cartoony and dreamy parable that “directly
confronts ecological apocalypse and yet still finds a thrillingly
optimistic note to end on.”
— In December, Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill Vol. 1” and “Kill Bill
Vol. 2” were fused into one movie. After a theatrical run, the conjoined
whole “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair” debuts Friday, May 22, on
Peacock. The connective tissue is a 7½ minute animated sequence cut from
the original film.
— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle
New music to stream from May 18-24
— Less than a year before the Grammys migrate over to ABC for the next
decade, CBS and the Recording Academy have teamed up once again for a
two-hour television special. “Forever Young: A Grammy Salute to Rod
Stewart Live” airs Tuesday on CBS. It’s part concert film and
interviews, full of archival footage and behind-the-scenes shots — an
ideal viewing for the Stewart fan in your midst. Paramount+ Premium plan
subscribers can stream it in real time on-demand or via a CBS affiliate;
Paramount+ Essential subscribers can stream it the next day.
— The keen English singer-songwriter Maisie Peters sharpens her
storytelling skills on a new album, “Florescence,” out Friday. It’s an
ideal soundtrack for those experiencing new love — or those who are not
immune to her folk-pop charms.
— In a previous life, Lowertown — the New York-via-Atlanta duo comprised
of Olivia Osby and Avsha Weinberg — were a promising bedroom pop band
perhaps a little bit too indebted to the indie rock cult hero Alex G,
signed to the 1975-related Dirty Hit Records. On Friday, they will
release a new record, “Ugly Duckling Union,” out on Summer Shade
Records, their strongest release to date. Scrappy earworms have become
hookier (the addictive love song “I Like You A Lot”), folk-jazz
explorations are written stream-of-consciousness style with harmonica
and 12-string guitar (“Big Thumb”), narrative verses are handed off to
one another for maximum emotionality (“Worst Friend.”) Lo-fi, indie rock
fans, listen up — it is likely that this will be one of your favorites
of the year.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
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This combination of images show promotional art for "You're Killing
Me," from left, "The Chi," and "The Boroughs." (Acorn
TV/Showtime/Netflix via AP)
 New series to stream from May
18-24
— In “You’re Killing Me,”Brooke Shields plays a popular novelist who
teams up with a true crime podcast host to solve a murder mystery.
The six-episode series debuts Monday on Acorn TV.
— Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany stars in “Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed”
as a down on her luck divorcee who witnesses a crime unfold live on
a webcam. Jake Johnson (“New Girl”) plays her ex-husband. The first
two episodes drop Wednesday on Apple TV.
— The Duffer Brothers have gone from creating a story centered
around teens in “Stranger Things” to executive producing a series
about a different demographic. Netflix’s “The Boroughs,” debuts
Thursday and follows residents of an idyllic retirement community
who team up to battle monsters. Geena Davis, Bill Pullman, Alfred
Molina, Alfre Woodard and Denis O’Hare star.
— “The Chi” returns for its eighth and final season Friday, May 22
on Paramount+. Created by Lena Waithe, the show is a coming-of-age
story about residents of the South Side of Chicago as they try to
rise above violence and systemic racism.
— Alicia Rancilio
New video games to play from May 18-24
— The Caped Crusader has always packed a punch, but Lego Batman
really knows how to hit the bricks. “Lego Batman: Legacy of the Dark
Knight” aims to provide a career retrospective, combining elements
from decades of movies and TV shows. The Joker, the Penguin,
Two-Face and Bane are up to their usual antics, and if you’re having
trouble with all those villains you can team up with a friend
playing Robin, Batgirl or Catwoman. Developer TT Games is known for
bringing out the lighter side of Bruce Wayne and company, and this
particular vision of Gotham City is the studio’s most ambitious yet.
Answer the signal Friday, May 22, on PlayStation 5, Xbox X/S or PC.
— Cuddly dinosaur Yoshi may have been the breakout star of April’s
“The Super Mario Galaxy Movie,” but he’s been a headliner on
Nintendo consoles for decades. In “Yoshi and the Mysterious Book,”
he stumbles across a talking encyclopedia named Mr. E, with each
two-page spread opening up into a world for our hero to bounce
around. As usual, Yoshi can attack enemies with his tongue — but he
can also invite friendly creatures to ride on his back and share
their skills. It’s an amiable adventure aimed at younger kids,
although adults will appreciate the lush animation. Turn the page
Thursday on Switch 2.
— After stops in the United States, Europe, Australia and Mexico,
Microsoft’s “Forza Horizon 6” racer is finally roaring into one of
the hot spots of car culture: Japan. This country has everything,
from seaside trails to mountain roads to the neon-lit streets of
Tokyo. Besides a huge assortment of races, on-road and off, you can
spend time mastering stunts, delivering food or collecting fast-food
mascots. You may even encounter a giant robot. And with 550
real-life cars to collect, it’ll take months to fill your garage.
The starting flag flies Tuesday on Xbox X/S and PC.
— Lou Kesten
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