5 Best New Shows to Watch This Weekend on Netflix, Apple TV and More (May 2-3)

Every small town has its quirks, and the titular island in Widow’s Bay is no exception. Mayor Tom Loftis (Matthew Rhys) dismisses all talk about the so-called curse surrounding the island because he can practically smell the money that tourists will bring in. Unfortunately for Tom, the curse is real, and there’s more than one scary threat hanging around.

This is technically a horror comedy, but it’s not over-the-top with its humor. It’s just serious enough that when things start going bump in the night, you probably won’t be laughing. Tom’s definitely not going to be laughing when he gets a first-hand view of what’s to come.

Widow’s Bay is streaming on Apple TV.

Denzel Washington‘s adaptation of Man on Fire hit theaters 22 years ago. That seems to have been enough time for A. J. Quinnell‘s book to get a new adaptation. This time, Wonder Man’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is following in Washington’s footsteps as John Creasy.

John’s PTSD leaves him at a low point in his life, at least until he’s hired to protect a teenager, Poe Rayburn (Billie Boullet), from the men who killed her family. Keeping Poe safe is more than just a job for John; it’s the thing that gives him a reason to keep going. But when Poe’s life is inevitably threatened, John’s rampage will be fearsome to behold.

Man on Fire is streaming on Netflix.

Isabel Allende‘s The House of the Spirits was previously adapted into an American film in 1993, but the new Prime Video series is a Spanish-language remake that’s closer in spirit to the book’s intent and text. The story revolves around three generations of women in the same family, which begins when Alba (Rochi Hernández) discovers journals left by her grandmother, Clara del Valle (Dolores Fonzi).

In the 1920s, young Clara (Francesca Turco) was gifted with psychic powers that allowed her to predict certain future events. A family tragedy robs Clara of her ability to speak for years, and she’ll face even greater trials as an adult. The focus of the story eventually shifts to Blanca (Fernanda Urrejola), Clara’s daughter and Alba’s mother. But all three women have their part to play in this generational tale.

The House of the Spirits is streaming on Prime Video.

Baby Reindeer creator Richard Gadd is back with a new series, Half Man, in which he also stars as a gruff man named Ruben who shows up unannounced at the wedding of his estranged brother, Niall (Jamie Bell). Ruben is ten kinds of trouble, and he’s already making Niall’s happy day into something miserable.

That storyline bookends the first episode, which explores the past of young Rubert (Stuart Campbell) and Niall (Mitchell Robertson) by revealing that they aren’t brothers at all in the conventional sense. They grew up together, and they’ve played out-sized roles in each other’s lives. But as the series progresses and Bell and Gadd take over from their younger counterparts, viewers will see just what drove them apart in the first place.

Half Man is streaming on HBO Max.

The British crime thriller Criminal Record is back for a second season, with former Doctor Who star Peter Capaldi reprising his role as Detective Daniel Hegarty opposite Cush Jumbo‘s Detective June Lenker. In season 1, June and Daniel didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye, but they’re going to need each other this season.

Following a murder at a political rally that spiraled out of control, Daniel and June are faced with the prospect of more death thanks to an extreme political figure, Cosmo Thompson (Dustin Demri-Burns). This case may be beyond the usual scope of the police, but they’re all that’s standing in the way of even greater violence and mayhem.

Criminal Record season 2 is streaming on Apple TV.