The three new TV releases you absolutely must stay home and watch this weekend.

This week we have been truly blessed by the Entertainment Gods because a whole slew of new TV shows and movies have arrived just in time for you to stream this weekend.

In this day and age, it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of streaming and entertainment services on offer, to the point where you may find yourself stuck in an indecisive web of choice paralysis when it comes time to scroll through the new releases and pick your weekend watch.

Since it is literally my job to watch every new TV show and movie that is released into the world and report back, I’ve narrowed it down to the three best new releases you must lock yourself inside and watch this weekend.

Stateless 

The new ABC series Stateless is very much Australian drama at its absolute best.

Co-created and executive produced by Cate Blanchett, Stateless tells the story of four different people whose lives intersect through their experiences at an immigration detention center in the Australian desert.

Based on a series of real people and events, the cast of Stateless is also packed with an impressive list of actors and actresses including Asher Keddie, Fayssal Bazzi, Marta Dusseldorp, Dominic West and Jai Courtney.

Take a look at the trailer for Stateless on ABC below. Post continues after video. 

Cate Blanchett is a particular standout as Pat, one of the leaders of a cult-like, self-improvement dance therapy studio, as is Yvonne Strahovski who stars as Sofie Werner.

Sofie, a former flight attendant, finds herself held in the remote compound in Australia as a person without a passport, and her story is based on the life of Australian resident Cornelia Rau.

New episodes of Stateless air on Sundays 8.30pm on ABC. The first episode premiered this week and is available to watch now on ABC iview. It’s easily one of the most compelling dramas on TV right now.

Watch it now on ABC iview.

All The Bright Places 

I’m a sucker for beautifully told stories featuring complex teenage protagonists and All The Bright Places fits perfectly into that mold.

The new Netflix film is based on the internationally bestselling novel of the same name and tells the story of high school students Violet Markey (played by Elle Fanning) and Theodore Finch (played by Justice Smith), who don’t run in the same social circles but meet by chance at one of the lowest moments of both their lives.

Violet is dealing with the aftermath of a tragic family death while Theodore feels isolated from his family and the other students at school due to his depression and his near-constant thoughts of suicide.

When Theodore and Violet are paired together on a school geography project they travel to unique places in their home state of Indiana, becoming friends first along the way and then slowly falling in love as they visit places like the highest point in the state, a backyard roller-coaster and a shoe-covered tree.

Despite the romantic story line between the two leads, All The Bright Places is no way a teen romance movie, and even though it's beautifully shot and written and well worth seeing, I still felt like I'd been punched in the stomach after watching it.

Watch it now on Netflix.

Just a note that All The Bright Places deals with suicide, grief and mental health, which may be triggering for some viewers, if you need assistance please call Lifeline on 13 11 14, or  visit beyondblue. 

The Kingmaker

The Kingmaker is a documentary that takes a deep and unprecedented look into the wild and controversial political career of Imelda Marcos, who was First Lady of the Philippines for 21 years.

If her name is already familiar to you, that might be because her name has become synonymous with a love of extravagant shoe collections, thanks to the fact that 1,220 pairs of pumps were infamously found in the closet of Imelda Marcos when she and her husband Ferdinand Marcos were forced to flee the country in 1986.

With The Kingmaker, however, acclaimed photographer and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield, whose previous films include 2012’s The Queen of Versailles and 2018’s Generation Wealth, has delved deeper into her fascinating life and her place in history.

The Kingmaker first appeared on my radar after it started being nominated in the best documentary category at events like the London Film Festival in 2019 and when I finally watched it this week, it definitely lived up to the hype.

Watch it now on Stan.

This story originally appeared in Laura Brodnik's weekly newsletter. You can get more stories like it by subscribing to her weekly TV and Movies newsletter, here. You can also follow Laura on Instagram, here. Facebook, here.