The world’s best streaming services have come out swinging in the penultimate month of 2025. With three huge new movies, plus four new and/or returning shows, landing on numerus platforms in the first week of November, there’s lots of great content for you to watch this weekend.
In fact, the competition has been so fierce that potentially big offerings, such as Netflix’s Death by Lightning, didn’t even make the cut, which gives you a sense of how robust this week’s line-up is. Don’t delay any longer, then – read on to see what’s worth streaming before Monday arrives once more. – Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (Disney+)
The first of November’s new Disney+ movies is ironically the final Marvel film of 2025.
A period piece set in an alternate reality to the MCU, – the first live-action film to do so, FYI – The Fantastic Four: First Steps represents the titular team’s first foray into the comic giant’s ever-expanding cinematic franchise. In it, the iconic quartet face off against Galactus, a world-devouring cosmic entity hell-bent on kidnapping the newborn son of Reed Richards and Sue Storm for reasons that’ll become clear when you watch the Marvel Phase 6 opener.
Want to see if it’s worth watching? Read my spoiler-free review of The Fantastic Four: First Steps. Once you’ve streamed it, check out my ending explained piece on The Fantastic Four: First Steps to see how it sets up Avengers: Doomsday, aka the second of two Marvel films arriving in 2026. – TP
Frankenstein (Netflix)
If Frankenstein is your most anticipated Netflix release of 2025, you have great taste. Even better, I’m happy to report that Guillermo Del Toro’s latest offering completely lives up to our already-high expectations.
I’m counting on Jacob Elordi to get an Oscar nomination for his role as The Creature, but the production design on this movie (no CGI or AI has been used) is basically a character all its own. Every detail is breath-taking, stacking up to make the classic Mary Shelley gothic novel feel more grandiose and operatic than ever.
The best part about one of November’s new Netflix movies? How much love is poured into every frame. Del Toro has made his biggest childhood dream come true here and the story emanates hope, not hate, in return. – Jasmine Valentine, entertainment reporter
Pluribus (Apple TV)
“The world’s most miserable person must save the world from happiness”. If that’s not a logline that’ll immediately pique your interest about Apple‘s latest sci-fi offering, I don’t know what will.
Okay, maybe the fact that Pluribus, whose first two episodes are out now on Apple TV (formerly Apple TV+), was created by Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul‘s Vince Gilligan. Maybe the fact that it stars Rhea Seehorn as a misanthropic author who has to navigate a new status quo when almost all of humanity falls prey to a virus that turns them into autopiloted happy-go-lucky individuals. And, maybe the fact that this multi-genre show narratively goes against the grain in more ways than one.
Basically, consider this to be one of the best Apple TV shows of 2025 – and one you won’t want to sleep on because, oh boy, is it the kind of series that fans will theorize about for months on end. – TP
Squid Game: The Challenge season 2 (Netflix)
It’s a testament to the Squid Game IP that we’re still invested in its gameplay after the main show ended in June. Indeed, 456 new players are taking on the challenge of winning $4.56 million and, unsurprisingly, the reality TV show follows in the footsteps of Squid Game season 2.
Squid Game: The Challenge season 2 introduces Mingle, Six-Legged Pentathlon, and Catch from the original show. Meanwhile, two brand-new games – Count and Slides & Ladders – join the rotation.
It means we miss out on classics like Red Light, Green Light (still annoyed about that), but new twists and turns have also been introduced. Did you know the dorm has a secret boiler room, kitted out with a vending machine? It’s about to be the worst-kept secret on Netflix. – JV
Maxton Hall season 2 (Prime Video)
It’s finally time to return to Maxton Hall Private School in Oxford, England, to see what will come of the whirlwind romance between the arrogant and entitled James, and the quiet scholarship student Ruby in Maxton Hall – The World Between Us season 2.
While the pair were initially rivals, they now seem happy together – but, how long will that last when James’ family is thrown into turmoil? Will their relationship survive or will Ruby find herself back in her old life?
Adapted from Mona Kasten’s novel ‘Save Me’, the first three episodes of Maxton Hall season 2 are streaming now on Prime Video – and if you loved The Summer I Turned Pretty, then you’ll definitely want to tune in. – Amelia Schwanke, entertainment editor
Materialists (HBO Max)
I adored Celine Song’s 2023 debut Past Lives, so I had high hopes for her second A24 romantic drama Materialists (it’s out now on HBO Max), especially with the filmmaker once again drawing on her own life for inspiration.
Just as Song once was, Dakota Johnson plays a New York matchmaker who finds herself torn between Pedro Pascal’s bachelor, which society deems her perfect match, and her ex (played by Chris Evans) who still holds a flame for her.
It’s a classic will-they-won’t-they story set against the backdrop of luxurious Manhattan living, interwoven with reflections on modern dating, societal expectations, and consumerism. Despite being one of the standout new HBO Max movies, Materialists received mixed reviews upon its initial release, but that’s all the more reason to watch it yourself and see if you agree with those sentiments. – AS
All’s Fair (Hulu/Disney+)
What do you mean Ryan Murphy’s new Hulu and Disney+ series All’s Fair has scored 0% on Rotten Tomatoes… and what do I mean when I say you still need to watch it?
Frankly, this fictional all-female law firm, comprised of Kim Kardashian, Glenn Close, Naomi Watts, Sarah Paulson, Niecy Nash and Teyana Taylor, is the gift that keeps on giving. Imagine Paulson and Close having a stunning swearing match either end of a huge boardroom table. Imagine Kardashian wrecking someone’s car with a golf club while not emoting at any point in the series. Imagine Watts just trying her best to exist among the chaos. That’s what I call TV magic.
In essence, Murphy has made something to be exclusively enjoyed by the generation that has rooted for him through thick (American Horror Story season 2) and thin (American Horror Story season 12). It’s a thank you gift for our relentless passion that has helped Murphy’s 2000s TV empire to exist in the way it has and we should be thankful for it. – JV
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tom.power@futurenet.com (Tom Power)
