Now Streaming: GET AWAY, AMERICAN PRIMEVAL, ON CALL, THE PITT

As a native Californian who was born in Santa Monica and raised in the San Fernando Valley, my heart has been torn from a distance this week, as I could only watch the horrific disaster unfolding on my television screen. Truly, all our hearts go out to the unfortunate souls who have lost their lives, and the thousands who have lost their homes.

Here in north Texas, we've only had the minor inconvenience of a snow storm, which only allowed time for me to sample some of the titles below, which has been absolutely jam-packed with new releases, as every streaming service decided that this was Premiere Week. Here's a roundup.

Get Away
Now streaming on Shudder.

Of the titles I've not seen yet, Nick Frost's comedy about a family vacation gone wrong is at the top of my list for two reasons: (1) I love Nick Frost. (2) The trailer is great.

American Primeval
All five episodes are now streaming on Netflix.

Frankly, I've only been able to sample the first 15 minutes, but I've already seen Shea Whigham kill a man with a shovel (after that man shot another man dead), so it looks like it's right up our alley.

Set in the wild Utah Territory in the U.S. in 1857, as the Mormons looked to establish their foothold, battling Native Americans, military troops, local militias, and bad weather, the series follows a married wife (Betty Gilpin) who travels with her son, seeking to reunite with her husband. Taylor Kitsch is a guide who rebuffs their first attempt to hire him, but will undoubtedly take the job before the first episode concludes.

The trailer looks suitably bloody, as befitting the lawless Old West.

On Call
All eight episodes are now streaming on Prime Video.

Overseen by the ubiquitous Dick Wolf, who's created a myriad of U.S. broadcast television shows about law enforcement, the series was created by Tim Walsh and Elliott Wolf, the latter of whom proves the adage 'like father, like son.' It follows police in Long Beach, California, halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego, and is primarily distinguished from its broadcast cousins by its shorter length: about 30 minutes each.

I've watched and enjoyed the first three episodes, which integrate a lot of body cam footage, making it feel like an updated, scripted episode of Cops. The shorter length of the episodes contributes to the breathless pace, as the cops most deal with unruly Latinos (*sigh*) and many of the other usual distractions. It feels zippy, so I'll probably watch the rest of the episodes as time permits. It is not high priority, though; it's simply too routine for that.

The Pitt
The first two episodes are now streaming on Max. Subsequent episodes in the 15-episode series will debut every Thursday night.

Noah Wyle stars in a new emergency-room medical drama from producers involved with E.R., in which Wyle appeared back in the 90s as a fresh-faced young doctor. Now he is the grizzled leader of an emergency room during a day shift at a hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, US.

Fifteen episodes are promised for the series, each depicting one hour, which gives it a framework and an easy access into the world of doctors, interns, student doctors, nurses, and a hospital administrator who has nothing better to do than come down to the emergency room and threaten Noah Wyle with firing if he doesn't get his numbers up, or some such bureaucratic nonsense. (If you've ever had a boss who was far too intense for the job and made you want to say: "Cool down, dude, it isn't heart surgery," then you will be able to relate.)

Very much like On Call, the emergency room setting allows, nay, demands, that The Pitt fly by at a breathless pace, slowing down occasionally for a reflection upon trauma, along with a relentless patter of jokes, put-downs, and occasional witticisms. There is nothing here that makes it substantially different from its broadcast cousins, except there's more explicit medical gore. The trailer sells it well.

Goosebumps: The Vanishing
All eight episodes are now streaming on Disney Plus.

My colleague Andrew Mack reviewed the series earlier today, noting: "Based off of the first six episodes that we were given to watch for this review it is safe to presume that Goosebumps: The Vanishing is a great series for young horror families to enjoy together. Out of its target audience the most who will gain anything from a series like this will be the Tweens. " 'Nuff said.

Now Streaming celebrates independent and international genre films and television shows that are newly available on legal streaming services.