Now Streaming: DANGEROUS ANIMALS, WEDNESDAY S2, HIGHEST 2 LOWEST, A WORKING MAN

Earlier this week, I took at look at The Paper, a new half-hour comedy series that was made in the style of The Office; all 10 episodes are now streaming on Peacock TV.

Coming Soon: The Paper is fitfully quite amusing and, overall, pretty good for U.S. television, but I'm even more interested in Task, starring Mark Ruffalo, a new series that is said to be dark and disturbing. It's gotten positive advance notices and debuts on Sunday on HBO Max. (My advance screeners must have been lost in the mail.)

The following day, In the Name of Love, a Norwegian series created by Bård Breien, debuts on Viaplay. It examines "the rise and fall of a family empire built on adult entertainment" from the 1970s to the 1990s. The series is eye-opening, to say the least; I'll have more to say later.

Returning to this week's new genre fare:

Wednesday, S2 (2025)
All 16 episodes in Season 1 and 2 are now streaming on Netflix.

The first four episodes of Season 2 debuted last month, and while it was a pleasure to enjoy Jenna Ortega's performance as Wednesday Addams and to see the addition of Steve Buscemi as the new professor of Nevermore Academy, I was not terribly compelled by the episodes as a whole, which did not develop anything new or different.

Episode 5 continues in that same lackluster vein, wrapping up certain events from the first four episodes. Happily, Episode 6 really kicks it with something that startled and delighted me, and from that point onward I was completely engaged.

Episodes 6-8 address certain plot threads that were left dangling, while pushing forward on other elements that I loved, such as a laboratory that pays no small homage to Tim Burton's earlier work, as well as monster movies as a whole. The season ends up a winner.

Debuting today on various streaming services are four new films that we've already reviewed.

Dangerous Animals
The film is now streaming on Shudder.

After too-long an absence, director Sean Byrne returns to helm a thriller that stars Jai Courtenay as a serial killer who uses a unique weapon to do his murders.

In his review, Rob Hunter writes: "Byrne's films are horror thrillers, but all three are also tales of survival at their core. What will you do to survive, how far will you go to see tomorrow? From the psychopathic prom date in The Loved Ones to the art-loving devil himself in The Devil's Candy to the one-two punch of serial killer and bloodthirsty sharks in Dangerous Animals, Byrne knows that the threat is only half the story."

Highest 2 Lowest
The film is now streaming on Apple TV+.

Spike Lee's newest joint stars Denzel Washington, inspired by the source material that inspired Akira Kurosawa's High and Low.

Our own Mel Valentin reviewed. (I prefer short and snippy quotes, myself, but Mel's review is well worth reading in full (again)).

Lilo & Stitch
The film is now streaming on Disney Plus.

Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Billy Magnussen, and Zach Galifianakis star. Dean Flescher Camp directed.

In my own words: "Moderately entertaining live action version falls short of the animated original but finds new ways to be cute."

A Working Man
The film is now streaming on Prime Video.

Jason Statham star; David Ayer directs. Do you need to know anything more?

OK. Mel Valentin reviewed, noting: "Ayer, who also directed The Beekeeper, keeps the story moving briskly, no matter how ridiculous the plot twists. ... Statham, however, is in top form. Whether chased through swamps by ATV's or singlehandedly attacking a Russian mob summit, he delivers just what his fans want. In the over 20 years since The Transporter, almost no other action star has performed with his consistency and skill."

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