Renée Zellweger returning to one of her most indelible roles in “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy” and Questlove offering the definitive documentary on funk crossover star Sly Stone are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.
New movies to stream
Renée Zellweger returns to one of her most indelible roles in “Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.” If you’ve lost track, the film, streaming Feb. 13 on Peacock, is the fourth “Bridget Jones” movie and first since 2016’s “Bridget Jones’s Baby.” In “Mad About a Boy,” based on Helen Fielding’s 2013 novel, Jones, a widow now in her 50s, is drawn toward two romantic possibilities: a teacher played by Chiwetel Ejiofor and a 29-year-old played by Leo Woodall.
Questlove, the Roots drummer and ubiquitous performer, has turned into a must-watch documentarian. In “Sly Lives! (aka the Burden of Black Genius),” Questlove follows his Oscar-winning “Summer of Soul” and the recent “Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music” with the definitive documentary on Sly Stone, the funk crossover bandleader of Sly and the Family Stone. The film, stuffed with archival footage and contemporary interviews, and spanning the meteoric rise and tragic fall of Stone, streams Feb. 13 on Hulu.
Scott Derrickson’s “The Gorge” stars Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy as a pair of operatives assigned to guard towers on opposing sides of a gorge, within which a mysterious evil lurks. The film, which debuts Feb. 14 on Apple TV+, co-stars Sigourney Weaver.
— Jake Coyle
New music to stream
It wasn’t that long ago that Alessia Cara’s full-hearted pop was unavoidable; it earned her the coveted best new artist Grammy in 2018 and “Scars to Your Beautiful” endures as a 2010s classic. But much has changed in that time, and the Canadian singer-songwriter has lived a lot of life since. Her forthcoming fourth studio album, “Love & Hyperbole,” out on Valentine’s Day, is an expression of that growth.
Giants of country music with the pipes to back it up, husband-and-wife duo The War and Treaty return with a new album, “Plus One.” Like the bulk of their discography, this is a collection meant to inspire love and connection in its listeners (of course amplified by the Valentine’s Day release date) with soulful, twangy songs about family and faith.
For many, Shygirl is a new name, perhaps most immediately associated with her remix of Charli XCX’s “BRAT” hit “365.” But that’s just for now. The forward-thinking English disc jockey and musician is making waves for her inventive approach to experimental pop, grime, house and club music that works on a sweaty dance floor as much as it does behind a browser. Just take a look at some of the names on her upcoming EP, “Club Shy Room 2” (out Feb. 14): Jorja Smith, Saweetie, BAMBII, SadBoi, PinkPantheress, Isabella Lovestory and more.
— Maria Sherman
New shows to stream
“Muslim Matchmaker” is a new Hulu docuseries that follows two matchmakers dedicated to helping Muslim American singles find love while also keeping in line with their religious values. Viewers will see these professional Cupids navigate their clients’ expectations in a world of dating apps and ghosting. The series is created by the same person who brought “Indian Matchmaking” to Netflix. It premieres Feb. 11.
It may still be cold outside, but it’s summertime on Bravo with Season 9 of “Summer House.” The reality series stars a group of Manhattanites who share a house on the weekends in the Hamptons. Whereas last season followed the tumultuous engagement of cast members Lindsay Hubbard and Carl Radke, the new episodes were filmed about a year later — after their breakup. “Summer House” premieres Feb. 12 on Bravo and streams on Peacock.
The first two episodes of Season 3 of Showtime’s horror series “Yellowjackets” drop Feb. 14 on Paramount+. When a plane carrying a girls’ high school soccer team crashes in the middle of nowhere, its survivors are in a fight to survive. It’s inspired by William Golding’s 1954 classic, “Lord of the Flies.” “Yellowjackets” unfolds in two timelines: one at the time of the crash and one two decades later when the girls are adult women.
— Alicia Rancilio
New video games to play
The world today seems utterly chaotic, so what better time to experiment with starting the whole thing over from scratch? That’s always been the appeal of Firaxis Games’ long-running Civilization series, and Sid Meier’s Civilization VII adds some intriguing new twists to the formula. First, each session is divided into three eras — Antiquity, Exploration and Modern — and each era ends with an empire-shattering crisis. You can bounce around between different cultures — say, starting in ancient China and winding up in the U.S.A. And you have a fresh batch of leaders, from Confucius to Machiavelli to Harriet Tubman, to lean on for advice and inspiration. As usual, you get to decide whether to be peaceful and diplomatic or run around blowing your neighbors to smithereens. The world is yours Feb. 11 on PlayStation 5/4, Xbox X/S/One, Switch or PC.
— Lou Kesten