With Amazon’s hugely anticipated/extensive Lord of the Rings TV series finally debuting, you would think there would just be one streaming release to rule them all this coming week, but there are actually a few good choices. But mainly Lord of the Rings.
SERIES
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power S1
Amazon Prime Video – 2 September 2022
With a five-season commitment costing over $1 billion, Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is the most expensive TV series ever produced. Based on the insanely good early buzz for the show though, it’s money very well spent. Not directly a prequel to Peter Jackson’s multiple Oscar-winning movie trilogy adaptation, nor a 1:1 adaptation of any of original author J.R.R. Tolkien’s works such as the Silmarillion, this series is set thousands of years before the events of LOTR and The Hobbit, and brings to life the history of Middle Earth, specifically the Second Age, with some new spins. Expect this one to dominate social media conversation every week for the next few months.
The Offer S1
Showmax – 1 September 2022
The Godfather is one of the greatest gangster stories ever told. But nearly equally as impressive is the story of how Francis Ford Coppola’s seminal crime drama masterpiece got made. Based on Oscar-winning producer Albert S. Ruddy’s own personal account, this star-studded 10-episode miniseries reveals all of the craziness that transpired behind the scenes before, during, and after the cameras started rolling.
Devil in Ohio S1
Netflix – 2 September 2022
The first season of True Detective was lightning in a bottle that no other show has been able to recapture since (not even True Detective). And while I’m not saying that new Netflix psychological drama series Devil in Ohio will be the next True Detective S1, we do have a lot of the same elements with satanic cults, troubled young women, backwater superstitions, grizzled cops, and just general creepiness in corn fields.
Life by Ella S1
Apple TV+ – 2 September 2022
If you’re looking for something on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, coming-of-age dramedy Life by Ella follows the titular 13-year-old who experiences a life-changing event, prompting her to assume a new outlook of seizing the day whenever the opportunity arises.
The Imperfects S1
Netflix – 8 September 2022
Billed as a “coming of rage” story, The Imperfects takes the “everything but the kitchen sink” approach to fantasy-horror drama as we mix a banshee, chupacabra, and succubus into a story involving genetic manipulation. Oh and teenage romance and drama, because why not? I have a feeling this one will either be cancelled after one season or running for a puzzlingly long time with multiple spinoffs. No middle ground.
MOVIES
Collision Course
Netflix – 2 September 2022
South Africa isn’t the only African country that Netflix is investing in with the streaming also starting realize productions in the likes of Nigeria as well. And the latest out of Nollywood is Collision Course! Featuring some of the country’s brightest talents, this crime drama was inspired by the anti-police brutality protests in the capital Lagos, and several other cities in southern Nigeria in 2020. Taking a look at how a corrupt police force impacts on the lives and dreams of average citizens, Collision Course garnered buzz after it picked up multiple awards at several African film festivals and award shows.
We Are Dying Here
Showmax – 5 September 2022