Family values put to test in November streaming picks ‘Wednesday,’ ‘Echo 3’

Here’s a look at some of the standout TV series and films debuting on subscription streaming platforms in November:

“Wednesday”

Tim Burton directs several episodes of a new series centred around the fastidious daughter of the Addams family. Between therapy sessions and navigating her outcast status at Nevermore Academy, the young Wednesday Addams is as deadpan as ever. She’s also balancing her newfound psychic abilities with a deep responsibility toward cracking an unsolved murder case tied to her parents. “Scream” actress Jenna Ortega brings Wednesday’s morbid personality to life, while Catherine Zeta-Jones and Luis Guzman play Morticia and Gomez Addams. There’s also a delicious appearance by actress Christina Ricci who played Wednesday in two 1990s feature films. (Netflix, Nov. 23)

“Echo 3”

When respected American scientist Amber Chesborough is kidnapped in Venezuela, her brother and husband — two decorated military experts — decide to vault the political red tape and mount a rescue effort themselves. Packed with enough nail-biting action to fill a few Hollywood movies, “Echo 3” was written for television by Mark Boal, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “The Hurt Locker.” It’s based on Israeli author Amir Gutfreund’s “Heroes Fly to Her.” (Apple TV Plus, Nov. 23, episodes weekly)

“Weird: The Al Yankovic Story”

Daniel Radcliffe of “Harry Potter” fame performs some stunning wizardry with the facts in this completely untrue tale of real-life parody musician “Weird Al” and his meteoric rise to global domination. The feature-length comedy traces his origin story as a wunderkind accordion player whose relentless pursuit of pop music success leads him into the arms of girlfriend Madonna, played by Evan Rachel Wood, who’s on her own trajectory to infamy. Loaded with cameos of celebrities playing other celebrities, “Weird: The Al Yankovic Story” is a mind-melting take on biopics from the comedic craniums at Funny or Die. (The Roku Channel, Nov. 4)

“The Wonder”

Florence Pugh gives a searing performance as a 19th-century nurse called to a remote Irish town to assist in the case of a young girl who hasn’t eaten for months but miraculously has not fallen ill. Keeping watch on the girl in shifts with a local nun, questions of faith clash with fact as the nurse realizes she may have been brought to the community with an ulterior motive in mind. The eerie drama is the latest from “A Fantastic Woman” director Sebastian Lelio. (Netflix, Nov. 16)

Christmas Comes Early

Some familiar Hollywood faces deliver the spirit of Christmas this year. Lindsay Lohan stars in “Falling For Christmas,” a romantic comedy about a spoiled heiress who shacks up with a widower after a skiing accident leaves her with amnesia (Netflix, Nov. 11). Freddie Prinze Jr. falls for a pop star after she grants his daughter’s Christmas wish in “Christmas With You” (Netflix, Nov. 17). Fans of 1983 classic “A Christmas Story” can find out what happened to Ralph as Peter Billingsley reprises the lead role in “A Christmas Story Christmas” (Crave, Nov. 17). Tim Allen slips back into his red suit from “The Santa Clause” films for “The Santa Clauses,” a miniseries focused on his aging character Scott Calvin as he searches for the next Santa Claus to fill his boots (Disney Plus Nov. 16, episodes weekly). Meanwhile, Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell engage in a Christmas showdown as they play the roles of a holiday Scrooge and the Ghost of Christmas Present in the movie “Spirited” (Apple TV Plus, Nov. 18).

ALSO THIS MONTH:

“Blockbuster” – A sitcom following the manager of the last Blockbuster Video and his ragtag staff. Starring Randall Park of “Fresh Off the Boat” and “WandaVision.” (Netflix, Nov. 3)

“My Policeman” – Harry Styles is a police officer who falls in love with a school teacher in 1950s Britain where homosexuality was illegal. (Prime Video, Nov. 4)

“Crimes of the Future” – David Cronenberg’s latest sci-fi film considers a future where mankind has adopted an accelerated evolution with one man turning his metamorphosis into performance art. (Crave, Nov. 4)

“Enola Holmes 2” – Millie Bobby Brown returns as Sherlock’s teen sister as she takes on her first official case as a detective – the mystery of a missing girl. (Netflix, Nov. 4)

“The Big Brunch” – Dan Levy is host and judge on a cooking competition series celebrating “one of the most versatile, yet underrated” meals of the day. (Crave, Nov. 10, episodes weekly)

“Tulsa King” – Sylvester Stallone plays a mafia capo who returns to the crime business after 25 years in prison. (Paramount Plus, Nov. 13, episodes weekly)

“Teletubbies” – The psychedelic kids show launches new episodes in time for its 25th anniversary. (Netflix, Nov. 14)

“Canada’s Drag Race: Canada vs. the World” – Canada serves as host country for a showdown of former “Drag Race” contenders from around the world. (Crave, Nov. 18, episodes weekly)

“The Swimmers” – The true story of two sisters’ flight from war-torn Syria. It was the opening night selection at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. (Netflix, Nov. 23)

“Everything Everywhere All At Once” – A Chinese-American woman must save the world by plunging into the multiverses of her life. (Prime Video, Nov. 25)

“Willow” – Warwick Davis reprises the titular role in a followup to the 1988 George Lucas adventure, this time leading a new cast of characters on a rescue mission. (Disney Plus, Nov. 30, episodes weekly)

RETURNING SHOWS: CBC Gem checks in on the story of Sabi’s self-discovery with a second season of the Toronto-set series “Sort Of” (Nov. 15, episodes weekly). Netflix moves into the era of Diana, Princess of Wales on season 5 of “The Crown” (Nov. 9) and inches closer to the finale of missing commercial airliner mystery “Manifest” with the first half of the last season (Nov. 4). Meanwhile, season 5 of massive hit western “Yellowstone” begins rolling out (Paramount Plus, Nov. 13, episodes weekly), and the video game developers of “Mythic Quest” launch their new side project in the shows third season (Apple TV Plus, Nov. 11, episodes weekly).

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2022.

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