New movies, shows and music to stream this week, from The Penguin to the Menendez Murders

Also, Bill Gates sets off to learn about humanity's uncertain future and Ellen DeGeneres returns for her final comedy special

From left to right: Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez, Chloe Sevigny as Kitty Menendez, Javier Bardem as Jose Menendez and Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story. Photo: NetflixShow less

A media sensation in the '90s, the story of the Menendez brothers, Lyle and Erik, who are currently serving life sentences for the murder of their parents, gets the Ryan Murphy treatment via a nine-part series. The show, created by Murphy and Ian Brennan, comes off the back of their hit biographical crime drama Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, which broke streaming records.

Meanwhile, a beloved fictional villain gets his own series with The Penguin, a spin-off from Matt Reeves' acclaimed 2022 film The Batman. And Marvel fans can look forward to another spin-off, this one focusing on Agatha Harkness, who appeared in the hit 2021 series WandaVision. Here are some of the latest music, movies and shows to stream this week.

New shows to stream

Agatha All Along (September 18, Disney+)

From left to right: Joe Locke as Tee, Aubrey Plaza as Rio Vidal, Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness and Sasheer Zamata as Jennifer Kale in Agatha All Along. Photo: Marvel

The title of a song featured in WandaVision, which won an Emmy as well as a Grammy nomination, Disney+'s new series centres on the witch Agatha Harkness, a fan favourite played by Kathryn Hahn. After being trapped at the end of WandaVision, Agatha is freed from her spell by a teenager who begs her to take him to Witches' Road. Desperate to regain her powers, she pulls together a coven of witches and they set off on what could be a scary – and dangerous – adventure.

British actor Joe Locke, best known from his role in Netflix hit Heartstopper, plays the teen.

What's Next? The Future with Bill Gates (September 18, Netflix)

Bill Gates in What’s Next: The Future with Bill Gates. Photo: Netflix

Tech visionary and now philanthropist Bill Gates never wants to stop learning. In this new five-part series, he takes viewers along as he educates himself on some of the defining issues of our time, from artificial intelligence to misinformation and the climate crisis.

Gates speaks to some of the world’s most renowned scientists, politicians, journalists, medical professionals and artists, from Bono and Lady Gaga to Anthony Fauci and Greg Brockman, the founder of OpenAI.

“Bill is one of the most curious people I’ve met, and the amount of learning he still does on a daily basis is truly inspiring,” said Oscar winner Morgan Neville, who serves as the series’ executive producer. “This series covers some of the most relevant and often polarising topics facing society today, and I hope this exploration will be as exciting for people to watch as it was for me to film.”

Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (September 19, Netflix)

Cooper Koch as Erik Menendez, left, and Nicholas Chavez as Lyle Menendez in Monsters: The Lyle And Erik Menendez Story. Photo: Netflix

The second instalment of the Monster anthology series, Netflix's newest show tells the story of two brothers who killed their parents in 1989, and the events surrounding the brutal slayings. During their trials, the brothers cited years of abuse as the reason for murdering their parents. However, prosecutors argued that their motive was to get their hands on the family fortune.

Lyle and Erik Medendez, popularly known as the Menendez brothers, were convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole in 1996.

Javier Bardem and Chloe Sevigny play parents Jose Medendez and Mary Louise Menendez respectively, while Nicholas Chavez plays older brother Lyle and Cooper Koch takes on the role of Erik. Other cast members include Nathan Lane as a journalist who covers the brothers' trial

The Penguin (September 20, OSN+)

Colin Farrell in a scene from The Penguin. Photo: HBO Entertainment

Colin Farrell's nine-minute show-stealing turn as The Penguin in The Batman is now an eight-episode series, giving fans the chance to revel in the popular villain. Picking up one week after the events of The Batman, the show begins with the death of powerful crime boss, Carmine Falcone, which leaves a power vacuum in his wake. Meanwhile, a flood caused by a terrorist attack has wiped out large parts of the city, leaving many desperate for a way to survive, or a way to escape.

In his review of The Penguin, The National's William Mullaly praised the raw magnetism of Farrell, claiming the show comes close to being a masterpiece. Episodes of The Penguin will release weekly starting on Friday.

Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam (September 20, Prime Video)

The poster of Prime Video's new Tamil original series Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam. Photo: Prime Video

Directed by Naga, this Tamil original series follows the journey of a young boy from the big city who is forced to live in a remote village called Thalaivettiyaan Paalayam. This family entertainer portrays the charms of rural life to tell a simple but heartwarming tale, says Prime Video.

Abishek Kumar, Chetan Kadambi, Devadarshini, Niyathi, Anand Sami and Paul Raj play pivotal roles in the eight-episode series.

Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval (September 24, Netflix)

Ellen DeGeneres: For Your Approval will be the former talk show host's final comedy special. Photo: Netflix

Former talk show host DeGeneres returns with what she's called “the final comedy special” of her career. She will talk about her new life, from raising chickens and parallel parking to her stand-up roots since getting “kicked out of show business.”

DeGeneres' The Ellen DeGeneres Show ran for 19 seasons, starting in 2003, and won 64 Daytime Grammy Awards during its run. But in 2020, allegations of a toxic workplace culture began to emerge, eventually leading DeGeneres to call time on the show, which came to an end in 2022. “To answer the questions everyone is asking me – Yes, I’m going to talk about it. Yes, this is my last special,” DeGeneres said when the special was announced in May.

New movie to stream

His Three Daughters (September 20, Netflix)

From left to right, Elizabeth Olsen as Christina, Carrie Coon as Katie and Natasha Lyonne as Rachel in His Three Daughters. Photo: Netflix

Three estranged sisters reunite in New York City to watch over their dying father. From director Azazel Jacobs (The Lovers, French Exit) comes this heartwarming tale about family dynamics, starring Natasha Lyonne, Elizabeth Olsen and Carrie Coon.

A tale of sisterhood and grief, His Three Daughters premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, where it received rave reviews and was snapped up by Netflix.

New music to stream

Nelly Furtado's 7 (September 20)

Canadian singer Nelly Furtado's seventh album, 7, is out this week. AFP

Furtado's new album, appropriately titled 7, is her seventh offering and her first since 2017's The Ride. Announcing it in July on social media, the I'm Like a Bird singer said she created 400 to 500 pieces of music over the course of four years.

“My ADHD doesn’t always allow for me to organise creations in a methodical way so it’s hard to explain how we have chosen 14 songs that magically rose to the top of the heap,” she posted on Instagram. “They come together just by nature of being in the same collection, 7, kind of like random seashells that may be similar but not at all alike.”

Furtado, whose record-breaking Whoa, Nelly! released in 2020, has so far released two singles from the new album. Love Bites, featuring Swedish singer Tove Lo and British DJ SG Lewis, was released in May, while Corazon, featuring Colombian band Bomba Esterio, came out in July. Other collaborators on the 14-track album include Canadian singers Charlotte Day Wilson and Taborah Johnson as well as South African rapper Blxckie among others.