Lena Headey/Gillian Anderson western drama The Abandons leads this week’s streaming release schedule, supported by the streaming debut of action-comedy Novocaine, the VOD debut of taut thriller Relay, and more!
SERIES
The Chair Company S1
1 December 2025 – Showmax
Tim Robinson, the three-time Emmy Award-winning funnyman behind side-splitting sketch series I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson, is back with some more hilarious absurdity… and suspense? Moving far away from the sketch format, The Chair Company sees Robinson co-create and star in what is being billed as a “comedy thriller”. The show sees Robinson playing William Ronald Trosper, a recently promoted project manager at property development firm Fisher Robay. Following an embarrassing incident at work, a series of events leads Trosper into a investigating a far-reaching conspiracy, which may just be as dangerous as it is absurd. The Chair Company has drawn plenty of praise for critics (though some note that its offbeat tone may not be for everyone) and has already been ordered for a second season.
The Abandons S1
4 December 2025 – Netflix
The Abandons is an epic western that sees Lena Headey face off against Gillian Anderson. And honestly, if that one sentence alone doesn’t convince you to watch this, then nothing will. I mean, it’s Lena Headey vs Gillian Anderson! What more could you want?! For you stubborn holdouts who somehow actually need more, here’s the official blurb: “Set in the Washington Territory in 1854, the series follows the matriarchs of two very different families: the Van Nesses, a dynasty of wealth and privilege led by Anderson’s Constance, and the Abandons, a found family of orphans and outcasts fiercely protected by Headey’s Fiona Nolan. The families find their fates linked by two crimes, an awful secret, star-crossed love, and a piece of land over a silver lode. Their collision in a place just beyond the reach of justice echoes the perpetual American struggle between the haves and have-nots.”
MOVIES
Bride Hard
29 November 2025 – Prime Video
2015’s Spy saw Melissa McCarthy portray the unlikeliest secret agent to hilarious – and surprisingly successful – effect. And now its Rebel Wilson’s turn. Bride Hard may not be a ripoff of Spy, but it’s clear the producers were hoping to cash in on a “plus-sized funnywoman secret agent” schtick here. By all accounts, Bride Hard is nowhere near as good as Spy, but there’s still some silly fun to be had here. The film follows Wilson’s Sam, who is doing a terrible job of being maid of honour to her best friend, all thanks to her real job as a world-class secret agent, constantly causing her to ignore her bridal duties. When armed mercenaries crash the wedding day and take the guests hostage though, Sam’s professional skills may be the only thing able to save her friend and her wedding.
Novocaine
1 December 2025 – Showmax
Nathan Caine (Jack Quaid) is just a regular mild-mannered kind of guy who is secretly in love with Sherry (Amber Midthunder), a colleague at the bank where they both work. Sherry actually has similar feelings for Nathan, but the latter is hesitant to pursue a relationship because of one little detail: He can’t feel pain. Thanks to a rare neurological condition, “Novocaine” can’t experience any pain whatsoever, leading to a very careful life on his part. But just as he finally decides to take a risk for once in his life and pursue Sherry, disaster strikes. The bank they work at is hit by robbers, with Sherry taken a hostage. With the girl of his dreams literally snatched out of his arms, Nathan does the only thing he can. Turn this mostly useless party trick into a superpower and get Sherry back himself, no matter how much damage he has to cause… to himself!
PS: Keep a close eye on actors and locations for this one, as Novocaine was actually shot right here in Cape Town and features several local actors in supporting roles.
Troll 2
1 December 2025 – Netflix
I love me a big dumb and fun monster movie, and 2022 Norwegian production Troll did not disappoint in this regard. Putting a fun Nordic mythological spin on things, Troll was a streaming and critical success for Netflix, so it was no surprise when a sequel was announced. And now that sequel is here, stomping onto your screens next week. Set a few years after the public shockingly learned of the existence of giant trolls, paleontological professor Nora Tiedeman and Captain Kris (now a Major!) are called back into action when a new troll is awakened beneath the earth. And this “megatroll” is far more dangerous than anything they’ve faced before. Out of options, they realize that there’s only way to fight this troll… with another troll!
The Roses
3 December 2025 – Disney+
1989’s The War of the Roses (an adaptation of the 1981 novel of the same name) is a black comedy classic starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner as a wealthy couple whose seemingly perfect marriage begins to fall apart, resulting in a messy divorce battle that pulls in everybody around them. The film was so popular in certain countries, that its title has become media shorthand for high-conflict divorce cases. So, I guess it was only a matter of time before we got a remake! The Roses stars Benedict Cumberbatch and Olivia Colman as Theo and Ivy Rose, a successful architect and acclaimed restaurateur, respectively, who met and fell in love ten years earlier in a storybook romance. A decade later though, now married with children, a sudden upheaval in their lives forces them into different roles, prompting the start of a no-holds-barred years-long rivalry between the two. That may not sound like the start of a comedy, but it is… Kind of. In his 6/10 review, Sam mentioned that despite Colman and Cumberbatch’s obvious talents, and the film being very, very funny at times, director Jay Roach’s approach has “an inconsistent tone” which is “darkened by too many emotions”, resulting in “a black comedy that tickles the funny bone, but also bends it in an awkward direction.”
Oh. What. Fun
3 December 2025 – Prime Video
While families around the world are looking forward to Christmas, it’s often the case that the mothers in those families also have a little bit of dread thinking about everything they have to do. In Oh. What. Fun., Claire Clauster (Michelle Pfeiffer) is in of those mothers. She’s always been the glue that holds her chaotic, lovable family together every holiday season, making sure everybody has a perfect Christmas. But when her grown kids and distracted husband get swept up in their own seasonal dramas, they make one crucial mistake: they forget about her and the one thing she asked them for. Feeling abandoned – literally -despite all her efforts, Claire decides to have a cross-country Christmas adventure all on her own, setting a series of zany events. Featuring a heck of an ensemble cast that includes including Felicity Jones, Chloë Grace Moretz, Denis Leary, Jason Schwartzman, Eva Longoria, Joan Chen, and more, Oh. What. Fun. is the latest heartfelt comedy drama from Wet Hot American Summer and The Big Sick filmmaker Michael Showalter.
RENTALS/PURCHASES
The following movies have recently become available for digital purchase/rental:
Relay
Purchase: Apple TV – R170
Rental: Apple TV – R45
With 2013’s Starred Up, 2016’s Hell or High Water, and 2018’s Outlaw King, David Mackenzie declared himself a director you should always look out for. And then he didn’t make another movie for more than half a decade. I’m not sure why he had such a lengthy delay in his career given how critically acclaimed his earlier work was, but this year we finally got a new Mackenzie in the form of Relay. And unfortunately, almost nobody saw it as it made just $4 million at the box office. This is especially egregious because Relay is actually pretty good. Yes, there are a few plot holes in its core concept, but it is a solidly entertaining thriller that will keep you guessing throughout. Riz Ahmed leads as Ash, a professional middleman who brokers and facilitates deals between corporate whistleblowers and their former employers. And he does it all with full anonymity by using a special message relay service used by the deaf that offers total privacy. When whistleblower Sarah Grant (Lily James) is referred to Ash, he uses the same system to maintain distance and set up a deal between her and the multinational research facility she works at, whose dangerous product side effects she threatened to go public with. Unfortunately for Ash and Sarah, her former employers are not the type of people to just roll over and pay up, sending a merciless team after them both.