The It List is Yahoo’s weekly look at the best in pop culture, including movies, music, TV, streaming, games, books, podcasts and more. Here are our picks for Sept. 11-17, including the best deals we could find for each.
WATCH IT: Kenneth Branagh is back on the case in A Haunting in Venice
He’s solved a murder on the Orient Express and a death on the nile. Now, master detective, Hercule Poirot, is investigating an X-File in A Haunting in Venice, the third Agatha Christie adaptation from director/star Kenneth Branagh. Based on a later-period Christie mystery, the film once again features an all-star cast, including Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, Emmy-winner Tina Fey and Yellowstone favorite, Kelly Reilly, all of whom can be featured prominently in the trailers… unlike Nile star, Armie Hammer. Branagh’s Poirot has proven popular with older movie audiences, who have been slower to make a post-pandemic return to theaters. If they show up in force for Haunting, the movie should scare up decent business. — Ethan Alter
A Haunting in Venice premieres Friday, Sept. 15 in theaters; visit Fandango for showtime and ticket information.
WATCH IT: Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney kick off another season of Welcome to Wrexham
It’s round two of Reynolds and McElhenney’s reality show chronicling Wrexham A.F.C., the Welsh association football club that they co-own. The first season brought critical acclaim and even an Emmy nod for the series, but also heartache for the team, who went out with a big loss. Now, Reynolds deadpans, there are a lot of people out there watching and hoping they can do better. “Oh my god, the expectation,” he says. “Dear god.” And it’s not just in his head. “If we do not get promoted this year, the club is completely and wholly unsustainable,” McElhenney says. — Raechal Shewfelt
Welcome to Wrexham premieres Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 10 p.m. on FX.
WATCH IT: Get seriously scared with an adaptation of The Swarm
Imagine a combination of Jaws, The Abyss and Contagion, and you’ve got this 8-part series based on author Frank Schätzing’s sci-fi novel of the same name. The apocalyptic thriller is set in the present day, where abrupt changes in marine life are wreaking havoc all over the world. Lobsters and other creatures are attacking people on the coasts! Turns out, humans are not the only intelligent life on Earth, and something is fighting to take back the oceans from the humans who have mistreated it for so long. — R.S.
The Swarm premieres Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 9 p.m. on The CW.
STREAM IT: Michael Peña stars in inspiring biopic A Million Miles Away
Peña did not appear in Marvel’s early year threequel Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, meaning there was no signature lip-sync recap, much to our chagrin. But while the actor didn’t get to go to the quantum realm, he is now going to space. In the Alejandro Márquez Abella-directed biopic A Million Miles Away, Peña plays a migrant farmworker who works his way into NASA, eventually blasting off for the cosmos. Check out an exclusive clip from the film above. — Kevin Polowy
A Million Miles Away premieres Friday, on Sept. 15 on Prime Video.
WATCH IT: Raunchy R-rated comedy Joy Ride speeds onto Blu-ray
After spending a number of years co-writing the animated Disney adventure Raya and the Last Dragon, Adele Lim joked at CinemaCon that all she wanted to do after that experience was tell d*** jokes. She found the perfect outlet, making her directorial debut with Joy Ride, an uproariously funny, deeply raunchy R-rated comedy about four Asian American friends (Ashley Park, Sherry Cola, Stephanie Hsu and Sabrina Wu) on a journey through China to meet Park’s birth mother. Come for the d*** and v** jokes, stay for the heart. Joy Ride hits Blu-ray this week with featurettes, a deleted scene and, best of all, a “WAP” cast singalong. Watch an exclusive clip above. — K.P.
Joy Ride is now on digital and releases on Blu-ray, DVD and VOD Tuesday, Sept. 12 on Amazon.
WATCH IT: My Animal is a different breed of werewolf movie
Every generation deserves its Ginger Snaps, and My Animal is set to be that movie for Gen Z and Gen A. Premiering to positive reviews at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, Jacqueline Castel’s new film stars Bobbi Salvör Menuez as a queer teenager with a family secret — she’s descended from a long line of werewolves. But she’s ready to risk it all when a new girl, played by Amandla Stenberg, moves to her small town and the attraction between the two is intense, immediate… and complicated. Check out this exclusive clip from the film, where sparks fly between the human and the wolf. — E.A.
My Animal is available on digital beginning Friday, Sept. 15.
STREAM IT: Barbie-mania continues with Netflix’s latest animated series, Barbie: A Touch of Magic
The Summer of Barbie keeps on trucking with the launch of Netflix’s latest animated series based on Mattel’s newly-minted movie star. The show brings together Barbie “Malibu” Roberts and Barbie “Brooklyn” Roberts and sends the duo on magical adventures with their new friend — a baby Pegasus. As this exclusive clip reveals, those adventures include getting shrunk down to the size of… well, toys. And the only person that can help them out of the predicament? Barbie’s much-maligned younger sister, Skipper, finally getting her moment in the spotlight after being left out of her older sibling’s live action blockbuster. — E.A.
Barbie: A Touch of Magic premieres Sept. 14 on Netflix
STREAM IT: The curtain rises on Theater Camp, now available digitally
If you didn’t see this summer’s funniest movie in theaters, now you can rectify that mistake. The Sundance hit, Theater Camp, comes to Digital retailers on Sept. 14 with a bevy of bonus features that include extended scenes like the one featured in the exclusive clip above. But having this hilarious and sweetly emotional movie readily available to stream in your house is the real bonus… not to mention real enTROYpreneurship. — E.A.
Theater Camp will be available at Digital retailers on September 14, with all-new bonus features.
WATCH IT: Expect the unexpected at the MTV Video Music Awards
Anything can happen on pop music’s biggest night — and usually does! Will anyone dance with a snake, kiss Madonna, get in a fight with Triumph the Insult Comic Dog, wear a meat dress or twerk on Robin Thicke this year? Will Fartman show up? We’re not sure, but the 2023 VMAs, taking place Tuesday at New Jersey’s Prudential Center, will feature performances by Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion, Olivia Rodrigo, Demi Lovato, Doja Cat, Fall Out Boy, Karol G, Kelsea Ballerini, Lil Wayne, Måneskin, Metro Boomin, Swae Lee, Future, Stray Kids, Tomorrow X Together and Nicki Minaj (who’ll also host). We also know that icons Shakira and Diddy will receive lifetime-achievement awards, and other potential big winners include Taylor Swift, SZA, Blackpink, Miley Cyrus, Nicki Minaj and Sam Smith and Kim Petras. — Lyndsey Parker
The MTV Video Music Awards ceremony airs Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET on MTV.
STREAM IT: The Other Black Girl adapts best-selling novel into thrilling workplace TV series
The Other Black Girl is, as the executive producers call it, “a genre-bending” dive into the toxic world of publishing from the eyes of an editorial assistant, Nella (Sinclair Daniel). She is tired of being the only Black person at her company, but gets a sigh of relief when Hazel (Ashleigh Murray) is hired. However, things take a turn and Nella isn’t so sure about this new bond as Hazel’s star in the company rises. The show is based on Zakiya Dalila Harris’s New York Times best-selling novel with the same title. The genre-bending aspect stems from the mixture of comedy, horror and the bits of workplace drama of microaggressions and tokenism Nella must face as a Black woman in the corporate space. — Garin Flowers
The Other Black Girl premieres Wednesday, Sept. 13 on Hulu.
HEAR IT: Demi Lovato gives her rock ‘n’ roll heart a break
Former Disney starlet Lovato reinvented herself as a rocker on her 2022 studio album, HOLY FVCK (and as rockin’ rodent Anonymous on this week’s The Masked Singer Season 10 premiere), so now she’s remaking her past pop hits in her new image on the rock remix album Revamped. Highlights include “Sorry Not Sorry” featuring Slash, “Give Your Heart a Break” with the Used’s Bert McCracken, “Neon Lights” with emo band the Maine and “La La Land” with guitar goddess Nita Strauss. — L.P.
Revamped by Demi Lovato is available Friday, Sept. 15 to download/stream on Apple Music.
STREAM IT: Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce takes viewers out of the huddle and into his life with new documentary
Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce has had plenty of time in the spotlight, including his own dating show. But, Prime Video’s new feature documentary, Kelce, keys in on the life of his older brother, Jason. The Philadelphia Eagles captain and All-Pro center takes off the pads and lets viewers into his home throughout the 2022-23 season. The intimate film captures Jason’s journey through his 12th season showing his thoughts on retirement, the birth of his third daughter, the Eagles Super Bowl run and the debut of what turned into “the No. 1 sports podcast, ‘New Heights,’” with Travis. This adds to the growing list of content surrounding the lives of football players and it’s a fun one to watch. — G.F.
Kelce premieres Tuesday, Sept. 12 on Prime Video.
WATCH IT: Josh Duhamel hosts Buddy Games, a new reality competition show based on his real-life friends
What started as a 2019 comedy film directed by Duhamel has expanded into a reality competition series for CBS, also called Buddy Games, hosted and executive produced by the actor. The show — and the movie — are based on a 20-year-old tradition where Duhamel and his friends come together once a summer to compete in various games. The show will feature six teams of four friends from varying backgrounds, living together at an adult summer camp and testing their bonds through challenges. The last team standing will earn a cash prize, the Buddy Games trophy and, of course, bragging rights. — Kyle Moss
Buddy Games premieres Thursday, Sept. 14 on CBS.
HEAR IT: Diddy is back on the grid
Coinciding with his Icon Award at this week’s VMAs, the artist sometimes known as Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, Puffy, Love and/or Diddy is releasing his first album in 17 years. The Love Album: Off the Grid will be a typically all-star affair from the multi-hyphenate hip-hop mogul, judging by the mysterious album trailer he suddenly dropped on Aug. 22 — which features A-list names like the Weeknd, Justin Bieber, Swae Lee, Mary J. Blige, Babyface, Yung Miami, French Montana, DJ Khaled, Teyana Taylor and 21 Savage. —L.P.
The Love Album: Off the Grid by Diddy is available Friday, Sept. 15 to download/stream on Apple Music.
STREAM IT: The Morning Show is back on the air for Season 3
It’s a new dawn for The Morning Show as Season 3 of the Apple TV+ series moves past some of the big storylines from the first two seasons — specifically those involving departed cast member, Steve Carell — and into fresh content for stars Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon. New obstacles this season include Jon Hamm as a tech baron with plans to purchase the network behind the titular series, and additional behind the scenes intrigue. — E.A.
The Morning Show Season 3 premieres Wednesday, Sept. 13 on Apple TV+.
HEAR IT: Jared Leto’s Thirty Seconds to Mars relaunches
The first Thirty Seconds to Mars album since 2018, It’s the End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day, was made during the COVID-19 pandemic of the past three years and “explores the darker sides of the human experience,” with the Leto brothers tapping into electronic-music influences of the ’70s and ’80s. Actor/rocker Jared Leto recently told NME that the band wrote more than 200 songs during a very productive lockdown, so another 30STM album may be coming a lot sooner than another five years. —L.P.
It’s the End of the World But It’s a Beautiful Day by Thirty Seconds to Mars is available Friday, Sept. 15 to download/stream on Apple Music.
HEAR IT: Michael C. Hall’s band Princess Goes comes of age
Leto isn’t the only actor-turned-rocker releasing a record this week. Shape-shifting Dexter/Six Feet Under/Lazarus star Hall’s Princess Goes (formerly Princess Goes to the Butterfly Museum), an experimental dreampop trio featuring ex-Wallflowers/Morningwood drummer Peter Yanowitz and Blondie/Cyndi Lauper multi-instrumentalist Matt Katz-Bohen, is ushering in a “new era” with sophomore album Come of Age. —L.P.
Come of Age by Princess Goes is available Friday, Sept. 15 to download/stream on Apple Music.
HEAR IT: The Pretenders are still special, so special
Relentless, the 14th studio album by Chrissie Hynde and company, finds the band joining forces with Jonny Greenwood (of fellow Rock & Roll Hall of Famer inductees Radiohead), who provided the string arrangement and conducted the 12 Ensemble for the album’s gorgeous closing track, “I Think About You Daily.” At 72 years young, Hynde is clearly as badass and precious as ever. —L.P.
Relentless by the Pretenders is available Friday, Sept. 15 to download/stream on Apple Music.
