What to stream this week: Emma Roberts in space, Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills, Zach Bryan in bars
Eddie Murphy reprising his role as Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” and country music star Zach Bryan releasing a new studio album are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.
Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Emma Roberts is accepted into a competitive NASA training program in the movie “Space Cadet,” Discovery Channel’s annual “Shark Week” hopes to bite off a chunk of primetime viewership and the video game Zenless Zone Zero takes place in a urban wasteland with some interesting creatures.
— After nearly 30 years of fits and starts, the fourth Beverly Hills Cop movie is finally upon us. Eddie Murphy reprises his role as Axel Foley in “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F,” which debuts on Netflix on Wednesday. Judge Reinhold and John Ashton also return but they get some fresh blood in a detective played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Captain (Kevin Bacon). Taylour Paige also joins the ensemble as Axel’s daughter. The original “Beverly Hills Cop” which launched Murphy to stardom in 1984 is also streaming on Netflix now.
— Emma Roberts is “living her best Florida life” when she remembers her lifetime dream of being an astronaut in “Space Cadet.” Unbeknownst to her, a friend (“Hacks” castmate Poppy Liu) embellishes her resume and she’s accepted into a competitive NASA training program. It aspires to be a kind of “Legally Blonde” meets “Private Benjamin” (who wouldn’t dream of such heights) and will be available to stream on Prime Video starting Thursday.
— The Criterion Channel continues to offer the best and most thoughtful movie libraries, thoughtfully curated and grouped into fun themes that refresh on the first of each month. Monday brings a neo noir series (“Out of Sight,” “L.A. Confidential,” and two “Bad Lieutenants” among them), one on pop Shakespeare including Baz Luhrmann’s “Romeo + Juliet,” with Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio, and Michael Almereyda’s “Hamlet,” with Ethan Hawke, and a selection of Nicolas Roeg films including the Donald Sutherland classic “Don’t Look Now.” The channel will also host the streaming premiere of the animated “Chicken For Linda!”
— AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr
— On the 4th of July, country music star Zach Bryan will release a new studio album, “The Great American Bar Scene.” Little is known about it just yet. There will be 18 tracks — 17 songs and a poem — and it will be previewed at bars around the U.S. and Canada before hitting streaming on Independence Day. (Listen, it would be foolish to expect a traditional rollout from the sometimes-irreverent musician, who just two years ago released a live album titled “All My Homies Hate Ticketmaster.”) The album will feature “Purple Gas,” a duet with the Canadian up-and-comer Noeline Hofmann, as well as “Pink Skies,” a folksy tearjerker that AP recently named one of the songs of the summer. That song is an exemplar of Bryan’s specific skillset — little more than an acoustic guitar, harmonica, and raspy, specific storytelling that reveals universal truths. “The kids are in town for a funeral,” he sings. “So pack the car and dry your eyes.” He’s an expert at writing a novel in few words, so prepare to take notes.
— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman
— The beloved animated children’s series “Bluey,” about a family of dogs, rolls out super short episodes this summer between one and three-minutes long. The first seven minisodes will begin airing Wednesday on Disney+. A second batch of minisodes will be released later this year.
— NBC’s “Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks” is now in its 48th year. This Independence Day, the sky over New York’s Hudson River will light up in patriotic colors and pyrotechnics. Country singer Mickey Guyton will host alongside media personality Zuri Hall. The festivities air live Wednesday beginning at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.
— Summer is for sharks. Discovery Channel’s annual “Shark Week” kicks off on Sunday, July 7 with John Cena as host. The network has 21 hours of original programming to sink your teeth into, hosted by John Cena. “Shark Week” will also stream on Max.
— Former reality star, Hannah Berner, who was a cast member on Bravo’s “Summer House,” is ready to debut her first comedy special. “We Ride At Dawn” drops Sunday, July 7 on Netflix. Berner is also the co-host of the popular podcast “Giggly Squad” with former “Summer House” cast member, Paige DeSorbo.
— While TikTok gets most of the headlines, Chinese video games have been finding more of a Western audience over the last few years. At the crest of the wave is Shanghai-based MiHoYo, developers of the fantasy role-playing game Genshin Impact and the sci-fi epic Honkai: Star Rail. The studio’s new adventure, Zenless Zone Zero, takes place in a urban wasteland that’s under attack by creatures from alternate dimensions. Like MiHoYo’s previous hits, ZZZ is free to play — though you’re certainly encouraged to spend cash on collectibles found around the city. You can start trying to find your Zen Thursday on PlayStation 5, PC, iOS or Android.
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