Best Movies and TV (March 21–23)

Someday your recs will come. Someday you’ll know what’s new. And away to a theater you’ll go. To sit in a theater, you know (or a couch, I don’t know your watch habits). The in-theater selections are between a Disney princess (who doesn’t sing “Someday My Prince Will Come”) and two Robert De Niros, while the at-home streaming options are at least a few whodunnits.

When the White House’s chief usher (Giancarlo Esposito) dies under mysterious circumstances during a State Dinner, world-famous eccentric detective Cordelia Cupp (Uzo Aduba) is on the case with a bumbling FBI special agent (Randall Park) as her ad hoc assistant, just trying to keep up. Everyone living and working in the president’s residence is a suspect, including Ken Marino, Jason Lee, Jane Curtin, and Susan Kelechi Watson. —Tolly Wright

➽ So, how many whodunnit tropes does The Residence stamp?

As an adaptation of the Disney classic, Snow White feels like it dislikes its source material, eschewing most of the 1937 film’s memorable tunes for some new forgettable pop songs. As a story about a young woman trying to reclaim her father’s kingdom, it manages to work just enough. That’s due to Rachel Zegler, who shines as a Disney princess as she acts and sings circles around the rest of the cast, including Gal Gadot’s Evil Queen, who rules over the kingdom, sure, but she seems way more concerned with having gems and looking good at all times.

➽ After a long and controversial road to release, this movie can finally breathe.

This cozy British mystery comedy has finally arrived Stateside. David Mitchell (Peep Show) plays John, a socially awkward puzzle-maker, who is thrust out of his comfortable, quiet life when his identical twin, James, a detective, goes missing. To uncover James’s whereabouts, John assumes his brother’s identity at the police station. John’s investigation gets derailed by a new murder each episode, but wouldn’t you know it, his puzzle skills prove him quite adept at solving whodunnits. —TW

Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis return as Thomas Cromwell and Henry VIII in a continuing adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s stunning trilogy. The performances are the main reason to watch, especially Rylance’s Cromwell, but there’s at least one other draw: great hats. —Kathryn VanArendonk

Warner Bros. couldn’t give us Coyote vs. Acmebut it is giving the world De Niro vs. De Niro organized crime.

Annaleigh Ashford stars as a woman who learns that her father (Dennis Quaid) is the serial killer known as Happy Face. Developed by Jennifer Cacicio (Your Honor) and Robert and Michelle King (Evil), the series is inspired by a true story. — This is Chaney

Ellen Pompeo and Mark Duplass star as Kristine and Michael Barnett, a couple who in real life adopted a child (played here by Imogen Faith Reid) with a rare form of dwarfism in 2010. The Barnetts, most likely inspired by the 2009 film Orphanbecame paranoid that their new daughter, Natalie Grace, wasn’t actually a young girl. They claimed she was 22 years old and essentially abandoned her. It became a hot-button case, so naturally, here’s a dodgy true-crime show about it.

There are a lot of questions that we hope Severance will answer by its season-two finale, but one we’re sure it’ll never address is paid. It’s a touchy subject, but really, how much is brain surgery worth? Well, thankfully, Nic Juarez dived into that crucial Severance mystery for us here. Then, tune in to the wild finale.

The 2024 awards season is over, so clearly the streamers are ready to brag about adding some nominated/winning films to their libraries. You’ve got the season’s darling, Anora, on Huluwhich won Best Picture, and Best Actress for Mikey Madison, and notched filmmaker Sean Baker a record-breaking collection of four Oscars. There’s the Colman Domingo–led quiet knockout Sing Sing on Maxwhich totally deserved more buzz even in a crowded race. And who can forget about Wickednow holding space on Peacock.

Want more? Read our recommendations from the week of March 14.