Your Weekend Watch: The Best New & Continuing Shows to Watch This Weekend
- 1 day ago
- 4 min read
Updated: 6 minutes ago
Greetings, peoples and muppets of the internet! Are you overwhelmed by the deluge of never-ending content? Have no fear! Captain Bandy of the Night Watch is at your service. Your intrepid Captain of Content braved the endless morass of streaming services to prepare for your viewing pleasure the "Internet's Definitive Listicle for the Weekend's Best Programs." Enjoy!
Your Captain of Content, Captain Bandy of The Night Watch.
1 House of the Dragon
Premieres: Sunday, June 19 @ 9:00 PM PT/ET
Streaming: HBO Max
The boys at the Night's Watch (not to be confused with our outfit here) can't stop talking about the latest foray in Westeros, House of the Dragon. HotD, which begins its third season this Sunday, takes places in the world of Westeros, 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones. Reviews of the first half of the season are in, and the chatter is positive. Rotten Tomatoes, the internet's unofficial reviews aggregator, currently awards a critic's score of 97%. Long time fans, like yours truly, will remain understandably wary until the credits roll on the finale. Many (your Captain included) felt Season 2 was a letdown. And, of course, Then there was the public falling out between the George R.R. Martin and the show's creator, which is never a good sign. Your Captain loved the smaller stakes and tighter focus of A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. We will see a "return to form" with Season 3 or if it will jump the dragon.
2 Just Wrapped: Widow's Bay
Premiere Date: April 29 (to June 17)
Network: Apple TV
Are you looking for a longer watch this weekend? The last episode of Widow's Bay aired on June 17 on Wednesday, and it's been one of the breakout hits of the Spring 2026 Season. Pop culture sleuths have described this series like so, "imagine the mayor from Jaws were the main character of a TV show?" I'll offer a slight tweak to this tagline: Imagine if the mayor ruled over a jurisdiction of Jaws, Carrie, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and a grab bag of horror movies. Widow's Bay takes place on a secluded island somewhere off the American Northeast. Tom Loftis, the mayor of this island enclave, hopes to make his home the next Martha's Vineyard. One problem: The island is haunted. Very haunted. The most haunted. Each episode follows a "scare of the week" format that takes inspiration from a big library of classic scary tropes. What makes this series work for Captain Bandy is the balance between scares and laughs. If you're in that Venn Diagram of people who like weird comedy and scary shows, Captain Bandy recommends bingeing this one.
3 About to Wrap: Witch Hat Atelier
Premiere Date: Sunday, October 29
Network: Apple TV
The Spring 2026 season of anime has just wrapped, and that means it's a great time to catch up on the backlog or, if you're new to the medium, to jump in. Among the biggest profile releases this season is the prestige anime, Witch Hat Atelier. Fantasy anime has entered a renaissance with new classics like Frieren: Beyond Journey's End and Delicious in Dungeon, and now we can add another to that list. The manga gained a devoted following for its beautiful visual style, world-building, and pacing. The show follows Coco, a boisterous girl, who accidentally learns the secrets of magic. The show is beautiful and heart-filled.
4 Toy Story
Premiere Date: Friday, June 19 in Theaters
Fancy a trip to the movie theater this weekend? While Obsession and Backrooms have been lighting up the box office, maybe you're looking for something a little more familiar and family-oriented. Toy Story 5 opens this weekend, and critics are enjoying Pixar's latest. The plot of the fifth installment hits close to home, as Woody and company reunite to save a child from her new, attention-grabbing tablet. Toy Story originally released in 1995. Back then, my Dad took me to watch the original. Now, thirty years later (I know), I'll be taking my lieutenant to watch the toy adventure.
5 The 2026 World Cup
Network: YouTube TV, Hulu, Fox One, Tubi, FIFA+
Sports fans are eating good these days. New York is riding high after the Knicks' Cinderella season, taking home the NBA finals trophy for the first time since 1973. That playoffs has been one for the ages with record-breaking win streaks and record-breaking come-from-behind victories. The Stanley Cup also put on a great show with the Carolina Hurricanes besting the Vegas Golden Nights in 6. Well, there's no rest for the weary. Some of you might have been blessed by the Football Gods to watch Lionel Messi's hat trick against Algeria the other day. The Group Stage of the World Cup is heating up. See who makes it to the knockout round. There are a combined 8 games taking place this Saturday and Sunday across North America.
Saturday, June 20, 2026
Group F: Netherlands vs. Sweden @ 1:00 PM ET
Group E: Germany vs. Ivory Coast @ 4:00 PM ET
Group E: Ecuador vs. Curaçao @ 8:00 PM ET
Group F: Tunisia vs. Japan @ 12:00 AM ET
Sunday, June 21, 2026
Group H: Spain vs. Saudi Arabia @ 12:00 PM ET
Group G: Belgium vs. Iran @ 3:00 PM ET
Group H: Uruguay vs. Cape Verde @ 6:00 PM ET
Group G: New Zealand vs. Egypt @ 9:00 PM ET