Everything That’s Streaming in March

After a fairly dry release schedule in January and February, March is bringing a flood of fresh new movies and shows with must-watch titles in every category. The 2022 Academy Awards are also coming at the end of this month, and streaming services are offering Oscar-nominated films like King Richard, The Power of the Dog, and Dune to catch up on the contenders before awards night. If “bad people podcast” adaptations are your thing, there’s a spate of real-life exposés like The Dropout and The Girl from Plainville; and in the world of sci-fi, the MCU offers an electrifying but fragmented new hero in Moon Knight. Genre-cracking international gems like Drive My Car and Pachinko are getting much-deserved exposure, and gamers are ecstatic to dive into the long-awaited videogame epic Halo. From historical romance to animation, check out all the big new titles coming to streaming in March.

Netflix

Bridgerton Season 2 (March 25) – The titillating romance series blessed streaming audiences with Shonda Rhimes’s spicy take on Julia Quinn’s bestselling bodice-rippers; its sophomore season sees libidinous rich families with names like (probably) Highmoorpenny and Gildshireworth continue to maneuver for the fattest piece of the pie in Regency-era England. In season two, the penniless Featherington family looks to new leadership to pick up the pieces, and Anthony Bridgerton attempts to dominate the social season in order to find himself an empire-waisted bride.

Soil (March 17) – Two Belgian brothers dream up a crazy plan to import Moroccan soil to bury their community’s dead, as an alternative to repatriation. The film looks frankly at end-of-life customs that Muslims hold sacred, the tight alliances and generational differences that emerge from immigrant people-groups, and the spiritual bonds of home.

Windfall (March 18) – The neo-Hitchcockian thriller from director Charlie McDowell (Silicon Valley, Dear White People) finds a man (Jason Segel) breaking into the vacation home of a wealthy couple (Lily Collins and Jesse Plemons), who interrupt the crime and become hostages. The trailer hints at deeper waters flowing between the three, and Plemons, who’s up for an Academy Award for his role in The Power of the Dog, tempts our better natures with the blindingly obtuse line: “try being a rich white guy these days—it sucks!” I’ll take your word for it. 

Human Resources (March 18) – The anticipated Big Mouth spin-off, a workplace comedy set in the world of the monsters who help humans manage their complicated, sloppy bodies, is carrying on the grand tradition of anthropomorphizing chemicals and mental illness to somehow help pubescent teens navigate their hormones. Fans will get a peek at the professional lives of Tito (Maria Bamford), Maury (Nick Kroll), Rochelle (Keke Palmer) and Connie (Maya Rudolph), with new characters voiced by Rosie Perez, Randall Park, Henry Winkler, Aidy Bryant and Jemaine Clement. The adult sitcom is part of a production deal with Netflix that includes three more seasons of Big Mouth.

Also playing:

Starship Troopers (March 1)

The Andy Warhol Diaries (March 9)

Formula 1: Drive to Survive Season 4 (March 11)

A Walk Among Tombstones (March 16)

Visit Netflix for a full list of releases.

Hulu

The Dropout (March 3) – The strange new trend of investigative exposés like Inventing Anna and The Tinder Swindler continues, with a new eight-episode series about Elizabeth Holmes (Amanda Seyfried) that aims to reveal the enigmatic shill behind the headlines. How did the promising biotech wunderkind defraud investors out of millions with nothing more than a sloppy bun, a killer baritone and an impossible blood testing scheme? Based on the popular podcast of the same name, The Dropout also stars Kate McKinnon, Naveen Andrews, William H. Macy and Nicky Endres.

The Thing About Pam series premiere (March 8) – When Betsy Faria is found stabbed 55 times in her home in 2011, her husband Russ is tried and convicted of the gruesome murder. But the real story is much more twisted. Renee Zellweger, her metabolism teetering on collapse after the Bridget Jones movies, strapped on a fat suit instead to play Faria’s best friend Pam Hupp, a sunny mom-of-two with serious ulterior motives. The limited series also stars Glenn Flesher (Joker, Billions), Josh Duhamel and Judy Greer.

Deep Water (March 18) – The scorching thriller stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas in an erotic fever dream about a rich man whose wife’s lovers begin to disappear—but is he to blame? Director Adrian Lyne mines moody sexual themes and steamy mind games in his first film since 2002’s Unfaithful. De Armas and Affleck’s on-set chemistry led to briefly dating IRL; now that Affleck has reunited with Jennifer Lopez, let’s all hold our breath for Gigli 2.

The Girl from Plainville (March 29) – Elle Fanning is the petite blond villainess in the horrifying true story of Michelle Carter, a teenager who encouraged her boyfriend to kill himself in a barrage of texts – which he eventually did. The limited series highlights their relationship, the events that led to his death, and her involuntary manslaughter conviction, which drew intense public debate about American law, medical ethics and suicide.

Also playing:

Blue Velvet (March 1)

Look Who’s Talking (March 1)

Masterchef Junior Season 8 premiere (March 18)

American Song Contest series premiere (March 22)

Visit Hulu for a full list of releases.

Amazon Prime:

Lucy and Desi (March 4) – On the heels of Oscar nominations for Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem in Being the Ricardos, a new Amy Poehler documentary explores the history, one-of-a-kind partnership and dynasty of the original television funny couple, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Poehler’s thoughtful gaze reaches beyond the camera to touch the brilliant, flawed duo with striking emotional nuance; the doc also features interviews with their children Lucie and Desi Jr., Norman Lear, Carol Burnett and Bette Midler.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical season 1 (March 4) –Fans rejoiced when Karl Urban (Billy Butcher) broke the news at a comic-con last year: The animated spin-off to Amazon’s dark comedy The Boys is on its way. “[The producers] have asked a few of their celebrity mates to cook up eight deliciously unique, twisted, animated episodes set in the world of The Boys.” Producer Eric Kripke promises “completely unexpected, funny, shocking, gory, moist, emotional episodes” written by Aisha Tyler, Seth Rogen, Andy Samberg, Awkwafina, and Eliot and Ilana Glazer.

MotoGP Unlimited (March 14) – A new docuseries follows the stunning 2021 MotoGP world championship filled with injuries, comebacks and sponsorship drama, and tracks Fabio Quartararo’s journey to the title. The 8-part series offers racing fans VIP access to the sport’s talented paddock and spills the tea behind the season’s biggest moves. The series is slated for release the week before the 2022 season kicks off in Qatar.

Lizzo’s Watch Out for the Big Grrrls (March 25) –  Ten women share ambition, body positivity and devastating dance moves in a new “reality house” competition series hosted by Grammy-winning Lizzo. The “Truth Hurts” singer is going all out to find curvy, confident performers to join her world tour—and the hopeful dancers must push themselves to the limit at her “boot camp” to prove they have what it takes to shine next to the pop sensation.

Also playing:

Blacula (March 1)

Spaceballs (March 1)

Upload Season 2 (March 4)

Harina (March 10)

Visit Amazon Prime for a full list of releases.

HBO Max

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, series premiere (March 6) – The drip. The glory. The hair. Adam McKay’s flashy miniseries chronicles the birth of the legendary L.A. Lakers in the 80’s under the leadership of Magic Johnson (Quincy Isaiah), offering a sexy, textured riff on the team’s bananas origin story. McKay, already prepping for a second season, shrugs off recent legal pushback from the NBA, the Lakers, and Johnson himself, who aren’t eager to relive potentially embarrassing locker room stories. But judging from the trailer’s recent reception, Lakers fans will drink the tea even if it comes with a cease-and-desist order. Also stars John C. Reilly (team owner Jerry Buss), Sally Field (Jessie Buss), Jason Segal (coach Paul Westhead), Adrien Brody (Pat Riley),and Jason Clarke (general manager Jerry West).

Drive My Car (March 7) – 2022 brings the first Japanese film to ever be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar. A famous playwright, confronted by his wife’s sudden death, befriends his chauffeur on the path toward unraveling the haunting truths she left behind. Haruki Murakama’s sere, stirring short story, adapted into a three-hour runtime by Ryusuke Hamaguchi somehow, is also up for Best Director, Best International Feature Film, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

Blade Runner: Black Lotus Season 1 (March 14) – A girl replicant with no memory seeks first the harrowing secrets of her past, then brutal revenge, in the Adult Swim/Crunchyroll anime series based on the Blade Runner franchise. Events take place ten years after the 2022 blackout and confront the philosophies behind suffering, identity and the solubility of memory. Although some critics are panning its underwhelming CGI and uninspired world-building, it has enough Easter eggs, origin stories and production hooks (including writing by Philip K. Dick and a brief “making of” doc) to keep viewers engaged.

DMZ Season 1 premiere (March 17) – When civil war breaks out in a futuristic America and Manhattan becomes a demilitarized zone, a medic (Rosario Dawson) must find her lost son and face down the warring factions trying to plunder the DMZ’s resources. Based on the eponymous DC comic book series by Brian Wood, the dystopian series also stars Benjamin Bratt, Hoon Lee, Nora Dunn and Rutina Wesley.

Also playing:

The Larry David Story (March 1)

Gaming Wall Street Season 1 premiere (March 3)

Dune 2021 (March 6)

Whose Line Is It Anyway? Seasons 1-8 (March 8)

Our Flag Means Death Season 1 premiere (March 3)

Visit HBO Max for a full list of releases.

Disney Plus

Turning Red (March 11) – Pixar’s biggest films (Toy Story, Monsters Inc, Inside Out, Finding Nemo) betray its brand: curating and sentimentalizing puberty (or death, if you consider Up). Turning Red, Pixar’s first fully female-led film, looks like much the same fare: opinionated 13-year-old Chinese-Canadian Mei Lee bounces between obedience to tradition and teenage rebellion, turning into a giant red panda when she’s stressed or upset. Menstrual metaphor aside, director Domee Shi says many of Mei’s cringy interactions with her mother were based largely on Shi’s teenage conversations with her own mom.

Cheaper By the Dozen (March 18) – A cheery, diverse rendering of the classic mixed-family comedy that spurted to popularity along with rising divorce rates in the 50’s, the remake finds Gabrielle Union and Zach Braff wrangling their ten kids from previous marriages while managing a family business in New Jersey. The trailer overlays classic Disney slapstick with updated themes (technology, interracial marriage) and chuckle-worthy lines: “What are you guys playing?” asks an older sister as the kids zoom around the house on wheeled toys. “Drag race!” they respond. “Fun, I love RuPaul,” she says, nose in her phone. Ahhh, family life.

Moon Knight (March 30) – Marvel’s dark, brutal comic explores the multiple identities of Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac), an unassuming gift-shop employee whose mercenary alter-egos unleash the darkest corners of his id. Now he’s embroiled in an Indiana-Jones-sized mystery when he becomes a conduit for an ancient Egyptian god. The six-episode series also stars Ethan Hawke as creepy cult leader Arthur and May Calamawy as Layla, a woman from Grant’s past.

Also playing:

West Side Story (March 2)

More Than Robots (March 18)

OLIVIA RODRIGO: driving home 2 u (March 25)

Visit Disney+ for a full list of releases.

Apple TV+

The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey (March 11) – The six-episode drama based on the Walter Mosley book opens on a lonely 91-year-old man with dementia (Samuel L. Jackson), forgotten by his family and relying on the care of orphaned teen Robyn (Dominique Fishback). When they explore a new treatment to restore his memories, startling truths about Ptolemy’s past float to the surface and he must use his brief moments of clarity to solve his nephew’s death.

WeCrashed (March 18) – In another bafflingly drawn-out miniseries that could handily snuggle into 90 minutes, Anne Hathaway chains herself to the languorous corpse that is Jared Leto to portray the narcissistic lovers behind one of the world’s most valuable startups. The series follows the toxic dynamics behind WeWork, which exploded from a bare-bones coworking platform to a $47-billion brand juggernaut– then sank into insolvency within a year. The series also features O-T Fagbenle as an investor and America Ferrera as a young entrepreneur. Jared Leto grows out his hair or something.

Pachinko (March 25) – Based on the epic Min Jin Lee novel that follows an immigrant Korean family’s journey across generations and countries, the international drama series sweeps a broad narrative path through forbidden love, war and prejudice. The ambitious show, boasting dialogue in three languages and condensing the 500-page saga into six episodes, stars Lee Min-ho as Hansu, Anna Sawai as Naomi, and Min-ha Kim and Youn Yuh-jung as Sunja. The first three episodes arrive March 25^th, followed by weekly installments every Friday.

Also playing:

The Problem with Jon Stewart (March 3)

Dear Season 2 (March 4)

Central Park Season 2 (March 4)

The Snoopy Show Season 2 (March 11)

Visit Apple TV+ for a full list of releases.

Paramount+

Star Trek: Picard Season 2 (March  3) –  The second season of the popular reboot finds Picard trapped in the 21^stcentury thanks to the machinations of the conniving Q (John de Lancie) and battling for the future of the galaxy. Creators say season 2 is more reflective, focusing on the grudging affection of the two old enemies and Raffi and Seven’s emotionally evolving relationship. The Next Generation alumni also includes Brent Spiner returning as a member of the Soong family, Jonathan Frakes (Commander Riker) directing several episodes, and Whoopi Goldberg guest-starring as Guinan. Executive producer Michael Chabon will also reprise his writing role in two episodes.

HALO series premiere (March 24) – Suit up Spartans! After years of rumors, false hopes and false starts, the godfather of first-person shooter games finally has a show—and it’s so lit it’s already been renewed for a second season. To the breathless joy of nerds everywhere, Master Chief is hitting screens to conquer alien hordes in the live-action adaptation that’s expected to largely stick to the plot of the video games. Halo stars Pablo Schreiber (American Gods) as Master Chief, Natascha McElhone (Californication) as Dr. Halsey, and Jen Taylor will return in her voice actor role as AI assistant Cortana.

Also playing:

Edward Scissorhands (March 1)

The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder season premiere (March 31)

Visit Paramount+ for a full list of releases.