What To Watch This Week: Stream Our Top 7 TV and Movie Picks (Aug. 31–Sep. 6)

This week’s “What To Watch” picks include the second seasons of the sports comedy “Chad Powers” (Hulu) and the action drama “The Gentlemen” (Netflix), the “Martin” spinoff “The Varnell Hill Show” (Paramount+), and — now that we’re in spooky season — a four-movie “Psycho” marathon (Shudder).

I’m also recommending three movies: the Ryan Reynolds/Kenneth Branagh action comedy “Mayday” (Apple TV), the Gal Gadot action-thriller “The Runner” (Prime Video), and the stoner comedy “The Wrong Girls,” which is available via video-on-demand (VOD) this Tuesday. Let’s hit the couch!

“Psycho” marathon | Shudder | Horror

Movie, Friday, Sept. 1: Looking for a way to kick off the spooky season? If so, I propose a four-flick “Psycho” marathon, as they all land on Shudder today. If you haven’t seen Alfred Hitchcock’s 1960 classic horrorshow “Psycho,” you’ve missed out. Ditto, albeit to a lesser extent, the first two sequels, Richard Franklin’s “Psycho II” (1983) and Anthony “Norman Bates” Perkins’ “Psycho III” (1986). Both films managed to rekindle some of the original’s creeps and even bring something new in the form of dark humor. But Mick Garris’s straight-to-cable “Psycho IV: The Beginning” (1990)? Yeah, you can probably skip that one unless you’re a completist, a masochist, an insomniac, or all three.

“The Varnell Hill Show” | Paramount+ | Comedy

Series premiere, Tuesday, Sept. 1: This half-hour workplace comedy is the first of two planned spinoffs of the ’90s sitcom “Martin,” which starred Martin Lawrence and featured comedian Tommy Davidson (“In Living Color”) as Hill, a self-absorbed late-night talk show host. The new series follows Hill behind the scenes as he tries to stay relevant, contending with meddling network executives, celebrity guests, family drama, a chaotic writers’ room, and his own ego. The ensemble cast includes Kym Whitley, Wendy Raquel Robinson, Nick Cafero, Emmanuel Hudson, and Chris Williams. Also, look for guest appearances by Ms. Pat, Deon Cole, Damon Wayans, Mike Epps, Omarion, and Lawrence who had better show up at least once as Sheneneh Jenkins. Where’s that spinoff, dude?

“The Runner” | Prime Video | Action, drama, thriller

Movie, Wednesday, Sept. 2: In this psychological action thriller from Kevin Macdonald (“The Last King of Scotland”), Gal Gadot plays a top London attorney who gets a phone call on her morning run. If she wants to see her son Noah alive again, she must continue moving, follow all commands, and keep her mouth shut. In the next hour, she must assassinate her star witness in a trial. If she disobeys or fails, Noah and a lot of other people will die. Sounds like a blend of two fun “time’s tickin'” movies — “Speed” and “Run Lola Run” — that’ll go nicely with popcorn.

“Chad Powers” | Hulu | Comedy

Season 2 premiere, Thursday, Sept. 3: Season 1 of the (American) football comedy version of “Mrs. Doubtfire” left us with that awful feeling of secondhand cringe — and impending doom — for “Chad” (Glen Powell). The jig is up with his coach and would-be girlfriend, Ricky (Perry Mattfeld). She knows Chad’s secret, and that he unknowingly slept with her mother (aka the head coach’s wife). Now Ricky’s she’s hurt, severely pissed off, and the only person who can help Chad get through the season, hopefully leading the Catfish to the playoffs. Yikes. All six S2 episodes drop on Hulu today.

“The Gentlemen” | Netflix | Drama

Season 2 premiere, Thursday, Sept. 3: In the second season of this Guy Ritchie-created action comedy series (spinning off his 2019 film of the same name), we catch up with accidental Duke Eddie Horniman. It’s been a year since the end of last season, and The Duke/Eddie (Theo James) and Susie (Kaya Scodelario), are setting up their crooked shop in Italy, where they’ll contend with such business rivals as the mob. All eight episodes arrive on Netflix today — and a third season just got the green light.

“Mayday” | Apple TV | Action, comedy

Movie, Friday, Sept. 4: Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh aren’t the first two actors I’d pair up in a “genre-bending, action-packed buddy comedy that flips the spy thriller on its head.” Or any other buddy comedy, for that matter. I admit, however, that I’m at least a little intrigued by the pairing of the wisecrack specialist/Mint Mobile entrepreneur and the knighted British actor/filmmaker. In the film, set during the Cold War, Reynolds plays a Navy pilot stranded behind enemy lines and forms an alliance — and a bro-bond — with an ex-KGB agent (Branagh) who just loves ‘Murrica.

You wanna watch odd couple Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh in “Mayday”? Getcha some Apple TV ($14.99/mo.). You can also rent movies on demand on the service — no subscription needed.

You’ll need a Hulu subscription ($11.99–$18.99/mo.) to stream the second season of “Chad Powers”.

To watch Season 2 of “The Gentlemen,” you’ll need a Netflix subscription ($8.99–$26.99/mo.).

To watch “The Varnell Hill Show,” you’ll need to subscribe to Paramount+ ($8.99–$13.99/mo.).

If you wanna watch Gal Gadot run her way through “The Runner,” get yourself a Prime Video subscription ($8.99–$19.98/mo.). Prime is also a great place to rent films like “The Wrong Girls” — no sub required.

Be a good son, Norman, and subscribe to Shudder ($7.99–$9.99/mo.) so you can watch Mother in “Psycho” I–IV.