What to Watch This Week | 9 Recent Works Worth Your Time

☕️ TL;DR

Recent highlights worth watching: Stranger Things Season 5 / Final Season (Part 1), Zootopia 2, Taxi Driver Season 3 (K-drama), Such Brave Girls (UK), The Glorious My Life (K-drama), Extended Family Season 2 (US), Train Dreams (film), Salt Road (film), Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age (documentary).

A few exciting new trailers: Expelled from Paradise: Resonance of the Heart, new trailer; Dream Team, new trailer; Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale Part 1 & 2 release-date trailer; Witness for the Prosecution, new trailer.

A few industry news items: Chiikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island officially greenlit; Rainbow confirmed for China release; A Young Mother’s House confirmed for China release; Love in the Time Loop confirmed for China release; Trump pushes development of Rush Hour 4; The Mandalorian & Grogu releases new poster.

[TV Series] Stranger Things Season 5 / Final Season (Part 1)

Keywords: Drama / Sci-Fi / Mystery / Thriller / Horror / Fantasy
Also known as: Stranger Things Season 5
Runtime: ~60 min per episode × 8 episodes (first four episodes of Part 1 now available)
Where to watch: Netflix; Douban link

Episode 4… divine.

@潘誉晗: Picking up right where Season 4 ended, the massive rift has left Hawkins in ruins. Under the military’s strict control, the town sits in an eerie calm. The protagonists appear to be moving on with their lives, but Vecna’s disappearance keeps everyone on edge. Divided loosely by age into three groups, they set out separately, determined to find Vecna and face him once and for all.

The final season of the acclaimed hit Stranger Things arrives in three parts. Part 1 (episodes 1–4) dropped this week. Part 2 (episodes 5–7) will release on December 26, and the final episode (episode 8) will air as a New Year’s special on January 1, 2026, at 9 AM CST.

Though it’s been three and a half years, the season arrives with sincerity. The massive budget is on full display in the effects and audiovisual experience. New storytelling elements add intrigue: Holly being targeted, Max’s uncertain awakening, Will’s emerging powers… Multi-threaded narratives make the story feel expansive, and the numerous subplots keep the suspense sharp.

[Film] Zootopia 2

Keywords: Comedy / Adventure / Mystery
Also known as: Zootopia 2
Runtime: 108 minutes, with a post-credits scene
Where to watch: In theaters; Douban link

You’re my bunny burrow.

@SHY: Rabbit Judy and fox Nick, now true partners, are still dismissed by the precinct. After uncovering a clue that the chief ignores, they sneak into the city’s 100th-anniversary banquet—only to catch an uninvited guest and simultaneously get framed as accomplices. As they fight to clear their names, long-buried truths about Zootopia’s past begin to surface.

Nine years later, returning to Zootopia may lose a bit of novelty, but the vibrant metropolis remains staggering. The breathtaking chase sequence introduces the reptile district; the climate walls that separate ecosystems finally step into the spotlight, revealing deeper secrets behind the city’s operation. New character Gary the snake is equally memorable—his species’ traits cleverly woven into the plot. Beneath the solid storytelling lies the same strong anti-prejudice message.

Directors try hard to insist Judy and Nick are “just partners,” but the on-screen chemistry suggests otherwise: bickering, heartfelt conversations, romantic tension so strong even the background animal crowd is shipping them. Packed with jokes and Easter eggs, the adventure ends with a signature Gazelle live performance. As the whole city erupts into celebration, this crowd-pleasing sequel fully earns its status as a year-end blockbuster for all ages.

**[K-Drama] Taxi Driver Season 3**

Keywords: Drama / Action / Suspense / Crime
Also known as: 모범택시 3 / Taxi Driver Season 3
Runtime: ~65 min per episode × 16 episodes; Douban link

I’m just a taxi driver.

@潘誉晗: One day, the Rainbow Transport team receives a phone call from Japan. A young girl sobs her name and begs to go home—but before she can finish, she’s captured by a group of men. The call ends with her screams swallowed by the sea wind. The taxi team quickly investigates and discovers her disappearance is linked to an online loan scam: predators lure women through online games, push them into debt, then force them to work in Japan.

With the original cast returning, Season 3 premiered to record-breaking ratings—2025’s highest first-day numbers for a Korean series. The show’s comeback is indeed impressive: the team’s first case takes them overseas, bringing fresh excitement. Combined with yakuza-style plot elements and explicit nods to Kurosawa, the arc feels distinctly Japanese. Sharp, efficient cinematography elevates the action, delivering crisp, cathartic fight scenes—each punch from Kim Do-gi expresses fury and rebellion against injustice.

[British Series] Hot Flush

Keywords: Drama
Also known as: Riot Women / Hot Flush
Runtime: ~60 min per episode × 6 episodes; Douban link

Music doesn’t care about age.

@潘誉晗: One day, bar owner Jessie visits her granddaughter’s school and discovers they plan to hold a parents’ talent show to raise funds for refugees. Wanting to contribute, Jessie impulsively decides to form a women’s rock band. She calls her old friend Beth, who plays piano—and the timing couldn’t have been more crucial, because at that very moment Beth was preparing to hang herself.

With suicide as its cold opening, the show feels heavy for a few minutes, but as the story unfolds it quickly becomes empowering. After all, who would expect five middle-aged women—dismissed by society as being in the second half of life—to pick up punk and rock? Naturally, everyone around them is shocked. Jessie’s daughter can’t understand her mother: Jessie is already busy running a bar, raising grandchildren, tending to the family. At her age, why bother?

And so the heart of the show emerges amid all the misunderstanding: one should live for oneself. What looks like chaotic, noisy music is actually the purest outlet for these women—letting them stop suppressing themselves, scream their truths, and set their spirits free.

[K-Drama] The Dream Life of Mr. Kim

Keywords: Drama
Also known as: 김부장 / The Dream Life of Mr. Kim
Runtime: 60–70 min per episode × 8 episodes
Where to watch: Netflix; Douban link

As a department head, my next step is obviously becoming an executive, right?

@潘誉晗: Kim Nak-su has worked at a telecom company for over twenty years, a textbook “successful man” in the eyes of society. As a department head, he earns a high salary; he bought a home before prices skyrocketed; his family is harmonious, with a devoted wife and a top-school son about to graduate. Determined to make one last push for an executive position—his final chance—Kim begins preparing… only for his career to suddenly fall apart, one blow after another.

Midlife crisis isn’t a rare theme, but this series shines in the way it first flatters, then crushes, Nak-su’s self-image. He’s not designed to be likable: obsequious to his superiors yet domineering toward subordinates; vain and competitive; at home, he expects to be treated like royalty. So when this old-school patriarch gets demoted and exiled within the company, viewers find it hard to feel sorry for him.

Ryu Seung-ryong’s performance elevates the show significantly. He embodies both the oppressive machismo of a middle-aged man and the vulnerability of someone repeatedly humiliated by professional setbacks.

**[U.S. Series] A Man on the Inside Season 2**

Keywords: Comedy / Crime
Also known as: A Man on the Inside Season 2
Runtime: ~30 min per episode × 8 episodes
Where to watch: Netflix; Douban link

I’m a private investigator—very skilled at catching cheaters (just kidding).

@潘誉晗: To keep Wheeler University afloat, President Jack secures sponsorship from wealthy alumnus Brad, whose recent public statements have stirred controversy. Jack’s computer is stolen, followed by a threatening letter: if he accepts the donation, the secrets on his computer will be exposed. Charles goes undercover as a professor to find the culprit.

It seems that once a quiet life gets a taste of excitement, it’s hard to go back. For Charles, the retirement-home case in Season 1 gave him a satisfying detective thrill. So the chance to go undercover again feels irresistible. What he doesn’t expect: despite his improved skills and high-tech tools, he becomes intrigued by one of the suspects—causing hesitation. Now that he’s regained a sense of purpose as a detective, should he allow himself to fall into a new romance?

Ted Danson continues to deliver an excellent performance. His gentle, elegant presence gives the character charm and invites deeper reflection on what life can be like in one’s later years.

[Film] Train Dreams

Keywords: Drama
Also known as: Train Dreams
Runtime: 102 minutes
Where to watch: Netflix; Douban link

To live freely and lonely in this world.

@Sholmes: Robert, a man from Idaho, lost both parents at a young age and later worked grueling jobs in logging and railroad construction. After marrying Gladys and having a daughter, he experiences happiness for the first time. To earn money he spends long stretches on the road, working alongside quiet, weathered laborers and witnessing tragedies, such as coworkers crushed by falling trees. He longs to stop wandering and build a small sawmill with his wife—but a devastating fire separates him from his family forever.

The film uses Robert’s personal journey to reflect the sweeping forces of his era. Racial tensions in America were rising sharply: as a child he saw Chinese immigrants forcibly expelled; as an adult he saw a white coworker shot by a Black man seeking revenge. Robert and his fellow workers are infinitesimal—so insignificant that after death, only a pair of boots nailed to a tree marks their existence, as though a lifetime of toil dissolves into the forest without a trace.

Yet the film gently shows that meaning can still be found—in fleeting joy, the beauty of nature, and the chance encounters between people. Robert’s life becomes a tapestry of memories—happiness, fear, confusion, loneliness, wonder. As the movie suggests, even an ordinary or desolate life contains an inexplicable kind of poetry.

[Film] The Salt Path

Keywords: Drama
Also known as: The Salt Path
Runtime: ~115 minutes
Read the original book; Douban link

You’re salted.

@潘誉晗: Raynor and Moth are an elderly couple living peacefully on a farm in Wales. Their modest life is comfortable enough—until a friend betrays them, plunging them into debt after a failed investment. To make matters worse, Moth is diagnosed with a rare, terminal illness. With no money and dwindling time, the couple makes a bold decision: they pack a tent and begin walking the South West Coast Path of England, embarking on a journey of self-discovery.

Based on the memoir by British author Raynor Winn, the film depicts a couple’s tender companionship through hardship. Their trek reveals not only Raynor and Moth’s moving love for each other, but also the beauty of their spirits. Despite having only £40 a week to live on, they continue helping others without hesitation. Though forced into homelessness, they never abandon their search for poetry amid displacement, constantly striving to find meaning in life even in the harshest moments.

The coastline is stunning, and the power of nature helps them rediscover the purpose of living.

[Documentary] Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age

Keywords: Nature / History
Also known as: Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age
Runtime: ~35–42 minutes per episode × 5 episodes
Where to watch: Apple TV+; Douban link

The Ice Age was more than snow and storms.

@利兹与青鸟: Co-produced by BBC Studios and Apple TV+, the Prehistoric Planet series turns its focus from dinosaurs to the Ice Age in this installment. Narration switches from David Attenborough to Tom Hiddleston—not a traditional documentary narrator, but his cool, crystalline voice fits the windswept chill of the Ice Age remarkably well. Each episode centers on a distinct environment—frozen worlds, new lands, deserts, grasslands, meltwater plains—showing how ancient creatures survived, and ending with expert interviews that explain scientific findings from that era.

The documentary opens with the familiar woolly mammoth and introduces the Ice Age climate: the coldest in over 50 million years, with nearly a quarter of Earth frozen. Even so, animals found places to thrive. Warm cave systems form underground cities; night-vision shots capture intense battles in pitch darkness; voles carve winding tunnels through sparkling snow for warmth and safety. The series vividly presents creatures unfamiliar to many viewers—chalicotheres, diprotodons, elephant birds, bears over a ton in weight, terror birds 1.8 meters tall—painting a detailed and mesmerizing portrait of the real Ice Age.

[Film] Save the Earth @SHY: Michelle, the accomplished CEO of a pharmaceutical company, is kidnapped by two conspiracy-obsessed young men, Teddy and Dong, who believe she’s an alien. Losing her beautiful hair is only the beginning—she must also figure out how to survive and escape. A remake of the 2003 Korean film, this version reunites director Yorgos Lanthimos and actress Emma Stone. As expected, it’s a paranoid, bizarre, cultish black comedy with Lanthimos’ signature eccentricity dialed up even further. Saturated with biting satire, the film ends with a sudden, absurd twist.

[Chinese Series] Why Is He Still Single @潘誉晗: Adapted from the Japanese series The Man Who Can’t Get Married, this drama follows interior designer Yu Yu and doctor Gu Yejia as they navigate a growing romantic connection. While keeping the core premise, the Chinese adaptation adds localized elements—such as elders constantly urging the unmarried couple to wed or go on blind dates—making it feel instantly relatable. As a light urban rom-com, the show is packed with laughs; many of the male lead’s sharp-tongued comments are unexpectedly hilarious.

[Film] The Roofman @利兹与青鸟: Jeffrey, an ex-soldier who struggles to earn a living, resorts to robbing a McDonald’s. After being arrested and later escaping from prison, he hides inside a Toys “R” Us. Surrounded by security cameras, he still manages to create a small world of his own, entertaining himself for months. In time, he even begins stepping out into the sunlight and finds romance. When an opportunity to escape abroad finally presents itself, he must choose between fleeing and embracing the warmth of newfound human connection.
This heartwarming film is based on a real-life story legendary enough to make one sigh, “Only in America.” It also raises thoughtful questions about escape and belonging, rationality and emotion.

[Reality Show] Physical: 100 Season 3 — Asia Challenge @潘誉晗: The widely acclaimed reality competition Physical: 100 returns with an even grander concept for Season 3—teams from eight countries (South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, Indonesia, Australia, the Philippines, and Turkey) compete in national squads. Representing one’s country gives contestants explosive drive; they plan meticulously according to the mission and display deep trust and support for one another. The show’s central theme—“the beauty of strength”—is expressed powerfully through these intense, collaborative challenges.

📅 New Trailers This Week

New Trailer for Expelled from Paradise: Resonance of the Heart

On November 22, the animated film Expelled from Paradise: Resonance of the Heart released a new teaser trailer, announcing its Japanese theatrical date: November 13, 2026. The original creative team returns—directed by Seiji Mizushima, written by Gen Urobuchi, character design by Saitō Masatsugu, music by NARASAKI, produced by Toei Animation, and starring Ayane Sakura, Saori Hayami, Yoshino Aoyama, and Sally Amaki. Source

New Trailer for The Miracle Dream Team

On November 24, the animated film The Miracle Dream Team released a new trailer and is set for global release in February 2026. NBA superstar Stephen Curry serves as producer, with the production team from Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse crafting the film. Fighting alongside rhinos, going head-to-head with stallions—when Will the little goat steps onto a field full of predators, can he defy the odds and become a true GOAT? Source

Release Trailers for Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale (Parts I & II)

On November 26, the Taiwanese anti-Japanese epic Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale released its release-date trailers. Part I hits theaters on December 12, and Part II follows on December 13. The film tells the fierce story of Taiwanese people rising up against Japanese atrocities. It was nominated for the Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival and competed for the Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars. Source

New Trailer for Witness for the Prosecution

On November 27, the 1957 suspense crime classic Witness for the Prosecution released a new Chinese-dubbed trailer from Shanghai Film Dubbing Studio. Adapted from Agatha Christie’s novel and directed by Billy Wilder, the film stars Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich, and Charles Laughton. This edition marks the film’s first theatrical release in mainland China, premiering on December 5.

New Release Trailer for Peace Year After Year
The film follows the emotionally complex relationship between Liu Suisui (played by Duan Aojuan) and her mother Li Mei (Liu Weiwei), filled with mutual testing, guilt, and unspoken tension. Duan Aojuan received a Best Actress nomination at the 38th Golden Rooster Awards for her performance. The film will be released nationwide through the National Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas on December 16.

First Official Trailer for How to Make a Fortune
Starring Glen Powell and Margaret Qualley, written and directed by John Patton Ford, and inspired by the 1949 comedy Kind Hearts and Coronets, the film revolves around the inheritance of a billion-dollar fortune. Ciara Hindswick, Ed Harris, Topher Grace, Bill Camp, and Zach Woods also star. It will premiere in North America on February 20 next year.

New Trailer for Marvel’s Live-Action Series Wonder Man
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, James Ponsoldt, and Stella Meghie, the series sees Ben Kingsley return as actor Trevor Slattery, starring alongside Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The story centers on Simon Williams—AKA “Wonder Man”—a founding member of the West Coast Avengers in Los Angeles. The series premieres on Disney+ on January 27, 2026.

📽 Film & TV News Weekly Report

Production Confirmed for Chikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island

On November 24, Chikawa announced the production of its animated film Chikawa: The Secret of Mermaid Island, slated for release in Japan in Summer 2026. Directed by Kei Oikawa and produced by Cygames Pictures, the film adapts a story originally posted by creator nagano on X in 2023. After receiving a special invitation, the adorable trio sets off for a mysterious island for a group retreat. Source

“Rainbow” Confirmed for Mainland China Release

On November 21, the animated film Rainbow was confirmed for distribution in mainland China, with its release date yet to be determined. Directed and written by Hugo Bienvenu, produced and voiced by Natalie Portman, the film tells the story of a boy, Arco, and a girl, Iris, who meet across a thousand-year time divide and embark on an adventure. It won the Crystal Award for Best Feature Film and Best Original Music at the 2025 Annecy International Animation Film Festival. Source

“The Young Mother’s Home” Confirmed for Mainland China Release

On November 21, the film The Young Mother’s Home was confirmed for mainland China release, with its release date to be announced. Directed and written by Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne, the film stars Babette Woubishet, Elsa Houben, Janaina Halloy, Lucie Laureyns, and Samia Himi. Shot in a documentary-like style, the film focuses on the growth and redemption of young mothers and won Best Screenplay at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. Source

“Love in Time” Confirmed for Mainland China Release

On November 21, the film Love in Time was confirmed for release in mainland China, with its date pending. Directed by John Crowley and written by Nick Payne, the film stars Andrew Garfield and Florence Pugh. After falling in love and building a life together, a sudden revelation shakes the foundation of their happiness. Its nonlinear narrative explores the bonds of love and life and confronts the trials of existence. Source

Trump Pushes for Development of Rush Hour 4

On November 25, Semafor exclusively reported—and multiple outlets confirmed—that U.S. President Donald Trump pressured Paramount to greenlight Rush Hour 4. Brett Ratner, director of the original trilogy, returns, with Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker reprising their roles. After years of inactivity due to sexual misconduct allegations, this marks Ratner’s first film project since the Melania Trump documentary. Source

New Poster Released for The Mandalorian & Grogu

On November 27, the film The Mandalorian & Grogu released a new poster. The story follows the next galactic adventure of Din Djarin (the Mandalorian) and Grogu (Baby Yoda). Directed by Jon Favreau, the film is set to premiere in North America on May 21, 2026.

SP-Life