Disney+: new shows streaming this week

Your guide to the best shows and films to stream from 12 to 18 August 2024 on Disney+.
Solar Opposites – Season 5. Image Disney+

Disney+: new to streaming this week

Solar Opposites – Season 5 (12 August)

Series. The return of the animated show in which a family of aliens in middle America chew the fat over whether life is better there or on their home planet. Starring Thomas Middleditch, Sean Giambrone and Mary Mack. Watch the trailer.

Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures – Season 2

Animated series for children. The young Jedi take on new missions across the galaxy as they try to stop the rise of the pirates.

Disney+: recently added

Science of Stupid – S1-8 (7 August)

Series. Former Top Gear host Richard Hammond takes a look at the science behind selected internet videos.

Protecting Paradise: The Story of Niue (9 August)

Documentary (2024). After creating one of the world’s largest marine protected areas in 2016 with National Geographic’s support, Niue invites Pristine Seas back to assess changes using advanced tech and plan a sustainable future for their waters. Starring Stars Mona Ainu’u, Alan Friedlander and Launoa Gataua.

Futurama – Season 12 (29 July)

The epic sci-fi series from Matt Groening and David X. Cohen returns with ten new episodes. On this orbit around the sun, our occasionally heroic crew embarks on mind-bending adventures involving birthday party games to the death, the secrets of Bender’s ancestral robot village, A.I. friends (and enemies), impossibly cute beanbags, and the true five-million-year-old story behind the consciousness-altering substance known as coffee.

To Catch a Smuggler – Seasons 2-7 (31 July)

Series. Following the work of special agents to catch people smuggling contraband into and through US airports. Starring Tom Mulhall and David C Schweizer.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2 August)

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Image: 20th Century Studios.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes. Image: 20th Century Studios.

Film (2024). Director Wes Ball breathes new life into the global, epic franchise with this action-adventure spectacle from 20th Century Studios. Set several generations in the future following Caesar’s reign, apes are living harmoniously as the dominant species – and humans have been reduced to living in the shadows. As a new tyrannical ape leader builds his empire, one young ape undertakes a harrowing journey that will cause him to question all that he has known about the past and to make choices that will define a future for apes and humans alike. Starring Owen Teague, Freya Allan and Kevin Durand.

Family Guy – Season 22 (10 July)

Animated series. The return of the Griffins, a dysfunctional family in Rhode Island trying to cope with everyday life as they are thrown from one crazy scenario to another. Starring Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein and Seth Green.

Wicked Tuna – Season 13 (10 July)

Reality TV series. Tuna fishermen battle in teams against each other and the elements to land the biggest Giant Bluefin Tuna.

Descendants: The Rise of Red (12 July)

Descendants: The Rise of Red. Image: Disney+.
Descendants: The Rise of Red. Image: Disney+.

Film. Now Headmaster of Auradon Prep, former Villain Kid Uma extends an invite to the school to another VK – Red, the rebellious daughter of the tyrannical Queen of Hearts from Wonderland. The Queen of Hearts has long held a grudge against Auradon, especially against Cinderella, and seizes the opportunity to seek revenge when she drops her daughter off at school. Starring China Anne McClain, Joshua Colley and Rita Ora.

Paul Dalgarno is author of the novels A Country of Eternal Light (2023) and Poly (2020); the memoir And You May Find Yourself (2015); and the creative non-fiction book Prudish Nation (2023). He was formerly Deputy Editor of The Conversation and joined ScreenHub as Managing Editor in 2022. X: @pauldalgarno. Insta: @dalgarnowrites