What to Watch in March: ‘Ted Lasso,’ ‘Lucky Hank’ and Bono & The Edge’s Big Homecoming
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After the relatively meager offerings of January and February the year goes into full swing this month. It’s a big month of movies and television. The returning series alone could eat up much of this column, so let’s just get them out of the way here. March sees the season debuts of Star Wars: The Mandalorian (Disney+, March 1), Perry Mason (HBO, March 6), Ted Lasso (Apple TV+, March 15), Yellowjackets (Showtime, March 26) and Succession (HBO, March 26). So mark your calendars. You’re going to need to schedule things carefully if you want to catch all the month has to offer.
Creed III (Theaters, March 3)
The past comes back to haunt Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) again in this second sequel to the Rocky spin-off. Where Creed II found him fighting Viktor Drago (Florian Munteaunu, who returns here)), the son of the Russian boxer who killed his dad in Rocky IV, Creed III finds Adonis squaring off with “Dame” Anderson (Jonathan Majors), a childhood friend with whom he shares a troubled history. Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky is nowhere to be seen this time around but Tessa Thompson returns. The film is also Jordan’s debut as a director, making him a heavyweight on multiple fronts. The film also eventually comes to Amazon Prime.
Daisy Jones and the Six (Prime Video, March 3)
Based on the novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid (a pick for Reese Witherspoon’s book club), this ten-part series stars Riley Keough as the leader of a famed Seventies rock band with a tumultuous history. It’s shot documentary style, in keeping with the book’s oral history format, and features music performed by Keough and the rest of the cast (which includes Sam Claflin and Saki Waterhouse). Watch with a 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime here.
History of the World, Part II (Hulu, March 6)
A sequel decades in the making, this four-part series picks up where Mel Brooks’ 1981 film left off, offering a comedic spin on famous moments in history. Because no one can (or should) say “no” to Brooks, the all-star cast includes everyone from Danny DeVito to Kumail Nanjiani to David Duchovny. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.
Rain Dogs (HBO, March 6)
A co-production of HBO and BBC One, this new, darkly comic series stars Daisy May Cooper as Costello Jones, a single mother struggling to survive who forms an unconventional family with Selby (Jack Farthing), a gay man with resources she doesn’t have. It’s the debut TV series of creator Cash Carraway, a writer drawing on her own life and experiences. Watch on HBO Max here.
Champions (Theaters, March 10)
The solo debut of director Bobby Farrelly, best known for co-directing comedies like There’s Something About Mary with his brother Peter, this remake of a Spanish comedy from 2018 stars Woody Harrelson as a basketball coach compelled to perform community service by leading a team of developmentally disabled athletes competing in the Special Olympics.
Scream VI (Theaters, March 10)
The slasher series with a meta twist marches on with a new entry directed, like Scream 5, by the team of Matt Bettinelli-Olphin and Tyler Gillett. The cast is filled with familiar faces like Melissa Barrera, Courtney Cox, Jenna Ortega, and Haden Panettiere (though not, for the first time, Neve Campbell) and the action shifts from the cursed town of Woodsboro, California to New York City. Watch Scream 5 in theaters and catch up on all the previous movies online here.
UnPrisoned (Hulu, March 10)
This new comedy inspired by the life of therapist/author Tracy McMillan stars Kerry Washington as a therapist who, somewhat reluctantly, opens her home to her father (Delroy Lindo) after he’s released from prison. It’s a a change of pace for both Washington and Lindo, who are coming off roles in less light-hearted series. But the serious themes at the heart of the show suggest this might allow them to draw on their dramatic skills while stretching out a bit. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.
Shazam! Fury of the Gods (Theaters, March 17)
The DC Comics hero who’s really a little kid (Asher Angel) in the body of a grown-up superhero (Zachary Levi) returns for an adventure that pits him against Hespera (Helen Mirren), a daughter of Atlas who’s returned to settle a (really) ancient grudge. The state of DC’s film slate is in flux right now with James Gunn taking over, but the original Shazam! was well-liked so the reception of this movie could determine where, if anywhere, the series goes from here.
Bono & The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming, with Dave Letterman (Disney+, March 17)
Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day and the new U2 album Songs of Surrender (a collection of re-recorded favorites), this new special follows Bono and The Edge on a trip to Dublin where they revisit their history with each other and the city. Along for the ride: David Letterman. (Or maybe “Dave Letterman,” based on the title). Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?) directs. Watch on Disney+ here.
Extrapolations (Apple TV+, March 17)
Created by frequent Steven Soderbergh collaborator Scott Z. Burns (the writer of, among other projects, The Informant! and Contagion), this new anthology series is set across the upcoming years of the 21st century, a time of miraculous scientific breakthroughs but also horrific climate change. The 10-episode season features interconnected stories starring Meryl Streep, Edward Norton, Diane Lane and many, many more. Watch with a free trial to Apple TV+ here.
Swarm (Prime Video, March 17)
Created by Janine Nabers (UnREAL) and Donald Glover, this dark drama stars Dominique Fishback (The Deuce, Judas and the Black Messiah) as the superfan (or stan, if you prefer) of a Beyoncé-like pop star whose obsession takes an ugly turn. Glover, who’s cited The King of Comedy as an influence, directs the first episode and the writing staff includes an up-and-comer named Malia Obama. Watch with a 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime here.
Lucky Hank (AMC, March 19)
Bob Odenkirk didn’t wait too long to make a return to television after the conclusion of Better Call Saul. An adaptation of Richard Russo’s terrific 1997 novel Straight Man, this series casts Odenkirk as a failed novelist/frustrated English professor at a struggling rust belt college. It looks like an ideal vehicle for Odenkirk (does anyone play frustration better?) and a supporting cast featuring Mireille Enos, Kyle McLachlan, and Oscar Nunez makes it seem even more promising. Watch on AMC here.
John Wick: Chapter 4 (Theaters, March 24)
What began as the simple story of a master assassin out to avenge a dead puppy has developed into a series defined by a complex mythology with a rapidly expanding cast of characters. Keanu Reeves returns as John Wick who, still on the outs with the powerful High Table, is now plotting an even more elaborate act of vengeance. Old favorites like Lance Redick, Laurence Fishburne, and Ian McShane return, joined by new additions that include Bill Skarsgård and Donnie Yen.
Up Here (Hulu, March 24)
Developed by a team of creators that includes Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (My Name is Earl), Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) and Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (Frozen), this musical comedy stars Mae Whitman as Carlos Valdes as young New York couple whose romance faces some impediments in the final year of the 20th century.
Rabbit Hole (Paramount+, March 26)
The latest project from longtime writing partners Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (Bad Santa, Crazy. Stupid. Love.) is a thriller starring Kiefer Sutherland as a corporate spy wrongly accused of murder. But could there be more at stake than his own reputation? Any thriller with Sutherland as its star has a pretty big head start, so this should almost certainly be worth a look.
The Big Door Prize (Apple TV+, March 29)
Apple TV+ is no stranger to offbeat science fiction series, thanks shows like Severance and Hello Tomorrow! The service’s latest continues that trend, adapting a 2020 novel by M.O. Walsh about a grocery store with an unexpected new device: a machine that can reveal their full potential to those who use it. This, understandably, leads to some drama. Chris O’Dowd leads the cast.
Unstable (Netflix, March 30)
Rob Lowe and son John Owen Lowe co-star as a father and son in a comedy loosely inspired by their own relationship. The elder Lowe plays Ellis Dragon, an egotistical tech genius whose eccentricities have eroded the confidence of his company’s board. The younger Lowe plays Ellis’ easily embarrassed son who’s called in to save his father from himself.
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (Theaters, March 31)
The latest attempt to bring the popular role-playing game to the big screen stars Chris Pine as a roguish bard forced to shoulder the responsiblity of saving the world. Co-directed by Jonathan Michael Goldstein and John Francis Daley (Game Night), this new take appears interested in exploring some of the lighter possibilities of the fantasy world. It co-stars Michelle Rodriguez and Hugh Grant.
Rye Lane (Hulu, March 31)
A British charmer, this romantic comedy debuted at this year’s Sundance and won over everyone who saw it. Vivian Oparah and David Johnson play a pair of South Londoners who decide to spend the day together in their bustling, multicultural neighborhood while nursing heartbreaks. Their growing attraction is interrupted, however, by past lovers and unexpected adventures, all of it inventively staged by debuting director Raine Allen-Miller. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.
The Power (Prime Video, March 31)
The “power” referred to by the title is as simple as it is disruptive: the series takes place in an alternate universe where teenage girls develop powerful, even deadly, electrical abilities. Adapted from a novel by Margaret Atwood protege Naomi Alderman, the show stars Toni Collette, John Leguizamo, and Ted Lasso’s Toheeb Jimoh. Watch with a 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime here.