The Little Mermaid to Virgin River: What to stream this week

The live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid” starring Halle Bailey, LaKeith Stanfield starring in the eight-part horror fantasy series “The Changeling” to the popular comfort show “Virgin River” returns for its fifth season, here are among the new television, movies and music headed to a device near you.

The latest Disney live-action remake, “The Little Mermaid,” lands on Disney+ on Wednesday. Not everyone has been a fan of the studio’s regular retreads of animation classics but one element of Rob Marshall’s film has been more widely hailed: the breakthrough performance of Halle Bailey as Ariel. Their box-office success earlier this year with a gross collection of $568.6 million worldwide has reportedly set the stage for a sequel.

“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” goes the other way, taking a usually live-action franchise into animation. The track record of the films that have followed has been pretty poor. But “Mutant Mayhem,” director Jeff Rowe (co-director of “The Mitchells vs. the Machines” ) is a vibrant, hip-hop spin for the turtles. The film has been praised for some good gags and clever innovations but "one brilliant idea: casting Ice Cube as the voice of the movie’s mutant insect supervillain Super Fly."

The popular comfort show “Virgin River” returns for its fifth season on Netflix. Starring Alexandra Breckenridge and Martin Henderson, the series follows residents of a small, fictional town in northern California where neighbours help neighbours and the one bar in town also has a gourmet chef. Yes, there’s drama but life seems easier in Virgin River. The first 10 episodes of season five debut Thursday with two additional holiday episodes dropping in November.

LaKeith Stanfield executive produces and stars in “The Changeling” for Apple TV+. The eight-part horror fantasy series is based on a best-selling book of the same name by Victor LaValle. Stanfield plays Apollo, a rare book dealer in New York whose marriage to a librarian named Emma takes a shocking turn after they welcome a son. The show is a dark mystery that delves into heavy themes including past trauma and parenting fears while also exposing how difficult it is to navigate those things in today’s technology-driven world. The first three episodes of “The Changeling” drop Friday, Sept. 8.

Olivia Rodrigo breathed new life into the angsty power ballad when she dropped “Drivers License” back in January 2021, the lead single on her debut LP, “SOUR.” One-hit wonder she was not: then came the fiery power pop-punk of “Good 4 U” and “Brutal." In 2023, “GUTS,” her highly anticipated sophomore release, builds off the life experiences of a pop superstar now in the throes of fame — and her early 20s. The first two tracks released from the album — the blood-sucking piano ballad “Vampire” and cheeky backslide anthem “Bad Idea Right?” — are miles away from each other and undeniable partners; the perfect tease for a punk-y album unafraid of taking dynamic swings.

The K-pop behemoth BTS aren’t active as a group right now; it’s seven members are taking turns fulfilling South Korea’s mandatory military service ( Jin and J-hope have enlisted; Suga has begun the process ). In that absence, the remaining members have taken turns releasing solo material. It’s a bit of brilliant business and fan service: Can you miss a boy band that never really went away? The latest to charm the public with his singular star power is V, on his forthcoming solo release, “Layover.” His rich baritone slides over the retro R&B production of his mournful bilingual singles “Love Me Again” and “Rainy Days.”