Top 5 titles you need to binge this weekend include Netflix’s new true crime series featuring serial killer who ‘haunted’ New York
It's Friday, you've got an entire weekend ahead of you and a wealth of TV and movies available at your fingertips. Sometimes you lose half the time just deciding what to watch, so this week UNILAD Ranked is bringing you our top five recommendations for the ultimate 48 hours on the sofa.
You can ignore all the claims that your eyes will go square - sorry to shatter your childhood illusion, but this is a lie. Free will exists, and you should use to it catch up on the newest content on streaming services like Netflix and Prime. Although, you should allow yourself the odd break to grab food and maybe get a bit of fresh air.
So, what's on the list for this weekend? Find out below:
5) The Penguin Lessons (2024)
We're kicking things off with a bit of wholesome content, because there's a lot of chaos in the world right now and sometimes you just need to look at an adorable penguin.
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The Penguin Lessons offers up one hour, 50 minutes of heartwarming story - though I'll warn you right now, you might want some tissues on hand while watching it.
That's part of the reason I've put this movie at Number 5 on the ranking, because while we all need a good cry every now and again, you might not want it to be your top priority.
Starring Steve Coogan (Night at the Museum), The Penguin Lessons is written by Jeff Pope and Tom Michell, based on Michell's book of the same name.
The best part is, it's inspired by a true story as it follows an English teacher (Coogan) who rescues a penguin and brings it to his school. Before long, the penguin starts to have a positive effect on the school - and teacher Tom - and completely transforms the lives of those around it.
Coogan worked with a real penguin for the movie, and told the Radio Times that its presence actually helped create a 'serene' atmosphere on set because the crew had to keep things calm and quiet when it was around.
Fans have raved about the movie, praising it for 'highlighting kindness, empathy, and caring', and you can enjoy all that for yourself by streaming it on Netflix now.
4) The Facebook Honeytrap: Catching a Killer (2025)
Now, it wouldn't be a weekend binge without a bit of true crime, would it?
Amazon Prime Video's new documentary The Facebook Honeytrap has earned fourth place on our list as a quick 96-minute watch - not something that will keep you going all weekend, but a good bit of extra content if you're looking for something gripping to round off your Sunday.
The series, directed by Andrew Eastel, details the murder of British woman Christine Robinson, who was killed at the game lodge she owned in South Africa in 2012. Her niece, Lehanne, was unable to travel from the UK due to health issues, but that didn't stop her from doing everything possible to ensure her aunt's killer was brought to justice.
After a bit of online sleuthing, Lehanne set up a fake Facebook profile and proceeded to send her aunt's murderer a message. What followed had me hooked, as Lehanne's actions meant police finally had the information needed to catch their killer.
The series is full of near-misses and shocking revelations to keep you on your toes, with interviews from Lehanne as well as Christine's former co-workers and law enforcement to offer real insight to the case.
You can stream the documentary on Amazon Prime Video now.
3) Happy Gilmore 2 (2025)
You might have seen Happy Gilmore 2 floating around on Netflix in the last few days as it shot to the top of the Top 10 list, which is exactly why you need to add it to your watch list if you haven't already. It would be number one on our Ranked list, but since it's been around a few days some of you might have already watched it, in which case you can enjoy a re-watch instead.
Directed by Kyle Newacheck (Murder Mystery), Adam Sandler returns to take on the role of Happy and is joined in the movie by Julie Bowen (Modern Family), Christopher McDonald (Hacks), Benny Safdie (Uncut Gems) and Ben Stiller (Zoolander), among a whole host of other cast members including Sandler's own family.
As a big fan of both Sandler and the original Happy Gilmore movie from 1996, I couldn't wait for the sequel to drop and it was everything I needed it to be.
I'm no movie critic, but the film makes for the perfect easy watch, with lots of classic Sandler comedy as well as helpful reminders taken from the original flick to allow you to fully settle in without needing to stop and Google the 1996 plot over and over again.
Plus, if the storyline doesn't keep you watching, the challenge to spot every single cameo and Easter egg certainly will.
Happy Gilmore 2 also features a subtle tribute to Cameron Boyce, who played Sandler's onscreen son in the movie Grown Ups and passed away in 2019.
2) Trainwreck: Storm Area 51 (2025)
Don't worry, you've not gone back in time to 2019, but Netflix's latest instalment of the Trainwreck series will definitely take you on a journey. I've put this as second on the list as you might remember a lot of the viral details already, but an interview with the creator helps offer some new insight.
Described by Netflix as 'the story of the greatest sh*tpost ever made', the series details how one Facebook event took the world by storm as it encouraged people to flood to the secretive Nevada base which has long been rumored to be home to all sorts of alien activity.
More than 3,500,000 people RSVP'd to the Area 51 event as creator Matty Roberts noted 'they can’t stop all of us', leaving officials as high as the FBI and the FAA to issue warnings against people planning to join in.
In the series, Roberts opens up about how what was intended to be a joke ended up turning into a very real scene, and admitted that he created the event simply because it seemed like a 'hilarious' idea, adding: "I didn’t think it’d go anywhere."
Directed by Jack MacInnes, the series spans two episodes and is being highly recommended by Netflix users, with one writing: "Go and watch the 'Storm Area 51' documentary on Netflix. Madness. It’s absolutely nuts. The power the internet has to make people be completely idiotic is beyond understanding."
Sounds like an out-of-this-world accompaniment to your weekend takeout, if you ask me.
1) Conversations with a Killer: The Son of Sam Tapes (2025)
Coming in at the top spot of our list this week is a brand new series to leave you stunned; the latest Conversations with a Killer series focusing on 'Son of Sam' killer, David Berkowitz.
The series has been directed by Joe Berlinger, who also directed Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, and offers new insight into the mind of the killer who is still serving his six consecutive life sentences after being convicted of the murders of two men and four women in 1976 and 1977.
With three episodes released on Netflix on July 30, the series has been created using newly unearthed audio interviews conducted by reporter Jack Jones, who met with Berkowitz in 1980 at Attica Correctional Facility in Wyoming County, New York.
A synopsis on Netflix explains: "The Son of Sam Tapes, the fourth chapter in the Conversations with a Killer series, revisits the killings that haunted New York during an already tumultuous period of crime and underinvestment."
The killer became known as the 'Son of Sam' because that was the name he used to sign letters, which he left at crime scenes for police to find, or mailed to journalists.
Fans who have already got stuck in to the series have claimed it 'may be one of [Netflix's] best true crime docu-series' - so what are you waiting for? Do your weekend right!
UNILAD RANKED is a weekly series with a new article released every Friday.
Topics: Film and TV, Netflix, Streaming, True crime, UNILAD RANKED
Emily Brown