A varied slate of new music, television, films and video games lands this week, with offerings ranging from Ed Sheeran’s eighth studio album to a two-part Netflix documentary about Charlie Sheen and a new season of Hulu’s hit mystery comedy.
Ed Sheeran returns with Play, his eighth album, while Hulu brings back Only Murders in the Building for a fifth season. Netflix debuts AKA Charlie Sheen, a candid two-part documentary chronicling the actor’s career. Other notable arrivals include the war drama Warfare on HBO Max, Andrew Ahn’s remake of The Wedding Banquet on Paramount+, the psychological thriller The Girlfriend on Prime Video and the blockbuster-aimed game Borderlands 4 on consoles and PC.
Sheeran’s Play arrives Friday, Sept. 12, and represents a move toward reserved pop after the acoustic tone of 2023’s Autumn Variations, AP music writer Maria Sherman reported. The album contains the crossover-leaning track “Azizam,” a word from Farsi translated roughly as “my dear one,” and the groove-driven “A Little More.” Sherman wrote that Sheeran appears “in it for a good time” and that his loyal audience is likely to follow.
Also arriving Friday is the long-awaited studio album from R&B artist Ty Dolla $ign — his first full-length record in roughly five years. Details have been scarce ahead of release, but the lead single “ALL IN” prominently samples Wayne Wonder’s 1997 hit “No Letting Go,” and the album is positioned as a summer-closing blow of energy.
On television, Only Murders in the Building returns for a fifth season on Hulu, reuniting amateur sleuths Charles (Steve Martin), Mabel (Selena Gomez) and Oliver (Martin Short). The trio open the new season investigating the murder of the building’s doorman, continuing the series’ blend of comedy and mystery.
Netflix’s two-part documentary AKA Charlie Sheen, directed by Andrew Renzi, debuts Wednesday and chronicles the actor’s six-decade career from early roles in Wall Street to later controversies and career rebounds. The film includes candid interviews with Sheen and numerous friends and co-stars and offers a broad look at his professional ups and downs.
Prime Video premieres The Girlfriend on Wednesday. The psychological thriller stars Robin Wright as Laura, a fiercely protective mother, and Olivia Cooke as Cherry, the streetwise new girlfriend of Laura’s adult son. Each episode reportedly shifts between Laura’s and Cherry’s perspectives; AP television writer Alicia Rancilio described both characters as “unhinged,” adding that the structural switch between viewpoints contributes to the series’ tension.
On the streaming-movie front, Warfare, directed by Alex Garland and Ray Mendoza and set during a 2006 mission in Iraq, arrives on HBO Max Friday, Sept. 12. AP reviewer Jake Coyle described the film as a nearly real-time dramatization that “rigorously” strips away war-movie clichés, leaving a terse, brutal immersion grounded in close-up depictions of its Navy SEAL characters.
Andrew Ahn’s new film The Wedding Banquet, which premieres Monday on Paramount+, reimagines Ang Lee’s 1993 queer romantic comedy for a contemporary cast that includes Kelly Marie Tran, Lily Gladstone, Bowen Yang and Han Gi-chan. AP critic Lindsey Bahr praised supporting turns from Youn Yuh-jung and Joan Chen and noted the film’s through-line about found families while observing that it may not fully capture the original’s comic vitality.
In gaming, Borderlands 4, developed by Gearbox Software and 2K Games, ships Friday, Sept. 12, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC. The looter-shooter continues the franchise’s trademark mix of comic violence, frenetic combat and endless gear collection. Players land on a prison planet dominated by a tyrant known as the Timekeeper and must choose a rebel faction and which lieutenants to topple first; cooperative play is available for up to four Vault Hunters.
The week’s releases reflect a cross-section of mainstream entertainment strategies: established music stars returning with new records, legacy television properties continuing to evolve, documentary filmmaking revisiting celebrity narratives and major video-game franchises seeking to reignite player engagement. Reviewers and outlets note a mix of innovation, nostalgia and franchise-building as platforms aim to capture viewers and listeners amid a crowded content marketplace.
Editors and critics advising viewers and players this week highlighted different entry points depending on mood: Sheeran’s record for pop listeners, Only Murders for serialized comedy-mystery fans, Netflix’s Charlie Sheen documentary for those interested in star profiles, and Borderlands 4 for action-oriented gamers seeking cooperative play. The week’s slate underscores the range of choices now available across streaming services, music platforms and gaming systems.