Top 3 new Disney Plus TV shows to watch this weekend

Hands up who's been surprised by how much great stuff there is on Disney Plus? Me too. The house of mouse has been releasing some truly great TV recently, and this month's selection is no exception.

Here are three very different shows for you to stream this weekend, all of which arrived on Disney+ this month and all of which will make you glad you watched them. Whether you fancy a heart-stirring drama based on real-life events, a comedy so good the critics have given it 100% for everything or the freshest, most fun superhero show you've yet to discover, here are my picks of the latest Disney+ crop.

1. Only Murders In The Building Season 2

With an astonishing 100% Rotten Tomatoes rating for both Season 1 and Season 2, Only Murders In The Building is a bona-fide hit. The first season followed  three strangers who share an obsession with true crime and suddenly found themselves wrapped up in one, and Season 2 picks up where the first left off. Many of the reviews say that one of the reasons the second season is so enjoyable is because the characters were so well established in the first season, so this isn't one to come to cold if you haven't already seen S1. Thankfully that's right there on Disney+ too, so there's even more good stuff for you to watch. One critic says this could be the smartest, most satisfying sitcom since Seinfeld.

2. Ms Marvel

My friends have very strong opinions on comic book movies, and every single one of them is absolutely loving this new Disney+ superhero series. Don't trust the review site scores on this one – the show has been targeted by some of the worst people on earth as part of a co-ordinated review-bombing campaign for no other reason than because the titular Ms Marvel is a young Muslim woman – unless you're looking at the critic reviews, which are currently sitting at a whopping 96% on Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus is that this is a fresh and fun addition to the MCU; according to Eric Francisco from Inverse, "Ms. Marvel doesn't reinvent the superhero wheel. Instead, it dips it in gold and bedazzles it with eye-melting visuals." It's a coming of age story for people who came of age in the MCU era, and its embrace of Kamala's backstory and heritage makes it much more interesting, more original and more thoughtful than the average superhero series. 

When We Rise

Some of the best programmes on Disney+ are based on real events, and When We Rise is a great example of that. It's a gripping and beautifully acted ensemble piece that follows the triumphs and tragedies of the men and women who helped pave the way for LGBT+ rights in America. The cast is jam-packed with excellent actors including Guy Pearce, Mary-Louise Parker, Rachel Griffiths, Austin McKenzie, Emily Skeggs, Jonathan Majors, Fiona Dourif, Michael K. Williams and Whoopi Goldberg; the producers include Oscar winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black and Gus "Good Will Hunting" Van Sant and it got largely positive reviews on its initial terrestrial release on ABC. As the New York Times put it: "at its best moments, it's also a timely statement that identity is not just an abstraction but a matter of family, livelihood, life and death." Although the series begins in the 1970s, When We Rise is just as relevant to the times we're living in right now.