Ted Danson’s “A Man on the Inside” returning to Netflix for its second season and Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo belting out the “Wicked: For Good” soundtrack are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: Aerosmith teaming up with Yungblud on a new EP, “The Bad Guys 2” hitting Peacock and Jordan Peele looking at Black cowboys in a new documentary series.

New movies to stream from Nov. 17-23

— “Train Dreams,” (Friday, Nov. 21 on Netflix), Clint Bentley’s adaptation of Denis Johnson’s acclaimed novella, stars Joel Edgerton as Robert Grainier, a railroad worker and logger in the early 20th century Pacific Northwest. The film, scripted by Bentley and Greg Kwedar (the duo behind last year’s “Sing Sing” ), conjures a frontier past to tell a story about an anonymous laborer and the currents of change around him.

— The DreamWorks Animation sequel “The Bad Guys 2” (Friday, Nov. 21 on Peacock) returns the reformed criminal gang of animals for a new heist caper. In the film, with a returning voice cast including Sam Rockwell, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos and Marc Maron, the Bad Guys encounter a new robbery team: the Bad Girls. In his review, AP’s Mark Kennedy lamented an over-amped sequel with a plot that reaches into space: “It’s hard to watch a franchise drift so expensively and pointlessly in Earth’s orbit.”

— In “The Roses,” Jay Roach (“Meet the Parents’), from a script by Tony McNamara (“Poor Things”), remakes Danny DeVito’s 1989 black comedy, “The War of the Roses.” In this version, Olivia Colman and Benedict Cumberbatch star as a loving couple who turn bitter enemies. In his review, Kennedy called “The Roses” “an escalating hatefest that, by the time a loaded gun comes out, all the fun has been sucked out.”

— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

New music to stream on Nov. 21

— Musical theater fans, your time has come… again. “Wicked: For Good” is upon us, and with it comes the release of its official soundtrack. On Friday, after or before you catch the film in theaters, stream its life-affirming compositions to your heart’s content. Might we suggest Ariana Grande’s “The Girl in the Bubble?” Or Cynthia Erivo’s “No Place Like Home?” And for the Jeff Goldblum and Jonathan Bailey lovers, yes, there’s gold to be unearthed, too.

— Rock this way: Aerosmith is back with new music. Following their 2023 “Greatest Hits” collection and just a few months after the conclusion of their “Peace Out: The Farewell Tour” (the band said it would no longer hit the road due to singer Steven Tyler’s voice becoming permanently damaged by a vocal cord injury ) they’re teaming up with next gen rock ‘n’ roller Yungblud. It’s a collaborative EP called “One More Time,” out Friday. The anthemic opening track, “My Only Angel” sets the tone. What’s another one for the road?

— AP Music Writer Maria Sherman

New series to stream from Nov. 17-23

— Raise your hand if you still miss “Succession” Sundays on HBO. An acclaimed Swedish drama called “Vanguard” debuts Tuesday on Viaplay that’s of the same vein. It’s a dramatization about Jan Stenbeck, one of Europe’s most influential media moguls. There’s ambition, betrayal and yes, sibling rivalry.

— Ted Danson’s “A Man on the Inside” returns to Netflix for its second season on Thursday. Danson plays a widower named Charles who has found a new sense of purpose as an amateur private detective. In Season One, Charles moved into a retirement home to catch his culprit. In Season Two, he goes back to college to solve a case. Danson’s real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen, joins the cast as Charles’ love interest as he explores the idea of a second chance at romance.

— Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore co-star in “The Assassin” for AMC+. Hawes (“Bodyguard”) plays a retired assassin living in solitude on a Greek island whose peaceful life is turned upside down when her estranged son (Highmoore) comes to visit. When the two find themselves in danger they must work together to stay alive. It premieres Thursday.

— Jordan Peele has a new documentary series called “High Horse: The Black Cowboy” coming to Peacock on Thursday. The three-part series examines how stories of Black cowboys have been erased from both pop culture and history books.

New video games to play from Nov. 17-23

— If you bought Mario Kart World when Nintendo launched the Switch 2 back in June, you may be wondering: Do I really need another racing game? Kirby Air Riders comes from designer Masahiro Sakurai, the mastermind behind Super Smash Bros., so it adds that franchise’s chaotic combat to the mix. Each of the competitors has different weapons and each of the vehicles has different benefits and drawbacks. And everyone can use Kirby’s signature “inhale” technique, which lets you absorb an opponent’s skills by, well, swallowing them. So if you like your racing weird, get your motor running Thursday.

— Lou Kesten

Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is battling the deepest crisis of his presidency after a money-laundering probe named members of his inner circle, including an associate accused of living in “golden toilet” luxury, a former government official has claimed.

Their comments came as the president faces scrutiny over the investigation that agencies said Monday involves associates allegedly linked to a plot to siphon around $100 million from Ukraine’s energy sector during the war with Russia.

“Ukrainians don’t have any motivation to fight now because of enormous human rights violations and also because of this corruption now exposed,” the former official told Fox News Digital, under condition of anonymity.

FORMER ZELENSKYY ASSOCIATE ACCUSED IN $100 MILLION EMBEZZLEMENT SCHEME

“People inside the country are already seeing this corruption and this is just part of the corrupt swamp. Zelenskyy is part of the problem,” they claimed.

Since Russia’s invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s financial system has come under scrutiny and now some Ukrainians are accused of taking kickbacks from projects meant to protect energy plants during wartime, prompting public outrage and undermining faith in government.

“This money laundering appeared to have been going on since 2022 and there were a lot of people who tried to stop this,” the former official said.

“Some say Zelenskyy was aware of these schemes and that he had approved them,” they claimed.

“There was also suspicion that money ended up in accounts abroad that benefited Zelenskyy and his inner circle,” they said.

FLASHBACK: WHAT HAPPENED THE PREVIOUS TIME ZELENSKYY MET WITH TRUMP IN THE OVAL OFFICE

Over 15 months, a sweeping investigation dubbed “Operation Midas” by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) uncovered the schemes.

In one major Energoatom probe targeting Ukraine’s state nuclear power company and its energy contracts, businessman Tymur Mindich was named. 

Mindich co-owned the entertainment company Kvartal 95 with the president and, according to The Kyiv Independent, Mindich was alleged to be the ringleader of that network.

The Financial Times also reported that investigators found bags of cash and a gold-plated toilet in one of the bathrooms of his apartment.

TOP UKRAINIAN OFFICIALS IN ZELENSKYY GOVERNMENT SUBMIT RESIGNATIONS AMID $100 MILLION CORRUPTION SCANDAL

“They were introduced many years ago and were running the business of 95 Kvartal, which includes film production and many other entertainment genres,” the former official claimed.

“Tymur had an apartment with golden toilets that was in the same building as Zelenskyy’s, and in 2021 Zelenskyy celebrated his birthday in Tymur’s apartment,” they said.

Another figure under investigation, Oleksiy Chernyshov, is a former deputy prime minister.

“He was also very close to the family, and he used to hold positions in the Zelenskyy government since 2019, and he has been accused of abuse of office,” the former official alleged.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION STAYS SILENT AS MASSIVE UKRAINE CORRUPTION SCANDAL ROCKS ZELENSKYY’S INNER CIRCLE

“Chernyshov started building big, three or four huge houses in their most luxury place in Kyiv.”

So far, in his nightly address on Nov. 10, Zelenskyy said:

“Everyone who put together a corrupt scheme must receive a clear legal response. There must be criminal verdicts.”

He stressed the importance of accountability in the energy sector and said that keeping Energoatom clean from graft is a priority.

ZELENSKYY MOVES TO ‘CLEAN UP’ UKRAINE’S ENERGY SECTOR AS CORRUPTION SCANDAL ROCKS LEADERSHIP 

Zelenskyy also praised the Anti-Corruption Bureau’s efforts, saying,

“Any effective actions against corruption are very needed. The inevitability of punishment is necessary.”

“Zelenskyy is using his extraordinary PR talent and will not step down in this probe,” the former official claimed. “Zelenskyy is not the kind of person who feels shame even if there’s a corruption probe… Zelenskyy has got everything from this war. He had a vertical of power, an unbreakable image, all the attention of the media. To some, he really depends on this and money,” they added.

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“Many Ukrainians believe in Donald Trump now, because he’s the only person who actually changed the narrative and changed the way this war is going,” the official said. “If not [for] Donald Trump we would not be talking about peace today at all, and every day of war is destroying Ukraine.”

Fox News Digital reached out to Zelenskyy’s office for comment.

Pregnant members of the European Parliament will be allowed to delegate their vote during their time off with their newborns in a landmark step for women in politics.

Until now, the European Parliament did not allow online or proxy voting – meaning a delegated vote passed to another member of the parliament.

With the changes approved this week, pregnant women will be able to delegate their vote three months before giving birth and six months afterwards. The motion passed with 605 votes in favor out of the 640 represented in the chamber.

Laura Ballarín, of the S&D, is expecting a child and welcomed the move, arguing that votes can go to the wire and each person matters. She said the move, if applied on time, will allow her to keep representing her constituents.

“I don’t like having to choose between having to recover physically after giving birth and my right to vote,” Ballarín told Euronews. Having a child, she argued, should not represent a setback for women at work.

While the delegated vote has been approved by the European Parliament, it now needs to be approved unanimously by the European Council. Then it will have to be ratified by the national parliaments before it enters into force.

“We must encourage more women to stand for election; we must empower them to take their place at the decision-making table”, European Parliament President Roberta Metsola said during a press conference after the vote on Thursday.

Following the European elections in June 2024, the Parliament experienced the biggest percentage drop in female representation since the first direct elections in 1979.

Women now make up 38.5% of MEPs – 277 out of 720 – 2.1% fewer than in the previous legislature.

No amendments on fatherhood

The new rules will apply to women only.

While progressive forces of the parliament tried to include fathers, they had to dial down their initial ambition to reach a compromise with the rest of political forces.

“I had to choose between voting the climate law or seeing my child being born,” German Green MEP Daniel Freund told Euronews. The choice, he argued in the end was clear: his family.

But the predicament raises serious questions.

The European parliament issued last year an EU-wide directive which regulates maternity and parental leave to include both parents. The idea being that maternity leave tends to impact a woman’s career more than it does for a man as the time spent away from work is usually longer.

“In this Parliament, we have legislated on maternity and paternity leave for both and we have introduced that right for all Europeans. We should lead by example,” Freund added.

As for Ballarín, who is expecting her baby early next year, both parents play an important role in bringing up a child.

“Fathers should also be able to stay home with a newborn without skipping their democratic duty,” Ballarín told Euronews, referring to her male colleagues in the chamber.

Unable to reach the hemicycle

Members of the European Parliament must cast their vote in person in Brussels or in Strasbourg, which involves travel for the 720-members of the chamber.

“We need to make sure that if you are physically impeded from travelling to Strasbourg or to Brussels to vote, then you should not lose that right”, said President Metsola.

For the time being, the reform will only apply to pregnancy or birth but doesn’t consider other impediments such as long-term sickness. Online voting was tested during the pandemic and worked during the lockdown phase, but it was not extended beyond.

Some argue the system proved that it possible to vote without being present in the room and could be helpful for MEPs who are suffering from an illness, or physical impediment.