What to stream this week: ‘Descendants,’ Megan Moroney, ‘Sunny’ and new HARDY

Country sensation HARDY’s new album and a new “Descendants” movie are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you.

Also among the streaming offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: and “Faye,” an authorized but candid portrait of the singular screen legend Faye Dunaway and Megan Moroney’s sophomore album release.

NEW MOVIES TO STREAM

— Underestimate the popularity of the “Descendants” films at your own peril. Since the 2015 original debuted on the Disney Channel, the subsequent trilogy of movies have proved a huge hit with kids. When the trailer for the upcoming fourth movie, “Descendants: The Rise of Red,” debuted earlier this year, it generated 86 million views within 10 days. This time, the new “Descendants” movie is launching first on Disney+, on Friday, before arriving on the Disney Channel next month. “The Rise of Red” centers on Red (Kylie Cantrall), the rebellious daughter of the Queen of Hearts, and Chloe (Malia Baker), kin to Cinderella.

— Laurent Bouzereau’s “Faye” (streaming beginning 8 p.m. Saturday on Max) is an authorized but candid portrait of the singular screen legend Faye Dunaway. In it, the 83-year-old Dunaway, frankly discusses her bipolar disorder diagnosis and her history of alcoholism, along with her long string of classic films including “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Chinatown” and “Network.”

— Not many films come with instructions to wear headphones while watching, but Sam Green’s “32 Sounds” is not your average documentary, either. Green’s movie, which was shortlisted for best documentary by the Academy Awards earlier this year, explores 32 wildly disparate auditory experiences — the heartbeat of a fetus, a whoopee cushion at work, Phil Collins “In the Air Tonight” — to contemplate all the many ways that sound resonates in our lives. The movie, which was first a “live documentary” experience that handed out headphones to its audience members, is streaming on the Criterion Channel.

— AP Film Writer Jake Coyle

NEW MUSIC TO STREAM

— Last year, country musician Megan Moroney’s debut album, “Lucky,” was named one of AP’s top albums for 2023, for its sharp writing and congenial delivery — a Gen Z songwriter I previously described as possessing Taylor Swift-level acuity. Her pen continues to be her weapon on “Am I Okay?” a heartbreak-filled rollercoaster ride of a sophomore album, filled with quotable kiss-offs and evolved compositions. It releases Friday.

— HARDY (real name Michael Wilson Hardy) has been celebrated for his hybrid approach to country music, weaving elements of anthemic rock and even nu-metal into his compositions. ( Kid Rock has left a pretty massive vacancy, it could be pointed out.) On his third studio album, “QUIT!!,” HARDY continues to push the boundaries of his chosen genres. “ROCKSTAR” sounds like something that would’ve found a home on the Van’s Warped Tour, delivered through his signature twang; the line between rock and country has never been thinner.

— On Friday, R&B talent Tink will release the fifth installment in her popular mixtape series, “Winter’s Diary 5.” If the previously released singles are evidence of what’s to come, the tape will build off what she’s become known for — sultry melodies about every relationship experience imaginable. That means frustration from poor communication and disloyalty, this time atop soft guitar riffs (“Huh”), backsliding and maybe not feeling so bad about it sometimes with smooth harmonies (“Songs About U,” featuring Summer Walker ) and beyond.

— We’re living in a rich period of music documentaries about Memphis (and no, we’re not only including HBO and MAX’s “Stax: Soulsville U.S.A” in that statement, but it is certainly up there.) On Tuesday, a new documentary will become available via video-on-demand: “The Blue Society,” which gleans new insight into the Memphis Country Blues Festival, held between 1966 and 1970. This film examines the relationship between the fest and ’60s counterculture, Memphis blues, and race — particularly looking at the white organizers who put it on, and the Black musicians who played it. It’s appointment viewing for music and American history fans alike.

— Also on Tuesday: Paramount+ will release a new, two-part docu-series, “Melissa Etheridge: I’m Not Broken.” It follows the Grammy-award winning Etheridge, as she organizes a special concert at a women’s prison in Kansas, the Topeka Correctional Facility. Five women incarcerated there wrote letters to Etheridge, inspiring her to compose an original song for them, and…