The summer of 2024 — still in progress, mind you! — is already one for the books. The Olympics are thrilling. The heat is sweltering. And when it comes to music, women in pop are positively dominating.

The whole year has been packed with pop releases, and they’ve all culminated in the present moment, wherein Charli XCX has ascended to “It” girl status, Tinashe’s gone viral, and Kesha has made a declaration of independence in the form of a polka-inflected dance banger. So whether you’ve bought a whole new wardrobe in slime green, can’t get through a day without an involuntary cry of “That’s that me, espresso,” or have no idea what any of that means, it’s a great moment for a pop-fueled stream. Queue up a biopic about a musical icon, a trio of films starring some multi-talented singers, or a collection of documentaries that celebrate the work of women in pop. Be sure to block off some time afterward, though — no matter what you watch, you’ll be aching to dance by the end of it. 

But first, what’s new on Netflix?

A fresh crop of unanswered questions. Volume 4 of Unsolved Mysteries is now here, with five chilling new (old) cases to keep you up at night. Prefer your true crime to be fictional? The British teen drama A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (based on Holly Jackson’s YA crime novel), in which a teenager (Emma Myers) investigates a cold case — and may make herself a target in the process. All this murder too dark for you? (Fair enough!) Get ready for a new SpongeBob SquarePants adventure with the arrival of Liza Johnson’s Saving Bikini Bottom: The Sandy Cheeks Movie. Doesn’t that sound like F-U-N? 

If you have just a night… 

Remember the Voice. Kasi Lemmons’ 2022 biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody recounts the late singer’s history, in all its triumph and tragedy. Naomi Ackie stars as Whitney Houston over three decades, beginning with her church choir days as a teenager and moving through the highs and lows of her life and career, including her reign over an adoring music industry and her troubled relationship with Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders). Let the film be a reminder — not that one is needed — that you will always love her.  

If you have a whole day… 

Make it a triple threat with a trio of pop stars showing off their acting chops in teen movies. Start with none other than Tamra Davis’ 2002 cult-classic dramedy Crossroads, in which Britney Spears plays a shy, overachieving teen who goes on a post-graduation road trip with her childhood friends (Zoe Saldaña and Taryn Manning) that brings them, as luck would have it, to both a karaoke bar and a record label audition. Next, please please please look to Work It for Sabrina Carpenter, one of the stars of the summer (whose album Short n’ Sweet is due later this month); the “Espresso” singer plays a clumsy high school senior who starts a dance team in Laura Terruso’s 2020 comedy. And if you’ve been missing Mandy Moore like candy then catch her in Adam Shankman’s 2002 teen weepie A Walk to Remember (based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name), in which she plays a wholesome minister’s daughter who falls for a bad boy (Shane West). 

If you have the entire weekend… 

Go full Brat. Get into the art of pop music with a collection of documentaries — many revolving around women with projects out this year. First and foremost: Charli XCX herself. The star who turned this summer green leads the 2019 docuseries I’m with the Band: Nasty Cherry, which chronicles her efforts to assemble and launch a girl band. Next up, school yourself on the art form with This Is Pop, all eight episodes of which explore a different element of pop music and its evolution. Go deep on a single track with Dua Lipa (whose third album Radical Optimism landed in May) in an episode of Song Exploder: How Music Gets Made that dissects her Future Nostalgia single “Love Again.” Take it to the stage from there with a spin of Ariana Grande: Excuse Me, I Love You, Paul Dugdale’s 2019 concert doc capturing Grande’s Sweetener World Tour, to bridge the gap between heralbum Eternal Sunshine (dropped in March) and big-screen turn in Wicked: Part One (out in November). And lest we forget, this spring brought Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department; the superstars’ respective documentaries Homecoming (2019, helmed by Beyoncé Knowles-Carter herself) and Miss Americana (2020, directed by Lana Wilson) are both always worth a stream. 

Don’t forget, you have one last chance… 

… to bow down to The Woman King. Gina Prince-Bythewood’s 2022 historical epic stars Viola Davis as the general of the Agojie, an army of female warriors in the West African kingdom of Dahomey, in the early 19th century. In another week, the film will march off Netflix. 

Find Your Next Netflix Obsession on TudumWhatever you love to stream, we’ve got tips on the latest releases, true crime, book adaptations, stand-up comedy, award-winning films and more.