For a certain segment of the population, this weekend kicks off the final countdown to a major pop culture event: the release of new music from Taylor Swift. Titled The Life of a Showgirl, the new album is inspired by the singer’s life onstage (including on her record-shattering Eras Tour), and marks what you might call her Showgirl Era. 

So now, with a week to go, why shouldn’t the rest of us get in on the glamour? As any showgirl worth her sequins will tell you, preparation is everything. And even if you don’t call yourself a Swiftie, this weekend is a golden opportunity to get your shine on and step into the spotlight. Let some razzle-dazzle into your life with a sparkling musical adaptation (with just a dash of camp), a trio of docs about pop stars putting on big shows, or a series about a spectacular lineup of a different kind of modern showgirl. For those about to take the stage, we salute you. 

 (And to keep the chorus line moving throughout next week, be sure to add Emile Ardolino’s Sister Act to your queue; it will be all warmed up and ready to stream starting Oct. 1.)

But first, what’s new on Netflix?

A way out — maybe. In the new thriller series Wayward, created by and starring Mae Martin, a determined police officer (Martin) works to uncover the dark secrets of Tall Pines, a small Vermont town functioning under the powerful influence of Evelyn Wade (Toni Collette), the founder of a local school for troubled teens. Prefer to stay out of that trouble? Say oui to French Lover, a new rom-com à la Parisienne directed by Nina Rives and starring Omar Sy as a movie star who finds unexpected romance with a waitress (Sara Giraudeau). Not a match? Go biblical with Ruth & Boaz, a new romantic drama from producers Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin, directed by Alanna Brown. The modernization of the Bible tale stars Serayah as a woman who moves to Tennessee to start a new life and Tyler Lepley as the man she meets there, who changes her future. 

If you have just a night … 

Feel the beat from the tambourine. It may not be about the stage, but Phyllida Lloyd’s 2008 jukebox musical Mamma Mia! captures the sparkle of the showgirl spirit. The deliciously over-the-top spectacle stars Meryl Streep as Donna, a woman living in Greece with her daughter Sophie (Amanda Seyfried). When Sophie finds out that there are three different men who might be her biological father, she invites all of them to her upcoming wedding. Luckily, Donna’s best friends and girl-groupmates are also on hand for the whole chaotic affair. Did we mention it’s all set to the music of ABBA?!  

If you have a whole day … 

Leave it to the professionals. Three pop megastars do what they do best in these three concert films, where they all put on a show as only they can. Start with the Queen herself: Beyoncé’s 2019 film Homecoming traces the creation of her culture-shifting Coachella set in 2018. Next up is Ariana Grande, whose Sweetener World Tour is the subject of Paul Dugdale’s Excuse Me, I Love You (2020), which captures one night in London. And after catching Grande’s honeyed vocals, turn things a little to the sour side with Olivia Rodrigo: Guts World Tour. Directed by James Merryman, the 2024 concert doc sees the singer leave it all on the stage one night in Los Angeles.

(And for the true Swifties, of course, Lana Wilson’s 2020 documentary Miss Americana goes backstage with the star, though it doesn’t include a full concert.) 

If you have the entire weekend … 

Get your cheer on. They may go by a different name, but NFL cheerleaders are built in the classic showgirl mold: They’ve got the glamour. They’ve got the discipline. And above all, they’ve got the moves. The docuseries America’s Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, created by Greg Whiteley, goes behind the glitter of the storied squad, chronicling the grueling team selection process and the intensity of the job. Season 2 of the series dropped this summer, and a third is in the works. 

Don’t forget, you have one last chance … 

To step into another era. Edith Wharton — arguably the greatest storyteller of Gilded Age New York — gets a sumptuous film adaptation with Martin Scorsese’s 1993 romantic drama The Age of Innocence, based on Wharton’s 1920 novel. Daniel Day-Lewis stars as Newland Archer, a man torn between two women: the highly appropriate May Welland (Winona Ryder) and the socially unacceptable Ellen Olenska (Michelle Pfeiffer). After this weekend, its age will be over.