The Billboard Family Hits of the Week compiles what’s new and worth your family’s time in music, movies, TV, books, games and more. Forget the mind-numbing scrolling and searching “what to watch for family movie night” … again. The best in family entertainment each week is all in one place, in this handy guide. Isn’t it satisfying to cross something off your list?
Friday-Sunday (Nov. 1-3) mark the last weekend of The Eras Tour in the United States, with Taylor Swift performing three concerts in Indianapolis. It’s not the end of Swift’s tour, but it’s getting close to it — she’s got just two more cities on her schedule, Toronto and Vancouver, Canada, before it’s officially a wrap. Will Swift do something special in Indiana to commemorate the American finale? Whether you’re at the show or following along online, any Eras happenings will be a pop culture conversation for young and old. Billboard will have all the updates.
In movies to watch at home this week, there’s a gem newly streaming on Max (and coming to HBO) that might interest parents and introspective older kids: Janet Planet, written and directed by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Annie Baker and starring Julianne Nicholson. An unhurried sketch of a mother and daughter in the ’90s, it masterfully depicts the way summers can be long and quiet, yet transformative, at 11 years old, around the time you start seeing your parent(s) in a different light.
Also geared more toward families with teens, but with pop melodies to entertain all, on Saturday night Chappell Roan takes the stage as musical guest on SNL. The John Mulaney-hosted episode will be the “Good Luck, Babe!” hitmaker’s debut on the show.
Find out more about this week’s top picks in the Billboard Family Hits of the Week:
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Keep Up With The Eras Tour in Indianapolis
Taylor Swift takes over the city for three sold-out concerts at the 70,000-capacity Lucas Oil Stadium Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. Bound to be a big conversation, no matter what the three nights bring — #IndyTSTheErasTour was trending many hours ahead of showtime on Friday — it’s the only remaining U.S. stage time Swift’s got scheduled for 2024. (She heads to Canada for a handful of tour dates next, and then Eras will be completely over.)
Nov. 1 is also exactly two years since Swift first announced The Eras Tour, leaving Swifties curious about how she might honor the occasion. As reported earlier in the day, the city’s gone all out for her visit with a 34-story decal of Swift decorating Indy’s largest hotel, the temporary renaming of 32 downtown streets after her songs, local businesses theming their service to Swifties and more.
Keep your eyes on Billboard‘s Eras coverage to see the weekend’s best moments, which surprise songs she performs and any other notable happenings at her last U.S. gigs of the year.
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Watch the Coming-of-Age Drama ‘Janet Planet’
Don’t expect Janet Planet to hold the attention of very young viewers, but the character- and setting-driven story, rated PG-13, is one to watch for the grownups and older kids in the family if you’ve got a mature middle schooler, or teen, who can appreciate the type of film that’s more about subtle observations than action.
The film, starring the always-excellent Julianne Nicholson alongside newcomer Zoe Ziegler, is about a mother and daughter’s slow-paced but pivotal summer in the ’90s. Playwright-turned-filmmaker Annie Baker held an exhaustive search for a kid to portray her vision for the movie’s somewhat quirky, somewhat everyday 11-year-old whose relationship with her mother is changing. It had its festival debut in 2023 and then had a limited theater run in summer 2024. As of Nov. 1 it’s now widely available, streaming on Max, and will also be on HBO the next day.
The details are what make the film special: the way their closeness doesn’t need to be explained, the ease of their quiet existence, and their home being nothing special or fancy, just comfortable. It’s so ’90s, and it’s done well in such little ways that don’t feel forced. The miniature troll doll with the purple hair, the dull car ride from the backseat, the random knickknacks being toys, the JCPenney sign and the mall trip with no money, the Clarissa Explains It All theme song on a day spent sick on the couch — they might as well have been memories of my own.
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See Chappell Roan’s Performance on SNL
It’s a new episode of Saturday Night Live this weekend, on Nov. 2. Pop star Chappell Roan makes her debut on the iconic stage. Expect a performance that’s completely her own and a probably unforgettable, amazing wardrobe.
For SNL‘s promo ahead of Saturday, she appears with host John Mulaney and cast member Ego Nwodim. Your teen will probably get the point of the pre-show joke, but you might find yourself just as confused as Mulaney about the TikTok trend referenced. Tune in Saturday night to find out which songs Roan brings to the show, which airs on NBC and streams on Peacock.
