Each week our staff of film and television experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
20. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Did we really need a reimagining of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie? Watch the first few episodes, and you might agree that this effort was not wasted. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine pick up as assassins who happen to be paired together (and “married”), and you aren’t ready for the rollicking, madcap, action-packed set of missions that they must complete (or else?). Even better: John and Jane Smith’s onscreen relationship is as much of daredevil stunt as the action scenes.
19. Abbott Elementary (Hulu)
School’s back in session at Abbott Elementary and the show has made some big changes after the romantic cliffhanger that ended season two. Janine has a new job (and a new love interest), Gregory’s struggling to move on, Josh Segarra from The Other Two is auditing classrooms, and Ava Coleman is a Harvard (adjacent) graduate. Lord help Mrs. Howard. After a longer-than-expected hiatus it’s nice to see the Emmy-winning comedy reinventing itself instead of resting on its laurels, but don’t worry, there are still plenty of Janelle James one-liners and Tyler James Williams pans to camera to keep things comfortably familiar.
18. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (AMC Plus)
Rick Grimes has been missing from TV screens for a handful of years and in The Walking Dead timeline for over a decade. Now, Michonne is about to save his ass and hopefully torch the CRM while she’s at it. Too much? Nah, this franchise went off the rails a long time ago, and that’s part of the fun. This spinoff ends up being a worthy love story within the parameters of this world, and existing viewers will adore it. Meanwhile, Daryl is still in France, now with added Carol, so they won’t be reinforcements for the “Save Rick” cause, but we can hope for a reunion.
17. Poor Things (Hulu)
What we have here:
- Emma Stone absolutely cooking in an awards-collecting movie about a lady who is brought back to life by a mad scientist and promptly starts skipping across continents on a journey of liberation
- Emma Stone working with director Yorgos Lanthimos again
- Did… you read those first two?
No time like the present, baby.
16. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Disney Plus)
Taylor Swift’s record-breaking concert film is now available to watch whenever you want. But if you only have time for one song from every era, for some reason, make them: “Cruel Summer” (Lover), “Love Story” (Fearless), “Champagne Problems” (Evermore), “Look What You Made Me Do” (Reputation), “Enchanted” (Speak Now), “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” (Red), “Illicit Affairs” (Folklore), “Style” (1989), and “Anti-Hero” (Midnights). Don’t blame me for the lack of songs from debut. That’s on Taylor.
15. The Regime (Max)
Kate Winslet as an unhinged autocrat in a problematic power struggle with her unpredictable mold-eradicating henchman that may or may not spark the downfall of an entire nation? Sign us up. As Elena Vernham, the chancellor of an authoritarian regime in fictional Europe, Winslet smooths over fascist ideals with maternal platitudes while insulating herself from the real problems of the world. It’s only when her home begins crumbling (literally) and her dead father begins haunting its halls (not so literally?) that her iron grip loosens enough for the vultures to sweep in.
14. Bottoms (Prime Video)
Bottoms is a screwball comedy about two gay teenage girls who start a high school fight club as a ploy to hook up with their cheerleader crushes. Ayo Edebiri is in it. So is Marshawn Lynch. There are acts of vandalism set to 80s bangers and football players in cages and none of it makes any sense but it’s absolutely worth just rolling with it.
This one is a blast. And it’s streaming on the same website you bought your coffee maker on. The future is kind of wild.
13. Oppenheimer (Peacock)
With this historical biopic, Christopher Nolan unknowingly created an atomic amuse-bouche for a double-feature blockbuster viewing experience that saved cinema last year. But, watching Cillian Murphy’s cheekbones cut glass as he chain-smokes his way to becoming Death, Destroyer of Worlds for three-plus hours is just as much fun at home as it was in a packed movie theater. Sporting a packed line-up of A-list talent (hello Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr.), a bone-rattling score, and some clever monochromatic cinematography to distinguish between its multiple timelines, Oppenheimer has more than earned its place on every nominations list this awards season. Now, go enjoy it in the way Nolan intended – streaming on Peacock.
12. Girls State (Apple TV+)
I know. I know. The last thing you want to watch is a movie about politics. But make an exception for Girls State, a sequel of sorts to 2020’s Sundance-winning Boys State. Here’s what it’s about: “What would American democracy look like in the hands of teenage girls? A political coming-of-age story and a stirring reimagination of what it means to govern, Girls State follows young female leaders — from wildly different backgrounds across Missouri — as they navigate an immersive experiment to build a government from the ground up.”
11. X-Men ’97 (Disney Plus)
If you’re going to do unadulterated nostalgia, at least make it as fun (and occasionally devastating) as X-Men ‘97. The animated series is a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, which aired from 1992 to 1997, and follows the team of mutants as they do mutant-like things. Do we really need to explain what the X-Men show is about? It’s about the X-Men.
10. Lisa Frankenstein (Peacock)
Jennifer’s Body is considered a teen movie classic these days, but it was criminally underseen when it first came out. Don’t make the same mistake with writer Diablo Cody’s latest movie, Lisa Frankenstein. The comedy-horror stars the always-fun Kathryn Newton as a teen girl who falls in love with a corpse, played by Cole Sprouse. Fun fact: Lisa Frankenstein was directed by Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda.
9. Sugar (Apple TV)
Colin Farrell is gearing up to appear in Max’s Penguin series, but for the moment, he’s starring as private detective John Sugar, who must track the disappearance of a Hollywood producer’s granddaughter. In the process, Sugar also digs up family secrets that were buried for damn good reasons. Yes, this is a modern spin on film noir, but how could you resist a member of the the Irish renaissance portraying the newest gumshoe on streaming TV?
8. Girls5eva (Netflix)
Anyone who skips the opening credits for Girls5eva should be thrown in prison. Actually, anyone who doesn’t watch Girls5eva, a hilarious joke-a-second comedy about a reunited girl group played by Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, and Renée Elise Goldsberry, deserves a five-year sentence behind bars. It’s harsh but fair.
7. 3 Body Problem (Netflix)
Netflix wanted a Game of Thrones-sized hit. It got one in 3 Body Problem, the first show from creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss (working with Alexander Woo) since, well, Game of Thrones. The sci-fi mystery is about “a tight-knit group of brilliant scientists must join forces with an unflinching detective to stop humanity’s greatest threat.” The cast includes Eiza González, Liam Cunningham (a.k.a. the Onion Knight from Thrones), and Benedict Wong, which is reason enough to watch right there.
6. Loot (Apple TV+)
You know what TV could use more of? Shows starring Maya Rudolph. The frequent scene-stealer is in the lead role in Loot, a returning series on Apple TV+ about a woman who must figure out what to do with a multi-billion dollar settlement from her ex-husband. Loot, which was created by Matt Hubbard (30 Rock) and Alan Yang (Master of None), also stars Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Nat Faxon, Ron Funches, and Joel Kim Booster.
5. Shogun (Hulu)
Shogun really is that good. A historical epic set in feudal Japan that follows an English pilot (Cosmo Jarvis) who washes ashore during a time of political strife, it takes the kind of storytelling swings you just wouldn’t expect. Its most fascinating characters speak almost exclusively in subtitles (hello Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawaii, and Moeka Hoshi), its action sneaks up on you, and its political intrigue is cutthroat. It’s Game of Thrones with samurais and it should be on everyone’s must-see list.
4. Ripley (Netflix)
Everybody remembers Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Andrew Scott is fully shaking off his “Hot Priest” days to don Tom Ripley’s grifter duds, this time in a more visually-striking medium, from the looks of this trailer. This series is, of course, based upon Patricia Highsmith’s series of novels, and the title character takes a job in the 1960s that sets him on the deceit-filled path to murder. Whether this debut will lead to adapting more books in further seasons, we shall have to wait and see.
3. Drive-Away Dolls (Peacock)
Remember the time one of the Coen brothers and his wife made a super fun lesbian road trip comedy starring Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, and Matt Damon? You probably don’t: Drive-Away Dolls made under $10 million at the box office. But now it’s on Peacock for your viewing pleasure.
2. The Sympathizer (Max)
The last time Park Chan-wook directed a limited series, it was The Little Drummer Girl. That turned out pretty good. Now, the Korean filmmaker is back with another excellent addition to his filmography. Based on author Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer-winning novel of the same, The Sympathizer is described as “an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.” The cast is led by Hoa Xuande and recent Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr., who plays multiple characters.
1. Fallout (Prime Video)
Fallout is an adaptation of Bethesda’s behemoth franchise, a story set within the retro-futuristic world that’s captivated console users for years and years. Yes, there are delightful little nods to in-game storylines – Pip-Boys and Nuka-Cola and Radaway, but they either serve a larger purpose or don’t linger for too long, ensuring that the show stands on its own two feet. Long-time gamers should have little to gripe about while those craving better genre fare amidst the streaming glut should come away satisfied. Whether you know its history or not, Fallout is a f*cking blast of a sci-fi show that defies expectations in the most unconventional of ways.