Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.
10. Uglies – Netflix film
Joey King is flat-out gorgeous, so this film has naturally been subject to criticism about the concept of her character, Tally Youngblood, looking forward to plastic surgery. However, the project found a substantial audience while adapting Scott Westerfeld’s young-adult dystopian novel that revolves around a world with government-mandated cosmetic surgery for every teen. Those who complete the process are designated “Pretties” and graduate to a presumably cushy life, but the outcome isn’t that simple. On an unexpected note, this film is helmed by Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle director McG.
9. Cuckoo – Neon film on VOD & Amazon Prime
Euphoria star Hunter Schafer goes into scream queen mode and does what nobody should ever do while grieving her mother’s death: fly across the ocean for a new setting, only to end up at an unsettling hotel, where sinister sh*t is going down involving her family. Also, there’s a horrifying hooded woman and plenty of vomit involved, and the title of the movie is not to be ignored, but to say any more would ruin the experience. (More Hunter in Hollywood, please.)
8. Dark Winds – AMC series streaming on AMC Plus and Netflix
The third season of this stellar crime drama is in the works, and if you haven’t seen what George R.R. Martin has been doing seriously well lately, then you are missing out on a sleeper series that recently took off on Netflix. A growing audience is now enjoying this adaptation of Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee books, in which 1970s Navajo cops are confronted by a series of connected violent crimes near a remote outpost. Writers, cast, and crew are all majority Native American and ensure authenticity to stories of Indigenous people and communities, and the devotees will be able to enjoy much more.
7. Trap – Warner Bros. film on VOD & Amazon Prime
Did you catch slightly unrecognizable Josh Hartnett in Oppenheimer amid the blitz of revolving A-listers? Well, Hartnett is back to carry a film on his own, and it’s like he never left. Here, he portrays a father accompanying his daughter to a mammoth concert from a Taylor Swift-esque artist, and unfortunately, a serial killer is afoot. And I waited until now to mention that M. Night Shyamalan directed, wrote, and produced this film, so expect twists.
6. Agatha All Along – Disney+ series
WandaVision launched the Disney+ MCU shows with much fanfare that has since lost its intensity, but that first show’s spin off brings Kathryn Hahn’s powerful witch back (there’s a catch there) and adds witchy Aubrey Plaza, too. Additionally, this series surprised everybody by debuting with a nude scene that far surpasses the Captain America jokes about “America’s Ass.” Hey, this could be a new Marvel Studios phase in more ways than one.
5. Longlegs – Neon film on VOD & Amazon Prime
Maika Monroe is tasked with tracking down a Satanic serial killer (portrayed by Nicolas Cage like you’ve never seen him before) in this genuinely disturbing horror film from Legally Blonde actor Osgood Perkins. During this movie’s theatrical run, Longlegs became Neon’s highest grossing movie ever and the biggest indie movie of 2024. Viral marketing can kick ass sometimes.
4. Emily In Paris – Netflix series
Emily is officially renewed for a fifth season, and that might mean that the show has to change its title to Emily In Rome, but also, she’s gonna screw up with her new boyfriend for that ridiculous Gabriel, isn’t she? We won’t find out the answer to that question tomorrow, but there should be a quick turnaround because Emily’s frothy adventures have too many viewers hooked. I am not sure why I cannot stop watching either, so it’s time to simply accept the fact that this show is addictive despite being a series with zero consequences or substance. Fingers crossed for a spin off, though.
3. Rebel Ridge – Netflix film
Aaron Pierre delivers a potentially Bond-making turn in Jeremy Saulnier’s action-conspiracy thriller about an ex-Marine who receives an unwelcome stop from police, who — long story short and to avoid spoilers — messed with the wrong guy. This film carries First Blood vibes but leans more cerebral and does so more successfully than Reacher, which of course is a crowd pleaser on its own merits. The film co-stars Don Johnson, playing another bad cop here (see also HBO’s Watchmen) who ain’t no Sonny Crockett.
2. Industry – HBO series
A new time slot will finish out this season with a fourth edition made official. Let Ken Leung start an office baseball team next time around, alright? Buckle in for a home-run finish to this season and a foul ball for at least one character with a few others stealing some bases. Alright, enough with the analogies. This show has managed to grow its audience over the course of the third season’s run. It’s an accomplishment that is rarely seen on TV, especially in the quick-to-be-cancelled streaming era.
1. Slow Horses – Apple TV+ series
Gary Oldman is having the greatest time portraying crotchety Jackson Lamb, the chief f*ck up of a cadre of outcast spies, who of course find themselves tasked with matters of utmost national importance. The leading man has gone on record to point out that James Bond would never fart, and he’s not wrong, which sums up a fair chunk of the hook of the series. This year, the action follows Mick Herron’s fourth Slough House novel, Spook Street, and we are truly living in a golden age of TV streaming takes on prolific spy book series.