Multiple times per 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 and ratings) 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. Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (Paramount+ movie)
If you need to take a load off, then there’s no better way than by revisiting these two buttmunches. Granted, there’s absolutely nothing of substance here, and that’s part of the charm of the original MTV series, too. Mike Judge knew that we needed these two couch slackers again, and there’s no disturbing the formula that made this show so ridiculously popular in the first place. Enjoy the brainless nostalgia and wonder, like Cornholio, where all the TP and “olio” might be. This one is good for your soul and will, at the very least, convince you to forget about the stressful reality of what’s happening in today’s too-serious world.
9. Ms. Marvel (HBO Max series)
If you aren’t watching this show, then you are sorely missing out because this slice of the youngest Marvel dynamite will get you primed ahead of The Marvels, arriving in 2023 only in theaters. That film will include Carol Danvers (Brie Larson) and Monica Rambeau (Teyonah Paris), but this show introduces Captain Marvel superfan Kamala Khan, who’s got some updated powers that fit with her place in the MCU and our own world. The show’s a joy to watch and a case study in why it’s alright to abandon canon if those changes ultimately make the story better.
8. For All Mankind (Apple TV+ series)
This show’s not losing its quiet quality, and that’s worth appreciating, even if it’s not a big social media hit that everyone’s buzzing about. People are still watching this alternate history as it moves toward the future. Joel Kinnaman and Shantel VanSanten are back while the Space Race’s new frontier happens to (and this should sound familiar, too) be Mars. There’s a third party interfering with the U.S. and Soviet Union royalty, and loyalties might fall by the wayside because national egos are very fragile. One must respect all of the attention to detail that goes into not hitting us over the head with messaging in the process of entertainment.
7. Black Bird (Apple TV+ series)
The show’s timing is poignant, given that the recently departed Ray Liotta is now taking his last turn on the small screen. He portrays Big Jim Keene, and he’s dad to Jimmy, played by Taron Eggerton in this adaptation of the In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption memoir. Given that Paul Walter Hauser also appears, expect him to be up to no good, and this is a suspenseful production produced by Dennis Lehane, all in service of a solid true-crime/psychological thriller adventure.
6. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix series)
The first 20 minutes of this season will instantly take you home in terms of remembering why the Hargreeves siblings are so irresistible. There are now Sparrow siblings, too, and Elliot Page’s Victor introduces himself to his family and to the audience (while also getting a doozy of a last line of the season), and it’s all to great effect. A whole lot of plates spin around here, and yes, there’s another apocalypse in the works, but don’t worry, there’s always dancing, and even a messed-up timeline and some intermittent tragedy can’t ruin the feel-good effect of this show as a whole.
5. The Old Man (FX/Hulu series)
Jeff Bridges is back for one last job (yay!) as a former CIA operative who gets dragged back into the field, and he’s got exactly chilled out about it. The story’s based upon Thomas Perry’s 2017 novel, and John Lithgow portrays an old friend who’s not exactly a friend. Think of this as a show that Liam Neeson would have loved to have done but with better writing and a lot more personality. This is apparently a limited series, but you never know whether the powers that be will see the viewing numbers and sign up for more.
4. Only Murders In The Building (Hulu series)
Selena Gomez is what makes this dream team (there are many reasons why she’s been underappreciated in Hollywood) really happen, although Steve Martin and Martin Short aren’t too shabby! This season picks up with “Bloody Mabel” attempting to ditch her newfound reputation, even if it happened because she did the alleged-perp walk while literally being both bloody and Mabel. Guest stars include Amy Schumer and Cara Delevingne, and basically, no one should trust anyone as the show’s mysteries continue to unfurl.
3. Stranger Things (Netflix series)
The drip-drip of this season’s fallout continues with Metallica and talk of gatekeepers, which might distract everyone from the enormously (almost ridiculously) long run times for the most recent episodes that dropped. Now, everyone must look ahead to Season 5 and wonder whether the Duffer Brothers will listen to Millie Bobbie Brown’s quest for many Game of Thrones-style deaths. Also, the Emmy nominations are coming soon, so keep your eyes on whether that will also be a point of contention between this show and Thrones because some records might soon fall.
2. The Boys (Amazon Prime series)
The season finale couldn’t quite top the “Herogasm” episode but delivered a satisfying set of flourishes to the Soldier Boy Problem. And the Homelander Problem? That will continue into the future, as will Vought Internationals PR issues, thanks to Starlight refusing to play nice anymore. This season delivered incredible backstories for both Black Noir and Mother’s Milk, the latter of whom is portrayed by Laz Alonso (who talked to us about why people love his character so very much. Before you watch, refresh yourself with this ranking of all The Boys and prepare yourself for Billy Butcher’s vengeance.
1. The Bear (FX series streaming on Hulu)
Hoo boy, this show’s a type of intense that will stress you out at times (Episode 7 is a pressure cooker of a long shot that’s perhaps the best work of the season). Shameless heavy lifter Jeremy Allen White finally gets the leading man turn that he deserves, and people really want a second season of this show, so we’ll see if FX ends up coming through, so we can have more of White with (stellar supporting players) Ayo Edebir and Ebon Moss-Bachrach. And everyone is a “Chef.” You are a Chef, too, and the sooner you realize that, the better.