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) 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.
TIE: 10. Manifest (NBC-turned Netflix series)
Flight 828’s first chunk of Season 4 episodes came and went with no real answers on what the hell caused the passengers to blip off the earth’s radar for five years, so of course, people want more answers. Plenty of Cal and Zeke drama (some of it tragic) will take us into the final touchdown whenever we receive a release date, and maybe (just maybe) we’ll see a Michaela and Jared reunion. Too soon? Nothing is too silly for this sci-fi soap opera, so bring it, Jeff Rake.
TIE: 10. Fleishman Is In Trouble (FX series on Hulu)
The title of this show won’t reel you in on its own, but this show takes takes a departure from the usual “divorced dad” story with Jesse Eisenberg taking a sexy jaunt into singledom. Eisenberg does awkward like no other, and here, he’s a doctor juggling a madcap social life with a satiric twist. Lizzy Caplan and Adam Brody co-star as his supportive buddies while Claire Danes plays the incredibly distant ex-wife as Fleishman, also a doctor, struggles to keep it all together without falling in love with everyone.
9. Smile (Movie streaming on Paramount Plus)
If this movie isn’t a case for maintaining the fine art of the RBF, then I’m not sure what else would qualify. This horror movie freaked out theater audiences, and now, you can be afraid of literal smiles from the comfort of your own home. They marketed the heck out of this movie with an unsettling, baseball-themed campaign, so tune in to be afraid of happiness right before the holiday season goes into full drive. The timing!
8. 1899 (Netflix series)
Those streaming aficionados who could stand to see more Dark will want to tune into another mysterious story from the same creators. This show’s a nightmarish voyage about a migrant steamship who discovers a companion ship where something slightly supernatural might be happening. Yes, this is another Lost imitation, but people seemingly cannot get enough of them, if you don’t mind some frustration and a zillion upfront questions.
7. Interview With The Vampire (AMC series streaming on AMC+)
The O.G. toxic vampire romance rose from the undead in a series that proved to be more scintillating than the Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt (closeted) coupling of the 1990s. You can now watch through the first season finale while counting down for the next round of chess-playing tantrums and campy gore from a dancing Sam Reid. It’s heady and glorious and also updated for the 2022 audience amid trips to the past. On the rarest of occasions, reboots can actually get things right!
6. The Crown (Netflix series)
Princess Diana more than stands her ground with this season full of (“fictionalized”) episodes that showcased her misery and really upset the royal family, particularly because King Charles III will soon officially be coronated. Tune in for the too-hot prince (also fictionalized) as well while listening to the infamous “tampongate” conversation with now-Queen Consort Camilla. They do know how to get randy sometimes.
5. From Scratch (Netflix series)
Zoe Saldana leaves blockbuster mode for this limited series that follows a European-set love story including an inspiring chef. The location moves to Los Angeles, where all is not sunny and bright and, in fact, things grow pretty tragic. It’s a nice switch up from all of the superhero stories and the dark-fantasy stories that recently proliferated the TV realm, and this proves to be a nice little bingewatch for when you’re either preparing for or attempting to digest all of that Thanksgiving food.
4. The English (Amazon movie)
We love to see a show that we can actually see, and that’s only one of the high points for this big swing of a Western starring Emily Blunt and Chaske Spencer. Together, they’re crossing 1890s middle America while dodging danger at every turn and considering exactly how this country can turn people inside out, for better and often worse. Blunt can even whoop some ass while dressed in aristocratic getups and toting a massive bag full of money, and the story also commits to joining the newfound influx of Indigenous perspectives that eschew the stereotypes of yesteryear.
3. Dead To Me (Netflix series)
Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini love the hell out of each other, and it shows. This dark comedy returns for one final round of homicidal fallout. Much of the season was filmed following Applegate’s MS diagnosis, and get ready for more chaotic James Marsden(s) and the threat of the FBI amid this continued celebration of the rarest and deepest of friendships. As a bonus, Applegate’s Married With Children mom shows up to stir some drama, and yes, we’ve got more headbanging. Fans will be sad to see this show go, but the final flourishes are worth the tugs at heartstrings.
2. Tulsa King (Paramount Plus series)
Sylvester Stallone has been leading up to this role for his whole career, and he’s truly having a blast as a mafia boss with the run of an entire city, which yes, simply happens to be Tulsa. Who would have thought that this city would be so hot on TV these days? After Watchmen and amid the ongoing Reservation Dogs, TV characters cannot seem to stay away from the semi-appealing armpit of Route 66. Stallone delivers a fun and emotional performance in an irresistible show that’s directed by Boardwalk Empire‘s Terence Winter and dreamed up by Taylor Sheridan of Yellowstone fame. Giddyup.
1. The White Lotus (HBO series streaming on HBO Max)
This show has already been renewed for a third season, thank god, and hopefully, Jennifer Coolidge will once more be the connecting thread. Her boozy socialite is miserable, but I feel worse for her assistant (Haley Lu Richardson). Aubrey Plaza and Theo James lead the rest of the troubled characters who can’t seem to be totally happy in idyllic surroundings. Mike White is putting first-world humanity on blast in a way and considering lofty issues like whether morning sex can make or break a relationship. In other words, this show is a sleeper hit in more ways than one.