Each week our staff of film and TV 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. Dead Ringers (Amazon Prime)
There’s a glut of good TV at the moment so even a modern remake of a bit of classic David Cronenberg-ian body horror needs some buzzwords to cut through the noise. Luckily, Dead Ringers has that. And we’ll list them out for you now: Rachel Weisz. Evil twins. Surrealist sci-fi. Fertility clinic. Power struggles. A shocking finale. And Rachel Weisz (again). Helmed by Alice Birch (Normal People) with a few episodes directed by horror maestro Karyn Kusama, this show takes Cronenberg’s central idea and gender-flips it, giving us twin obstetricians Beverly and Elliot Mantle whose day job sees them playing god at a cutting-edge fertility clinic. But, when their toxic relationship dynamics are threatened by both their professional success and personal entanglements, their bond reaches disturbing new depths.
19. The Other Two (Max)
We’re in a golden era of Hollywood satire, specifically when it comes to HBO’s offerings with Hacks and Barry (in and around all the murder and Chechen drug wars). Even Succession dips a toe into the mix from time to time (gotta get that franchise pump-pumpin!). But while The Other Two doesn’t have the same level of prestige or attention, nothing bites harder than this Chris Kelly and Sarah Schneider created show that returns for its third season with the entire Dubek family thriving while also searching for meaning and connection.
18. Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie (Apple TV Plus)
Authorized celebrity documentaries often lack bite and feel like an extension of a PR campaign, but Still goes deeper than most, telling the story of Michael J. Fox’s life from his origins to his ’80s pop culture takeover, the courtship of his wife Tracy Pollan, his Parkinson’s diagnosis/decision to tell the word, and the aftershocks of that. It’s not just a linear unfolding of an icon’s life and the depth and care that’s used to paint a portrait of him now as he takes stock and counts his blessings while being challenged by the progressive and debilitating disease, it’s the way in which Guggenheim chooses to highlight key moments. As we see with Fox himself, there’s a lot of light and joy running through this as it weaves together re-enactments, voiceovers, archival footage, Fox interviews, and needle drops to give new life to familiar stories and creates montages so exhilarating you’ll think you’re watching the ’80s pop culture version of The Last Dance. Pair all that with Fox’s charm and candor, and Still feels special.
17. White House Plumbers (HBO)
The Veep guys bring us the Watergate story that you never knew that you’d enjoy watching. Justin Theroux delivers a knockout performance in this David Mandel-directed adaptation of Egil Krogh and Matthew Krogh’s book, Integrity. In doing so, the team puts a satiric spin upon the experiences of Egil (played by Rich Sommer) during and after his time leading the Special Investigations Unit that was tasked with plugging information leaks. Yep, that’s where the “plumbers” comes from, and this show is fun and tragic but, fortunately, mostly fun.
16. Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix)
What we have here is a Bridgerton prequel, a good one, that focuses on the real-life marriage of Charlotte to King George II, with the usual Bridgerton twist of Olde England being a racially integrated society. Shonda Rhimes serves as showrunner and gives it all the classic Rhimes-y snap and pizzazz, which works well with the show’s subject matter. If you like Bridgerton or history or a sexy/fizzy series about rich people who are kind of miserable, this might be your new favorite show… or at least a way to kill a rainy weekend.
15. High Desert (Apple TV)
Patricia Arquette finally gets wacky again as an ex-drug dealer who decides, what the heck, to be a private investigator. She is no Jessica Jones, but that’s alright because she’s much more chaotic with barely restrained energy. It’s an extremely weird show that co-stars other actors also very good at playing weird. That includes Matt Dillon and Bernadette Peters and Brad Garrett, along with Rupert Friend playing a guru. Underneath it all, the show explores the complex nature of grief, but fortunately, nothing gets too heavy.
14. FUBAR (Netflix)
“Heroes don’t retire,” reads the synopsis for FUBAR, the new Arnold Schwarzenegger starring action series from Netflix. Yeah, no kidding. We’re about to root for an 80-year-old Indiana Jones to conquer time, Nazis, and the box office. Remember when 2010’s The Expendables was supposed to be the last punch-throwing, throat-ripping ride for septuagenarian action stars from the ’80s? Anyway, Fubar promises a throwback thrill ride with Arnie as a freshly retired CIA badass who finds out, oops oh my, that his daughter inadvertently followed in his career path. Hijinks ensue, adding to the “Wait, you’re a spy!?” genre that just gave us Ghosted.
13. Primo (Amazon FreeVee)
Primo has three big things going for it. One, it is loosely based on the life of bestselling author Shea Serrano, who is cool and funny. Two, it comes from Michael Schur, creator of Parks and Recreation and The Good Place, who is also cool and funny in addition to being good at making shows. Three, it’s, well, free, as it’s airing on Amazon’s FreeVee channel instead of on Prime. Tough to beat all of that on paper, you know?
12. American Born Chinese (Disney Plus)
The is a lot going on here. Let’s start at the top: American Born Chinese is a coming-of-age story based on a popular graphic novel about a teenager named Jin who attempts to navigate high school while keeping a big secret about superpowers under wraps. Spider-man vibes abound, with crushes on biology partners and angry demons and magical amulets aplenty, which is by no means a complaint. Nor is the thing where the show reunites a big chunk of the cast from Everything Everywhere All At Once. More shows should have Michelle Yeoh in them. Most of them, really. This is not an unreasonable request.
11. Air (Amazon Prime)
Well, guess what: We have Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and Viola Davis in a movie about Nike landing Michael Jordan as a client back in the early 1980s. It’s a fun watch. Davis is a powerhouse as Jordan’s mother. Chris Tucker pops up every now and then and just steals whatever scene he’s in by giving it the full Chris Tucker. It’s one of those movies that, in another era, you’d get sucked into on basic cable at noon on a Saturday. Which works out well, because you can still just watch it on a Saturday. This Saturday, if you want. Look at that. Another problem solved.
10. The Eric Andre Show (Adult Swim)
Eric Andre is “dating Emily Ratajkowski”-level famous, so it’s nice that he still finds time to get naked and cause mayhem on The Eric Andre Show. The Adult Swim series is back for another season of absurdist comedy with guest stars Lil Nas X, Jon Hamm, Mia Khalifa, Jaleel White, Blac Chyna, and Natasha Lyonne. A fittingly chaotic group of famous people for one of TV’s most chaotic (and unpredictably hilarious) shows.
9. The Great (Hulu)
God only knows how Elle Fanning’s Catherine the Great and Nicholas Hoult’s Emperor Peter III somehow haven’t killed each other yet, but there’s still time for that to happen. Their arranged marriage has slid deeper into misery, but they must get their sh*t together to stay in power. History tells us that Catherine was Russia’s longest-reigning female empress and that she overthrew her husband, but god only knows where this show will actually go. Conventional history went out the door a long time ago.
8. Clone High (Max)
The first season of Clone High aired 20 years ago on Canadian television and then, later, on MTV. It was a weird little show about famous historical figures — JFK, Abe Lincoln, Cleopatra — getting brought back to the present day as high school students, kind of like if you littered 90210 or some other teen melodrama with fictional depictions of real people from the part. It was fun. And good. And it got canceled after that one season. And now it’s back, with the original braintrust — Bill Lawrence, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, who have done okay for themselves in the 20 years between seasons — at the helm. Get in there for the nostalgia but also get in there for the good jokes about history.
7. Shooting Stars (Peacock)
What we have here is a television show based on a book by author Buzz Bissinger about the high school career of NBA legend LeBron James. Specifically, it’s about James and his three best friends on a journey to become the top high school basketball team in the county. Bissinger is no stranger to high school sports stories, as he wrote the book-length version of Friday Night Lights that eventually became the movie and the TV show. The pedigree here is interesting. Worth a shot on a slow weekend, if nothing else.
6. White Men Can’t Jump (Hulu)
First comment under the trailer for the new White Men Can’t Jump is about what it can’t be, which is a direct sequel that came out 30 years ago with Woody and Wesley blowing us all away with their A+ chemistry.
From the trailer, this new version looks like a layered story about ball and living and dying by the hustle with plenty of room for jokes and for this new duo (Sinqua Walls and Jack Harlow) to show off their own impressive chemistry. The question is, can people let the classic be the classic and give this one some space to be its own thing?
5. The Idol (HBO)
Surely, you’ve heard at least some of the controversy surrounding this show from Euphoria creator Sam Levinson and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye. The latter stars as a cult leader who literally and figuratively seduces Jocelyn, an it-girl pop star portrayed by Lily-Rose Depp. The critics are absolutely not into this series following the first two episodes premiering at Cannes, but no one ever expected subtlety from Sam Levinson. Let’s hope that a bit of substance will eventually emerge from within the style, but people will certainly be watching, at least to begin.
4. Working: What We Do All Day (Netflix)
Former President Barack Obama — remember that guy? — narrates this Netflix show about work, both what it is and what it means, as well as just the nature of, like, having a job. It’s kind of cool, really, to see a politician out there celebrating regular people a little bit instead of shouting into a microphone about whatever cultural issue is currently dividing everyone. If this comes back for another season, he should do an episode about people who, to choose an example at random, make lists of shows and monies people can watch on the weekend. You know, the real heroes.
3. Platonic (Apple TV Plus)
From the outside, you may think that you know where this series is going, but the show promises to be even more chaotic than you expect. Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen play old friends who reunite after people grow apart (as they do), and it soon grows apparent that he shakes up her little world. Fortunately, she does appear to be happily married, and her husband approves of (and, in fact, encourages) this rekindled friendship — at least, until the horse tranquilizers come into play. It happens.
2. Reality (MAX)
Reality gives us Euphoria breakout Sydney Sweeney in an entirely different kind of role. She plays real-life military intelligence specialist Reality Winner, the woman who leaked classified intelligence about Russian interference in the 2016 United States election to the press and was questioned by the FBI and sentenced to a prison term under the Espionage Act. The movie focuses on her interrogation, with Sweeney and the agents circling each other like cobras as the… well, as the reality of Reality’s situation sinks in. It’s a heavy watch, but an important one, both to shine a light on a notable situation from real-life and to remind everyone that Sydney Sweeney has some serious acting chops.
1. I Think You Should Leave (Netflix)
The internet’s favorite sick and deranged sketch series is back for a third season. Expect to see your various social media feeds flooded with screencaps and GIFs in the coming weeks, most of them featuring creator and star Tim Robinson with a pained expression on his face. Maybe double back and watch the first two seasons again, too. There’s probably something in there you missed or forgot anyway. And hey, it’s never a bad weekend to yell at strangers about how they have no good car ideas. Maybe they get mad, sure. But maybe you’re right. And maybe they look at you and reply “I’m doing the best at this” and you make a friend for life.