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.
TIE: 10. The Flash (CW series streaming on Netflix)
With word on the street that the upcoming The Flash movie, starring Michael Keaton and two Ezra Millers, is actually quite good, DC fans are naturally in the mood for this speedy superhero, so they’re binging one of the better CW superhero shows in existence. As well, the series recently ended its ninth and final season, so people know that they can digest it all without waiting for more. There’s some satisfaction in knowing that one can do so, and in about a week, we’ll see if the box office checks out, too.
TIE: 10. The Crowded Room (Apple TV+ series)
This project has gone through some phases, to put it mildly. Many years ago, Leonardo DiCaprio was reportedly set to star in a different version in which which he would have played a defendant who invoked a legal defense that had never been successfully used on a previous occasion. The crimes in question included a 1970s robbery and worse, all based on a real-life criminal. Apple TV+ has now tweaked things for an inspired-by-real-life series, and Tom Holland now portrays “Danny Sullivan,” who is arrested in connection with a shooting, and the situation spirals in many directions from there. It certainly takes Holland out of the Marvel mindset.
9. FUBAR (Netflix series)
This show doesn’t seem likely to evaporate anytime soon with Father’s Day on the horizon, and Netflix must have known that Arnold Schwarzenegger is still plenty bankable even while in Dad Jokes mode. He’s not exactly slaughtering an entire army without reloading anymore, but he’s doing alright and can probably kick butt better than you and I combined. This series is sort-of like Mr. And Mrs. Smith but with a father-daughter dynamic, and don’t deprive dudes of dad shows, especially when Yellowstone remains on hiatus with no signs of imminent return.
8. Reality (HBO movie streaming on Max)
At one point in time, “Reality Winner” felt like a fake name that the Internet made up as a Twitter trend, but the story was all too real. Sydney Sweeney portrays the portrays Air Force vet and former NSA translator who returns home one day to find FBI agents having descended upon the premises. So much for a nice, quiet life as a yoga/CrossFit instructor, and she soon finds out that she is S.O.L. after being accused of presenting information about 2016 election interference by Russia to the press. Sweeney’s skills are showcased here in a more textured manner than you’ve seen before now, as a seemingly ordinary 20-something whose life will soon forever be transformed.
7. Cruel Summer (Freeform series streaming on Hulu)
The second season of this soapy thriller series recently premiered after what feels like an extensive wait for fans. Don’t expect the timelines to settle down anytime soon as the show’s mysteries remain impressively resistant to prediction. Yes, there’s a dead body central to the story and characters attempting to get their stories on the same page as lies pile upon lies. Underneath it all, though, there’s an erupting friendship and a love triangle and plenty of intrigue to at least fill this sophomore season.
6. The Idol (HBO series streaming on Max)
For an HBO show, this series didn’t go off like gangbusters, although a certain scene has racked up more YouTube views than the entire first episode did at the source. The show attempts to thrive upon claimed controversy, and we’ll see if it can gain as much momentum as Euphoria creator Sam Levinson and Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye desired while setting out to shock the world. No one ever expected subtlety here, although the show needs to start delivering upon its promises and pep up the story to keep people’s attention.
5. Manifest (Netflix series)
Flight 828, which lost five years in the initial episode of this sci-fi soap opera, now comes in for the final leg of its rocky voyage, and thank goodness that Ghost Zeke is along for the landing. The crash landing, even? You be the judge. Creator Jeff Rake was able to pack in the final three seasons of ideas into a fourth, super-sized season once Netflix rescued this beloved show from NBC cancellation. Go find out if that Death Date junk turns out to be a made-up fear, or if Cal can save the world, or both.
4. Platonic (Apple TV+ series)
A movement to resurrect the raunchy comedy is about to arrive in theaters with Jennifer Lawrence doing the honors, and here, Rose Byrne and Seth Rogen will warm up that target audience as two former best friends who (stupidly) decide that they can still party hard despite leading adult lives, too. Rose Byrne remains underrated for her comedic sense, and Seth Rogen’s jolly laugh remains incredibly hard to resist. Come for the hangover and stay for the portrayal of friendship’s ups and downs and more ups.
3. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (Sony movie available for rental on Amazon)
Over three years ago, we placed this initial franchise entry at the top of our Favorite Comic Book Movies of last decade. It remains an instant classic, even as Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse proved to be equally fantastic. Before you go see Spot, refresh on this game-changer that proves how Disney and Sony can work harmoniously to shade in infinite facets of Spidey for the masses. You can never have too much of the Peter Parkers or enough of Gwen or Miles Morales or the rest, and if you think I’m wrong, then you clearly could use this adventure. So get in there and refresh yourself.
2. Silo (Apple TV+ series)
This series is a slow burn that’s finally receiving its due as people catch up and realize that Graham Yost has been quietly toiling away on a sci-fi sleeper hit. Those are always the most satisfying hits, aren’t they? Root for the TV underdog, much like you’ll find yourself doing for Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette, who rises from being the only person why knows how to fix a humanity-sustaining generator to sheriff of the whole, 10,000 people-strong joint. This show’s mysteries never feel like sucker punches once the truth is finally revealed, although if you have read Hugh Howey’s trilogy of applicable novels (starting with Wool and moving into Shift and Dust), then you know that there’s much more to come, even after this season reaches a finale flourish.
1. I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson (Netflix series)
One thing is certain: the fandom for this show is rabid and opinionated, and even though taste in comedy can be highly specific, the people who love this series really love it. Our own Brian Grubb is one of those opinionated fans, and he whipped up a comprehensive ranking of this season’s sketches, so when you are done, mosey on over and see if you agree or disagree, and maybe even construct your own list, too. Sound absurd enough for you? Good, because that vibe fits the spirit of this show.