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. Special Ops: Lioness: (Paramount+ series)
The newest Taylor Sheridan series is only getting started, but this joint places Zoe Saldaña back into non-MCU ass-kicking mode, over a decade after Colombiana put her on the action map. Nicole Kidman co-stars as the chief of the Lioness Program, meant to ward off any future 9/11-type plots, and Saldaña portrays an operative who works with recruits to mold them into fearsome assassins. Expect the personal to clash with the professional and dramatic sparks to fly along with the action.
TIE: 10. Foundation (Apple TV+ series)
Lee Pace has a naked fight scene this season because he can’t let Alexander Skarsgård have all the fun. Beyond that treat for Pace fans, this Isaac Asimov adaptation pays equal attention to striking visuals and a slow burn of a script to keep expanding this show into the Milky Way-spanning, world-building heights that it deserves to be. This show should hit a sweet spot for those who are frustrated with Dune 2 delays, and Jared Harris as a prophet is icing on the existential cake.
9. The Deepest Breath (Netflix documentary)
This project inadvertently has both the worst and best timing possible. Feathers did get ruffled when promotion began amid the recent plight of Oceangate submersible passengers, none of whom survived. On a related but still contrasting note, this documentary revolves around the sport of freediving, which does involve a substantial risk, given that divers head as deep as possible without taking an air supply with them. In other words, they had better be able to hold their breath as long as humanly possible because this is one hell of a risky pastime.
8. Twisted Metal (Peacock series)
Anthony Mackie will soon resurface as Captain America in the MCU, but he’s sliding in on the more profane side in this video game adaptation that hopes to match the streaming success of The Last Of Us. Can it succeed? This year has seen some unusually well-received adaptations including The Super Mario Bros. Movie (even with Chris Pratt’s Mario voice), and Anthony Mackie portrays a wise-cracking outsider who would probably be satisfied if he could only find some toilet paper in the post-apocalyptic hellscape. Sweet Tooth, the killer, ice-cream dealing clown jointly played by Samoa Joe and Will Arnett, will terrorize all, and other costars include Neve Campbell, Richard Cabral, Stephanie Beatriz, and Thomas Haden Church.
7. They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix movie)
John Boyega recently told Uproxx how he’d love to have some romance onscreen, but before that happens, he stars in this homage to Blaxploitation cinema. The story revolves around Boyega as an antihero/drug dealer, along with Teyonah Parris as a sex worker and Jamie Foxx as a pimp, who descend into a conspiracy-laden rabbit hole after they discover that a government agency has weaponized Black cultural tidbits against the Black community. Expect reality to bend in upon itself in a funny and sharply absurdist adventure.
6. The Crowded Room (Apple TV+ series)
After a rough launch, this drama earned the loyal viewership of Tom Holland devotees, who received a handsome reward in the form of a devastating overall performance from the sometimes-Spider-Man actor. The story takes plenty of creative liberties but found inspiration in the real-life story of murder defendant Billy Milligan, who invoked a legal defense that had never been successfully used on a previous occasion. Holland’s character, Danny Sullivan, slowly unravels through his alternate personalities that emerge while an investigator (portrayed by Amanda Seyfried) explores what really happened inside of his terribly troubled mind.
5. The Bear (FX series streaming on Hulu)
This kitchen isn’t cooling down yet, so gather round for another pressure-cooker of a season with Carmy Berzatto, his legion of Chefs, and so many stellar guest stars as wayward (to put it mildly) family members. Surely, FX will begin discussing a third season soon, and we’ll find out if Carmy got out of that bind that he found himself in the season finale. Dude needs to realize that he is bad at romance and not gather any more collateral damage in that way, but nearly everyone else made genuine strides this season and are living their best lives. That especially goes for Richie, but I’m plenty pleased for Marcus, Tina, and Sydney, too.
4. Justified: City Primeval (FX series streaming on Hulu)
Clement Mansell and his tighty-whiteys proved to be even more fixated upon The White Stripes this week, and boy, he knows how to get under Raylan Givens‘ skin. He does so with ease, and since his attorney, Carolyn Wilder, won’t roll over, and Willa Givens knows exactly how to push buttons, the Cowboy Hat is not having a swell time in Detroit. Of course, that means that the audience is having a fantastic time as this season swaggers along.
3. Suits (USA series streaming on Netflix)
What is (still) happening? This series ended in 2019 after nine seasons, but what’s old is apparently new again. This show somehow ended up being the summer streaming hit that no one expected, so let’s hope that the castmates (including Meghan Markle) enjoy their places in a renewed pop-culture phenomenon. They probably earn more residuals through syndication rather than streaming, but I suspect that they are nonetheless tickled, although Prince Harry surely isn’t rewatching those sex scenes that disturb him.
2. Bird Box Barcelona (Netflix film)
Sandra Bullock launched this franchise, which still easily sits in Netflix’s all-time most-streamed lists. This Spanish-language followup goes back in time a bit to where the outbreak began in Spain. Keeping with the brand appeal, of course, this story doesn’t make total sense and still goes for easy thrills, but the franchise remains solidly B-quality, and there’s both the promise of fun and watchability in that kind of universe. Given the success of this second installment, we may very well hear about a third story in the works, too.
1. Interstellar (Paramount movie streaming on Paramount+)
Oppenheimer has already exceeded box-office expectations with Cillian Murphy starring as the so-called “Father of the Atomic Bomb.” The film almost rolls out like a theater production, albeit an explosive one, with an ensemble cast (Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, and so many more) that cannot be beat. If you haven’t caught it yet, go now, but additionally, Christopher Nolan fans are tucking into some of his most well-regarded hits, and that includes this twisty Matthew McConaughey/Anne Hathaway wormhole jaunt with Damon in an uncredited but essential role.