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. The Changeling (Apple TV Plus)
LaKeith Stanfield heads into the horror realm in this adaptation of Victor LaValle’s acclaimed novel. The show promises to be a grown-up fairytale begins in a New York City library and heads into a version of the Big Apple that usually remains closed from human eyes. It’s also a parenthood fable, and yes, it truly feels like the scariest horror stories often revolve around kids, whether they happen to be good or evil. Given Stanfield’s ability to showcase the surreal in various other projects, one can bet that this quality adds to the spooks in this series.
19. Solar Opposites (Hulu)
Solar Opposites is, in a sense, two shows for the price of one. What a deal! One show is the alien adventures of Korvo (now voiced by Dan Stevens), Terry, Jesse, Yumyulack, and the Pupa, the cutest lil’ guy on television. The other show takes place in The Wall, where humans have been shrunk down and held hostage inside a terrarium. Both are very funny, very weird, and very good. Solar Opposites doesn’t get as much attention as Rick and Morty, but it should.
18. Invasion (Apple TV Plus)
This intense story, set over several continents, brings us crop circles galore and civilization’s collapse while humanity struggles to pull it together during (as the title suggests) an alien invasion. Naturally, there is a sheriff who gets pulled back from the verge of retirement as soldiers, mission controllers, and civilians everywhere lend their perspectives in this series from Simon Kinberg (several X-Men movies) and David Weil (Citadel, Hunters). The show is back for a second season while the world still struggles to figure what, exactly, is happening in real-time.
17. Archer (Hulu)
The world has been trying to leave Sterling Archer behind for years and years with hilarious results as the spy and his associates have navigated land, sea, and air (and space), often stumbling into calamity while chasing adventure. But now, in its 14th season, the series, with all its ambition and wit, has reached its climax (yes, we are still doing phrasing) and we are here for it, specifically, the final bows of one of the greatest voice casts ever assembled. How will it all end? We can’t wait to find out, but regardless, Archer’s place as one of the best comedies of this century is assured.
16. Harley Quinn (Max)
Even though there’s been a lot of upheaval at HBO Max/Max and even more so for films and TV shows starring DC characters, at least one supervillainess is safe. Miss Harley (who does not need the Joker for success) was almost pointedly renewed as a clattering of show cancellations and removals swirled. Heck, Kaley Cuoco’s voice even gave us the only Valentine’s Day special worth watching this year. Soon, we might find out whether Bane is still making love to a skyscraper as Harley attempts to get in good with the Bat Family. Quite a contrast there.
15. American Horror Story: Delicate (Hulu)
Ryan Murphy’s sick, twisted horror anthology has been a bit of a mixed bag over the years but if there’s anything that can unite the binge-watching masses this Fall it’s Kim Kardashian – first-time actor, lifelong lover of the arts. Kris Jenner’s prodigy is playing a supporting role in this season’s storyline, which can be best summed up as the millennial version of Rosemary’s Baby, while Emma Roberts plays an actress who becomes pregnant and begins to fear that someone (or something) is after her. Demonic symbolism, “hysterical” women, and off-putting wigs – everything you’d expect from a Murphy fright night production is here, it’s just all that much more surreal with Kardashian in the mix.
14. The Golden Bachelor (Hulu)
What we have on our hands here is a Bachelor spinoff about an older gentleman looking for love from a group of similarly aged ladies. Which is… honestly kind of adorable. Good for them. And good for us, too, especially if one of the episodes features a date where they eat dinner at a diner at 4:45 and then go watch an episode of Columbo in matching recliners. This was written as a joke but honestly sounds kind of wonderful. That’s true love right there, people.
13. The Other Black Girl (Hulu)
Seriously, watch this trailer. This is not a fluffy little comedy. Rashida Jones executive produces this adaptation of Zakiya Dalila Harris’ NYT best-selling novel about an editorial assistant is who is overjoyed to no longer be the “only Black girl” at her work place. However, the novelty of newcomer Hazel quickly fades when it becomes apparent that sinister vibes are going down. Spooooky.
12. The Morning Show (Apple TV Plus)
Is The Morning Show the best drama on TV in a world absent Better Call Saul and Succession? It might be in the running, but it’s definitely the dramaest drama on TV, leaning on its star power to cut through moments that might be eye-roll-inducing if you weren’t so captivated by the screen presence of Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, and Jon Hamm, who joins this season as a handsome version of Elon Musk. Backstabbing, front-stabbing, walk and talks, politics, high tension, and ripped-from-the-headlines storylines all come together, yet again, with our news and media power players moving more fully toward the game of mergers, acquisitions, and boardroom battles where the real prizes can be found.
11. The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (AMC Plus)
The only “solo” spinoff of AMC’s post-apocalyptic world is upon us. Daryl is most entertaining character to send to France, and he’s also the least religious of the bunch, which makes it awfully funny to see him hanging with a bunch of nuns after waking up in France like “WTF?” Most of all, though, Daryl earns his “Big Ass Kicker” nickname and we also get a lovely character study of the most loyal and industrious survivor of Rick’s old bunch. The action also delivers, so get ready for crossbows and total chaos at Parisian landmarks. Pssst, we also chose the most essential to watch before this spinoff.
10. Naked Attraction (Max)
Naked Attraction is a lot like every other dating show. Except for the part where the contestants barely meet each other. And the part where someone chooses a mate based almost entirely on comparing their nude body to a bunch of other also-nude bodies. And the part where there are just a ton of exposed dongs. So… maybe it’s not like the other dating shows you’ve seen. But it sure does exist. Go there now and look if you don’t believe us.
9. Krapopolis (Hulu)
Dan Harmon’s long-gestating cartoon take on Ancient Greece is here. He’s had big success in the world of animation before with both Solar Opposites and Rick and Morty, so there’s reason for optimism even if the reviews of the first few episodes are a little dicey. You have time. Don’t pretend like you don’t. You’re not fooling anyone, Derek. (This works better if your name is Derek.)
8. Sex Education (Netflix)
The horniest kids in Britain are back and ready to go out with a bang – a lot of banging, actually. The fourth season of this Netflix comedy is set to be its last, but before the goodbyes Otis, Eric, Maeve, Aimee, and the rest of the students from Moordale have some growing up to do. While Maeva studies under an eccentric author in America (hello Dan Levy), Otis and Eric struggle to climb the social hierarchy of their new school – one that’s so progressive, they’ve already filled his position of “student sex therapist.”
7. Lupin (Netflix)
Could this be the season for one last job? The Gentleman Thief returns with Assane in hiding but not for long. He comes back to Paris and proposes a new plan for his family, but of course, the police and Assane’s enemies make this much easier said than done. At least he’ll look stylish as hell while dealing with past ghosts and, of course, heisting.
6. Boogeyman (Hulu)
This 2023 movie goes back to the 1973 short story by Stephen King as the perfect streaming lead-in to nightmares about Halloween season. This is not a true tale, but perhaps thinking of it that way can increase the terror. The story explores the enduring Boogeyman/Bogeyman folklore that has persisted around the globe for centuries. We’ve got a distracted father not paying enough attention to a pair of sisters, who begin to experience horrors that could trigger any lingering fears you’ve ever had about monsters lurking in your bedroom closet. The cast includes Sophie Thatcher, David Dastmalchian, and Chris Messina.
5. The Mill (Hulu)
Well, guess what: Spooky season is here and, with it, a whole bunch of creepy horror-adjacent things to watch. Like, for example, this one, starring Lil Rel Howery and described thusly by Hulu: “A businessman mysteriously wakes up in an open-air prison cell with only an old grist mill. Forced to work as a beast of burden, he must find a way to escape before the birth of his child.” We’ve all been there, you know?
4. Gen V (Amazon Prime)
Come for the dong jokes, and stay for the dong jokes. Much like The Boys, this spinoff does not skim on the raunch, and it also gives us a whole new roster of Supes who might feel differently about Vought International’s motives. This series seemingly pulls off the impossible by managing to be as appealing as the flagship series without the presence of its most shining and degraded beacon, Homelander. This franchise shows no sign of wearing out or fatiguing its audience as both the MCU and DCU have managed to do, which might be the most heroic feat of all in the present entertainment realm.
3. Loki (Disney Plus)
When we last left Loki, the title character (Tom Hiddleston) had traveled to an alternate version of the Time Variance Authority where no one remembers him and there are statues of Kang (Jonathan Majors) everywhere. This second season picks up where we left off, only Loki soon discovers he’s being thrust back and forth not to an alternate timeline, but the past and present of his current timeline. Seeking the help of the present-day Mobius (Owen Wilson, the past’s version doesn’t know Loki) the two seek out Ke Huy Quan’ Ouroboros (or OB for short), a fellow who has been around a long time and seems to know how to do everything, to stop Loki from doing these involuntary jumps back and forth through time.
Also, Loki and Mobius are charged with finding one of Kang’s variants, for reasons that are too complicated to explain here. So the pair travel to 19th-century Chicago to find an inventor and con man named Victor Timely. The problem is other people with the ability to jump through time are also after Timely and his fate has repercussions on multiple timelines.
This show is a lot, which is by design, but it’s still a lot. The first season played as good fun, and this second season is also fun, though maybe just a little less so (at least through four episodes), but while watching it’s hard to forget the real world where one of the main cast members is on trial for assault.
2. No One Will Save You (Hulu)
Kaitlyn Dever has been killing it since her Justified days (Team Loretta), and her Dopesick, Unbelievable, and Booksmart performances sealed the deal. Here, she stays nearly silent — much harder than it sounds, once you see what she goes through — in this story that puts an extraterrestrial twist on home-invasion horror. Before you watch, be sure to pull those blinds and double lock those doors because you’re in for a hell of a good-scary time
1. Our Flag Means Death (Max)
Hey, here’s a fun one. We’ve got Rhys Darby and Taika Waititi and everyone is a pirate and most of them are gay. This show has been an unexpected blast for a while now and it’s always nice when those are in our lives. Treat yourself. Have some fun. Watch some gay pirates on the high seas. You deserve it.