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. (tie) The Tourist (Netflix)
This series originally streamed on Max and found new life after moving over to Netflix for its second season of U.S.-based streaming. Jamie Dornan’s character took a hell of a road trip in the Australian Outback and has now crossed a few ponds to land in Ireland, where he’s attempting to make progress against those ultra-bad dudes who want to take his also-bad dude self off the map. At least Dornan can rest assured that he has escaped those Fifty Shades movies, even if his character here can’t outrun everything.
20. (tie) Players (Netflix)
Netflix’s reigning rom-com queen Gina Rodriguez is back at it. This one kind of flips things on its head, though. Now it’s the ladies who are out partying and having one-night stands with no intention of settling down. At first. Will there be a twist? Maybe a meet-cute that makes our main character question everything they’ve believed to that point in their life?
Buddy, you know it.
19. This Is Me… Now: A Love Story (Prime Video)
Let’s go straight to Prime Video’s official description for this one: “This Is Me…Now is like nothing you’ve ever seen from Jennifer Lopez. Alongside director Dave Meyers, Jennifer has created a narrative-driven, cinematic original which showcases her journey to love through her own eyes.”
Hmm. As long as it features a minimum of 20 visits to Dunkin’ with her longtime partner Ben Affleck, we can support this.
18. Feud: Capote vs. The Swans (Hulu)
Tom Hollander (not Tom Holland) stars in Ryan Murphy’s latest FX creation that’s already dubbed itself the tale of the “Original Housewives of New York.” Hollander plays Truman Capote (yes, that Truman Capote) a writer with a standing invitation to the brunch table of New York’s wealthiest women. He trades on his status as their confidante, writing a book about the scandals and secrets harbored within their Upper East Side brownstones which leads to an all-out society war that no one escapes unscathed. Come for the clothes, stay for the drama and the veteran actresses like Demi Moore, Calista Flockhart, and Naomi Watts who make this thing so deliciously messy.
17. American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders (Netflix)
A four-part true crime series that, per Netflix, “follows journalist Danny Casolaro’s mysterious death while probing an alleged conspiracy called “The Octopus” linking spy software theft, unsolved murders and major 20th-century scandals.” If your own life and the various spy shows and movies aren’t enough to freak you out thoroughly, this one could be a winner.
16. The Holdovers (Peacock)
Paul Giamatti is picking up awards left and right for his performance in Alexander Payne’s latest film, which is great. For Paul Giamatti. But also for us. Like, as a society. Look at this: “A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school’s head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.”
Our official position here is twofold: one, we support anything where Paul Giamatti gets to be curmudgeonly; two, we love to see Paul Giamatti thrive. This checks both boxes.
15. The New Look (Apple TV)
Two important things to know here. The first is that the premise of it all, summarized by Apple as “the story of how fashion icon Christian Dior and his contemporaries, including Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain and Cristóbal Balenciaga, navigate the horrors of World War II and launch modern fashion,” sounds interesting.
The second is that the cast is straight-up loaded. Ben Mendelsohn, Maissie Williams, John Malkovich, etc. They really went all out on this one. That’s commendable.
14. Spaceman (Netflix)
The Sandman is the Spaceman. Adam Sandler stars in Spaceman, a science-fiction drama from director Johan Renck (Chernobyl) about a lonely astronaut who realizes his wife (played by Carey Mulligan) might not be waiting for him when he returns to Earth. Desperate to fix things, he gets advice from a mysterious talking spider voiced by Paul Dano, as one does. Spaceman is very odd and very sad, and Sandler is very good in it.
13. The Regime (Max)
Kate Winslet as an unhinged autocrat in a problematic power struggle with her unpredictable mold-eradicating henchman that may or may not spark the downfall of an entire nation? Sign us up. As Elena Vernham, the chancellor of an authoritarian regime in fictional Europe, Winslet smooths over fascist ideals with maternal platitudes while insulating herself from the real problems of the world. It’s only when her home begins crumbling (literally) and her dead father begins haunting its halls (not so literally?) that her iron grip loosens enough for the vultures to sweep in.
12. Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix)
Yes, there’s been a live-action adaptation of this IP already. And yes, people overwhelmingly prefer the Nickelodeon animated series, but here is another reimagining that will hopefully make everyone forget about that M. Night Shyamalan project. The setup will be familiar, of course. The story takes place in a world where the four nations (represented by the elements of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air) no longer live in harmony. Fire Nation destroyed the Air Nomads, and one young Air Nomad (Aang) must now ascend to his rightful ruling position and restore peace between the elements and realms. The Fire Nation is very angry, however, so watch out, Aang and friends.
11. Curb Your Enthusiasm (Max)
24 years, 12 seasons, and countless social assassinations; Curb Your Enthusiasm is set to begin its end, promising a season filled with familiar faces (Ted Danson, Richard Lewis, Cheryl Hines, Vince Vaughn, JB Smoove) and misanthropic delights as Larry David readies to walk off into the sunset so he can strangle more muppets or do whatever else he does when he isn’t kvetching about required niceties and other peccadilloes. Whether this season will be funny is not in question. Whether Larry’s “character” makes it out alive is.
10. Constellation (Apple TV)
No streaming service is doing sci-fi quite like Apple TV+ and this entry into the genre continues that winning streak. Starring Noomi Rapace as an astronaut who survives a disaster in space only to return to a slightly off-kilter existence on Earth, Constellation is the kind of mind-melding thriller that sparks those most philosophical of questions: What? Why? Huh? More timeline hopping, government conspiracies, a truly fed-up Jonathan Banks, and some exquisitely directed Scandinavian night shots elevate the central mystery propelling most of the action here, as does Rapace who plays a woman on the brink in the most heartbreaking of ways.
9. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (AMC Plus)
Rick Grimes has been missing from TV screens for a handful of years and in The Walking Dead timeline for over a decade. Now, Michonne is about to save his ass and hopefully torch the CRM while she’s at it. Too much? Nah, this franchise went off the rails a long time ago, and that’s part of the fun. This spinoff ends up being a worthy love story within the parameters of this world, and existing viewers will adore it. Meanwhile, Daryl is still in France, now with added Carol, so they won’t be reinforcements for the “Save Rick” cause, but we can hope for a reunion.
8. The Gentlemen (Netflix)
Netflix’s take on this Guy Ritchie banger takes the best part of the crime thriller – the wild accents, the aristocratic drug smuggling enterprise, the suits – and expands on them, trading the frenetic energy of his two hour movie for a more interesting character study disguised as a posh power play. Theo James’ Duke inherits his family’s land, title, and (unknowingly) their stake in a criminal underground filled with the nastiest of characters, all captained by Kaya Scodelario playing a well-dressed, dubiously motivated mob boss with some fantastic one-liners. Should Guy Ritchie have been doing TV all along?
7. Damsel (Netflix)
Millie Bobby Brown, kicks some dragon (and royalty) ass after discovering that she’s marrying a prince whose family decides to sacrifice her to a dragon as part of an enormously screwed-up ritual. This twisted fairy tale arrives in conjunction with Evelyn Skye’s novel (based on the film), and both prioritize world-building, so this movie should fly high on the streaming charts.
6. Poor Things (Hulu)
What we have here:
- Emma Stone absolutely cooking in an awards-collecting movie about a lady who is brought back to life by a mad scientist and promptly starts skipping across continents on a journey of liberation
- Emma Stone working with director Yorgos Lanthimos again
- Did… you read those first two?
No time like the present, baby.
5. Mr. and Mrs. Smith (Prime Video)
Did we really need a reimagining of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie movie? Watch the first few episodes, and you might agree that this effort was not wasted. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine pick up as assassins who happen to be paired together (and “married”), and you aren’t ready for the rollicking, madcap, action-packed set of missions that they must complete (or else?). Even better: John and Jane Smith’s onscreen relationship is as much of daredevil stunt as the action scenes.
4. Abbott Elementary (Hulu)
School’s back in session at Abbott Elementary and the show has made some big changes after the romantic cliffhanger that ended season two. Janine has a new job (and a new love interest), Gregory’s struggling to move on, Josh Segarra from The Other Two is auditing classrooms, and Ava Coleman is a Harvard (adjacent) graduate. Lord help Mrs. Howard. After a longer-than-expected hiatus it’s nice to see the Emmy-winning comedy reinventing itself instead of resting on its laurels, but don’t worry, there are plenty of Janelle James one-liners and Tyler James Williams pans to camera to keep things comfortably familiar.
3. Bottoms (Prime Video)
Bottoms is a screwball comedy about two gay teenage girls who start a high school fight club as a ploy to hook up with their cheerleader crushes. Ayo Edebiri is in it. So is Marshawn Lynch. There are acts of vandalism set to 80s bangers and football players in cages and none of it makes any sense but it’s absolutely worth just rolling with it.
This one is a blast. And it’s streaming on the same website you bought your coffee maker on. The future is kind of wild.
2. Oppenheimer (Peacock)
With this historical biopic, Christopher Nolan unknowingly created an atomic amuse-bouche for a double-feature blockbuster viewing experience that saved cinema last year. But, watching Cillian Murphy’s cheekbones cut glass as he chain-smokes his way to becoming Death, Destroyer of Worlds for three-plus hours is just as much fun at home as it was in a packed movie theater. Sporting a packed line-up of A-list talent (hello future Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr.), a bone-rattling score, and some clever monochromatic cinematography to distinguish between its multiple timelines, Oppenheimer has more than earned its place on every nominations list this awards season. Now, go enjoy it in the way Nolan intended – streaming on Peacock.
1. Shogun (Hulu)
Shogun really is that good. A historical epic set in feudal Japan that follows an English pilot (Cosmo Jarvis) who washes ashore during a time of political strife, it takes the kind of storytelling swings you just wouldn’t expect. Its most fascinating characters speak almost exclusively in subtitles (hello Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawaii, and Moeka Hoshi), its action sneaks up on you, and its political intrigue is cutthroat. It’s Game of Thrones with samurais and it should be on everyone’s must-see list.