Each week our staff of film and television 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.
15. X-Men ’97 (Disney Plus)
If you’re going to do unadulterated nostalgia, at least make it as fun (and occasionally devastating) as X-Men ‘97. The Disney Plus animated series is a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, which aired from 1992 to 1997, and follows the team of mutants as they do mutant-like things. Do we really need to explain what the X-Men show is about? It’s about the X-Men.
14. The Sympathizer (Max)
The last time Park Chan-wook directed a limited series, it was The Little Drummer Girl. That turned out pretty good. Now, the Korean filmmaker is back with another excellent addition to his filmography.
Based on author Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer-winning novel of the same, The Sympathizer is described as “an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.” The cast is led by Hoa Xuande and Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr., who plays multiple characters.
13. Fallout (Prime Video)
Fallout is an adaptation of Bethesda’s behemoth franchise, a story set within the retro-futuristic world that’s captivated console users for years and years. Yes, there are delightful little nods to in-game storylines – Pip-Boys and Nuka-Cola and Radaway, but they either serve a larger purpose or don’t linger for too long, ensuring that the show stands on its own two feet. Long-time gamers should have little to gripe about while those craving better genre fare amidst the streaming glut should come away satisfied. Whether you know its history or not, Fallout is a f*cking blast of a sci-fi show that defies expectations in the most unconventional of ways (and turned Walton Goggins into a sex symbol).
12. Knuckles (Paramount Plus)
There’s no Keanu Reeves (yet), but Knuckles should delight the lil’ Sonic fans in your home. The Paramount Plus series has Idris Elba reprising his role as the red echidna from the movies, while the rest of the cast includes Adam Pally, Cary Elwes, Edi Patterson, and Stockard Channing. Over the course of six episodes, Knuckles goes on a “journey of self-discovery as he agrees to train [Pally’s character] Wade as his protégé and teach him the ways of the Echidna warrior.” Is it too much to hope for a Big the Cat cameo?
11. Baby Reindeer (Netflix)
The less you learn in advance about Baby Reindeer, the better. Just know that it’s one of the most talked-about shows of the year so far, and it’s getting favorably compared to I May Destroy You and Fleabag. Don’t waste your time speculating, as requested by creator and star Richard Gadd. Watch it.
10. The Big Door Prize (Apple TV Plus)
Apple TV’s breakout hit The Big Door Prize returns for a second season, which follows “the residents of Deerfield as the Morpho machine readies them for the mysterious ‘next stage.’ As everyone’s potentials are exchanged for visions, new relationships form and new questions are asked,” according to the official plot synopsis. Chris O’Dowd is back, as is Josh Segarra, in case you’re missing my dude Lance from The Other Two. I know I am.
9. The Veil (Hulu)
The spy thriller from creator Steven Knight stars Elisabeth Moss and Yumna Marwan as “two women who play a deadly game of truth and lies on the road from Istanbul to Paris and London. One woman has a secret, the other a mission to reveal it before thousands of lives are lost.” You had me at Elisabeth Moss.
8. Hacks (Max)
To quote Kimberly Ricci’s glowing review: “Through a skillful turn from the Hacks writers, the third season does something different than its two predecessors and succeeds mightily. Is the power struggle completely over? No way, but there is no question that these two women are meant to be together, and that they enhance each other professionally. As well, they somehow begin to really connect on a personal level and — wait for it — make each other better humans. It sounds sappy, but it rolls well.”
7. Black Twitter: A People’s History (Hulu)
Black Twitter: A People’s History is a three-part documentary series from Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny that “charts the rise, the movements, the voices and the memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life.” Those interviewed include author Roxane Gay, comedian W. Kamau Bell, and journalist Jemele Hill.
6. The Idea of You (Prime Video)
An actually sexy romantic-comedy, what a concept! The Idea of You stars Anne Hathaway as a single mom who attends Coachella with her teenage daughter. While there, she meets Hayes Campbell, played by Bottoms breakout Nicholas Galitzine, the lead singer of the boy band August Moon. The two begin a romance that definitely (wink) isn’t inspired by Harry Styles. The Idea of You is getting rave reviews, as it should: Anne Hathaway rules.
5. The Iron Claw (Max)
Zac Efron gives an Oscar-worthy performance in this A24 drama from writer and director Sean Durkin about the Von Erich family of wrestlers. The Iron Claw, which also stars Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, Maura Tierney, Stanley Simons, Holt McCallany, and Lily James, is definitely worth watching, but fair warning: it’s a heartbreaker. If you were waiting to watch it at home because you didn’t want to ugly-cry in public at a theater, now’s your chance.
4. Madame Web (Netflix)
Have you heard? He was in the Amazon with my mom when she was researching spiders right before she died. Is Madame Web a good movie? No. In fact, it’s one of the worst comic book movies of all-time. But that’s why it’s a perfect watch on Netflix. Slip into your comfiest Spider-Man pajamas, grab a bottle of wine, and enjoy Dakota Johnson and Sydney Sweeney sleepwalking their way through this entertaining disaster.
3. Doctor Who (Disney Plus)
Doctor Who is separated into two eras: the original run from 1963 to 1989 and the relaunch, which began in 2005 and continues to this day. The new season is the 14th since it was revived, but it’s officially referred to as “Doctor Who Season One.” Got all that? If you’re a Doctor Who fan, of course you do. But to everyone else who is probably very confused, it’s never been easier to watch the iconic British series now that it’s on Disney Plus with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Millie Gibson as his companion, the wonderfully-named Ruby Sunday. Is it too soon to dream of a TARDIS at Disneyland?
2. Outer Range (Prime Video)
Season 1 of Outer Range careened down an illogical hill with abandon, but it did so gracefully. It’s such a delicate balance that I wondered if a second season could maintain that same feat. Fortunately, my worries were unfounded. Outer Range is still kind-of a mess and sometimes feels like a full-on identity crisis, but the package is skillfully combined. It also considers enormous questions about human existence but doesn’t take itself seriously by claiming to have every answer (you can our full review here).
1. Bridgerton (Netflix)
One of Netflix’s most popular shows is back for a new season (well, a new half season) of high society drama, “f*ck you” nude scenes, and orchestral covers. Season 3 of Bridgerton will focus on Penelope, who “has finally given up on her long-held crush on Colin after hearing his disparaging words about her last season,” according to Netflix. “She has, however, decided it’s time to take a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters.” There’s already one scorching scene to look forward to.