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. Doctor Who (Disney Plus)
Doctor Who is separated into two eras: the original run from 1963 to 1989 and the current relaunch, which began in 2005. 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 Disney World? (It’s not!)
14. Am I OK? (Max)
Comedian Tig Notaro’s directorial debut Am I OK? premiered to strong reviews at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2022. The film stars Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno (who’s having a big month with House of the Dragon dropping next week) as Lucy and Jane, two best friends who think they know everything there is to know about each other until Lucy drops a secret: she’s a lesbian. “As Jane tries to help Lucy, their friendship is thrown into chaos,” the synopsis reads. Am I OK? I will be after watching Am I OK?
13. We Are Lady Parts (Peacock)
We Are Lady Parts is the kind of show that makes a streaming service worth the cost of subscription. If you don’t have Peacock, you should sign up for creator Nida Manzoor’s rowdy, Peabody Award-winning comedy about an all-female Muslim punk band in the UK. The cast — led by Lady Parts members Anjana Vasan (guitarist Amina), Sarah Kameela Impey (singer Saira), Juliette Motamed (drummer Ayesha), and Faith Omole (bassist Bisma) — is great, and the soundtrack rips. Have a taste with “Bashir With the Good Beard.”
12. Perfect Days (Hulu)
To paraphrase Lou Reed: Oh, it’s such a perfect day / I’m glad I spent it with Perfect Days. The latest film from Paris, Texas director Wim Wenders follows Hirayama (played by Koji Yakusho), a man living by himself who cleans public bathrooms in Tokyo for a living. When he’s not working, he’s listening to music, reading, and taking photos of trees. Perfect Days doesn’t have the most exciting plot, but it’s an incredible, Oscar-nominated film about what it means to be human. After all, what is life if not finding pride in your work and the minor distractions that keep you going?
11. The Acolyte (Disney Plus)
Yes, it’s another Star Wars show. But The Acolyte has a lot going for it. For one thing, there’s a Wookiee Jedi. All my 10-year-old Star Wars dreams are coming true. Also, the series is created by Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland and the cast, including Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Manny Jacinto (Jason from The Good Place!), is solid. The Acolyte takes place long before the prequels, so there will be no stops on Tatooine or mentions of the name “Skywalker.” That alone makes it worth a watch.
10. Monkey Man (Peacock)
Dev Patel poured his blood, sweat, and broken bones into his directorial debut. Monkey Man follows a man know only as Kid (played by Patel) as he seeks retribution to settle the score with the men who took everything from him. It’s more than a John Wick knock-off — it’s a deeply earnest movie that also happens to feature some bone-crunching action scenes.
9. Presumed Innocent (Apple TV Plus)
Presumed Innocent is guilty… of having an all-star collection of talent! Created by David E. Kelley and produced by Gracie Abrams‘ somewhat famous father, the legal thriller stars Jake Gyllenhaal as a chief deputy prosecutor who is suspected of murder. Per Apple TV Plus: “The series explores obsession, sex, politics, and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.” Fun fact: Gyllenhaal’s character was played by Harrison Ford in the 1990 movie of the same name.
8. Hit Man (Netflix)
Hit Man is funny, sexy, and charming. So why did the crowd pleaser barely get a theatrical release? I have no idea, and neither does director Richard Linklater. “I don’t know,” he told Decider about the lack of major studio interest in his film. “Everybody’s scared. [The movie] was not one thing. It’s not a hit man movie.” Maybe if Hit Man — which stars the impossibly hot duo of Glen Powell and Adria Arjona — becomes a big enough, well, hit on Netflix, we’ll get a sequel that actually plays in theaters. Or better yet, sequels.
7. Aftersun (Netflix)
If you do a Google search for Aftersun, one of the top results is a Reddit thread with the headline, “Aftersun (2022) did something to me that no other movie has before.” The first sentence? “I just finished the movie about 40 minutes ago. I spent 35 of those minutes crying and just trying to wrap my mind around it all.” It’s that kind of movie. Aftersun is the stunning feature film debut from director Charlotte Wells about a father named Calum (a never better Paul Mescal) who goes on vacation with his 11-year-old daughter, Sophie (Frankie Corio). It’s unforgettable, especially the R.E.M. scene. IYKYK.
6. House of the Dragon (Max)
Before House of the Dragon premiered, I was concerned that it would be nothing more than a shameless extension of the Game of Thrones brand. A DLC to check out but not engage with. Those fears have been unfounded. House of the Dragon quickly proved itself a worthy successor to Thrones (which, disappointing finale aside, is still one of the best shows of the 2010s). It exists on its own terms; it’s possible to enjoy the high-budget soap opera without prior knowledge of Westeros. House of the Dragon won’t be the monoculture behemoth that Game of Thrones was. No show will anymore. But it doesn’t need to be. House of the Dragon is doing just fine out of Game of Thrones’ dragon-shaped shadow (you can read our review here).
5. The Boys (Prime Video)
We will stay short and not-so-sweet with random thoughts that I had while absorbing the entire season a few days ago. First, here’s a book-end approach:
– The first thought I had when the premiere-episode credits rolled: “Well, I’ve never seen that body part on a TV show before now.”
– And when the season-finale credits rolled: “I feel utterly destroyed. And invigorated. And destroyed. God, I love TV” (you can read our full review here).
4. Problemista (Max)
If you write “Papyrus,” you can get Tilda Swinton to be in your first movie, too. Problemista stars writer and director Julio Torres as Alejandro, “an aspiring toy designer from El Salvador struggling to bring his unusual ideas to life in New York City. As time on his work visa runs out, a job assisting an erratic art-world outcast becomes his only hope to stay in the country and realize his dream,” according to the A24 plot synopsis. Would you believe Tilda plays the erratic outcast? You would? Actually, yeah, that makes sense.
3. Fancy Dance (Apple TV Plus)
Fancy Dance is the first released film since Killers of the Flower Moon to star Lily Gladstone. That alone makes it a must watch. It helps that the premise is intriguing, too. The drama, co-written and directed by Erica Tremblay, is about an aunt (Gladstone) that takes care of her young niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) after the girl’s mom goes missing. Before she loses custody to Roki’s grandfather (the always-welcome Shea Whigham), the pair hit the road to track down the mother ahead of an upcoming powwow.
2. My Lady Jane (Prime Video)
Meet your summer TV obsession. My Lady Jane is a “radical retelling” of the life of Lady Jane Grey, who was the queen of England for nine days in 1553. She was executed soon after. But what if none of that happened? My Lady Jane, which stars Emily Bader in the title role, is “an epic tale of true love and high adventure, where the damsel in distress saves herself, her true love, and then the Kingdom.” Also, shape shifters (with some Buffy thrown in there, too).
1. The Bear (Hulu)
The most stressful show on television is back. The Bear season 3 begins soon after the events of the season 2 finale, with Carmy, Syd, Richie, Natalie, various Faks, and the rest of the gang getting ready to open a new fine-dining restaurant. There will be yelling, food porn, and yes, Taylor Swift songs. Gorge on the 10-episode season all at once, or savior it over the course of a few weeks. There’s no wrong way to enjoy The Bear.