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.
10. A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder (Netflix series)
Based upon Holly Jackson’s 2019 novel, this series follows protagonist Pip Fitz-Amobi (Emma Meyers), a high-school student who works to solve a five-year-old murder of a fellow teenager in her English town. This involves exonerating the also-dead accused murderer to find the real killer. Reader feedback from the series points towards tons of changes from page to TV screen, and if the cumulative streaming numbers reflect that disappointment, then the other three books in Jackson’s series likely won’t become additional seasons. At this point, however, the jury remains out.
9. Cobra Kai (Netflix series)
This final, super-sized season, which is only getting started, continues to crush the generation gap while keeping things real for the underdogs. This spin off has also accomplished what few TV shows or movies could have ever hoped for: successfully rebooting a 1980s property while appealing to Gen Z and the original The Karate Kid audience. This season, fans of Chozen and Tory will be happy to see deeper dives into their psyches, and Daniel and Johnny are still occasionally at each other’s throats while now training their joint dojo members to travel to the Sekai Taikai world championship and dominate outside of the Valley.
8. Deadpool, Deadpool 2 (20th Century Fox movies steaming on Disney+)
By breaking too many box-office records to count in a week (the film is already passed $550 million worldwide), the Merc With The Mouth has done what the MCU couldn’t do on its own. Of course, he had plenty of help from his best frenemy, James “Logan” Howlett, and an extensive list of [Fill In The Blank]pool cameos. The first films (along with the less well-received Once Upon A Deadpool) remain available for those who need a refresher before reaching into that Wolverine-themed popcorn bucket.
7. Lady In The Lake (Apple TV+ series)
This slow-burning mystery (and to be fair, the book is that way, too) is slowly rolling out each week to follow Natalie Portman’s former 1960s housewife who determined to strike out on her own. Sadly, this happens at the expense of other people’s privacy, but that’s only one angle to be gleaned from the subject matter. This story, of course, is based upon Laura Lippman’s bestselling novel that is part of her collection of Baltimore-focused books with spooky sights and sounds to offer, which makes things a little more mystical-feeling than the book. Viewers will need to tune in to find out if Lippman’s twist materializes onscreen or if the show will go a different way.
6. The Decameron ( Netflix series)
Feel like a little pandemic escapism? Oddly enough, you would not be alone. The Black Death serves as the 1300s backdrop for this Netflix version of the oft-adapted work from Giovanni Boccaccio. The tone of the series is darkly comedic and heads not only into tales of survival but also class systems and power struggles. The ensemble cast is a trip and includes Zosia Mamet, Tony Hale, Amar Chadha-Patel, Lou Gala, Karan Gill, Tony Hale, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Douggie McMeekin, Jessica Plummer, and Tanya Reynolds.
5. Those About To Die (Peacock series)
It’s a big year for Gladiators this year with Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 on the way, and this show also takes aim at “bread and circuses” and the “entertainment underbelly” of Ancient Rome. The subject matter is, at least loosely, based in fact, but adapting the real-life Flavian dynasty has somehow led to Anthony Hopkins and togas and the Flavian sons battling it out over who will succeed dad. Even more togas and sandals and gratuitous violence will materialize, so you have been warned.
4. Time Bandits (Apple TV+ series)
Taika Waititi and Jermaine Clement are making it weird again, as they do. Goodness, another book adaptation? Yes, we cannot get away from them. Here, the Terry Gilliam book takes TV series form after the 1980s cult-classic film, and Lisa Kudrow is leading ragtag thieves through time and space to save some lives but, apparently, must also save the entire human species.
3. Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+ series)
Apple TV+ is doing it here, as well, with its most popular drama to date, which is also a book adaptation and will receive a second season with “a new mystery,” meaning the anthology route. Jake Gyllenhaal threw on a suit to portray troubled prosecutor Rusty Sabich — who stands trial following the murder of his lover/colleague — in this adaptation of the Scott Turow novel. Thus far, several possibilities exist for the second season’s story, which could potentially be based upon another Turow book. Heck, David E. Kelley and Turow could decide together that this series should switch to a brand new original story, but we do know that Gyllenhaal is executive producing, and perhaps we will even see Rusty return onscreen if the followup novel, Innocent (which involves a time jump), is adapted in a later season.
2. Dexter (Showtime series streaming on Netflix and Paramount+)
With Dexter: Original Sin filming and Dexter: Resurrection announced, there has never been a better time to indulge (whether it’s an initial exposure or a rewatch) in eight seasons of this serial-killer series starring Michael C. Hall. In other words, there’s still time to learn his Code and what’s going on with his Dark Passenger (with a ninth Dexter: New Blood season, too) before the new followup show arrives. Like Suits, The Walking Dead, and so many more long-lived series, we are living in a wonderful time where DVD purchases and rentals are not required to enjoy crowd-pleasing hits of yesteryear.
1. House of the Dragon (HBO series streaming on Max)
After last week’s penultimate episode events, fans are now left wondering whether Aemond will still steer clear of Dragonstone after learning of Rhaenyra’s growing collection of riders. He’s now essentially alone with Vhagar unless he can convince Helaena to join him at Harrenhal, which makes it look extra dumb for him to have acted so impulsively to take Aegon out of the running for Team Green. The prince regent will likely continue f*cking up, but the season finale will tell that tale. See you then.