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. Conclave – Focus Features film streaming on Peacock
Have you ever dreamed of spying on how the papal conclave selects a new pope? Well, you’re not alone. Searches for the Best Picture nominee spiked following Pope Francis’ death, and viewers are drinking in the Ralph Fiennes-starring film, which revolves around a dramatized version of the infighting between the Catholic Church’s leaders as they locked themselves in the Vatican for the process. The film took home the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, but let’s be honest, it’s a soap-opera of a movie, too.
9. Companion – New Line Cinema film streaming on Max
The Final Girl has taken a turn in this dark comedy that sees a “companion” robot hack into her own programming, and Sophie Thatcher really goes for it while giving Jack Quaid much more than he bargained for in this twisted romance story. That much has been predictable from the movie’s promotional tour, but this film still delivers enough curveballs to make the ride worth taking. Both stars are on fire with Thatcher recently surviving the third Yellowjackets season and starring opposite the dastardly Hugh Grant in Heretic. Quaid, meanwhile, starred in Novocaine and will soon assist buddy-comedy duo John Cena and Idris Elba in Heads Of State.
8. G20 – Amazon MGM Studios movie streaming on Prime Video
Antony Starr isn’t simply Homelander, guys. He previously starred in the excellent Banshee, and currently within his Amazon stomping grounds, he’s getting his tush kicked by Viola Davis. She portrays the U.S. president who is targeted at the G20 summit, and you can guess that she doesn’t exactly need rescuing by security. For his part, Starr was thrilled to be defeated, as he revealed on Instagram: “The signs were there all along…. I was gonna get my ass whupped. I’m glad it was you.” Homie goes down.
7. Your Friends And Neighbors – Apple TV+ series
Apple TV+ was so confident in this series that they renewed for a second season before debut. That’s generally a move that doesn’t go wrong, and it doesn’t hurt that Jon Hamm departed the Landman set to portray a contemporary Don Draper type who starts robbing his wealthy neighbors after his hedge-funder lifestyle and marriage both crumbled. Amanda Peet and Olivia Munn co-star, and James Marsden will bring his affable ways to the show’s future.
6. The Handmaid’s Tale – Hulu series
The Testaments sequel series is currently in the works (also with Bruce Miller as showrunner) to extend Margaret Atwood’s tales of Gilead, but before that happens, we can consider why, exactly, anybody would choose to come back from Canada after escaping the show’s hellscape. Also, what the hell is Serena Joy plotting, if anything at all? Elisabeth Moss previously hinted that the relationship between June and Selena would be a large part of this season, and ideally, both Commander Lawrence and Aunt Lydia will receive massive comeuppance before all is said and done.
5. The Rehearsal – Max series
Get ready to get awkward again with Nathan Fielder. The overlord troll is back for a second season of helping people “rehearse” for significant moments within his own simulations. In doing so, he began this year’s masterful display of discomfort by devoting resources “toward an issue that affects us all,” according to Max’s spoiler-free description. This week, Fielder “draws from his past,” and the less you know going into these episodes, the better.
4. MobLand – Paramount Plus series
Tom Hardy’s fixer, Harry, sat in a potentially difficult place last week as one of only a few people who knew where the bodies were buried, but that’s also inherently the life of a fixer. Pierce Brosnan’s mob head knows this much as well, and Guy Ritchie’s series is currently one of the most popular shows on Paramount. It’s safe to say that a second season will soon be in the works, and Hardy has already been out there, teasing up a storm about potential international destinations to be tackled by Guy Ritchie. MobLand co-stars Helen Mirren, who has recently been everywhere including Taylor Sheridan’s universe, and Paddy Considine, who damn well should be everywhere, too.
3. Black Mirror – Netflix series
Charlie Brooker’s satirical anthology series, which frequently highlights a technological hellscape not too far off base from reality, will soon return with what Brooker promises is “back to basics in many ways. They’re all sci-fi stories, but there’s definitely some horrifying things that occur, but maybe not in an overt horror-movie way.” In doing so, you can expect a followup to the notorious “USS Callister” episode, but don’t expect to see Jesse Plemons because, well, you know.
2. Havoc – Netflix movie
Will Tom Hardy be in the Peaky Blinders movie? Look at his face and realize that this is not an important question right now. Instead, this is the moment where The Raid franchise director Gareth Evans’ long-gestating action movie has finally arrived. Hardy is in the driver’s seat as a jaded detective who is tangling with underworld baddies, including Timothy Olyphant, after a drug deal gone wrong. On the way toward rescuing an entire city, Hardy will pick up a flamethrower. Will he use the Venom voice while doing so? We’ll never tell.
1. The Last Of Us – HBO series streaming on Max
Well, Pedro Pascal’s Joel is down for the saddest count, which is fine because the dude also needs to film about 10 other projects, including Avengers: Doomsday, and Bella Ramsey will keep carrying the torch as Ellie. Meanwhile, Pascal has been doing his best to keep any toxic fans from piling onto Kaitlyn Dever (who portrays Abby), but he might have broken a few hearts as well with a post-mortem shoutout on Instagram while writing, “Thank you, scene partner. You little miracle.” And also, showrunner Craig Mazin has confirmed, “This is not the last we will see of Joel.” So there.