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. Dan Da Dan (Netflix)
The acclaimed anime Dan Da Dan is about Momo, a high school girl from a family of spirit mediums, and her classmate / occult fanatic Okarun, who begin talking after she saves him from getting bullied. However, an argument ensues between them: Momo believes in ghosts but denies aliens, and Okarun believes in aliens but denies ghosts. It’s a real Mulder and Scully dynamic, if they were both Mulder (and there was a Turbo Granny). Dan Da Dan, which is getting a weekly release, comes from animation studio Science Saru, who also made last year’s shockingly good Scott Pilgrim Takes Off.
14. Disclaimer (Apple TV Plus)
Alfonso Cuarón, the Oscar-winning director of Children Men, Y tu mamá también (big week for the YTMT freaks out there!), and the best Harry Potter movie, is back with his first new project in six years. Disclaimer stars Cate Blanchett as a journalist who receives a mysterious book in the mail that threatens to reveal her darkest secrets. The ensemble cast of the psychological thriller, which is told over seven chapters, also includes Kevin Kline, Kodi Smit-McPhee, HoYeon Jung, Louis Partridge, Lesley Manville, and Leila George. It’s just nice to have a new anything from Cuarón.
13. Hysteria! (Peacock)
I’m sorry, but the only thing we should be talking about is how there’s a new show starring Bruce Campbell (yes) set during the Satanic Panic 1980s (yes yes) about a struggling metal band that pretends to be devil worshippers to become more popular (yes yes YES). Also, the group’s name is Dethkrunch (g*d yes). Hysteria was created by Matthew Scott Kane and is executive produced by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley, the duo behind last year’s excellent Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves.
12. Shrinking (Apple TV Plus)
Bill Lawrence might be rebooting Scrubs, and working on more Ted Lasso, and he has big plans for Bad Monkey season 2, but for now, he — and fellow creators Jason Segel and Brett Goldstein — is focused on Shrinking. The mental health comedy returns for another season with Segel as grieving therapist Jimmy and Harrison Ford as his cranky co-worker Paul. But the show’s real MVP is Jessica Williams.
11. Woman of the Hour (Netflix)
What’s Anna Kendrick been up to lately? Besides raking in “Cups” residuals, she also directed her first movie. Woman of the Hour looks back on the time that a real-life serial killer, Rodney Alcaca, appeared as a contestant on 1970s-era The Dating Game. Kendrick also stars as aspiring actress Cheryl Bradshaw, who was unlucky enough to pick Alcaca as her date. Woman of the Hour “explores the way women navigate a world of violent men,” and it’s terrifying because it’s so real.
10. Somebody Somewhere (Max)
It’s the final season for one of TV’s sweetest shows. Somebody Somewhere follows Sam Miller (played by Bridget Everett), who goes on a journey of self-acceptance and finds “a community of outsiders who don’t fit in but don’t give up, showing that finding your people, and finding your voice, is possible,” according to the Max logline. “In season 3, we see growth against all odds.”
9. Despicable Me 4 (Peacock)
The fourth Despicable Me movie — and sixth overall in the highest-grossing animated film franchise of all-time — welcomes Gru and Lucy’s baby son, Gru Jr., to the family. But really, whether you’re a child or an adult, you’re here for one reason: the Minions. Their popularity will outlive us all.
8. What We Do in the Shadows (Hulu)
Let’s keep it simple: Is What We Do in the Shadows — in its final season — still the funniest show on TV? Yes.
7. Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words (Prime Video)
Megan Thee Stallion is one of the biggest rappers in the game right now, and one of the most fascinating. Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words offers an intimate look at her life and career, “exploring themes of resilience, vulnerability, and self-empowerment within hip-hop. This film provides a compelling portrait of one of music’s most influential voices today.” If Prime Video wants to pick up her anime series, too, that would be cool.
6. Poolman (Hulu)
In our interview with Chris Pine about Poolman, his directorial debut, he talked about following his instincts. “We spent a lot of time analyzing structure and we went through many permutations of it and it just, frankly, bored me,” he said. “You either get on board and like it or you don’t and you like these characters and want to hang out or you don’t. And there was no conscious trying. It was simply following my giggle.” May everyone follow their giggle!
5. Look Back (Prime Video)
Look Back is one of the best movies of the year — and it’s only an hour long! Based on Chainsaw Man creator Tatsuki Fujimoto’s widely-lauded manga, the anime from director Kiyotaka Oshiyama tells a lovely and heart-wrenching story about friendship and following your creative passion. Look Back is not as corny as that might sound, trust me. It’s so good.
4. Citadel: Honey Bunny (Prime Video)
Citadel, the one with Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra and produced by the Russo brothers, was an expensive misfire by Prime Video. But Citadel: Honey Bunny, the spin-off set in India with Varun Dhawan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu, is supposed to be thrilling. Rolling Stone called it “raucous” and “slickly entertaining,” while Collider praised the “impressive stunt sequences, complex character work, and perfect blending of drama and spy thriller.” Oh, and if you’re wondering about the title, “Honey” and “Bunny” are the names of the lead characters. Seems important to know.
3. The Diplomat (Netflix)
Not enough has been made about Keri Russell having a hit show in the 1990s (Felicity), 2010s (The Americans), and 2020s (The Diplomat). Season 2 of Netflix’s soapy thriller has Russell returning as Kate Wyler, who had a realization in the season 1 finale that “the attack on a British warship [that] brought her to the UK wasn’t the work of a hostile nation — it was the British prime minister,” creator Debora Cahn teased to Tudum. “Now she has to prove it.” Expect to be entertained — and jealous of Russell’s hair.
2. Arcane (Netflix)
The animated series on Netflix from creators Christian Linke and Alex Yee is based on League of Legends, but trust me, even if you know zilch about the multiplayer online role-playing game, you can still enjoy Arcane. Season 1 premiered all the way back in 2021 (it’s somehow been an even longer wait than Stranger Things), but the strikingly stylish show is now back for its second season… which is also the final season. The voice cast includes Hailee Steinfeld and Ella Purnell, the queen of the video game show.
1. My Old Ass (Prime Video)
The Aubrey Plaza-starring My Old Ass is the kind of movie that will make you say: wow. During a mushroom trip on her 18th birthday, Ellliott (played by Maisy Stella) comes face to face with her 36-year-old self (Plaza). But when her “old ass” starts giving her advice based on 20 years of experience, Elliott begins to rethink her life during a transformative summer. It’s Gen Z’s defining coming-of-age comedy.