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. Andor – Disney+ series
One of the most cohesive Star Wars Disney+ series (of all time? yes) ended by connecting Cassian’s story to Rogue One while disrupting canon, and sure, some controversy erupted over the political nature of final episodes, but overall, this series had a successful run. Additionally, it’s worth noting that if you are a fan of the streaming-espionage trend that is running scarce these days (many shows are currently filming additional seasons), then Andor also fits that bill. Now, it’s time to return to that long-running question of whether more Baby Yoda will be coming, either to theaters or to TV screens.
9. Duster – HBO Max series
J.J. Abrams’ new drama series is a 1970s throwback complete with muscle cars and everything that accompanies them. Beyond that aesthetic, the story revolves around around an FBI agent and a getaway driver who challenge a crime syndicate, and the series is only getting started, so feel free to wrap up in the mystery and vibes or wait to binge, but either way, you will not be alone.
8. Love, Death & Robots – Netflix series
Deadpool director Tim Miller, Mindhunter executive producer David Fincher, and supervising director Jennifer Yuh Nelson are back with another editing of bleeding-edge animation shorts, this time with stories about “dinosaur gladiators, messianic cats,” and “string-puppet rock stars.” No matter what, you’re sure to find experiences here that will both please and offend, so dive into the abyss, y’all.
7. The Eternaut – Netflix series
This Argentina series has lit up multiple local economies after taking off on Netflix and earning a swift second season renewal. That’s a rarity these days on this streaming service, but this adaptation of the same-named 1957 comic by Hector G. Oesterheld is now on the road to a full conclusion. If you haven’t tuned into this haunting series full of apocalyptic snow, an alien invasion, and mind control, then you have some time to catch up, but there’s no time like the onset of summer weather to tune into this arctic blast.
6. The Rehearsal – Max series
Nathan Fielder is already wrapping up his second season of more-awkward-than-awkward troll jobs. The episode about Capt. Sully Sullenberger’s Hudson landing and Evanescence theory landed as an instant classic, and this week’s finale simply follows this description: “Nathan makes a big bet.” Ideally, that involves a third season announcement.
5. The Studio – Apple TV+ series
Seth Rogen’s Hollywood-skewering comedy has reached season finale time with the question of whether or not Continental Studios can avoid being sold to a tech company. The series has, however, already been renewed for a second season, so take that as you will. As executive producer of so many shows (including the masterfully satiric The Boys on Prime Video/Amazon), Rogen knows of what he speaks, and sure, his studio exec character has been having a perpetual existential crisis, but he sure knows entertainment.
4. Murderbot – Apple TV+ series
Nobody can deny that Alexander Skarsgård is objectively sexy, but here, he’s portraying an unsexy robot (good luck with that) who would really prefer to bingewatch futuristic soap operas while being taxed with protecting and serving idiotic humans. So far, the fan response (from The Murderbot Diaries readers) is that the series nails the tone and spirit of the source material. And because David Dastmalchian is in every cool project these days (including Dexter: Resurrection), you know he is in this, too. Whew.
3. The Last Of Us – HBO series streaming on Max
Well, showrunner Craig Mazin really went there (via a Collider interview) this week with his belief that a third season will not be enough to adequately finish this video-game adaptation. Whether or not the HBO executives agree, nobody is revealing yet, but Mazin planted those spores seeds despite the fact that Pedro Pascal’s character bit the dust, and it’s fair to state that he has been a major draw and part of why this series took off to the first-season heights that it did. However, if any showrunner can breathe the necessary life into this show to keep it around substantially longer without Pascal, then Mazin will be the guy to figure it out. Maybe a longer third season would work instead?
2. Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One – Paramount movie streaming on Paramount Plus
Tom Cruise’s final outing as Ethan Hunt (with director Christopher McQuarrie still going for it, too) has arrived in theaters, so that people can find out if this character survived an endless stream of life-threatening stunts only to, like, fall into a trash compactor or something? That would be the funniest way to end the franchise, especially after they crushed hearts by bidding farewell to Rebecca Ferguson. In all seriousness, Cruise is an overriding reason why movies survived the pandemic, so if you are so inclined, you definitely know what to do after catching up on Dead Reckoning Part One on streaming.
1. MobLand – Paramount Plus series
Tom Hardy needed this series to clear his mind of Venom (and that voice), and of course, the wait for an official followup declaration still persists. Regardless of whether the series decides to continue and go international, we can all agree that more Hardy (including his recent Netflix film, Havoc) is always a good thing, and maybe sometime soon, word will slip on whether he’s joined that fooking Peaky Blinders movie.