Each week our staff of film and TV 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.
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10. (tie) Scenes From A Marriage (HBO Max)
Oscar Isaac and Jessica Chastain made us promises when they sauntered down the red carpet at the Venice Film Festival, smoldering at each other with so much sexual tension we were forced to watch it in slo-mo to truly appreciate the chemistry lesson on display. They promised heat. They promised titillation. They promised a love story for the ages. And they deliver on most of those promises with this remake of Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman’s classic miniseries about a married couple wading through the painfully slow disintegration of their relationship. There’s more angst than fans of that red-carpet moment might like, and frustratingly few moments where these two incredibly hot people can just bask in their own sex appeal with each other, but the acting is so charged, you’ll forgive the insane premise: that anyone would dump Pedro Pascal’s boyfriend. Watch it on HBO Max.
10. (tie) The Chair (Netflix)
Created by Amanda Peet and produced by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, The Chair tells the story of a new professor dealing with a failing English department at a fancy private university. It’s always nice to see Sandra Oh get a meaty lead role like this, and if her work on shows like Killing Eve is any indication, she’ll carry it well. Watch it on Netflix.
9. The Other Two (HBO Max)
The Other Two returns after a long, long wait following a one-year shutdown on production for… you know why. The result of that time away? Brooke and Cary are still assholes (but assholes who are advancing in their lives and dealing with the chaos of that), Chase is giving the Stranger Things kids a run for their money in the “let’s pretend these growth spurts didn’t happen” department, Streeter has gone blonde, and Molly Shannon has been UNLEASHED as Pat Dubek becomes a star in her own right. The results are somehow equally scathing and heartfelt, allowing the show to climb another wrung in the “you really need to watch this” hierarchy. Watch it on HBO Max.
8. American Horror Story: Double Feature (FX/Hulu)
Ryan Murphy’s now-classic, still pulpy, always fun scare parade is back for a 10th season, with two separate stories told by a crew of familiar faces. Yes, Sarah Paulson is in there, as are Finn Wittrock and Lily Rabe, as per usual, but you knew that. The bigger story is that Macauley Culkin drops by this season as a character named Mickey. It was always coming to this, really, looping Culkin into the AHS universe. The biggest surprise is that it took this long. Watch it on Hulu.
7. A.P. Bio (Peacock)
Glenn Howerton’s misbehaving tin man found a heart and a few reasons to turn the volume down on his hatred of Toledo and Whitlock High School, but there’s little chance A.P. Bio is going to turn into the feel-good hit of the late summer when it returns to Peacock for its 4th season (and 2nd on the streamer). Instead, look for the show’s standout teen cast to continue stealing scenes and for Howerton’s Jack to continue using annoyance as a fuel source, albeit with some different rules of the road now that he has more evident stakes. Beyond all that though, we’re stoaked to see more Paula Pell flexes. With A.P. Bio and Girls5Eva, the longtime SNL writer is proving to be Peacock’s secret comedy weapon and we are here for it. Digitally insert her into reruns of The Office, inject some levity into Dr. Death, SAVED BY THE BELL CROSSOVER! The world is crying out for more Paula Pell. Watch it on Peacock.
6. Money Heist (Netflix)
Netflix really has the market cornered on wildly popular European heist shows between Lupin and this series, which follows a criminal mastermind named “The Professor” and a group of associates with a collection of very specific skills as they attempt to rob various banks and literal money-printing operation in Spain. It’s a juicy binge-watch with drama and slick thieves and misdirection, all you need in a fun heist series. And hey, if you get into the action deep enough and pay close attention to the English subtitles while the characters are talking, you might end up learning Spanish by accident. That would be cool. Watch it on Netflix.
5. Lucifer (Netflix)
The Devil is back for one last dance-of-a-rodeo in Season 6, and naturally, Lucifer Morningstar is still a total pain in the tush, and you’ll love him for it. Fortunately, he’s no longer attempting to be a detective. Lucifer is now God (don’t ask), and if he doesn’t get with the new program, he’s liable to trigger the apocalypse of all apocalypses. This is one last, fan-requested hurrah for a Netflix-resurrected series, and Neil Gaiman’s creation will live on in fans’ hearts and, most likely, their pants as well. Watch it on Netflix.
4. Reservation Dogs (Hulu)
Taika Waititi’s follow-up to What We Do in the Shadows brings us a comedy series that’s co-written by Native American filmmaker Sterlin Harjo. Yes, the lead quartet in this show rocks suits that look strikingly similar to the characters of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, yet they’re four Indigenous teens who want to commit crime and simply can’t pull it off. The show was shot in and near Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and these teens hope to make it all the way to California. The cast and crew come from indigenous communities, from where Harjo and Waititi are aiming their storytelling styles as well. Watch it on Hulu.
3. Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)
Selena Gomez stars alongside the legendary Steve Martin and Martin Short, and the three portray NYC neighbors who aim to unravel an apparent murder inside their apartment building. Yes, they’re all podcasting because everyone does it (duh), and before long, the killer might be after them, too. Martin hasn’t written a feature film since the Pink Panther movies and Shopgirl, and we don’t wanna come out and call this trio a “much cooler Three Amigos” update, but Martin wrote that, too, so why not? Watch it on Hulu
2. Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)
There are moments in the early stages of season two that feel like they’re doubling down on the show’s signature positivity and niceness, but there’s no such thing as sweetness overload here as the show grows our affection for characters that are clearly taking a step forward in their arcs. Especially Ted, even though it seems like there may be some challenges ahead. Watch it on Apple TV+.
1. What We Do In The Shadows (FX/Hulu)
Well, well, well. Guillermo turned out to be a vampire killer, which sure as heck came as a surprise to Nandor, Nadja, and Laszlo, and Colin. The four Staten Island roommates must figure out how to handle this conundrum, along with tackling the other challenges of this season. Those include dealing with wellness cults and gym culture, along with gargoyles, werewolves who play kickball, casinos, and more. In other words, this is still one of the funniest shows on TV. Watch it on FX and Hulu.