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) Sex Education (Netflix)
This Gillian Anderson-starring series returns, so that the X-Files and The Crown actress can continue embarrassing the heck out of her TV son, Otis (Asa Butterfield), who is apparently now having casual sex. Jemima Kirke is officially on board, too, as a headteacher named Hope, who desperately wants to restore Moordale Secondary School to its former sterling reputation. Uh, good luck with that? Also, Anderson’s character is pregnant. Oh, Mom. Watch it on Netflix.
10. (tie) 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.
9. The Premise (FX on Hulu)
B.J. Novak (The Office, Inglourious Basterds) writes all of the episodes on this show, which aims to use dark comedy to tackle tough topics, including sex, social media, Black Lives Matter, police brutality, and immigration. Along the way, there’s apparently the “the worst sex tape ever,” and a lot of this show aims for satire (which is not easy to pull off, especially with such hot-button topics) with mixed results. Watch it on FX on Hulu.
8. 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.
7. 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.
6. Y: The Last Man (FX on Hulu)
The expectation game and buzz should be a lot louder for this show which seemingly had a dozen starts and stops on its way to getting adapted from the Brian K. Vaughan/Pia Guerra Vertigo comic from the early aughts. And yet, it seems to be actually coming into existence with a low roar — a shame as the first few episodes do the kind of world-building that promises to pay off down the road. If the Walking Dead never existed, we’d all be losing our minds over the debut of this post-apocalyptic plague series about the literal last man on earth and the women who protect, tolerate, and are chasing after him. Maybe we should take that as a sign, because the potential exists for this to break out in a big way as it expands into aspects of the source material that are more interesting than the origin story. Watch it on FX on Hulu.
5. 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.
4. 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
3. 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+.
2. The Morning Show (Apple TV+)
Critics of season one of The Morning Show won’t have an easy time credibly claiming a lack of action or interest in a second season that picks up the thread from the last while also servicing even more characters and the lingering threat of COVID. This is a heavyweight fight all over again with Aniston and Witherspoon leading the way, but look for more of Billy Crudup lounging in the chaos to spark the show once more. 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.