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) Outer Range (Amazon Prime)
It’s a shame Amazon Prime’s latest original series hasn’t broken through on our timelines because it’s one hell of a ride. Think The Twilight Zone meets Yellowstone, and you’ll be close. With a stacked cast that includes Josh Brolin, Imogen Poots, Noah Reid, and Will Patton, plus a batch of converging storylines about rival ranches, feuding families, and time-travelling wormholes that may or may not be the work of extra-terrestrials, it’s the kind of show that could become your next appointment watch. Watch it on Amazon Prime.
10. (tie) Jerrod Carmichael: Rothaniel (HBO Max)
With Rothaniel, Jerrod Carmichael, in what is technically his third HBO special following 8 and Home Videos, comes to the spare stage of the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City on a winter day ready to bare his soul. And while some of the truths he tells are things he may have alluded to in the past, this feels unique, naked, and gripping, elevated by the vision of director Bo Burnham, whose focus is unrelenting as Carmichael seems to be processing the experience of sharing the most intimate details and observations about his life in real-time with an audience whose feedback he welcomes. It is remarkable, human, and a special that everyone is going to be talking about. Watch it on HBO Max (after it premieres on HBO 4/1 at 9ET).
10. (tie) Minx (HBO Max)
We are going back in time, again, this time to the 1970s, again, to see the dawn of an erotic magazine made specifically for women. That sounds fun. It also co-stars Jake Johnson from New Girl as a seedy pornographer who wears shirts unbuttoned halfway to his navel, which sounds… really fun. Worth a shot, at the very least. Watch it on HBO Max.
10. (tie) Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO)
If you think about it, Winning Time (HBO’s new Adam McKay-produced series about the 1980s LA Lakers) has all the elements of a classic heist movie. Assembled by a larger than life fast talker with equally big ambitions (in this case, former Lakers owner Jerry Buss), a rag-tag group comes together, leaning on their exceptional and unique talents to paper over any personality conflicts that might arise while taking the thing (a whole mess of gold trophies) no one thought they’d ever get their hands on. This while having some wild misadventures along the way. We’re simplifying, of course, but the point is this should appeal to basketball fans and non-basketball fans alike, earning the right to be the most buzzed-about piece of basketball culture crossover content since The Last Dance helped us all stave off boredom for a few months by telling the story of another mismatched group of big personalities and champions. Watch it on HBO.
9. Killing It (Peacock)
We can all relate to the strain felt when reaching for a dream only to just miss. That’s the life Craig Robinson’s character is living and trying to work his way out of in Killing It, Peacock’s newest comedy. How’s he gonna do it? That’s a bit less relatable, involving snakes, snakes, and more sn… to be honest, such is this reviewer’s phobia with even seeing slithery rope monsters on screen that I had to turn away when a snake confronted Robinson in the back of a rideshare (the nightmare!), but if you think me and Indiana Jones are babies and you can stand to see THE LITERAL REASON WHY EDEN FELL on screen, then have at it if, for nothing else, than to enjoy Craig Robinson’s hustle game. Watch it on Peacock.
8. Tokyo Vice (HBO Max)
Michael Mann brings the Heat once again with a side of Miami Vice on the other side of the globe. Here, Mann’s exploring how one maneuvers (as an outsider) through Japan’s underworld, yakuzas and everything. Ken Watanabe plays a detective, and Ansel Elgort joins him as an American reporter, a role for which Elgort apparently also went undercover in real life to prepare. Not only that, but he had to dive into speaking Japanese, not an easy feat by any stretch, to take on this crime thriller series. Watch it on HBO Max.
7. Bridgerton (Netflix)
The bad news, for enthusiasts of The Duke, is that Regé-Jean Page isn’t back this season (as planned), but the good news is that the show still brings the momentum despite the odds. This season focuses upon Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) seeking his own match as outlined by Julia Quinn’s books. Lady Whistledown (already revealed as Penelope, portrayed by Nicola Coughlan) is still doing her thing and f*cking with everyone during her society letters, thank god. Watch it on Netflix.
6. Moon Knight (Disney Plus)
Oscar Isaac and Ethan Hawke are in the MCU now, but don’t expect either of them to be the typical Marvel superhero or villain. This show is sheer chaos (and joyous to behold) with Isaac’s character plagued with dissociative identity disorder and tormented with mockery by an Egyptian god. He’s a gift-shop employee, a mercenary, and a hero? Sure. Hawke plays a David Koresh-esque cult leader. Hold on tight. Watch it on Disney Plus.
5. The First Lady (Showtime)
The A-list cast won’t stop here with Viola Davis playing Michelle Obama, Michelle Pfeiffer playing Betty Ford, and Gillian Anderson playing Eleanor Roosevelt. These three enigmatic ladies’ stories will be interwoven through time while the political drama simply swirls around them. Maybe you’re tired of politics these days, but it’s worth reliving some of the more iconic moments of yesteryear to forget the cable news cycle. And Kiefer Sutherland as President Franklin D. Roosevelt? C’mon. Watch it on Showtime.
4. Roar (Apple TV+)
Roar is a feminist manifesto written by someone on shrooms. No, really. It’s a magical mystery tour filled with ruminations on race, internalized misogyny, feminine guilt, and whose stories are worth being told – wrapped up in surrealist storylines and Wes Anderson-esque cinematography. It’s absolutely unlike anything you’re watching on TV right now, and that’s without mentioning Merritt Wever’s sex scene with a duck or the montage of Nicole Kidman chowing down on old photographs like they’re a five-course meal. Do yourself a favor and bask in its weird-as-hell vibes. Watch it on Apple TV Plus.
3. Our Great National Parks (Netflix)
Literally just an entire television show full of beautiful footage of the nature found in stunning national parks, narrated by the soothing voice of Barack Obama. It’s all very peaceful and relaxing. Turn the lights down, get comfy on the couch, and let the calm wash over you like a gentle waterfall. Watch it on Netflix.
2. Atlanta (FX/Hulu)
Well, guess what: Atlanta is back, four years since its second season and just as ready and willing to throw you for a loop. Earn and Paper Boi and Darius are still off in Europe on that tour they were en route to way back then, but there are detours and flights of fancy and all the other weird, stunning, inventive stuff that made (and makes) this one of our greatest shows. Donald Glover and this crew are pretty good at this stuff. It’s great to have them back. Watch it on Hulu.
1. Better Call Saul (Netflix, AMC)
Better Call Saul is back, soon, finally, after an extended layoff. It remains one of our greatest shows, ball of tension and comedy, the former of which is amped up even more as it heads into its final season. What will happen to Kim? What will happen to Nacho and Lalo? The Breaking Bad timeline is rapidly approaching and it’s time to answer these uestions once and for all. It’s okay to be nervous. Wer’re nervous, too. Take some time for a quick Season 5 rewatch on Netflix before the new season kicks off on Monday, April 18.