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) George Carlin: American Dream (HBO Max)
Director Judd Apatow weaves archival footage, diary entries, and invaluable insights from George Carlin’s daughter Kelly to create an extensive portrait of a legendary comedian and thinker whose thoughts on life and culture still resonate and routinely trend on Twitter 16 years after his death. What’s most remarkable about Carlin may not be that unheard of staying power, but how he continued to innovate and reinvent himself over a 50+ year career to get to the point where his words and memory would carry so much weight with so many people; something Apatow explores thoroughly here while exploring the drive, complexity, and artistry of the man.
10. (tie) The Kids in the Hall (Amazon Prime)
It’s been 27 years since the last Kids In The Hall episode and 26 since the release of Brain Candy, the movie that almost broke the group apart forever. Since then, there has been inter-group litigation, a period of resolution, numerous tours, health scares, and onscreen reunions official (Death Comes To Town) and not (numerous cameos in each other’s projects), but the Kids are back. Not quite “kids” anymore, but with the same charm and bend toward dark comedic absurdity. No, I mean really the same, but in a way that should connect in equal measure with old fans and potential new viewers whose dads won’t shut up about them when they walk into the room and see you watching I Think You Should Leave and they want to contribute so they tell you about a guy with lettuce for hair and “Love And Sausages” and how communists and killer bees are LIKE THIS! OK. The point is, the new Kids In The Hall is a brilliant mix of old and new that further solidifies the group’s legend status. Watch it on Amazon Prime.
10. (tie) I Love That For You (Showtime)
Vanessa Bayer was one of the best things about Saturday Night Live during her seven-year run and while nothing beats her awards-worthy work in the sketch comedy’s Totino’s trilogy, this definitely comes close. Based on Bayer’s own experience with childhood cancer (and her ongoing love affair with the home shopping channel) the show follows a yet-to-fully-mature woman who lies about her cancer diagnosis to keep her dream job. Everyone from Molly Shannon to Jenifer Lewis helps out here but it’s some of the lesser known members of the cast that really shine. Watch it on Showtime.
9. My Next Guest Needs No Introduction (Netflix)
David Letterman is back once again to talk to a slew of very famous people about their lives and careers. It remains a cool show and a cool idea and it’s cool that Letterman has fully embraced his role as a Beard Guy. No complaints to be found anywhere. This season’s guests include Billie Eilish, Ryan Reynolds, Cardi B, Kevin Durant, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and a pre-Slap Will Smith. Watch it on Netflix.
8. The Staircase (HBO Max)
The original true-crime docuseries (originally on Sundance TV) captivated enough people on Netflix that HBO Max decided to dramatize the story, and lo and behold, it works. Colin Firth plays Michael Peterson, who served prison time after the death of his wife, Kathleen (portrayed by Toni Collette) under mysterious circumstances. Sophie Turner and Parker Posey are on hand, and there’s a (SPOILER ALERT) certain theory that won’t be overlooked. This shall be an eight-part adaptation that explores the nature of fact and fiction and goes to some unexpected places. Watch it on HBO Max.
7. Physical (Apple TV Plus)
Two important things are worth noting here. The first is that this show, a fun dramedy starring Rose Byrne that takes a spandex-tight look at the 1980s aerobics era and the types of people who made it a whole thing, is returning for a second season. The second thing is that this new season adds Murray Bartlett to the cast, which, as anyone who watched him devolve into an amphetamine-snorting lunatic on The White Lotus can attest, is a wonderful development. Good news all around. Watch it on Apple TV Plus.
6. Angelyne (Peacock)
It’s Emmy Rossum, all bewigged and looking nothing like Fiona Gallagher, which is probably exactly the type of thing that Rossum wanted to do after a decade in the same role. Here, she portrays the iconic billboard queen and mysterious buxom blonde who parlayed herself into a sensation. Expect a whole lot of pink with hair, makeup, and wardrobe on (tacky) point. Rossum looks like she’s having a blast as a precursor to the Paris Hiltons of today, and there are spaces where the show is great fun, but be warned that it takes its time while moving toward an emotional payoff.
5. Barry (HBO Max)
It should not be possible to enjoy watching a sweet man like Bill Hader destroy his life and the lives of those around him, and yet, here we all are, ready for season three of Barry, one of the best shows on television. It’s a dilemma, honestly. Not as much of a dilemma as, say, being a hitman who stumbles into an acting career and has to occasionally kill more people to prevent other people from learning that he has a history of killing people, but still. There’s an embarrassment of riches at play here. Find another show that features Henry Winkler and Stephen Root and D’Arcy Carden where none of them are the funniest character, somehow, against incredible odds. This is the power of NoHo Hank. You either know what that sentence means or you desperately need to binge Barry as soon as possible. Watch it on HBO Max.
4. Hacks (HBO Max)
Jean Smart’s dueling curmudgeons won’t both return because we can’t always have nice things. Yet we still have her cranky comedian, Deborah, who’s back in the comedy game (this time on tour) with Hannah Einbinder’s Ava in tow. The second season’s a lean, mean comedy machine but unfortunately for Ava, her big betrayal is still out there, looming over both of them. Also, Jean gets to wield a chainsaw, and that’s worth the price of admission on its own, but getting to see the dynamic duo in action is something that we’re frankly not worthy of — we will take it. Watch it on HBO Max.
3. Obi-Wan Kenobi (Disney Plus)
If Obi-Wan is a name you’ve not heard in a long time (long time), you’re in luck. Ewan McGregor reprises his role as Not-So-Old Ben in Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi, a six-episode limited series set a decade after the events of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. Also back: Hayden Christensen as Darth Vader. Should you watch Obi-Wan Kenobi? Yesssssssssssss. Watch it on Disney Plus.
2. The Boys (Amazon Prime)
Finally, The Boys. Are. Back. And so is Homelander, although he is most decidedly not okay after the events of the Season 2 finale, so plenty more increasingly sadistic behavior will soon arrive on that end. He’s got competition in the “hero of heroes” department, though, because Jensen Ackles climbs aboard as Soldier Boy (a profane Captain America knockoff), who’s definitely all up in the “Herogasm” episode, which you should sit down before watching. And expect the show to actually transcend those exploding heads, the whale collision, and Homelander’s self-pleasuring scene atop a skyscraper. In other words, clear you calendar for these weekly decadent delights. Watch it on Amazon Prime.
1. Stranger Things 4 (Netflix)
The long-awaited fourth season of Stranger Things is, in a word, epic. And that’s not because of its cinematic run times. We’ll, not entirely. It’s true you’ll essentially be watching seven movies, not episodes, but those are packed with all of the 80s nostalgia, Dungeons and Dragons references, demonic possessions, prison breaks, rink parties, and secret government experiments you could ask for. Hawkins is in more danger than ever and with Eleven powerless, there’s no superhero in sight — unless you count Erica Sinclair, which obviously you should. But the joy of this season is watching the rest of these weirdos and misfits band together to save each other … and themselves. Watch it on Netflix.