Multiple times per 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 and ratings) 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.
TIE: 10. Black Bird (Apple TV+ series)
Ray Liotta fans, you can get one final fix of the legend with this psychological thriller show, in which he portrays the dad of Taron Egerton’s Jimmy Keene. It’s a tense ride based upon the real-life Keene’s memoir, In With The Devil: A Fallen Hero, A Serial Killer, and A Dangerous Bargain for Redemption. If Liotta’s presence isn’t enough to get you onboard (are you a monster, too?), then rest assured that Paul Walter Hauser is the icing on the cake for a project full of compelling performances.
TIE: 10. Resident Evil (Netflix series)
Do you remember much about what happened in those Milla Jovovich-starring movies? Me neither, and the overall critic-and-audience reception for this clunker isn’t great, but this show’s mainly a curiosity, to see if anything involving Umbrella Corporation could possibly ever make sense. The story picks up with Jade Wesker, who’s attempting to track down her sister, fourteen years after the virus’ original outbreak. There are plenty of other undead tales that do it better, and this show probably won’t get a second season, so take that as you will before the short tail runs out.
9. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix series)
This season’s got double the number of Hargreeves siblings from the still-bad dad, Reginald. At this point, the original set is so beloved, and the writers are so good at knowing what fans want, that the first twenty minutes deliver like no other return in recent TV times. Luther’s lobster hands and Klaus’ tragic quest for acceptance are only two of the attractions here, but Victor Hargreeves makes a sublime entrance, officially, anyway. Victor has always been Victor, and Elliot Page gets to shine like he’s been able to do in no other role before now. And watch out for Jayme, man.
8. Thor: Ragnarok (Marvel Studios movie on Disney+)
Yes, the newest God of Thunder movie, Thor: Love and Thunder, has the Chris Hemsworth tush going on, but how can you resist its predecessor, the Hulk Butt? That was a delight of a moment when Taika Waititi sent the MCU off the rails. His directorial sensibilities are anything but sensible, and that’s why Ragnarok has made a streaming comeback. The latest effort is jam packed, so it’s worth revisiting the one that came before, for more simplicity and the free-wheeling, ferocious style of a (sometimes admittedly tipsy) Valkyrie.
7. Rap Sh!t (HBO Max series)
If you were sad to see Insecure come to an end, there’s good news: executive-producing powerhouse Issa Rae is already back with an even more fun story filled with shenanigans. The show follows a female rap duo, who happen to be childhood friends that reunite with fabulous synergy. They’ve got side (actually, main) hustles and their party-based hustles, and they’re rising to the top with authenticity, all while showing that the glitz and glamour of public-facing life ain’t all that behind the scenes.
6. Stranger Things (Netflix series)
After a multi-year wait, fans finally got to deal with the monstrous byproduct of fan-memedom gone wild, which included the after-effects of Jamie Bower Campbell asking what a “Vecnussy” might be. The show’s actors didn’t entirely clean up with Emmy nominations, but this show’s currently so well received with fans that it’s not even funny. Maybe Millie Bobbie Brown will get those character deaths that she’s always wanted when the final season arrives, but for now, shred with Metallica while taking another long-winded trip to the Upside Down.
5. The Boys (Amazon Prime series)
This show’s already spun off an animated series to keep viewers occupied with backstories between seasons, and there’s a college-aged spinoff well into production, too. Yet there’s nothing quite like the sheer joy involved with watching everyone gang up on Homelander as a team effort. He can’t be stopped, as this season proves, but it’s sure fun to watch it all go down. The “Herogasm” episode delivered even more gross-out mayhem than promised, and the show’s layered characters remind everyone of what’s really at stake here, beyond sheer entertainment value. Hats off to showrunner Eric Kripke and the many people involved with continuing to outdo previous seasons and stay fresh.
4. Only Murders In The Building (Hulu series)
Selena Gomez rules this show, alright? Don’t let that Emmy snub fool you. She’s chronically underappreciated, and this comedy series really lets her deadpan appeal come through while bouncing off the well-oiled, decades-in-the-refining chemistry of Steve Martin and Martin Short. Make no mistake, “Bloody Mabel” is in a tough spot, and as this season wears forth, maybe the mysteries of the show will finally be solved. Scratch that, they’ll only grow more complicated.
3. The Bear (FX series streaming on Hulu)
This breakout hit is a lean, mean, dramedic machine, and the first season was such a raging success that a followup’s already in the works. Will Carmy have sex, though? Somehow, that’s the overriding question for the future, and hopefully, we’ll receive more beautifully show kitchen aesthetics as well. Ayo Edebir and Ebon Moss-Bachrach turn out to be necessary ingredients in supporting Jeremy Allen White (getting the post-Shameless leading man turn that he deserved), and I can’t wait to see where all that tension goes in the future.
2. The Gray Man (Netflix film)
Netflix can’t seem to stop finding compelling trios to star in its blockbuster-y films, and this line up is no less intriguing than The Rock, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot. In this project, Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas star alongside Chris Evans’ mustache in a tale of dark-agency intrigue because I guess this world can’t have enough films that remind everyone of James Bond, especially when the Russo brothers are bringing their producing flavor. Merchants of death and CIA operatives and plenty of action abound, and don’t forget that Gosling’s also warming up for the Barbie movie, too. In other words, more intrigue!
1. Better Call Saul (AMC series streaming on AMC+)
We still don’t know if Kim Wexler lives and dies, but last week’s episode nonetheless broke more than a few hearts. We’re coming up on the Breaking Bad timeline, so one would think that there’s not too many dominoes left to fall, but you never freaking know with this universe. We still need to find out what was up with that scene at the end and what impact it could possibly have on us finding out what the hell’s up with Cinnabon Gene. And that, my friends, could break our heads wide open.