Each week our staff of film and television 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.
15. Fallout (Prime Video)
Fallout is an adaptation of Bethesda’s behemoth franchise, a story set within the retro-futuristic world that’s captivated console users for years and years. Yes, there are delightful little nods to in-game storylines – Pip-Boys and Nuka-Cola and Radaway, but they either serve a larger purpose or don’t linger for too long, ensuring that the show stands on its own two feet. Long-time gamers should have little to gripe about while those craving better genre fare amidst the streaming glut should come away satisfied. Whether you know its history or not, Fallout is a f*cking blast of a sci-fi show that defies expectations in the most unconventional of ways (and turned Walton Goggins into a sex symbol).
14. Doctor Who (Disney Plus)
Doctor Who is separated into two eras: the original run from 1963 to 1989 and the current relaunch, which began in 2005. The new season is the 14th since it was revived, but it’s officially referred to as “Doctor Who Season One.” Got all that? If you’re a Doctor Who fan, of course you do. But to everyone else who is probably very confused, it’s never been easier to watch the iconic British series now that it’s on Disney Plus with Ncuti Gatwa as the Doctor and Millie Gibson as his companion, the wonderfully-named Ruby Sunday. Is it too soon to dream of a TARDIS at Disney World? (It’s not!)
13. Outer Range (Prime Video)
Season 1 of Outer Range careened down an illogical hill with abandon, but it did so gracefully. It’s such a delicate balance that I wondered if a second season could maintain that same feat. Fortunately, my worries were unfounded. Outer Range is still kind-of a mess and sometimes feels like a full-on identity crisis, but the package is skillfully combined. It also considers enormous questions about human existence but doesn’t take itself seriously by claiming to have every answer (you can our full review here).
12. Gaga Chromatica Ball (Max)
Lady Gaga’s The Chromatica Ball tour was only 20 shows long (compared to over 150 for Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour), so if you weren’t able to experience Mother Monster sing the hell out of “Born This Way” in person, Max has you covered. Gaga Chromatica Ball is a filmed performance of one of Gaga’s sold-out Dodger Stadium concerts from 2022. She performed many of her greatest hits, including “Shallow,” “Bad Romance,” and “Rain on Me.” There’s no “Hair” (my personal favorite Gaga song; please do not ask me to defend why, it just is), but I won’t hold that against the future Harley Quinn.
11. Evil (Paramount Plus)
Evil does not exist – or at least the show Evil won’t after this season. This is the final season of the Robert and Michelle King-created series, which made the successful leap from CBS to Paramount Plus. Evil is frequently called the “best show you’re not watching,” and it’s got a The X-Files-ish premise to back that up: “A skeptical female psychologist joins a priest-in-training and a contractor as they investigate the Church’s backlog of unexplained mysteries, including supposed miracles, demonic possessions and hauntings. Is there a logical explanation, or is something truly supernatural at work?”
10. Mayor of Kingstown (Paramount Plus)
Following a near-death experience, Jeremy Renner is back for season 3 of Taylor Sheridan’s Mayor of Kingstown. When the town of Kingstown, Michigan, is overrun by a Russian mobster and drugs, it’s up to Mike McLusky (Renner) to keep things under control, but “things get complicated when a familiar face from his incarcerated past threatens to undermine the Mayor’s attempts to keep the peace among all factions.” That’s nothing compared to what Renner went through in real life.
9. Dune: Part Two (Max)
Let Dune: Part Two lead you to paradise. The highest-grossing movie of 2024 so far makes its streaming debut on Max, where you can watch Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya ride sandworms as many times as you want. The Denis Villeneuve-directed sequel takes everything great about 2021’s Dune and makes it, well, just as great. But now with more Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, and Léa Seydoux (although sadly less Oscar Isaac and Stephen McKinley Henderson). In short: Dune: Part Two rules.
8. Jim Henson Idea Man (Disney Plus)
It’s time to play the music. It’s time to light the lights. It’s time to watch Jim Henson: Idea Man tonight (well, May 31 when it premieres on Disney Plus). The documentary explores the life and career of the Muppets creator, including “never-before-seen personal archival home movies, photographs, sketches, and Henson’s personal diaries, as well as interviews with those who knew him best.” Prepare to cry.
7. The First Omen (Hulu)
“Oh great, another unnecessary horror prequel,” right? Wrong! Directed by Arkasha Stevenson, The First Omen is one of the most visually striking horror movies in recent memory. Nell Tiger Free (Myrcella Baratheon from Game of Thrones) gives a stellar lead performance as an American who gets sent to Rome to work with the church. But once she arrives, “she encounters a darkness that causes her to question her own faith and uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to bring about the birth of evil incarnate.” Hate it when that happens. But you won’t hate watching The First Omen.
6. Am I OK? (Max)
Comedian Tig Notaro’s directorial debut Am I OK? premiered to strong reviews at the Sundance Film Festival back in 2022. The film stars Dakota Johnson and Sonoya Mizuno (who’s having a big month with House of the Dragon dropping next week) as Lucy and Jane, two best friends who think they know everything there is to know about each other until Lucy drops a secret: she’s a lesbian. “As Jane tries to help Lucy, their friendship is thrown into chaos,” the synopsis reads. Am I OK? I will be after watching Am I OK?
5. Godzilla Minus One (Netflix)
The American Godzilla movies like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire are fun, but the recent Japanese Godzilla movies are masterpieces. 2016’s Shin Godzilla was the best entry in the franchise since the 1954 original, while Godzilla Minus One was a sensation. The Takashi Yamazaki-directed film grossed over $100 million at the worldwide box office and won an Oscar, both firsts for a Godzilla movie released by Toho Studios. If you missed out, Godzilla Minus One is now streaming on Netflix.
4. We Are Lady Parts (Peacock)
We Are Lady Parts is the kind of show that makes a streaming service worth the cost of subscription. If you don’t have Peacock, you should sign up for creator Nida Manzoor’s rowdy, Peabody Award-winning comedy about an all-female Muslim punk band in the UK. The cast — led by Lady Parts members Anjana Vasan (guitarist Amina), Sarah Kameela Impey (singer Saira), Juliette Motamed (drummer Ayesha), and Faith Omole (bassist Bisma) — is great, and the soundtrack rips. Have a taste with “Bashir With the Good Beard.”
3. Perfect Days (Hulu)
To paraphrase Lou Reed: Oh, it’s such a perfect day / I’m glad I spent it with Perfect Days. The latest film from Paris, Texas director Wim Wenders follows Hirayama (played by Koji Yakusho), a man living by himself who cleans public bathrooms in Tokyo for a living. When he’s not working, he’s listening to music, reading, and taking photos of trees. Perfect Days doesn’t have the most exciting plot, but it’s an incredible, Oscar-nominated film about what it means to be human. After all, what is life if not finding pride in your work and the minor distractions that keep you going?
2. The Acolyte (Disney Plus)
Yes, it’s another Star Wars show. But The Acolyte has a lot going for it. For one thing, there’s a Wookiee Jedi. All my 10-year-old Star Wars dreams are coming true. Also, the series is created by Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland and the cast, including Amandla Stenberg, Lee Jung-jae, Charlie Barnett, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Manny Jacinto (Jason from The Good Place!), is solid. The Acolyte takes place long before the prequels, so there will be no stops on Tatooine or mentions of the name “Skywalker.” That alone makes it worth a watch.
1. Hit Man (Netflix)
Hit Man is funny, sexy, thrilling, charming, and a crowd pleaser. So why did it barely get a theatrical release? “I don’t know,” director Richard Linklater told Decider about the lack of studio interest in his film. “Everybody’s scared. [The movie] was not one thing. It’s not a hit man movie.” Maybe if Hit Man — which stars the impossibly hot duo of Glen Powell and Adria Arjona — becomes a big enough, well, hit on Netflix, we’ll get a sequel that plays in 4,000 screens. Or better yet, sequels.