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.
20. (tie) Ted (Peacock)
Everything is being revived or rebooted, so Seth MacFarlane is taking another swing with this profane teddy bear. This series will act as a prequel film to the films starring Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, and Amanda Seyfried, but don’t worry, MacFarlane’s voice will return to drop all of those F-bombs because the franchise demands it.
20. (tie) Grimsburg (Hulu)
Over the last two years, Jon Hamm has dazzled as investigative reporter (of some renown) Irwin M. Fletcher in Confess, Fletch (a movie that gets better with every watch), launched into outer space with Reese Witherspoon on The Morning Show, and tussled with Juno Temple on Fargo. Now he’s set to launch Grimsburg, a new animated series about a master detective who returns to his mystery-filled hometown to patch things up with his family. Hamm has proven his comic sensibilities time and time again, so there’s a lot to look forward to with this foray into the exotic world of FOX animated sitcoms, a place where did his career-best work as a talking toilet on Bob’s Burgers.
20. (tie) Monarch: A Legacy of Monsters (Apple TV+)
Monarch: Legacy of Monsters stars Kurt Russell and Godzilla and… are you already sold? You should be. The first live-action TV show in the MonsterVerse — which also includes Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla vs. Kong — makes you care as much about the humans, including Kurt and his son Wyatt, as Godzilla and his “Titan” friends. In an up-and-down year for genre shows, Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is a highlight.
There are cringe comedies and then there’s Showtime’s The Curse, a limited series about a married pair of alt-HGTV home flippers gentrifying their New Mexico neighborhood via eco-friendly monstrosities and calling it philanthropy. Created by two masters of squirm – Benny Safdie and Nathan Fielder – the show is a voyeuristic exercise that tests fans’ capacity for second-hand embarrassment as its main characters, the affluent Asher (Fielder) and Whitney (a shockingly unlikable Emma Stone) bulldoze the soul of their small, impoverished community with just a few reality TV cameras and a staggering amount of white privilege. It’s the best, most uncomfortable TV show you’ll watch this year.
Irish national treasures Paul Mescal and Saoirse Ronan partner for this thought-provoking sci-fi experiment that’s filled with big themes, unanswered questions, and a strangely large amount of bug shots. Mescal and Ronan play Junior and Hen, a couple stranded in their mundane life, living in a future ravaged by climate change. When one of them is offered a chance to escape with the caveat that their robotic replica will stay behind to keep the other company, hard questions about their marriage, their identities, and their purpose threaten to tear them apart. It’s a lo-fi love story with a twist ending you won’t see coming.
17. Good Grief (Netflix)
Dan Levy has kept busy in the years since Schitt’s Creek concluded, popping up in a few supporting roles (The Happiest Season, The Idol) and fronting an unscripted show (The Big Brunch), but Good Grief is the one fans have been waiting for. Written, directed, and starring Levy, the film focuses on loss, love, and friendship with friends (Ruth Negga and Himesh Patel) joining Levy’s character on a trip to Paris after supporting him for a year following the loss of his husband.
16. May December (Netflix)
There’s been a debate online on whether May December qualifies as “camp.” We have no idea, but we do know it’s a very good movie, one of the year’s best. The Todd Haynes film stars Natalie Portman as an actress who shadows a one-time tabloid sensation played by Julianne Moore for a role. It’s best to go in without knowing more than that, although fair warning: while May December is very funny, it’s also quietly devastating.
15. Death and Other Details (Hulu)
What do you get if you cross Knives Out with Only Murders in the Building and add Mandy Patinkin and set it all on a boat? Well, this show, apparently, which is described thusly by Hulu: “Imogene Scott finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time and becomes the prime suspect in a locked-room murder mystery; to prove her innocence, she must partner with a man she despises, Rufus Cotesworth, the world’s greatest detective.”
It still feels like maybe we should just do a Knives Out/Only Murders crossover event series on a boat, but this works too.
14. Percy Jackson and the Olympians (Disney Plus)
What you need to know:
- This is a series based on the best-selling adventure books by Rick Riordan
- For those unfamiliar, Percy is “a 12-year-old modern demigod who’s just coming to terms with his newfound divine powers when the sky god Zeus accuses him of stealing his master lightning bolt”
- This is probably a lot more than you had going on when you were 12
It’s a good time. Fun for the whole family.
Bradley Cooper has been nominated for nine Oscars (including four times for Best Picture as a producer) with zero wins. He’s really going for the gold with Maestro. Cooper not only stars alongside Carey Mulligan in the biopic of American composer Leonard Bernstein, he also co-wrote the script, directed the thing, and produced it. Did he also provide the catering? Maybe! Give the man an Oscar for all his hard work, jeez.
12. Criminal Record (Apple TV+)
Hey. Hey. Are you guys missing Slow Horses a little bit? Are you getting that itch for another extremely British spy show, maybe one starring Peter Capaldi? One that you can stumble across without even closing the Apple TV app that’s been open on your devices sapping battery power for a week because you just straight up forgot to close it? Well, good news. Look at this.
An anonymous phone call draws two brilliant detectives into a confrontation over an old murder case; one is a young woman in the early stages of her career, and the other is a well-connected man determined to protect his legacy.
Yeah, buddy. That’s the stuff.
Role Play, quickly:
— A new Prime Video series described as folllows: “A young married couple’s life turns upside down after secrets are revealed about each other’s past.”
— Stars Kaley Cuoco, who rules, and David Oyelowo, who also rules and has seen his star rise big time in the last year
— Maybe don’t watch this with the spouse you just married?
Lots to consider here.
PRO
— The official description of the Netflix Kevin Hart movie — “A master thief is wooed by his ex-girlfriend and the FBI to pull off an impossible heist with his international crew on a 777 passenger flight from London to Zurich” — sounds awesome
— It’s directed by F. Gary Gray, whose résumé includes Friday and Set It Off and The Italian Job, which is a fascinating collection of films for one man to direct
— Also stars Billy Magnussen and Jean Reno, which is cool
CON
— It… feels… like… it… should… be… bad?
Real toss-up. You watch it and tell us.
9. Self Reliance (Hulu)
From the mind of New Girl and Minx (RIP) star Jake Johnson comes a wild movie about a guy trying to win a million bucks by constantly being near other people whilst being hunted. Apologies for the old-assed references, but Self Reliance is what would happen if you took the Richard Pryor classic Brewster’s Millions and crossed it with Schwarzenegger’s Running Man and then turned it into a rom-com. Plus it’s got Anna Kendrick, Andy Samberg, and Biff Wiff. You in?
8. Pete Davidson: Turbo Fonzarelli (Netflix)
Netflix continues its run of ultra-high profile specials from super polarizing comedy giants with this check-in on Pete Davidson’s standup comedy stylings. From the soiled underthings of his alleged stalker to ruminations on the lengths he’d go to get his mom laid and the hidden benefit of Make-A-Wish kids, Davidson is as shocking and on point comedically as ever. He’s also in black and white. We do not know why.
7. Leave the World Behind (Netflix)
You want a psychological thriller? Cool. Check out this premise: “A family’s getaway to a luxurious rental home takes an ominous turn when a cyberattack knocks out their devices, and two strangers appear at their door.”
You want a solid creative pedigree? Cool. This movie comes from the brain of Mr. Robot creator Sam Esmail (who knows a little something about psychological thrillers ), who writes and directs based on a book of the same name.
You want star power? Cool. This sucker stars Mahershala Ali and Ethan Hawke and Julia Freaking Roberts, and features rising star Myha’la Herrold in a major role and Kevin Bacon in a smaller one.
All your bases are covered here.
6. The Brothers Sun (Netflix)
Everything Everywhere All At Once star Michelle Yeoh is seemingly, you know, everywhere… all at once, and there are no complaints there, except possibly from this piano player from the awards circuit. Creators Brad Falchuk (Glee, American Horror Story) and Byron Wu (The Getaway) bring us the story of Bruce (Sam Song Li), who begins to realize that his mom, Eileen (Yeoh), hasn’t exactly been forthcoming about her past. Soon enough, it becomes obvious that a family business exists and has already been joined by older brother Charles (Justin Chien), a powerful assassin. Expect both comedy and action as roundhouse kicks collide.
5. The Holdovers (Peacock)
Paul Giamatti is picking up awards left and right for his performance in Alexander Payne’s latest film, which is great. For Paul Giamatti. But also for us. Like, as a society. Look at this: “A curmudgeonly instructor at a New England prep school remains on campus during Christmas break to babysit a handful of students with nowhere to go. He soon forms an unlikely bond with a brainy but damaged troublemaker, and with the school’s head cook, a woman who just lost a son in the Vietnam War.”
Our official position here is twofold: one, we support anything where Paul Giamatti gets to be curmudgeonly; two, we love to see Paul Giamatti thrive. This checks both boxes.
4. Barbie (Max)
Greta Gerwig’s massive summer blockbuster hits streaming. There’s not much to say that hasn’t been said. It’s wickedly smart and funny and sly. It’s much weirder than people expected, in the best ways possible. Margot Robbie is incredible as Barbie, providing layers of depth to a character who has rarely before had more than one. Ryan Gosling is a delight as the deeply confused Ken who is watching his simple little world crumble around him. There are cameos galore and touching moments and belly laughs. If you haven’t seen it yet, now’s the time. If you have, well, now’s the time to watch it again. This one is worth a rewatch. Or two. Or five. How you spend your time is your business.
Good news for dads and possibly you, too. Lee Child’s bestselling novels continue to come to hulking life (starring the 6’2″ Alan Ritchson) as opposed to the Tom Cruise movie. Season 3 is already filming, but the second round is now available and should satisfy those pie-and-vending-machine cravings in the meantime. This batch of episodes doubles down on the brilliant simplicity of both Jack Reacher and this show when he teams up members of his former Army unit to stop some murder business. Together, they continue to dive into a high-stakes mystery full of betrayal and revelations, and lest you think that Reacher is all brains and no brain, well, think again.
2. True Detective: Night Country (Max)
Can Season 4 recapture the magic of Season 1? At the very least, this new story seems to be hitting some of the same atmospheric and tonal notes as the original story starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, who shall not be seen but are executive producing. There will be plenty of literal and figurative chills while Jodie Foster’s detective teams up with an old colleague portrayed by Evangeline Navarro. Together, they will attempt to unearth frozen truths involving horrors that took place during a Polar Night when an entire research died under mysterious circumstances. Are your teeth chattering already? Same.
Disney+’s first street-level entry into the MCU is as kickass as its Netflix predecessors with a magnetic anti-hero in Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) and the kind of gritty, neck-breaking fights that more than earn its TV-MA rating. Picking up after the events of Hawkeye, Maya has cut ties with the Tracksuit Mafia and her adoptive dad, Wilson Fisk (Vincent D’Onofrio), fleeing to Oklahoma to connect with her roots. The show plays up its connection to Netflix’s Daredevil – Fisk is in every episode and Charlie Cox returns as Hell’s Kitchen’s most pious vigilante for a vicious fight sequence that sets the tone for the rest of the season. But the draw here is Cox, and the character-driven storytelling Marvel is committing itself to with these more grounded entries into its universe.