Every single 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) 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. Anyone But You (Sony film on VOD & Amazon Prime)
It’s no secret that romcoms have largely become a streaming-only sensation in recent years. Yet Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell changed that game — and you can watch them at home if you missed it in theaters — by virtue of looking far too attractive in swimsuits, pretending to hate each other, and still not making people upset when their characters did the predictable thing in the end. This film was a take on Will Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing and proved that sleeper comedies can still exist and even outdo the most VFX-filled movies that also happen to include Sydney Sweeney. Fun and frothy is a combination that should not be discounted, y’all. Give us more.
TIE: 10. This Is Me… Now: A Love Story (Amazon Prime movie)
Speaking of predictability, that attribute is the opposite of what anyone expected from Bennifer after they broke off their engagement in the wake of too much Gigli-fueled nastiness. Now, JLo is onscreen with a heightened version of her own storied love life to reveal how far, in a very meta way, that she has come today. Ben Affleck somehow put down the Dunkin’ to haunt this film, too, and exactly how much of this film’s script happens to be true? JLo ain’t telling.
9. House Of Ninjas (Netflix series)
If you go in without knowing anything about this show, then you will be pleasantly be surprised to be wrapped up in a shadow-filled blanket full of choreography, battle scenes, and engrossing ninja lore. Additionally, this film has (as the title suggests) a gathering of ninjas who also happen to be a dysfunctional family. Naturally, there is no such thing for them as ninja retirement, so it’s time for some last ninja jobs. This is sheer escapism, so binge to your little black heart’s content.
8. Halo (Paramount+ series)
Sh*t got truly rough for Master Chief this week with a host full of battle wounds and a few days of lost consciousness to boot. Of all the video game adaptations currently swamping TV and movies, this selection might be the most stressful to behold. Pablo Schreiber went on record to reveal how he was looking forward to a darker season, and he certainly received it.
7. The Tourist (BBC One/Stan series streaming on Netflix)
This series originally streamed on Max and found new life after moving over to Netflix for its second season of U.S.-based streaming. Jamie Dornan’s character took a hell of a road trip in the Australian Outback and has now crossed a few ponds to land in Ireland, where he’s attempting to make progress against those ultra-bad dudes who want to take his also-bad dude self off the map. First, he’ll be drawn into a family feud — the most delicate kind of feud. This show is wildly entertaining, and thank goodness that Jamie Dornan is finally able to punt his Fifty Shades era into the dust.
6. Dune (WBD film on Max)
Dune: Part 2 has hit theaters with Timothée Chalamet riding a sandworm and no Jason Momoa to behold, but that’s alright. Florence Pugh joins the cast, Zendaya got bumped up to a lead role, Austin Butler looks nothing like his handsome self, and Rebecca Ferguson is everything. Our own Mike Ryan absolutely loved this sequel from Denis Villeneuve, and of course, you can stream the first film before heading to the multiplex.
5. Poor Things (Searchlight Pictures film on VOD & Amazon Prime)
If you’re planning on catching the March 10 Academy Awards broadcast, then this highly nominated film is one to brush up on before airtime. Emma Stone portrays the young woman, Bella Baxter, who is resurrected in a Frankenstein way in the victorian era. The film is a little saucier than initially portrayed to be (surprise!), but audiences have gotten lost within Bella’s whirlwind ride around the globe, in which she achieves true liberation. (Also, this hits Hulu next week.)
4. The Regime (HBO series streaming on Max)
HBO and Kate Winslet are old friends and current partners as she takes charge again of her old Mildred Pierce and Mare of Easttown stomping grounds. Winslet portrays the authoritarian leader of a crumbling European government, and given that she falls under the spell of a new and unlikely yet handsome confidant, Herbert Zubak (Matthias Schoenaerts), that slide into the ocean might soon be complete. Hugh Grant and Martha Plimpton co-star, and Winslet might be having too much fun with this messy role.
3. Avatar: The Last Airbender (Netflix series)
Here comes the latest attempt from Netflix to adapt beloved IP into live-action mode, and in doing so, it must strive for the high bar of the animated series and clear the low bar set by the M. Night Shyamalan movie. The show was conceived with at least three seasons in mind, but for now, the story begins with Aang, an Air Nomad who must attempt to (with the help of a few pals) take his rightful ruling position after bringing harmony to the realms. Fire Nation, however, has plenty of wrenches to throw into that effort. Let’s just say that the current social media response from bingewatchers is mixed, so we shall see whether more seasons surface after the dust settles.
2. The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live (AMC show streaming on AMC+)
Rick and Michonne Grimes are back in each other’s arms again after being apart for more years than they were together. That’s only the start of the challenges that they will face in this worthy love story (even for non-romantics), and finally, this world has enlightened The Walking Dead audience on the meaning of “A”s and “B”s. The CRM’s true reach and dubious goals are also becoming known, and you know that Michonne will not stand for this type of existence. Rick, on the other hand, has lost a hand, and that horrific reality makes his yearning-filled dreams (and the leading duo’s chemistry) even more wonderful to witness onscreen.
1. Shōgun (FX series streaming on Hulu)
This series might be the next big thing by harnessing the Game of Thrones manner of epic drama without even adding dragons. In doing so, the show brings James Clavell’s beloved 1975 novel, the most well-known title of Asian Saga, to life in vivid detail. The story kicks off with Lord Yoshii Toranaga finding himself opposed by the Council of Regents in 1600s feudal Japan. As his enemies position themselves for power, he finds an ally in John Blackthorn, an English sailor whose craft has become marooned, and their fates become forever entwined. Blackthorn is based upon historical figure William Adams, who met his destiny by learning the ways of the samurai.
