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. No Hard Feelings (Columbia Pictures film streaming on VOD and Amazon Prime)
Those who adored Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie evolution in this season of The Bear will appreciate him as a bonus in Jennifer Lawrence’s efforts to resurrect raunchy comedies. She portrays a fail-hard young woman, Maddie, who needs to raise some cash quickly, so she answers a Craigslist ad from parents who are really desperate for someone to boink their 19-year-old unsociable son. That assignment turns out to be much harder than planned, but JLaw throws herself into the role, which must have been a nice switch from the emotionally heavy lifting of Oscar fare.
TIE: 10. Red, White & Royal Blue (Amazon Prime movie)
If you aren’t already on board with the source material (Casey McQuiston’s bestselling novel), then perhaps you will be intrigued after hearing Uma Thurman’s deep-fried Southern accent. She portrays the first female U.S. president, whose son, Alex Claremont-Diaz (Zakhar Perez), falls for a Harry-like British prince, Henry (Nicholas Galitzine). Naturally, the two cannot stand each other at first, but they have a combined drastic change of heart, and before long, uh oh. The sense of obligation to country dredges up drama, and Bridgerton fans won’t be able to resist this confection.
9. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Sony movie streaming on VOD and Amazon Prime)
Not only does this sequel match up to the exhilarating quality of the first movie, there’s also a ton of Gwen waiting for you. Arguably, I believe that this detail makes this even better than Into The Spider-Verse, even though Miles Morales spends part of his energy feeling sad about her. Any of those downer feelings will also quickly be vanquished by the antagonistic (not to mention addictive) Spot. You will not wish for this damn Spot to be out, in other words.
8. Dark Winds (AMC series streaming on AMC+)
George R.R. Martin still hasn’t finished Winds Of Winter, but that might be forgivable after you catch wind of this hidden gem over at AMC. Martin and Robert Redford produce, and this tells the story of 1970s Navajo cops who attempt to unravel murders near Monument Valley. What they uncover rattles their belief systems to the core, and to complicate matters, their personal demons might not be the hardest obstacle to conquer because the forces of evil are running rampant. (Mostly) Native American writers staff this series, which provides authenticity for these Indigenous characters, something that one can also witness in FX’s Reservation Dogs.
7. Hijack (Apple TV+ series)
Already, Idris Elba fans are wondering whether this show will continue after the panic attack-inducing first season came to an open-ended close. Idris Elba portrays a negotiator who didn’t expect to need those skills after airplane departure, and elements of this story come off as absurd, but it’s a jolly-genre good time. The world doesn’t need logic in every TV single show. Simply fasten your seatbelts and enjoy Elba in “action” mode, even if the classic definition of that word gets twisted here due to claustrophobic confines.
6. Painkiller (Netflix series)
Following in on the heels of Netflix’s The Pharmacist and Hulu’s Dopesick, this project aims for a fictionalized retelling of the real-life opioid crisis as told by Barry Meier’s same-named book and Patrick Radden Keefe’s New Yorker article, “The Family That Built the Empire of Pain.” The cast includes Uzo Aduba, Matthew Broderick, Taylor Kitsch, and more.
5. Elemental (Pixar movie streaming on Disney+)
This film’s finding new life after a less than stellar theatrical run, but the good news is that streaming audiences are sure enjoying this whimsical 102 minutes that will keep the family’s attention occupied. The story whizzes through Element City, where we meet air, fire, and water-themed characters. Fiery Ember Lumen and Wade Ripple may come from two different worlds, but possibly, they can learn to forge a new world together. This does not happen without challenges, and of course, expect some melting-pot metaphors.
4. Justified: City Primeval (FX series streaming on Hulu)
Raylan Givens might be in over his head outside of his Miami comfort zone and native Harlan stomping grounds. Still, that hasn’t prevented him from enjoying some extracurricular pursuits, although the blurring of the professional and personal lines might not be so wise. This spinoff has passed the mid-mark of this season, and fried-chicken pursuits have been replaced by “chicken-fat” insults, yet the dragging of Raylan is part of what makes this revival such a delight. Also, Clement Mansell grows more Joker-like by the episode, so are we worried for Sandy Stanton yet?
3. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu series)
Selena Gomez reigns supreme and more than holds her own alongside two comedy legends, Steve Martin and Martin Short, as they continue their true-crime-obsessed approach to solving homicides. Bunny’s murder sits in the distance, but of course, more trouble finds the principal trio, and there are almost as many impressive cameos this season than in this year’s batch of The Bear. That includes Meryl Streep (from everything) and Ashley Park (from Emily In Paris) getting musical together.
2. Billions (Showtime series streaming on Paramount+)
Damian Lewis’ Bobby Axelrod couldn’t stay away for long. Axe has returned for the final lap of this long-running series, which will further see alliances fall and old wounds fester. The line between allies and enemies grows eve more muddy, and Maggie Siff is still the most underrated presence on the show. I’m rooting for her to somehow appear in all four announced spinoffs, but I suppose that Corey Still and Paul Giamatti are alright, too.
1. Depp v Heard (Netflix documentary)
One of the biggest legal circuses (which is sad, given the context) of the decade gets the documentary treatment here, but at least it sets out to answer one question left unsolved by Johnny Depp’s defamation trial against Amber Heard: who really pooped in their bed. Don’t expect the “truth” otherwise to come out here, and it’s notable that the director decided not to interview either Depp or Heard for this project. Still, the trial attracted plenty of eyeballs, and this followup is doing likewise.
