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. Alexander: The Making Of A God (Docuseries streaming on Netflix)
This series takes a deep dive into the personal life (and conquests, both historical and personal) of Alexander the Great. In the process, expect to see various gruesome reenactments combined with contemporary expert analysis and findings from ongoing excavations by archaeologists. The series is also stirring up plenty of interest by presenting the possibility that the Hellenic ruler had a pair of close friends, including one with whom he might have engaged in a same-sex relationship. Hey, it happens!
TIE: 10. Expats (Amazon Prime series)
Several years ago, who would have known that Paddington villain extraordinaire Nicole Kidman would become a streaming TV queen? Between Big Little Lies, The Undoing, and Nine Perfect Strangers, she was already everywhere on HBO and Hulu, and now, she’s starring in an Amazon Prime series about a group of expatriates whose paths become intertwined in Hong Kong to mysterious effect. Hmm.
9. Wonka (WBD film on VOD & Amazon Prime)
Timothée Chalamet’s mom loved Wonka, and she wasn’t alone. Now, you can watch the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie in the privacy of your own home and perhaps sing along. Too much? Life is incredibly short, so don’t miss the chance to grab joy where possible. This film isn’t quite streaming yet on Max, but if you simply cannot wait, it’s available for rent.
8. Anatomy Of A Fall (Madman Films movie on VOD & Amazon Prime)
This French thriller is captivating streamers with the story of a German novelist who is attempting to prove her innocence in the mysterious death of her husband, who fell from a window. That’s not the only suspicious-looking known aspect of this apparent homicide, and as it turns out, details from one of her books make this look not so great either. Who killed Samuel? Oh man, this story takes the case to trial.
7. The Beekeeper ( on VOD & Amazon Prime)
Jason Statham refuses to disappoint viewers who expect a certain kind of movie from him. That is to say, they are all generally absurd action pictures, and someone has got to do them (and do them well). In this selection, Statham is a shadowy government contractor who needs to “protect the hive” by doing one last job. He’s also an actual beekeeper at one point, in addition to being a Beekeeper. Got it? Oh no, you don’t.
6. Griselda (Netflix series)
If you thought Sofia Vergara was solely able to do comedy, you will think differently after watching this series from original Narcos co-creator Doug Miro and Narcos: Mexico executive producer Eric Newman do the thing here. Colombian drug cartel leader Griselda Blanco trafficked billions in cocaine and scared the hell out of Pablo Escobar, and she engaged in a decade-long (at least) tour of terror while operating under 20 aliases ordering dozens of murders. Do not sleep on the details about the investigator who pushed the hardest to not only apprehend Griselda but credit her (cursed) trailblazing, too.
5. The Tourist (BBC One/Stan series streaming on Netflix)
Netflix picked up this title (in the U.S.) after Max streamed the first season (arriving on Netflix as of 2/1). This season, Elliot/”The Man” will travel to Ireland from the unwelcoming Australian Outback after discovering why bad dudes are trying to kill him in violent ways. As it turns out, Elliot was a bad dude, too, but can he make any headway with digging into his past on the Emerald Isle? First, he’ll be drawn into a family feud — the worst kind of feud.
4. Masters Of The Air (Apple TV+ series)
Sadly, Barry Keoghan plays perhaps his most normal character ever in this World War II epic. Still, he’s worth the watch, as is the rest of the ensemble cast in Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks’ latest TV collaboration (other than Band Of Brothers and The Pacific). The aerial fighting scenes are a sobering trip, and there’s plenty of scenes where you will be surprised that Elvis’ voice is no longer coming out of Austin Butler’s mouth, but for the most part, you can likely suspend belief to take in the sweeping story of the real-life missions and bombardments aimed toward taking Nazi Germany down.
3. True Detective (HBO series streaming on Max)
Eventually and hopefully, this season should begin to make sense, but at least viewers can rest assured that a Rust Cohle connection does officially exist in the series now. Frozen horrors have also literally risen from the tundra, and the spiral is back while the cop versions of Jodie Foster and Kali Reis attempt to figure this madness out. There are other parallels, to the eerie chain of events that arose down in the Carcosa ruins of Louisiana, and although Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson have yet to appear onscreen, they are behind the scenes as executive producers, and their characters can be felt in spirit.
2. Halo (Paramount+ series)
Pablo Schreiber is back as Master Chief, and if he has any say in the matter, there won’t be Sexy Master Chief on display this season. In other words, Master Chief will not be sporting a Pornstache, among other things. Officially, he will be fretting about the changing tide of his war and how to prepare for what he believes is an imminent attack by the Covenant on the most valuable stronghold known to mankind. Can he finally find the Halo, which will either help humanity survive or kill it off forever? Master Chief could use a break.
1. Mr. & Mrs. Smith (Amazon series)
Forget about Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s blockbuster movie. This truly inventive reimagining brings several new shades of a “married spy/assassin” story to the table. Donald Glover and Maya Erskine’s spy characters — also named John and Jane Smith — emerge in an arranged marriage, which might be even more of an occupational hazard than the high-risk missions that their job requires. This show turns all expectations of romantic comedy on its head, although yes, there’s both romance and comedy to be found on the scene, along with a show-stopping fart, cameos galore, and tasty action scenes.
