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.
10. Bad Boys for Life (Sony Pictures movie streaming on Hulu)
You know the drill — a new movie from an enduring franchise moves into theaters, and people want a refresher on the film that most recently arrived. In this 2020 installment, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s buddy cops must reconcile their old-school ways (or not) with the flashier, younger cops on the scene. That’s not the easiest feat when a Mexican drug cartel is out for vengeance, but as always with this law enforcement duo, they survive by the skin of their teeth while still mining laughs out of material that has no right to still be so funny.
9. Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+ series)
Jake Gyllenhaal’s lead character has screwed himself so hard in this adaptation of Scott Turow’s same-named legal thriller, in which a prosecutor’s affair with a colleague leads him to become a murder suspect. His DNA is all over the victim’s bedroom, and it does not look fantastic for Jake’s Rusty in this show that dives into the overarching concepts of sex, power, obsession, and whether Gyllenhaal’s Road House abs can be adequately concealed by a suit. Enjoy his “out of shape” treadmill running, too, while wondering whether his character will be able to get himself off the culpability train and also learn to keep his zipper closed. Intrigue!
8. Sweet Tooth (Netflix series)
Team Downey’s savory slam-dunk series has returned to put a bow on the post-apocalyptic adventures of Gus and Jeopardy. In this final season, the questing parties head to Alaska in search of Gus’ mother, who is on a search of her own for the origins of the Sick. Unfortunately, Gus is the target of a new threat on the horizon, so it’s anyone’s guess how the hybrids and humanity will fare in the end.
7. Your Honor (Showtime series streaming on Netflix)
If you were scratching your head and wondering whether you dreamed that this show actually aired years ago on Showtime, then you would be correct. The ability of Netflix to resurrect dead series strikes again. The show stars Panic Cranston face as a judge who isn’t so honorable after his son gets involved in a mafia death, and that leads into an intense race against time and many mini-cleanups that remind audiences how Bryan Cranston is the dude that Hollywood calls when they want a sort-of everyman who cannot and will not stop breaking bad. Too bad about the lack of an Aaron Paul cameo, though.
6. Star Wars: The Acolyte (Disney+ series)
As far as Star Wars shows go, this series tackles a galaxy far, far away from a new perspective. The show does begin prior to the Empire’s ascendance, and it leans into police-procedural vibes when a crime spree brings a dangerous warrior back from a Jedi Master’s past. Co-stars include part-time furry Amandla Stenberg, Dafne Keen Margarita Levieva, Carrie-Anne Moss, Charlie Barnett, and Manny Jacinto.
5. Godzilla Minus One (Toho Studios movie streaming on Netflix)
The first Oscar-winning Godzilla movie hit streaming with barely any advance notice, and that’s alright. Not only that, but this movie rolled out as a low-budget sensation that had already earned exponentially against its budget, which goes to show that — given that there’s also the ongoing Apple TV+ show and Kong buddy comedies (not really), too — Japan and the rest of the globe will never tire of the nuclear lizard. There have been some less than stellar Godzilla flicks over the decades, but this ain’t one of them.
4. Hit Man (Netflix movie)
Glen Powell — he is everywhere right now, and that’s more than alright. He portrays a dramatized version of real-life undercover officer Gary Johnson in this Richard Linklater film that takes inspiration from Skip Hollandsworth’s 2001 Texas Monthly article that detailed Johnson’s life as an undercover/fake killer for hire. Disguises are embellished for the sake of cinema, but Powell’s charisma shines through during even the most darkly humorous moments. He’ll soon be seen in Twisters, where the Austinite actor hopefully does not actually attempt to ride a tornado like he’s on a bull.
3. Under Paris (Netflix movie)
Considering how angry the oceans seem at mankind these days, this film actually doesn’t seem implausible. Also, Stephen King is a fan of the final 25 minutes of this relatively serious film that does not take a Sharknado approach to a shark invasion of the Seine River. Bérénice Bejo (The Artist) stars, and yep, this French take on the Jaws themes couldn’t be more conveniently timed with the Paris Olympics on the horizon.
2. Bridgerton (Netflix series)
The final four episodes will be dominating Netflix for weeks to come, especially due to the series longest sex scene yet, and it’s even steamier than that Carriage Scene, but do not worry, Kate and Anthony are still doing their thing and plenty of it. The Lady Whistledown matter does not get ignored, and viewers are also calling this the best batch of episodes yet. Get your smelling salts ready and go to town, Shondaland devotees.
1. The Boys (Prime Video/Amazon series)
Yes, this juggernaut and flagship series still specializes in doling out depravity, but the storytelling slaps harder than the show has ever done before. Homelander is still an absolute nightmare, and two new Supes (Firecracker and Sister Sage) are here to bring out new shades and weaknesses of The Seven’s leader. Also, Victoria Newman is still bloodbending towards D.C. again while Billy Butcher’s days are numbered, so he’s got nothing to lose. And oi, Hughie’s seasons continue to grow more grueling with time after enduring the first tragedy of the series.
