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. Clean (Documentary streaming on Amazon Prime)
You may have seen Sunshine Cleaning (a morbid little picture starring Emily Blunt and Amy Adams), and this movie follows similar subject matter with a documentary approach. The project involves a real-life trauma cleaning business (exactly what it sounds like — they mop up after crime scenes and the like) and its owner (Sandra Pankhurst), who keeps things humming along until an event in her personal life upends her daily flow, and things end up spiraling. True crime junkies will want to at least try this one.
TIE: 10. Hijack ( Apple TV+ series)
Idris Elba must save the world, or at least save the lives of a plane full of people whose air-bound voyage from Dubai to London gets (as the title suggests) hijacked. Elba plays a savvy negotiator who is now aiming to stop hijackers who have blackmailed (?) the pilot, which is very strange because that must be some serious dirt to get him to hand over over 100 lives like it ain’t no thing. This show is only getting started, though, so we’ll see if things become less bizarre (or potentially confusing) as time streams forth.
9. Black Mirror (Netflix series)
Even in 2023, Charlie Brooker’s tech-focused dystopian brainchild can manage to whip up almost as many enduring permutations as the Bandersnatch movie. This season contains no shortage of fresh hell to infiltrate your dreams at night, and look forward to pseudo-horror stories featuring Salma Hayek, Zazie Beetz, Annie Murphy, Josh Hartnett, Aaron Paul, Michael Cera, Paapa Essiedu, and Rob Delaney. As well, the one and only Rory Culkin continues to have a streaming moment even while Kieran has been not-so-quietly toiling away in a little ditty called Succession.
8. Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (MGM movie streaming on VOD and Amazon Prime)
Regé-Jean Page’s (armored) abs have moved out of their Bridgerton era, and now, he’s sharing the screen with Chris Pine and a lute. The full ensemble — including Michelle Rodriguez being a badass and Hugh Grant in total, scenery-chewing villain mode — has a ball with bringing the spirit of the role-playing game to life, and it’s a hell of a lot of fun to boot. You’ll enjoy watching this at home as much as you once (or possibly still do) dug hanging out in a friend’s basement with snacks and a group of fellow D&D-heads.
7. Suits (USA series streaming on Netflix)
For unknown reasons, this show has somehow been riding high up on the Netflix Top 10 lists. Meghan Markle is obviously up to much different drama these days, but here’s her old escapist series that also cranked up the legal drama, albeit outside the courtroom, on occasion. This show ain’t Ally McBeal , but rather, a good, old-fashioned mix of sudsy office politics that kept people hooked. Those sex scenes that Prince Harry unfortunately watched didn’t hurt this long-running series’ appeal, either.
6. Secret Invasion (Disney+ series)
The introductory episodes for this Marvel spy series bring back a tired-as-hell Nick Fury, who’s been falling down on the job ever since Thanos f*cked things up with his genocidal showmanship. Yes, show gives off a “one last job” vibe, but Fury can’t count on being able to fade into the shadows because the job involves the Skrulls largely heading into villain mode after somehow being helpful during Captain Marvel. Also, you might see a long-running member or two of the MCU revealed to be not-of-this-Earth, but fortunately, Ben Mendelsohn is still crushing it as the soda-sipping Talos. As well, Emilia Clarke and Olivia Colman make their MCU debuts.
5. Silo (Apple TV+ series)
Graham Yost has been a busy dude lately between having a hand in Justified: City Primeval and showrunning this world-building (and world-destructing) series about the last vestiges of humanity residing within a massive underground silo. The first season does cover only about half of the first Wool omnibus book, and there’s no telling whether the next season will pick up in chronological order, or whether Apple TV+ is planning to cover Shift or move into Dust. The changes to the source material thus far have served the move to the small screen well, and Juliette (Rebecca Ferguson) kicks ass, even if I cannot stop being distracted by Common’s out-of-place leather jacket. Feels like we could finally use an explanation there.
4. The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC series streaming on AMC+)
This franchise still has plenty of life in it yet. Flagship series enemies Maggie and Negan team up (basically because Maggie makes him do so) to save her son, Hershel, from the clutches of The Croat. The season turns out to be a thrilling throwback and launched as a ratings hit, and fans are absolutely loving the tastes of “Old Negan” that he’s trucked out for this spinoff. He’s now doing this for a different reason, though, which makes his continued “redemption” much more textured than it felt during the series proper. Now, we need a release date for Daryl In Paris.
3. Extraction 2 (Netflix film)
No one knew if the sequel could match up to the streaming numbers of the first Tyler Rake film, especially since streaming movie releases are more commonplace than they were a few years ago. Still, the Chris Hemsworth audience showed up en masse once more, which means that we will probably be seeing a third installment eventually. For now, one can rewatch that 21-minute, one-take action scene and appreciate the heck out of Hemsworth’s success when he’s not buried in a Thor wig.
2. I’m A Virgo (Amazon Prime series)
Boots Riley does it again with another addition to your must-watch list. The mind behind Sorry To Bother You is back with Jharrel Jerome as a giant (yes, that’s right) teenager who finally unhides himself from the world for eye-opening lessons. The Hero (portrayed by Walton Goggins!) actually fights crime while also being a comic book inspiration. It’s a coming-of-tale age like no other, and get ready because Riley is here to not only skewer storytelling tropes but also the commodification of everything. Also, this show has so many surreal touches and sci-fi dalliances that are dizzyingly delicious.
1. The Bear (FX series streaming on Hulu)
What was once a sleeper series is now an official juggernaut. The second season of this Jeremy Allen-starring joint retains all the heat of the original outing with much more flavor and added texture. Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Richie ends up practically stealing the season, and I hope that Ayo Edebiri’s Sydney will one day open her own place. Also, the guest-star quotient this season is flat-out nuts, so hopefully, no one has spoiled all of those glorious cameos for you yet. That would be very disrespectful to all the Chefs out there.
