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. Black Doves – Netflix series
Whether or not you believe that Keira Knightley can handle a spy story with choreographed martial arts (she can) and wield a weapon (also check) alongside a charming assassin (Ben Whishaw), this series is here to disprove every associated assumption. This show also happens to be the coziest spy series of the season (and there are plenty of competitors) and is the perfect length (six hour long episodes) to not drag out with unnecessary side stories and still leave viewers wanting more. And that second season is already in the works, either as another holiday season arrival or otherwise. That setting really doesn’t matter, just give us more Helen and Sam.
9. Missing You – Netflix series
Harlan Coben’s relatively quiet brand of streaming supremacy (compared to the headline-making Taylor Sheridan, 50 Cent, and Ryan Murphy empires) cannot be stopped. His audience will always tune in to see his mysteries brought to life onscreen, and this limited series also makes the case that dating apps are bad news, even for Missing Persons unit sleuths who have the power to conduct extensive background checks. Wise advice.
8. Shining Vale – Starz series streaming on Max
This Warner Bros. TV series was cancelled last year by Starz after two seasons, but the Courteney Cox and Greg Kinnear-starring series has found life on Max. Does this mean that the series will be miraculously renewed by WBD? Probably not, but that won’t deter people from wondering the answer to that question, so get ready. Cox and Kinnear star as a couple desperate to save their marriage (after he has an affair), so they decide that moving from NYC to Connecticut could solve their issues. Unfortunately, their new Victorian-era abode is haunted as heck by a ghost, and yep, this is a satiric horror comedy series that came naturally for longtime Scream star Cox.
7. American Primeval – Netflix series
A team of creative minds behind Narcos, The Revenant, and Friday Night Lights have come together for this Neo-Western limited series in which Taylor Kitsch and Betty Gilpin go through hell on earth. The year is 1857, and they’re fighting through frigid elements amid the Mountain Meadows Massacre, during which Mormon soldiers killed hundreds of pioneers at the behest of Brigham Young (Kim Coates of Sons Of Anarchy). This clash involves Indigenous nationals also rising up to fight for their own survival within the same contested territory, and this ain’t Yellowstone, but there’s no question that Netflix wants to capture a piece of that pie.
6. Emilia Pérez – Netflix film
Karla Sofia Gascón, Zoe Saldana, and Selena Gomez shine in one of two enormously successful musicals to release last year (Joker who?) as straight-up talent showcases and messages that will carry beyond theaters and streaming devices. The drama story hails from auteur Jacques Audiard and revolves around about a cartel leader who fakes their own death and emerges as a woman, Emilia Pérez. That’s only the baseline structure, and what unfolds is breathtaking [insert Scorsese meme] cinema.
5. Squid Game – Netflix series
Only one more season remains in this survival series before Hwang Dong-hyuk can take an enormous nap. In the meantime, meditation exists, which could also benefit Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae). In all seriousness, Netflix pulled off a strong sophomore season, which was surely an intimidating feat after the stratospheric worldwide success of this show’s debut. Further ambitiousness from the whole team will bring the third season later this year.
4. The Substance – Mubi movie
Demi Moore’s speech at the Golden Globes has boosted her into Oscar nomination territory, where she already should have been, but let’s face it, that wasn’t guaranteed. If that nomination becomes official in the coming weeks, the theme of this movie will have reached some ears, and that’s what Demi’s speech was geared towards doing. Even without consideration for awards, this body horror movie is still a hell of a watch, and there is never a reason to ever turn down watching a Margaret Qualley performance. Just do it.
3. The Pitt – Max series
ER star Noah Wyle dons the scrubs again to further prove that there can never be too many dramas that take place in fast-paced medical settings. This series arrives with the narrative gimmick of taking place “real time” over an hour each episode at the Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital’s ER. In line with the IRL trials faced by healthcare professionals, there should be no shortage of stories to tell in this 15 episode season. That is one long-ass shift, and only one of the elements of realism that will be found in this show that hits on everything from the pandemic to the opioid epidemic.
2. Landman – Paramount+ series
Season finale time has arrived for Taylor Sheridan’s wildly appealing Billy Bob Thornton vehicle that has volleyed Michelle Randolph into a household name. She will soon be seen in 1923‘s second season, which will follow an entire month without new Sheridan material hitting TV. Rest assured that he’s still got plenty in his pockets, and there’s little chance that Landman won’t also receive a continuation, and hey, this series is also a hoot for those who sit outside Sheridan’s usual target audience. Call it the Billy Bob effect, but the appealing supporting cast (Paulina Chávez, Jon Hamm, Demi Moore, and Michael Peña) only add to the reasons to add this show to the queue.
1. Severance – Apple TV+ series
It’s no surprise when people revisit series that are about to return, but in the case of these Innies and Outies, over three years have passed since the show’s debut, and a whole lot of living has happened since then. So, if you forgot what happened in the series finale, you are not alone; in other words, binge without shame. Creator Dan Erickson and director Ben Stiller will unfurl a new mindf*ck of a season that will include more goats, a snowy retreat, and Gwendoline Christie, who might be on hand to make Lumon seem even more terrifying. Mark, Helly, Irving, and Dylan all remain alive (for now), but Milchick has revealed them as “The Face of Severance Reform,” so watch out.
