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. The Recruit – Netflix series
This ain’t The Night Agent, and that’s just fine. Noah Centineo’s espionage adventure series couldn’t be more different than Gabriel Basso’s adrenaline-fueled show, but Centineo’s Owen Hendricks is all about the personality and less about the seriousness. He is also equally game at placing himself in dangerous (albeit humiliating) situations, so the show’s decision to use a certain Green Day song couldn’t be more fitting as Owen finds himself in the midst of a South Korean scandal. There’s a time and place for an actor who can laugh at himself, and this show has done marvelously at harnessing that vibe.
9. The Witcher: Sirens of the Deep – Netflix movie
Perhaps this Netflix fantasy franchise still has some life left after all even with Henry Cavill’s departure. Liam Hemsworth will pick up the leather pants, swords, and wigs later this year, but for now, this animated film takes Geralt of Rivia deep into the ocean as the only person/monster hunter who can bring peace between the realms of land and not-land. Video game voice actor Doug Cockle takes up the Geralt grunt for this movie with Joey Batey (Jasper) and Anya Chalotra (Yennifer) reprising their roles from the TV series.
8. Cassandra – Netflix series
A “vintage smart home” might sound contradictory, but does logic really matter when a virtual assistant decides to attack a family who has recently taken up residence inside her confines? This German series also involves the AI assistant having an abandonment complex, so get ready for nightmare city in a B-movie way, and if you still need more virtual-person horror after this selection, Megan Fox’s Subservience will keep you frightened until M3GAN 2.0 arrives in theaters.
7. Invincible – Prime Video/Amazon series
No rest for Mark Grayson. Steven Yeun’s superhero will enter his Blue Suit era (and possibly lean into darkness for real) this season while Walton Goggins’ Cecil will gain a backstory and completely lose Mark’s patience. This season should also deliver more of JK Simmons’ Nolan, and this series could grow positively cataclysmic ahead of the already renewed fourth season. The slow-burn aspect did drag the series down during the second season, and viewers will not be mad to see less teasing and more development. The same goes for House of the Dragon‘s pulled second season punches, so perhaps there’s a lesson there for the streaming future.
6. The Åre Murders – Netflix series
Nordic Noir is no joke, and in this series is here to send chills down your spine while you cuddle under the blankets and wonder why you are watching such a chilly environment on TV in the middle of your city’s own cold snap. In all seriousness, this mystery series follows a Stockholm detective on leave until gruesome happenings drag her back into the grind. What follows is a solid ride that will not disappoint when the ultimate secrets are later revealed.
5. Paradise – Hulu series
Sterling K. Brown and Dan Fogelman are having a This Is Us reunion over on Hulu for a thriller series that could alternately scratch your escapism itch or feel too close to home. Without spoiling anything for the first three episodes already streaming, Brown portrays a security agent fronting a team that is tasked with protecting the president (James Marsden), but this show isn’t a meat-and-potatoes conspiracy story. Like This Is Us, expect non-linear storytelling that helps build context behind the overriding mystery of the series. A slower burn than many streaming series of the same nature helps this show stand apart, and the test for future seasons will be whether audiences will be patient enough without tidy explanations at every turn.
4. Apple Cider Vinegar – Netflix series
Kaitlyn Dever disappears into another role to portray Aussie grifter Belle Gibson, who endangered the lives of her social media followers by peddling “cures” based upon her false claims of having cancer. Alycia Debnam-Carey steps up as competitor influencer Milla Blake, who certainly wasn’t buying what Belle was selling. At present, Belle is paying off an enormous government fine, although that surely will not stop the next Internet snake oil salesman from doing the same, but as far as bingewatches go, this is an enlightening watch.
3. The White Lotus – HBO series streaming on Max
Virtual travelers are catching up on the first few resort bookings while waiting for the Thailand installment. Also, this bitingly funny series kills somebody every season, but for the third season, creator Mike White really means it. The show will head to Thailand for “a satirical and funny look at death and eastern religion and spirituality,” and of course Jennifer Coolidge’s character cannot return this year. Instead, this season’s connecting thread will be Natasha Rothwell, and characters who might or might not die will be portrayed by Leslie Bibb, Carrie Coon, Michelle Monaghan, Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, and Parker Posey. Good luck, y’all.
2. Severance – Apple TV+ series
The “Woe’s Hollow” episode left a massive mess to clean up after Irving’s sudden move against Helly. Of course, that situation is complicated by two Hellys (Hellies?) in the mix, and why are there so many snow-covered shows this winter? Between this and Netflix’s The Åre Murders and American Primeval, it’s time to pile on the blankets while bingewatching. Additionally, this show had better now grow any weirder before answering some questions unless we’re going to receive more goats and Gwendoline Christie. Or some dancing? Work with us, Milchick.
1. Cobra Kai – Netflix series
I’m not crying, we’re both crying. This sequel mastered the practice of harnessing several generations and will be followed by Karate Kid: Legends, but first, the dojos must reckon with the unresolved Sekai Taikai tournament. That competition is, of course, merely a framework for lingering beefs, and Daniel LaRusso has been distracted by the tarnishing of Mr. Miyagi’s legacy, but he had better get it together because Terry Silver’s villainy will not quit. In all seriousness, the heightened reality of this karate soap opera will be missed, and if you don’t shed a tear or two after those final lines, then were you really a fan from the beginning? A valid question.
