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 Instigators (Apple TV+ film)
Roadhouse reboot director Doug Liman directs Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in this heist-buddy-action-comedy flick about a father and an ex-con who team up to take money from a corrupt politician. Damon’s strait-laced dude is not very good at being a criminal, but somehow a therapist (portrayed by Hong Chau) helps advise the pair. Alright? The script, co-written by Affleck, draws upon Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Midnight Run for inspiration.
9. A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder (Netflix series)
In the fine tradition of Nancy Drew, this series stars Emma Meyers as Pip Fitz-Amobi, a high-school student who works to solve a five-year-old murder of a fellow teenager (thereby exonerating the already dead accused murderer) in her English town. The story is based upon Holly Jackson’s 2019 book, and plenty of changes have been made from page to screen, so there’s no telling whether Jackson’s other three books in the series will inspire sequels.
8. Lady In The Lake (Apple TV+ series)
Apple TV+ is crushing the dramatic game with weekly episode rollouts, and Natalie Portman stars as Maddie, a 1960s housewife who sets out to obtain a divorce and career for herself. This happens to also involve steamy chemistry with co-star Y’lan Noel (as Officer Ferdie Platt), and Maddie happens to be in the position to gain clues over violent Baltimore crimes, including the murder of Cleo Sherwood (Moses Ingram). The story is based upon Laura Lippman’s same-named novel, which is part of her extensive offering of Baltimore-focused books with spooky sights and sounds to offer. Will the show’s twist match that of the book? You gotta tune in to find out.
7. Those About To Die (Peacock series)
Togas and sandals rule the day, as they will also dominate later this year in Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 movie. Here, the almost-always-unsettling Anthony Hopkins portrays the leader of the real-life Flavian dynasty. The series is full of gratuitous violence as the Flavian progeny maneuver to succeed their father while those in the ring are there to “entertain” the masses.
6. Presumed Innocent (Apple TV+ series)
Apple TV+ is doing it here, as well, with its most popular drama to date, which is also a book adaptation and will receive a second season with “a new mystery,” meaning the anthology route. Jake Gyllenhaal portrays dirty-dog Rusty Sabich — a prosecutor who is accused of murdering his lover/colleague — in this adaptation of the Scott Turow novel. Thus far, several possibilities exist for the second season’s story, which could potentially be based upon another Turow book. Heck, David E. Kelley and Turow could decide together that this series should switch to a brand new original story, but we do know that Gyllenhaal is executive producing, and perhaps we will even see Rusty return onscreen if the followup time-jump novel, Innocent, gets adapted.
5. A Quiet Place: Day One (Paramount Pictures film on VOD & Prime Video/Amazon)
John Krasinski’s brainchild did it again in theaters, years after the first A Quiet Place became a sleeper hit that further cemented the horror genre as a place where budgets can be kept relatively low and yield tremendous returns. Audiences never do grow afraid of being scared, and the alien creatures are seen in this prequel film while touching down in New York City, where Lupita Nyong’o and her cat find a new friend, and the three fight to survive while dodging those horrible creatures with a frighteningly acute sense of sound.
4. House of the Dragon (HBO series streaming on Max)
Last week’s season finale left plenty of balls in the air in what turned out to be a watered-down season full of moving chess pieces to set up the real battles for the third season. The fact that Daemon pretty much hallucinated for the entire season didn’t help matters, but at least a set of cameos provided some pay off while also fueling a theory that won’t die anytime soon.
3. The Old Man (FX series streaming on Hulu)
Jeff Bridges is more than the Dude in this John Wick-esque series that will soon return for a second season, and positive word of mouth has prompted the streaming masses to catch up before go time on September 12. This season, Dan Chase is still in motion with John Lithgow’s Harold Harper now on the run with his old colleague after Dan got pulled out of obscurity for the “one last job” trope that is executed well here. Like Wick, a few dogs are involved in this series, and Alia Shawkat portrays a pivotal role along with Amy Brenneman. Dad TV and espionage-laden shows have never been hotter, and this series achieves a winning combination.
2. Dexter (Showtime series streaming on Netflix and Paramount+)
A ton of Michael C. Hall’s Dexter Morgan is on the way. That includes his voiceover work in Dexter: Original Sin and that vigilante serial killer in the flesh in Dexter: Resurrection because maybe he’s a zombie now. More than likely, it sounds like cold weather really will be the reason that Dexter survived his gunshot wound, but while we wait for enlightenment, the original series is still popping on Netflix because not even the lumberjack thing hurts its appeal.
1. The Umbrella Academy (Netflix series)
Do the Hargreaves siblings have it in them to stop a final apocalypse? That question would assume that they have a choice in the matter, and this time, a fix will be rough since the group lost their powers when Allison hit the reset button. As long as Klaus hasn’t lost his oddball behavior, this will be just fine, but watching the group be “ordinary” might be heartbreaking, so they shall need to figure out what the hell is going on set the world right. This season will include Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally, and David Cross along with the usual sibling mess led by Elliot Page, Tom Hopper, and Robert Sheehan.
