Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.
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10. (tie) The World According to Jeff Goldbum (Disney Plus)
The delightfully quirky Jeff Goldblum is here with more of his delightfully quirky show, in which he pursues delightfully intellectual questions while everyone keeps dropping “The Fly” jokes. After exploring the origins of ice cream (you must watch that episode), denim, recreational vehicles and more, he’s about to leap into your heart for another round of episodes, this time while exploring magic, fireworks, monsters, dogs, and dance. Watch it on Disney Plus.
10. (tie) You (Netflix)
If you find yourself commiserating with Penn Badgley’s obsessive serial killer Joe Goldberg when You’s third season drops this week, don’t take it personally. Relocating to a small town and having to interact with mommy bloggers and uber-masculine tech-daddies sounds like hell, sure, but it’s what he deserves. The show’s latest installment picks up where season two left off — with Joe and his new wife Love Quinn (Victoria Pedretti at her best here) moving to the suburbs and trying to curb the worst of their shared homicidal tendencies. A new baby, new romantic distractions, anti-vaxxers, feminist wine retreats, and bro trips that end rather bloody all threaten their planned quiet life. And really, no amount of couple’s therapy can save a marriage when one spouse is constantly fantasizing about murdering the other. Happily ever after just isn’t in the cards for these two — but more dead bodies piling up in their basement certainly is. Watch it on Netflix.
9. Love Life: Season 2 (HBO Max)
Love Life ended up being the HBO Max original show to launch the service, and a new anthologized story is upon us with Anna Kendrick’s Darby passing the baton to a new unlucky-in-love protagonist, Marcus, who will be portrayed by William Jackson Harper (i.e., Jacked Chidi in The Good Place). Darby’s still in the show a little bit, but she got married, so this is all about Marcus finding himself launched from a long-term relationship and into the hell hole known as the dating world. Godspeed, Marcus. Watch it on HBO Max.
8. Yellowjackets (Showtime)
Are you in the mood for an intense survival epic and psychological horror story with plenty of coming-of-age touches? How about all of that with Juliette Lewis and Christina Ricci starring as the adult versions of two female athletes who were irretrievably shaken by their experiences after a plane crash in the wilderness? Sure, that sounds like a stressful description, but it’s also a hell of a watch. Not to mention another reason not to hop onto an airplane these days. Watch it on Showtime.
7. Dexter: New Blood (Showtime)
Dexter Morgan, who’s arguably TV’s most beloved serial killer of all time (sorry, Hannibal fans), is back, baby. The new season is a bloody good time for all and works hard to erase the sins of the lumberjack past. Ghosts of the past rear their heads, and it’s going to be a trip to see how Dexter can survive having to tend to something else beyond his inner war and that dumb hurricane. Dexter’s out of his element, and it’s so much fun to watch. Watch it on Showtime.
6. Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO)
It’s a mitzvah in a world like this to turn the other cheek, bite the tongue, and generally disregard the impoliteness, ridiculousness, and stupidity of others. But wow, what a lift. Perhaps that’s why it’s so freeing to see Larry David and a cavalcade of stars and familiar faces push against the minutiae of polite culture with serial honesty. Who else could reject someone’s plea to pray for a sick relative without getting stabbed or mock the fakery of gazing deeply into someone’s eyes during a toast when all you want to do is freaking eat? Larry is no hero. He’s an asshole, but he’s our asshole and he’s back for another round of Curb. Watch it on HBO.
5. Mayor of Kingstown (Paramount Plus)
Before his new Disney+ series drops, Jeremy Renner is rolling out this gritty drama that tasks him with doing what he does best on screen: busting heads and playing an unlikable a**hole. We kid (sort of). Renner’s Mike McLusky heads up a family of power brokers who keep the crime-infested city of Kingstown in check, a family that includes Dianne West and Kyle Chandler. Their unique, fairly violent version of checks-and-balances is quickly coming to an end though as McLusky predicts new gangs and powerful figures are poised to throw the town into chaos and start a bloody war. Bad for Hawkeye, good for us. Watch it on Paramount Plus.
4. The Shrink Next Door (Apple TV+)
Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell reunite for this Apple TV+ tragicomedy based on a popular podcast, which itself is based on a true story about a hapless middle-aged businessman and the charismatic, conniving therapist who manipulates him for nearly 30 years. Ferrell plays the first of the duo, a man named Marty who can’t order a deli sandwich without shaking in his boots. He’s inherited a garment business from his dead parents and his brash sister (the always terrific Kathryn Hahn) demands he visit a therapist to get a handle on his self-confidence issues before they tank the family business. Enter Rudd, still charming as hell but with a sinister layer hiding underneath that practiced likability. As Marty’s shrink, Dr. Ike Herschkopf, Rudd channels the vibes of both a cult leader and a conman, draining Marty of his money, his happiness, and his will to live over their decades-long friendship. It’s easy to find the lighter moments in this bizarre tale, but both Rudd and Ferrell play against type to bring a pervading sense of melancholy to the whole thing. The moral of the story? Be careful who your shrink is. Watch it on Apple TV+.
3. Narcos (Netflix)
Narcos is back once again, with stories about real-life drug cartels and the DEA agents who are after them, many of whom have pretty tremendous mustaches, including, as pictured above, Scoot McNairy. The third season of the Mexico-based spinoff picks up where season two left off, with various cartels at war and a very young El Chapo starting to make a name for himself. It’s a good time. Violent and sad and intense in parts, but still, good. Watch it on Netflix.
2. Big Mouth (Netflix)
Big Mouth returns for a fifth season of hormone monsters, musical numbers, and talking pillows. Along with returning cast members Nick Kroll, John Mulaney, Maya Rudolph, Jason Mantzoukas, Ayo Edebiri, Jordan Peele, and Richard Kind, season five also features new characters voiced by Pamela Adlon, Keke Palmer, Kumail Nanjiani, and Chloe Fineman. Watch it on Netflix.
1. Succession (HBO Max)
Everyone’s favorite collection of monsters is back, once again, this time for a slightly delayed third season. Things left off with the Roy family in turmoil, as always, although this time from friendly fire, thanks to noted screw-up and amateur rapper Kendall making a big move. The new season should get ugly in the best possible way, so hop on board week-to-week if you’re already a fan or load up a binge and get caught up to see what everyone’s yammering about all fall. Watch it on HBO Max.