Each week our staff of film and television 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.
15. Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour (Disney Plus)
Taylor Swift’s record-breaking concert film is now available to watch whenever you want. But if you only have time for one song from every era, for some reason, make them: “Cruel Summer” (Lover), “Love Story” (Fearless), “Champagne Problems” (Evermore), “Look What You Made Me Do” (Reputation), “Enchanted” (Speak Now), “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” (Red), “Illicit Affairs” (Folklore), “Style” (1989), and “Anti-Hero” (Midnights). Don’t blame me for the lack of songs from debut. That’s on Taylor.
14. X-Men ’97 (Disney Plus)
If you’re going to do unadulterated nostalgia, at least make it as fun (and occasionally devastating) as X-Men ‘97. The animated series is a continuation of X-Men: The Animated Series, which aired from 1992 to 1997, and follows the team of mutants as they do mutant-like things. Do we really need to explain what the X-Men show is about? It’s about the X-Men.
13. Lisa Frankenstein (Peacock)
Jennifer’s Body is considered a teen movie classic these days, but it was criminally underseen when it first came out. Don’t make the same mistake with writer Diablo Cody’s latest movie, Lisa Frankenstein. The comedy-horror stars the always-fun Kathryn Newton as a teen girl who falls in love with a corpse, played by Cole Sprouse. Fun fact: Lisa Frankenstein was directed by Robin Williams’ daughter, Zelda.
12. Sugar (Apple TV)
Colin Farrell is gearing up to appear in Max’s Penguin series, but for the moment, he’s starring as private detective John Sugar, who must track the disappearance of a Hollywood producer’s granddaughter. In the process, Sugar also digs up family secrets that were buried for damn good reasons. Yes, this is a modern spin on film noir, but how could you resist a member of the the Irish renaissance portraying the newest gumshoe on streaming TV?
11. Girls5eva (Netflix)
Anyone who skips the opening credits for Girls5eva should be thrown in prison. Actually, anyone who doesn’t watch Girls5eva, a hilarious joke-a-second comedy about a reunited girl group played by Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell, and Renée Elise Goldsberry, deserves a five-year sentence behind bars. It’s harsh but fair.
10. 3 Body Problem (Netflix)
Netflix wanted a Game of Thrones-sized hit. It got one in 3 Body Problem, the first show from creators David Benioff and D. B. Weiss (working with Alexander Woo) since, well, Game of Thrones. The sci-fi mystery is about “a tight-knit group of brilliant scientists must join forces with an unflinching detective to stop humanity’s greatest threat.” The cast includes Eiza González, Liam Cunningham (a.k.a. the Onion Knight from Thrones), and Benedict Wong, which is reason enough to watch right there.
9. Loot (Apple TV+)
You know what TV could use more of? Shows starring Maya Rudolph. The frequent scene-stealer is in the lead role in Loot, a returning series on Apple TV+ about a woman who must figure out what to do with a multi-billion dollar settlement from her ex-husband. Loot, which was created by Matt Hubbard (30 Rock) and Alan Yang (Master of None), also stars Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Nat Faxon, Ron Funches, and Joel Kim Booster.
8. Shogun (Hulu)
Shogun really is that good. A historical epic set in feudal Japan that follows an English pilot (Cosmo Jarvis) who washes ashore during a time of political strife, it takes the kind of storytelling swings you just wouldn’t expect. Its most fascinating characters speak almost exclusively in subtitles (hello Hiroyuki Sanada, Anna Sawaii, and Moeka Hoshi), its action sneaks up on you, and its political intrigue is cutthroat. It’s Game of Thrones with samurais and it should be on everyone’s must-see list.
7. Ripley (Netflix)
Everybody remembers Matt Damon in The Talented Mr. Ripley, and Andrew Scott is fully shaking off his “Hot Priest” days to don Tom Ripley’s grifter duds, this time in a more visually-striking medium, from the looks of this trailer. This series is, of course, based upon Patricia Highsmith’s series of novels, and the title character takes a job in the 1960s that sets him on the deceit-filled path to murder. Whether this debut will lead to adapting more books in further seasons, we shall have to wait and see.
6. Drive-Away Dolls (Peacock)
Remember the time one of the Coen brothers and his wife made a super fun lesbian road trip comedy starring Margaret Qualley, Geraldine Viswanathan, Beanie Feldstein, Colman Domingo, Pedro Pascal, Bill Camp, and Matt Damon? You probably don’t: Drive-Away Dolls made under $10 million at the box office. But now it’s on Peacock for your viewing pleasure.
5. The Sympathizer (Max)
The last time Park Chan-wook directed a limited series, it was The Little Drummer Girl. That turned out pretty good. Now, the Korean filmmaker is back with another excellent addition to his filmography.
Based on author Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer-winning novel of the same, The Sympathizer is described as “an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his new life as a refugee in Los Angeles, where he learns that his spying days aren’t over.” The cast is led by Hoa Xuande and Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr., who plays multiple characters.
4. Strange Way of Life (Netflix)
Here’s the thing: you should watch Pedro Almodóvar short film starring Ethan Hawke and Pedro Pascal as two gunslingers with a romantic history (and future?). It’s only 30 minutes. You can spare 30 minutes. Strange Way of Life is worth it.
3. Under the Bridge (Hulu)
The Hulu true crime series Under the Bridge is about a 14-year-old girl who joined her friends at a party, and never returned home. The story is told from the perspective of Godfrey and a local police officer, played by Riley Keough and Oscar nominee Lily Gladstone, as they explore the “hidden world of the young girls accused of the murder — revealing startling truths about the unlikely killer.”
2. Fallout (Prime Video)
Fallout is an adaptation of Bethesda’s behemoth franchise, a story set within the retro-futuristic world that’s captivated console users for years and years. Yes, there are delightful little nods to in-game storylines – Pip-Boys and Nuka-Cola and Radaway, but they either serve a larger purpose or don’t linger for too long, ensuring that the show stands on its own two feet. Long-time gamers should have little to gripe about while those craving better genre fare amidst the streaming glut should come away satisfied. Whether you know its history or not, Fallout is a f*cking blast of a sci-fi show that defies expectations in the most unconventional of ways.
1. Conan O’Brien Must Go (Max)
Now that everyone remembers how Conan O’Brien is a comedic genius, we owe it to him to watch his new show. Conan O’Brien Must Go is a travel series on Max where he “experiences local cultures and connects with fans he previously met on his podcast.” It’s very silly and very fun — in other words, it’s very Conan. Hopefully he stays away from con men selling monorails, though.