What’s Popular On Streaming Now
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.
TIE: 10. Good Grief (Netflix film)
You might not feel as though you’re in the mood to watch a poignant comedy that revolves around other people’s lives after death, but hear me out. Schitt’s Creek creator Dan Levy directed, wrote, and stars in this lovely film that looks loss in the eyes and emerges gracefully. Levy portrays a grieving spouse, whose husband’s death sends him on a cross-Atlantic adventure with two friends (Ruth Negga, Himesh Patel). While reflecting on the turns that this story took, Levy recently declared, “[Y]our friends are the love of your life.” And with that, feel free to keep reading or go watch a beautiful film.
TIE: 10. Society Of The Snow (Netflix film)
Certain other horrors about air travel have been in the news over the past week, and this movie unintentionally provides a timely reminder that things could be much worse. The story adapts the real-life ordeal of of Andes Mountains crash survivors in 1972. Cannibalism does happen, so Yellowjackets viewers can get a fix in between seasons. As morbid as this sounds, it’s a reminder that even though you might be freezing your butt off right now in this arctic snap, there’s such a thing as being colder.
9. Saltburn (Lucky Chap/MRC/Lie Still film streaming on Amazon Prime)
Do you want to watch Barry Keoghan do semi-unspeakable things and then wonder why you are riveted by what you see? Sounds like a fine time, yet do not watch this with the fam because there are scenes involving bathwater, naked dancing, and… grave stuff. Keough goes on a reign of terror in this film with a posh family who doesn’t know what hit them. It’s non-low-key one of the finest performances of 2023, and the god only knows what Emerald Fennell plans on doing next. For sure, however, people will be watching.
8. Echo (Disney+ series)
The MCU’s having a rough time lately other than the Jonathan Majors-free aspects of Loki, but nonetheless, Disney+ shows are coming, albeit at a less breakneck pace than a few years ago. Following a Hawkeye reveal, Maya Lopez (Alaqua Cox) receives her Echo origin story after her ruthless NYC adventures follow her to her hometown. The series co-stars Vincent D’Onofrio as Kingpin/Wilson Fisk and will reportedly even include Charlie Cox as Daredevil/Matt Murdock (although the Daredevil standalone show is currently undergoing significant retools before its own airtime).
7. The Brothers Sun (Netflix series)
Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh was bound to be the biggest highlight of this series as a secret-assassin mom who ends up having to unveil her identity to her unaware son. Mr. Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Falchuk (Glee, American Horror Story), teamed up with Byron Wu (The Getaway) to tell the story of younger brother Bruce, who cannot believe what he’s learned about mom. Oh, and his older brother is also a super-killer. The fight scenes are obviously not going to be Reacher quality fare, but this is still a light, fun series in a season otherwise full of heavier awards content.
6. Oppenheimer (Universal Pictures film available on VOD and Amazon Prime)
Cillian Murphy and Robert Downey Jr. are surely going to receive even more nominations over the next month, and Christopher Nolan shouldn’t fare so badly, either, even with that slight Peloton setback. In all seriousness, this is a hell of a return to form for the Tenet director, and even though the Barbenheimer phenomenon undeniably contributed to this box office haul, he still delivered such a complex and brilliant film (arguably with Murphy’s career defining performance as the theoretical-physicist title character) that you might not mind the 3-hour runtime or depressing subject matter. (Note: This movie will stream on Peacock in mid February.)
5. Killers Of The Flower Moon (Apple TV+ movie)
Speaking of long movies about morbid chapters of history, Martin Scorsese also did the thing while adaptation of David Grann’s nonfiction narrative saga that shines light on a shattering chapter in U.S. history. Leonardo DiCaprio’s sketchy accent notwithstanding, the performances (including Robert De Niro, Brendan Frasier, and Jesse Plemons) are stellar across the board, and that also includes the indigenous actors (including Yancey Red Corn, Everett Waller, and Cara Jade Myers) who really should be receiving more attention from this film’s red-carpet tours. Lily Gladstone will likely earn an Oscar nod (and more) for her portrayal of Mollie Burkhart, however, and you can finally stream this harrowing and heartbreaking masterpiece on Apple TV+.
4. The Bear (FX series streaming on Hulu)
Maybe it’s because of Jeremy Allen White’s new thirst-trap photoshoot or because Ayo Edebiri rules at everything, but in the wake of Tinseltown celebrations last week, viewers are rewatching the latest tension-filled kitchen theatrics of these Chefs. Season 3 is in the works, and maybe Carmy should decide once and all that he is aromantic, and Cousin Richie can start his own little Taylor Swift karaoke tour while also wearing suits to pull the whole joint together when Carmy forgets to have that fridge repaired again.
3. The Holdovers (Focus Features film streaming on Peacock)
Good for Paul Giamatti. He’s having a wildly successful year already and has a nice girlfriend. He’s also here to remind everyone that he’s the greatest at portraying misanthropic characters who might even charm you with life-affirming airs. Giamatti portrays a boozed-up teacher who isn’t thrilled to be stuck at work over the holidays, and it’s an ideal stuck-inside-for-the-weekend watch.
2. True Detective (HBO series streaming on Max)
The fourth season, Night Country, debuts this week to tear your little world apart, or at least make you shiver and inwardly scream while this series gets back to its roots with Jodie Foster starring in the most watchable installment since the McConaughey-Harrelson pairing. Foster stars as a dogged investigator who has seen some sh*t, and that sh*t gets stirred back up when an unsolved bunch of homicides isn’t the freeze-and-dried case that it might have initially seemed to be. Before that happens, revisit the stellar first season because, you know, “time is a flat circle.”
1. Reacher (Amazon Prime series)
Hey, it’s almost season finale time, which is both bad and good news. That means that there shall be no more skull crushing from Alan Ritchson’s title character for months, but Season 3 is already in the works, which means that everyone can rest assured that no one throws Jack Reacher out of an airplane. Then again, he could probably survive the fall, right? Then he’d go inhale a large pizza in about two bites. In all seriousness, the Big Guy will be missed, and hopefully, he will eventually touch base again with Roscoe, maybe while drifting through her town on the way to his next (unintentional) investigation of homicide in Somewhere, U.S.A.