Streaming
The best of what’s new streaming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and more.
Welcome to Boston.com’s weekly streaming guide. Each week, we recommend five must-watch movies and TV shows available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and more.
Many recommendations are for new shows, while others are for under-the-radar releases you might have missed or classics that are about to depart a streaming service at the end of the month.
Have a new favorite movie or show you think we should know about? Let us know in the comments, or email [email protected]. Looking for even more great streaming options? Check out previous editions of our must-watch list here.
New Movies Streaming
“Civil War”
Contrary to what the trailers may indicate, Alex Garland’s “Civil War” isn’t about America’s hopelessly fractured political landscape — at least not entirely. Instead of focusing on racists and demagogues, the film follows a car full of photojournalists (Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson) who capture images of death and destruction from the front lines. Racing back to Washington D.C. amidst rumors that the president (Nick Offerman) will be arrested, the group reckons with the fourth estate’s role in an American society that is falling apart before their eyes.
How to watch: “Civil War” is streaming on Max.
“Coming to America”
James Earl Jones, who died earlier this week at the age of 93, was best known for his deep, commanding voice, and his work in dramatic roles both in film and on stage. Somewhat surprisingly, his first on-screen role came in Stanley Kubrick’s satire “Doctor Strangelove,” with Jones delivering every absurd line his Lt. Lothar Zogg uttered with complete seriousness. Jones was able to deliver his funny lines with a bit more of a wink in “Coming to America,” playing the stern father of Zamundan prince Akeem (Eddie Murphy). Though he didn’t always get to show it, Jones had range that extended well beyond the likes of Darth Vader and Mufasa, and his King Jaffe is a perfect example.
How to watch: “Coming to America” is streaming on Paramount+ and on Pluto TV free with ads.
New Streaming TV
“English Teacher”
Not content to let “Abbott Elementary” have all the fun, Hulu’s new sitcom “English Teacher” shows that there’s plenty more comedy to be mined from the halls of a suburban Texas high school and its hapless English teacher (showrunner Brian Jordan Alvarez). There’s overbearing parents, insufferable administrators, forbidden teacher crushes, and teens who know that in the current academic landscape, they’re the bosses. Unlike so many other “comedies” on Hulu that are secretly 30-minute dramas with maybe one laugh an episode, “English Teacher” is straight-up funny — a rare quality for a show so early in its run.
How to watch: “English Teacher” is streaming on Hulu, with new episodes airing Mondays on FX.
“Kevin Can F*** Himself”
After a quick two-season run that took place entirely during the pandemic, the Massachusetts-filmed “Kevin Can F**k Himself” seemed destined for the dustbin of history. Thankfully, with its arrival on Netflix earlier this summer, the darkly comic show has seen a resurgence of interest, with fans celebrating the self-actualization of stereotypical TV wife Allison McRoberts (Annie Murphy, “Schitt’s Creek”). Whenever Allison is in the presence of her Kevin James-esque husband, Kevin (Eric Petersen), the show is shot like a brightly lit, laugh-tracked, multi-camera sitcom. But when Allison leaves the house, the show turns into a dark drama, as she lives on the wild side and contemplates what to do to her dope of a spouse.
How to watch: “Kevin Can F*** Himself” is streaming on Netflix and on AMC+.
“The Old Man”
In a showbiz career that spans more than 70 years, Oscar winner Jeff Bridges (“The Big Lebowski”) has never once been a regular on a TV series. That all changed in 2022 with “The Old Man,” the FX action/spy thriller that returns for its second season this week. A former CIA agent who has spent a lifetime on the run after going rogue, Bridges plays the fittingly-named Dan Chase with a world-weariness, even though he can still kick the ass of guys half his age. When his daughter (Alia Shawkat, “Arrested Development”) is kidnapped, Dan is forced to team up with ex-FBI agent and professional frenemy Harold Harper (John Lithgow) to find her.
How to watch: “The Old Man” Season 2 is streaming on Hulu, with new episodes airing Thursdays on FX.
Boston.com Today
Sign up to receive the latest headlines in your inbox each morning.