If you're looking for a new show to watch this week, streaming has you covered. Some of them are even worth your time!
This is a great week for fantasy fans. The 800-pound gorilla of swords and/or sorcery, House of the Dragon , is returning to Max for a new season. Meanwhile, over on Peacock, sci-fi-fantasy series Star Wars: The Acolyte is premiering. On Netflix, Sweet Tooth, a dark fantasy series for the whole family, is returning for a third season. And don't sleep on Fantasmas, a totally different kind of fantasy series on Max. Excellent docu-series Ren Faire, also on Max, bridges the gap between fantasy and reality, and is you want some counter-programming, you can get really real with Netflix's Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial.
House of the Dragon, Seasons 2
A lot of people are excited for the second season of House of the Dragon on Max. The first season was a banger, with critics giving it 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and things are going to get dragon-breath hot in season 2 with Westeros on the brink of a civil war, and King Aegon and Queen Rhaenyra locked in battle to sit on The Iron Throne.
Where to stream: Max
Star Wars: The Acolyte
The Acolyte series takes Star Wars in a unique direction: It's a sci-fi action/thriller set among the Jedi and Sith. Amandla Stenberg plays both Osha and Mae, identical twins on opposite sides of The Force. Mae's dark mission is to murder as many Jedi as she can, where her light-side twin is dedicated to tracking her down. Some of the The Acolyte's juiciest drama is meta: Critics love it to the tune of 93% "fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes, where fans feel the opposite—the audience reaction score is sitting at a dismal 31%.
Where to stream: Disney+
Sweet Tooth, season 3
In dark-fantasy series Sweet Tooth, Christian Convery plays Gus, a half-human, half-deer chimera who lives in a future where everything went to hell after a contagious disease killed 98% of humanity. Humanimals like Gus are seen as either abominations to be stamped out or as keys to a cure for the sickness. With the help of pig/girl Wendy (Naledi Murray), Gus will face off against the First Men, a paramilitary group that wants all the hybrids dead.
Where to stream: Netflix
Fantasmas
If you like fantasy, but dragons and swords aren't your thing, you might enjoy Fantasmas, a surrealist comedy series created by, directed by, written by, and starring Julio Torres, the dude who starred in criminally under-watched Los Espookys. In Fantasmas, Torres is searching for a missing earring, but that's just a framework to decorate with the magical, surreal, haunting, and hilarious imagery, situations, and characters that come from Torres' head.
Where to stream: Max
Counsel Culture
I'm intrigued by this Prime talk show. Based on host Nick Cannon's podcast of the same name, Counsel Culture is billed as a "safe space and a brave place for men to be vulnerable," but is a panel of dudes discussing mental health, masculinity, dating, and other dude topics the kind of thing men want to watch? Time will tell. Cannon is joined by therapist Dr. Mike Dow and psychiatrist Dr. Ish Major, and guest co-hosts include Howie Mandel, Lamar Odom, DeSean Jackson, and more.
Where to stream: Prime
Ren Faire
Three-part docuseries Ren Faire would make a great double feature with House of the Dragon. Ren Faire features a real-life fight for supremacy. "King" George Coulam, founder of the Texas Renaissance Festival, the first ren faire—and the largest, most lucrative one in the world—is preparing to retire, and his underlings are scheming to be named his heir apparent and end up with the multimillion dollar business and the crown. Ren Faire presents its colorful characters' weird quirks and lifestyles in funny ways but it doesn't mock anyone, like all ren faire people should be treated.
Where to stream: Max
Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial
At the risk of starting a sentence with "You have to hand it to the Nazis for..." Hitler and company inspired more compelling documentaries than anyone else in history. This one examines the post-World War II trials of the Nazi leaders who survived. Hitler and the Nazis: Evil on Trial explores our failing cultural memories of the Third Reich and asks if forgetting about the past dooms us to a hellish repeat. It's not a lighthearted movie, but it is an important one.
Where to stream: Netflix
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld
Before he became a fashion legend and fashion icon, Karl Lagerfeld was just some guy named Karl; this Hulu original bio-series Becoming Karl Lagerfeld explores this remarkable transformation. The series follows Lagerfeld, played by Daniel Brühl, as he navigates the 1970s Parisian high fashion scene. He encounters fierce rival Yves Saint Laurent (played by Arnaud Valois), forms a business partnership with Pierre Bergé (Alex Lutz), and develops a more personal relationship with bon vivant Jacques de Bascher (Théodore Pellerin). If you’re fascinated by fashion or the jet-set lifestyle, Becoming Karl Lagerfeld is a must-watch.
Where to stream: Hulu
Queenie
Queenie Jenkins, the hero of Hulu original comedy series Queenie, is a British Jamaican woman in the UK who is suffering from a quarter-life crisis, a bad breakup, and the general horror and annoyance of urban life in 2024 all at once. With the vibrant yet challenging landscape of South London as a backdrop, Queenie struggles to navigate her dual cultural identity and find her place in the world. If you enjoy witty, contemporary character studies that tackle themes of race and identity, Queenie is a must-watch.
Where to stream: Hulu
Deadly Influence: The Social Media Murders, Season 1
I love true crime docs, so I'm psyched for a whole season of social-media-centered mayhem and murder that Deadly Influence is bringing. Influencer culture's mixture of parasocial relationships and terminally online weirdos often result in exceptionally weird crimes, and this series dives into the trashy dungheap to dig up stories. I'm here for it.
Where to stream: Max
Last week's picks
Eric
Benedict Cumberbatch stars in this thriller series created by BAFTA and Emmy Award-winner Abi Morgan. Cumberbatch plays Vincent, a puppeteer who created the wildly successful kids' show Good Day Sunshine. But when his nine-year-old son goes missing on the way to school, Vincent's world unravels and he descends into a personal nightmare of guilt, anger, obsession, and madness. According to Morgan, "Eric is a dark and crazy journey into the heart of 1980s New York—and the good, bad, and ugly world of Vincent." Sounds good to me.
Where to stream: Netflix
We Are Lady Parts, season 2
We Are Lady Parts is my favorite show on streaming, and I'm not the only person who loves it: season one is sitting on a 100% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. If you're not familiar, Lady Parts is a British comedy series about an all-female, all-Muslim punk rock band. How could you not love a show with this premise? Season two sees Lady Parts trying to record an album, dealing with local fame, and navigating the contrasts between their culture and their profession in charming, hilarious, awkward, and heart-warming ways.
Where to stream: Peacock
Evil, Season 4
Equal parts terrifying and thought-provoking, horror/thriller series Evil has been earning nearly universal critical and audience raves since its first season in 2019. The show follows a skeptical female forensic psychologist, a priest-in-training, and a blue-collar contractor as they explore the unexplained mysteries of the Catholic Church. This season, the trio will be confronting witches, possessions, robot dogs, and the anti-Christ itself—if it's even a real thing.
Where to stream: Paramount+
The Outlaws, season 3
Created by and starring Steven Merchant, co-creator of the U.K. version of The Office, The Outlaws serves up very British comedy with a side order of Christopher Walken. It follows a pack of minor scofflaws from different walks of life who come together to do community service for their crimes. Things get complicated when they discover a cache of hidden money and decide to keep it, angering the drug dealer it belongs to. Now is an excellent time to catch up on the first two seasons if you are unfamiliar.
Where to stream: Prime
Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult
At the time of this posting, Netflix hasn't released a ton of details about original documentary Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, but the Instagram post announcing it by co-creator Katie Paulson describes the doc as shining a light on "the exploitation that occurs in Hollywood" by nefarious people preying on "talented dancers and entertainers." There's also mentions of a lawsuit to shut the documentary down, and there are hints of a huge, tangled mess of internet drama too. As a super-fan of cult-related documentaries, I am compelled to watch this one.
Where to stream: Netflix
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