Between the presidential election taking all the air out of the room, actors’ strikes, and the last stretch of the pandemic’s wrath delaying productions in the works, there was a scarcity of new streaming shows for platforms and avid TV watchers last year. It got so bare that Netflix, the titan of global streaming dominance, had to hustle up a raunchy Tom Brady roast, pitted an elderly looking Mike Tyson against Jake Paul in a boxing match that 60 million households regretted, and even dusted off a 12-year-old basic cable show that somehow crushed all programming in its path. It’s called “Suits.”
Well, now we are living with the election results, and boy howdy, the public can’t snap on their favorite streaming platforms for “take me away vibes” quick enough.
And happily, the shows are baaack.
“The White Lotus” once again made us snark at the privileged on exotic vacations, “The Bear” is incoming, and we even have a Seth Rogen show on Apple+ that lampoons the movie studio system, called, well… “The Studio.” That isn’t half bad. So join us as we make some suggestions during this fruitful streaming period, before “Suits” returns for the dog days of August.
Welcome to the attack of the good-good streamers.
“POKER FACE” (PEACOCK)
This, along with the USA Men’s Olympic Basketball coverage last summer, were the two reasons I snapped up a super-cheap yearlong subscription to the old Peacock. It was the best $19.95 I spent in 2024.
A very Columbo-esque (Google up Columbo, Millennials and Gen Zs) mystery-of-the-week series from creator, producer, writer, and occasional director Rian Johnson (Knives Out), this stars Natasha Lyonne as a woman with the uncanny ability to determine whenever someone is lying.
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It’s funny, odd, formulaic in structure, but unhinged in set-ups, and this season features cameos from Giancarlo Esposito, Katie Holmes, Gaby Hoffman, Kumail Nanjiani, and Margo Martindale.
And if you are a Natasha Lyonne fan… Johnson lets her rip, and it’s salty AF. This is your jammer, buddy.
Stream here.
“PARADISE” (HULU)
The first episode begins with a major mystery: someone murdered the president of the United States. And we’re off! “Paradise,” which premiered in February, was presented as a political thriller and murder mystery following Xavier Collins (Sterling K. Brown), the lead security agent for the President (James Marsden), who is caught in a major conspiracy after someone kills POTUS on his team’s watch. Don’t trip, this President secretly smokes cigarrettes, listens to bad ’80s tunes, and pours a bourbon around 2pm. Marsden is a cool hang as Prezzo, and he and Sterling K. Brown, forever carrying the weight of the world on his face—again—both make this show engaging. I’d gladly substitute the already green-lit season two for what’s happening right now at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Stream here.
“DYING FOR SEX” (HULU)
Michelle Williams continues her streak of playing atypical, beautifully weird, extreme, bold characters that usually have a hard time making it to the small, medium, or large screen. Williams, who won a much-deserved Golden Globe for her portrayal of Gwen Verdon opposite Sam Rockwell in “Fosse/Verdon,” is back for another inspired portrayal as Molly Kochan in FX’s “Dying for Sex.”
Taken from the true story of Kochan, which was originally shared on a Wondery podcast created with her best friend Nikki Boyer, it details how she received a diagnosis of Stage IV metastatic breast cancer, which prompts her to leave her husband and explore a fully lived-in sexual life before her last breath.
Partnered with the always captivating Jenny Slate, who plays her best friend Nikki, it’s a dizzying dramedy with kinky scenarios under the shadow of encroaching eventual death that feels of the proper tone. Williams and Slate work supernaturally amazeballs together, facing weird fetishes and finality.
Stream here.
“YOUR FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS” (APPLE TV+)
Jon Hamm is known for his voice-over work in commercials, most notably for Mercedes-Benz since 2010. Somebody over at Apple heard those mic skills and said, “Have I got an idea.” Hamm’s character in this series, Andrew “Coop” Cooper, plays a fired hedge fund manager who robs from his wealthy friends to keep up appearances in Connecticut suburbia that smells like Greenwich. That’s the premise, but it’s Hamm’s vocal elocution during heists, explaining the finite delicacies of a Patek Philippe watch or a Van Cleef & Arpels necklace, that lets you know why he gets hired for that voice work. This once-a-week dive into “wealth porn” makes it fun to see Hamm squirm. Not exceptional, but entertaining based on Hamm’s side-eye alone.
Stream here.
ANDOR (DISNEY+)
Leave it to Tony Gilroy, screenwriter and director of Michael Clayton, to make Star Wars mean something. With the help of his wise and seasoned gaze, “Andor,” back for its second season, doesn’t have to rely on cute merch. It tells stories and explores the effects of fascism (ahem) in another galaxy. Amazing that, in this day and age, we have to look to sci-fi again (see “Star Trek”) to witness inclusion, diversity, and the rights of souls. With Diego Luna, Stellan Skarsgård, Genevieve O’Reilly, and Forest Whitaker giving winning performances that don’t get too Star-Wars-preachy, “Andor” never feels like we are being prepared for a massive IP rollout in the next fiscal quarter. Gilroy renders its world alive with grandeur, detail, and yes, TV infomercials, an unendingly fascination locale.
Stream here.
