Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that’s before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each one!
Don’t be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We’ve got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you’re seeking something brand-new (or just new-to-streaming), we’ve got you covered there, too.
Mashable’s entertainment team has scoured the streaming services to highlight the most buzzed-about releases of this week and ranked them from worst to best — or least worth your time to most-watchable. Whether you’re in the mood for twisted true crime tales, romantic misadventures, a tech bro drama, a twenty-something buddy comedy, or superhero action, we’ve got something just for you.
Here’s what’s new on streaming, from worst to best.
10. Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders
Cold Case is an ongoing true crime franchise focusing on unsolved mysteries, like the JonBenét Ramsey murder. The latest iteration focuses on the Tylenol murders, the name given to the bizarre incident when seven people in Chicago died from cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules.
In this three-part documentary, directors Yotam Guendelman and Ari Pines speak to family members of the victims, giving a fuller understanding of the losses from this strange crime. Archival footage traces how the media covered the story, chasing down suspects. Amid the breadth of this doc’s story, there will also be graphic images of a dead body, so brace yourself.
While the content is disturbing and heart-breaking, the series itself is frustratingly slow. Netflix has been accused of stretching out such shocking stories over multiple episodes to keep viewers logged on. And Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders feels like it’s stalling for time more than probing the topic. —Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor
How to watch: Cold Case: The Tylenol Murders is now streaming on Netflix.
9. The Mortician
A more successful true crime mini-series is The Mortician, which perhaps is no surprise as HBO has a history of producing great true crime docs, like The Jinx, Mind Over Murder, and I’ll Be Gone in the Dark.
The 30 best true crime documentaries on Max right now
Told over three episodes, The Mortician focus on the horrific tale of David Sconce, whose work at his family’s funeral home in the Los Angeles area made him infamous. Sconce did not do his duty to the dead or their grieving families. One particularly egregious example of Sconce’s unethical behavior? He cremated bodies simultaneously, meaning their ashes would be mixed together; loved ones were presented with urns most likely holding a mixture of strangers’ cremains.
In The Mortician‘s first episode, Sconce defends himself to director Joshua Rofé, and you get a taste of his argument in the trailer. It won’t make this doc any easier to stomach, and some of the footage of remains are gut-wrenching on their own. Be warned, the story gets wilder each episode, as do Sconce’s excuses. — K.P.
How to watch: The Mortician debuts on HBO Max on June 1, with new episodes premiering June 8 and 15 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
8. The Better Sister
Alafair Burke’s crime novel The Better Sister gets the TV treatment with Jessica Biel and Elizabeth Banks in the lead. In the new eight-part series from Prime Video, the pair play estranged sisters Chloe (Biel) and Nicky (Banks), whose reunion comes after Chloe’s husband, Adam (Corey Stoll), is brutally murdered.
But there’s more going on under the surface here, as Adam is actually also Nicky’s ex, who married her sister and lived with her along with Nicky’s teen son Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan). Bit awkward. Suffice to say tensions are high. Chloe and Nicky must wade into family secrets as detectives Nancy Guidry (Kim Dickens) and Matt Bowen (Bobby Naderi) investigate his death, and the sisters try to keep the press off their lawn.* — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
Starring: Jessica Biel, Elizabeth Banks, Corey Stoll, Kim Dickens, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Bobby Naderi, Gabriel Sloyer, Gloria Reuben, Matthew Modine, and Lorraine Toussaint
How to watch: The Better Sister premieres May 29 on Prime Video.
7. And Just Like That…, Season 3
And just like that… there’s a third season of the Sex and the City reboot. After those major cameos, anti-Android sentiments, strangely minimal use of Carrie Bradshaw’s (Sarah Jessica Parker) voiceover, and big moments of the finale, And Just Like That… Season 2 threw a lot at us. Season 3 picks up in the summer, with Carrie enjoying her new place in Gramercy Park — and narrating again! Things between her and Aidan (John Corbett) remain fairly undefined, but anything’s possible in New York in the summer, right?* — S.C.
Starring: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Mario Cantone, Sarita Choudhury, Evan Handler, David Eigenberg, Nicole Ari Parker, John Corbett, Sebastiano Pigazzi, Dolly Wells, Mehcad Brooks, Jonathan Cake, and Logan Marshall-Green
How to watch: And Just Like That… Season 3 premieres May 29 on HBO Max.
6. Mountainhead
Succession creator Jesse Armstrong makes his feature directorial debut with Mountainhead, which he also wrote. In a plot that seems ripped from the headlines, Mountainhead follows four wealthy tech bros — played by Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef, and Cory Michael Smith — who are on a snowy mountain retreat. In the middle of crowing about their net worths and playing poker, they learn about worldwide catastrophes occurring as a result of new AI technology. Will they, as tech pioneers, take accountability for their role in the disaster? Or will they take advantage of the chaos for their own gain?
In classic Succession style, Mountainhead is full of devastating one-liners and loathable wealthy characters. Yet Armstrong’s dialogue, usually so fine-tuned, gets frustratingly clunky at times here, losing any subtlety as the movie tries to stay current. Thankfully, things pick up in the film’s third act, which becomes a much darker, more personal crime caper. That switch-up brings Mountainhead a few inches out of Succession‘s shadow, but it still can’t quite match that show’s highs. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
Starring: Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef, and Cory Michael Smith
How to watch: Mountainhead premieres May 31 at 8 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
5. Dept. Q
The Queen’s Gambit creator Scott Frank is back with another thriller, this time swapping chess for cold case crime. Dept. Q follows DCI Carl Morck (Matthew Goode), a troubled detective given his own department and tasked with investigating the old disappearance of a missing woman. From the looks of the trailer, this one will be equal parts crime, thriller and drama, with a dash of comedy thrown in too. —Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor
Starring: Matthew Goode, Kelly Macdonald, Kate Dickie, Alexej Manvelov, and Leah Byrne
How to watch: Dept. Q debuts on Netflix May 29.
4. Captain America: Brave New World
The latest Captain America movie stars Anthony Mackie as Sam Wilson, who not only carries the iconic shield but also the responsibility to fight the American president (Harrison Ford) when he goes Red Hulk.
Pulling from the threads of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and The Incredible Hulk, this complicated sequel is overstuffed with story, and plagued by an underwhelming supervillain (Tim Blake Nelson). But critics — including myself — were more bothered by how the MCU seemed to go out of their way to make a Captain America movie that has nothing to say.
All the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, ranked worst to best
As I wrote in my review of Captain America: Brave New World, “The MCU could have given Sam Wilson a movie that boldly explored what it means to be a Captain America right now, especially to a Black man… Rather than a provocative political discussion as seen in Black Panther, Captain America: Brave New World limply pursues concepts of redemption and honor. It’s safe and frankly boring.” — K.P.
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Danny Ramirez, Shira Haas, Carl Lumbly, Xosha Roquemore, Giancarlo Esposito, Liv Tyler, Tim Blake Nelson, and Harrison Ford
How to watch: Captain America: Brave New World debuts on Disney+ on May 28.
3. Dog Man
When a police officer and his faithful canine companion are spliced together, crime-fighting hero Dog Man is the inevitable (and deeply silly) result. Based on Dav Pilkey’s children’s graphic novel series of the same name, Dog Man brings together a big name cast to tell the story of our titular hero attempting to catch a supervillain (yep, it’s a cat) hellbent on terrorising the city. Written and directed by Peter Hastings, Dog Man is a spinoff of Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. — S.H.
.Starring: Pete Davidson, Lil Rel Howery, Isla Fisher, and Ricky Gervais
How to watch: Dog Man debuts on Peacock on May 30.
2. Vampire Hunter D
To celebrate its 40th anniversary, anime classic Vampire Hunter D is returning to streaming.
Based on the first novel in Hideyuki Kikuchi’s long-running novel series, the movie follows Doris Lang (Michie Tomizawa), the daughter of a werewolf hunter who gets bitten by an ancient vampire. She hires a hunter known as D (Kaneto Shiozawa) to track the thing down and kill it in order to stop herself from turning into one as well. — S.H.
Starring: Kaneto Shiozawa, Michie Tomizawa, and Yûsaku Yara
How to watch: Vampire Hunter D debuts on Shudder on May 30.
1. Adults
In the mood for a fun hangout sitcom? Then check out Adults, FX’s latest comedy offering. Created by Ben Kronengold and Rebecca Shaw (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), the series centers on a group of five twenty-somethings living together in Queens, where they weather the perils of early adulthood. Everything from health insurance scares to career trouble is on the table, along with the occasional touch of absurdity that makes Adults more Broad City than Friends.
By putting a Gen-Z twist on the hangout sitcom formula, Adults embraces the mess of modern-day young adulthood, and the result, as I wrote in my review for Mashable, is “chaotic, heartfelt, and current.” The show also boasts an incredible ensemble — Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Amita Rao, Owen Thiele, and Jack Innanen — who gel instantly. Come for Adults‘ many cringe comedy hijinks, stay for the cast’s superb chemistry. — B.E.
Starring: Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Amita Rao, Owen Thiele, and Jack Innanen
How to watch: All episodes of Adults are now streaming on Hulu.
(*) denotes that a blurb has been repurposed from a previous list.
