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5 must-watch movies & TV shows streaming right now
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.
Movies
“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3”
With James Gunn hard at work creating the DC superhero universe, “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is an emotional final hurrah for the group of intergalactic scoundrels — though knowing Marvel, we’ll see some configuration of these characters again soon enough. This time, the story is all about Rocket (Bradley Cooper), the raccoon/genetic experiment with a figurative chip on his shoulder and a literal one in his heart. Star Lord (Chris Pratt), utterly distraught over losing his version of Gamora (Zoe Saldana) in “Endgame,” focuses his emotions after Rocket is put into a coma by one of the genetic experiments of The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji). Gunn’s films have always been some of the most imaginative in the MCU, and though this sequel doesn’t quite live up to “Vol. 1” or “Vol. 2,” it does provide some thrills and some closure for one of the more enjoyable MCU sub-franchises.
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How to watch: “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is streaming on Disney Plus.
“The Super Mario Bros. Movie”
Two Chris Pratt movies in one weekend? That’s just how it works out, with Illumination’s animated megahit making its Peacock debut the same week as “Guardians” joins Disney Plus. There’s nothing especially novel about “The Super Mario Bros. Movie”: All of your Nintendo video game favorites — Mario (Pratt), Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy), Toad (Keegan Michael-Key), Luigi (Charlie Day), and Donkey Kong (Seth Rogen) — are working together to ensure that Bowser (Jack Black) doesn’t destroy Mushroom Kingdom. There are homages to Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros., and all the side-scrollers that made the artist formerly known as Jumpman famous. But it’s a perfectly pleasant 90 minutes, especially for the younger set.
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How to watch: “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” is streaming on Peacock.
“The Truman Show”
It’s been 25 years since Peter Weir took a withering look at the nascent reality television genre with “The Truman Show,” which starred Jim Carrey as a man who has no idea that he has been the star of his own reality show since birth. Carrey, nearing the end of an incredible run of hits, was a revelation in the film, showing audiences how deploying only 20 percent of his rubber-faced, bug-eyed schtick could be transformative. Laura Linney as his in-on-it wife and Ed Harris as the all-seeing architect are also excellent, but “The Truman Show” is all about Truman, and Carrey carries the film.
How to watch: “The Truman Show” is streaming on Paramount Plus.
TV
“How To with John Wilson”
When it first premiered in 2020, “How To with John Wilson” was a salve for everyone stuck indoors, a reminder of the joys of observing a bustling city and the oddballs that inhabit it. In its third and final season, Wilson continues to capture vignettes of the city, with the ostensible framing of each episode (“How to make small talk,” “How to put up scaffolding”) quickly abandoned in favor of seeking deeper meaning in the fabric of New York City. Wilson also continues to weave his own personal story into the show when he sees fit, and it never feels unearned. It’s tough to describe, but well worth a watch.
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How to watch: “How To with John Wilson” Season 3 is streaming on Max, with new episodes airing Fridays on HBO.
“Reservation Dogs”
Given that Aug. 9 is International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, it’s probably no accident that Hulu kicked off the month by releasing the first three episodes of the critically acclaimed “Reservation Dogs,” which tells an Indigenous North American story and features primarily Native and First Nation talent. Like “John Wilson,” “Reservation Dogs” is in its third and final season, which picks up with Season 2’s storyline involving Bear Smallhill searching for his absent father far away from their rural Oklahoma home in California. What makes “Reservation Dogs” so wonderful is how, beyond the occasional interlude from dead ancestor William Knifeman, the show feels almost like a slice-of-life documentary. The series is short enough that you should catch up now, immersing yourself in the stories not only of our four young protagonists but the entire Indigenous community at large.
How to watch: “Reservation Dogs” Season 3 is streaming on Hulu, with new episodes airing Wednesdays.
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