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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
“The Fugitive”
For whatever reason, August has historically been one of the worst months for new movie releases, along with January and February. Studios front-load their most promising summer blockbusters in May, June, and July, then dump the ones they’re less certain of in August before fall film festival season begins in September. That said, there’s still been plenty of August gems over the years, including “The Fugitive,” which celebrates its 30th anniversary this month and happens to be one of the most re-watchable movies around. Imprisoned for the murder of his wife, Doctor Richard Kimble (Harrison Ford) is on a hunt to find the one-armed man who is the real culprit and clear his name. As the lead investigator tracking Kimble down, Tommy Lee Jones — who won an Oscar for the role — has never been better.
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How to watch: “The Fugitive” is streaming on Max.
“Paddington”
While 2017’s “Paddington 2” is the superior film (just ask Pedro Pascal and Nicolas Cage), 2014’s “Paddington” is well worth a watch as well, introducing viewers to the well-mannered, accident-prone, marmalade-loving bear voiced by Ben Whishaw (“Skyfall”). After leaving his home in the Peruvian jungle for London, the red-hatted bear ends up living with the Brown family. There’s an adjustment period for all involved, but by the end, the whole family is united in helping Paddington escape the clutches of a rare animal taxidermist.
How to watch: “Paddington” is streaming on Netflix
“Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
Based on the graphic novel of the same name by Bryan Lee O’Malley, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,” is the rare graphic novel adaptation that actually looks and feels like a live-action comic strip on screen. Director Edgar Wright (“Shaun of the Dead,” “Baby Driver”), known for his visual flair and kinetic editing, fills the screen with BANG!s, BAM!s, and KAPOW!s as Scott (Michael Cera) fights each of the seven evil exes of his new love interest, Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead). With a killer soundtrack of original songs written for the film and a young cast that exploded into stardom soon after (Brie Larson, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza, Chris Evans, and more), “Scott Pilgrim” is the ultimate cool-kid movie. So much so, in fact, that Netflix is producing an animated series with the same voice cast, which released its first trailer this week.
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How to watch: “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” is streaming on Peacock.
TV
“Strange Planet”
Based on Nathan Pyle’s popular webcomic of the same name, “Strange Planet” is — wait for it — strange. Indistinct blue humanoid (but definitely not human) characters populate its world, speaking in a highly elliptical language about the banalities of everyday existence. (Parents are “life givers,” coffee is “jitter liquid,” etc.) It’s no surprise that Dan Harmon, creator of “Community,” is involved in the show, as the observations of its creatures sound like something Danny Pudi’s neurodivergent character from “Community” Abed might say. Indeed, Pudi is part of a voice cast that also includes musician Tunde Adebimpe, “Orange Is the New Black” alum Lori Tan Chinn, and comedian Demi Adejuyigbe. Here’s hoping “Strange Planet” builds on its warm idiosyncrasies and begins to build a larger narrative world for its guileless creatures.
How to watch: “Strange Planet” is streaming on Apple TV+.
“Telemarketers”
Directing duo the Safdie Brothers have shown a fondness for scuzzy grifters whose oily desperation fuels their schemes, from Robert Pattinson in “Good Time” to Adam Sandler in “Uncut Gems.” You can see why the brothers were interested in producing “Telemarketers,” a limited series documentary shot by workers at a highly illegal nonprofit call center. What begins as burnouts filming office pranks and shenanigans a la “Workaholics” morphs into a genuine effort to expose and take down the bosses who steal millions from innocent Americans.
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How to watch: “Telemarketers” is streaming on Max, with new episodes airing on HBO on Sundays.
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