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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
“Mean Girls” (2024)
Tina Fey is all over this week’s streaming guide (see below), though she only makes brief appearances in the musical remake of her 2004 high school clique hit. Fey and Tim Meadows are the only actors playing the same role in this one, with new youngsters playing Cady (Angourie Rice), Regina (Reneé Rapp), Janis (Auli’i Cravalho), and the rest of the North Shore High gang. If you’re a fan of the “Mean Girls” musical that debuted in 2017, this film is for you, as numbers like “Apex Predator” and “Sexy” get well-choreographed renditions. Others may wonder why they’re watching a movie that basically recited the 2004 script line by line, but adds smartphones. The tiebreaker for me was Busy Phillipps as Regina’s mom, admirably filling Amy Poehler’s shoes.
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(PS: If you’re not thrilled with the remake, the 2004 “Mean Girls” is also streaming on Paramount+).
How to watch: “Mean Girls” (2024) is streaming on Paramount+.
“Ricky Stanicky”
“Ricky Stanicky” is a return to form of sorts for director Peter Farrelly. The Rhode Island native won a Best Picture Oscar for 2018’s “Green Book,” but is better known for broad, gross-out comedies like “Dumb & Dumber” and “Kingpin.” “Ricky Stanicky” is a dumb name that best friends (Zac Efron, Andrew Santino and Jermaine Fowler) made up for a nonexistent human they blame for every dumb thing they’ve ever done. When they’re dangerously close to being caught, they hire a down-and-out loser (John Cena) to bring their imaginary friend to life.
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I’m embarrassed by how much I laughed at “Ricky Stanicky.” Most of that is due to Cena, who, as he showed at the 2024 Oscars, knows how to fully commit to a very dumb comedic bit. If you can put yourself back in the mindset you were in 26 years ago when you saw “There’s Something About Mary” for the first time, you’ll likely have some laughs as well.
How to watch: “Ricky Stanicky” is streaming on Prime Video.
“Wonka”
Two musicals in one streaming column? That’s what happens when both “Mean Girls” and “Wonka” make their streaming debuts in a single week. Given the ages of Gene Wilder (38) and Johnny Depp (42) when they portrayed Willy Wonka, Timothée Chalamet (“Dune”) — who is 27 but could pass for a college student — seems like an odd choice as Roald Dahl’s fictional chocolatier. Warner Bros. and director Paul King (“Paddington 2”) have solved that problem by making “Wonka” a prequel, with Chalamet playing Wonka as an upstart who must rely on his creative talents to break the hegemony of candy CEOs Slugworth, Prodnose, and Ficklegruber. Given King’s track record at producing high-quality children’s fare, it should surprise no one that “Wonka” is full of whimsical touches, such as Hugh Grant playing a rather cross Oompa Loompa. The director’s strategy of assembling all of the most talented British thespians in one place remains undefeated.
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How to watch: “Wonka” is streaming on Max.
TV
“Girls5eva”
Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s (“30 Rock,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) “Girls5eva” got the boot from Peacock after two seasons, but Netflix did co-executive producers Tina Fey, Jeff Richmond, and Robert Carlock (“30 Rock,” “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”) a solid and snapped up the series for Season 3. As expected from a comedy with Fey’s name on it, the jokes continue to fly fast and furious on “Girls5eva”: The reunited ’90s girl group begins Season 3 wearing out their welcome in Forth Worth, Texas, on the strength of their single “Know Your Fort Worth.”
Here’s hoping this skewering of inane celeb culture and celebration of middle-age reinvention lasts 5eva, because 4eva’s too short. (That said, the show didn’t land in Netflix’s Top 10 following its debut on Thursday, so fans of the show better start streaming it soon if they want a Season 4.)
How to watch: “Girls5eva” is streaming on Netflix.
“Invincible”
With Marvel’s iron grip on the superhero genre (and the film industry writ large) starting to loosen, fans are beginning to look elsewhere for something new and refreshing in their caped entertainment. The surprising winner at the moment is Prime Video, which has drawn critical plaudits and big viewership numbers for its superhero satire “The Boys” and its adult-oriented animated series “Invincible,” which debuted part two of its second season this week. (If you haven’t watched Season 1 yet, check out this trailer instead of the embedded one above, which has some spoilers.)
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“Invincible” stars Steven Yeun (“Nope”) as Mark Grayson, the son of the world’s most powerful superhero, Omni-Man (J.K. Simmons, “Whiplash”). Season 1 is all about Mark finding his own identity when he begins to gain powers of his own, while Season 2 finds him in a more confident and vital role after the shocking events of the Season 1 finale. Also featuring Sandra Oh (“Grey’s Anatomy”), Gillian Jacobs (“Community”), and Walton Goggins (“Justified”), “Invincible” doesn’t follow the Marvel playbook, and isn’t afraid to get dark when the plot calls for it.
How to watch: “Invincible” Season 2, Part 2 is streaming on Prime Video.
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