5 must-watch movies & TV shows streaming right now

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

“Anatomy of A Fall”

“Anatomy of A Fall” is the arthouse answer to the true crime bonanza, a Palme d’Or winner at Cannes and Academy Award winner for Best Original Screenplay that centers on a grisly murder (or was it an accident?) and the subsequent courtroom drama. At the center of the trial is a novelist (Sandra Hüller) accused of murdering her husband at the family’s remote ski chalet, leaving the body out in the snow for her blind son to discover. Director Justine Triet is less concerned with plotting zany twists as she is digging into the couple’s toxic domestic life and the incredible strain a high-profile trial puts on everyone in its orbit. That said, true crime junkies will no doubt obsess over whether Sandra is guilty or not, something Triet slyly addresses throughout the film.

How to watch: “Anatomy of A Fall” is streaming on Hulu.

“An Officer and A Gentleman”

Lou Gossett Jr., who died Friday morning at the age of 87, was best known for his role in the historic miniseries “Roots.” But he didn’t receive major awards recognition from his peers until 1983, when he became the first Black man to win a Best Supporting Actor Oscar for “An Officer and A Gentleman.” Gossett was a force to be reckoned with as drill sergeant Emil Foley, putting Navy Aviation Officer Candidate Zack Mayo (Richard Gere) through the paces at boot camp, but ultimately steering him on the right path. Remembered more for Mayo’s romance with a townie woman (Debra Winger) and the oft-parodied final scene in which he literally sweeps her off her feet, “An Officer and A Gentleman” is at times a tough, blue-collar drama anchored by the steely resolve of Gossett.

How to watch: “An Officer and A Gentleman” is streaming on Max.

“Jackie Brown”

Ask five film fans about their favorite Quentin Tarantino movie, and you’ll likely get five different answers. For me, QT’s best film is the only one he adapted from another writer’s work, 1997’s twisty crime caper “Jackie Brown,” which is unfortunately leaving Netflix at the end of this weekend.

Based on the Elmore Leonard novel “Rum Punch,” “Jackie Brown” follows a titular stewardess (Pam Grier) who has been smuggling cash for a gun runner (Samuel L. Jackson) during her cross-country flights. With a major cash deal on the horizon, an orbiting cast of associates and foes played by the likes of Michael Keaton, Robert De Niro, and Robert Forster enters the picture, kicking off a cascading series of setups, double-crosses, and unhappy endings. Many Tarantino hallmarks are still present in “Jackie Brown,” with Jackson, in particular, delivering a performance not unlike the one he gave in “Pulp Fiction.” But Leonard’s pulpy source material gives “Jackie Brown” a propulsive quality generally lacking in QT’s oeuvre. (As a side note, the film’s soundtrack, full of ’60s and ’70s funk, R&B, and soul, is one of the best ever.)

How to watch: “Jackie Brown” is streaming on Max.

TV

“Apples Never Fall”

Ahead of the Boston-filmed tennis drama “Challengers” hitting theaters next month is “Apples Never Fall,” another drama about tennis players and coaches. Based on Liane Moriarty’s bestselling novel, the show centers around husband and wife Stan and Joy Delaney (Sam Neill and Annette Bening), former tennis coaches who are selling their highly regarded academy in order to enjoy retirement with their adult children (Jake Lacy, Alison Brie, Conor Merrigan-Turner, Essie Randles). Not long after a mysterious young woman knocks at their door, Joy disappears, leaving her family to pick over clues that reveal their perfect family wasn’t so perfect after all.

How to watch: “Apples Never Fall” is streaming on Peacock.

“X-Men ’97”

Back in 1992, TV executives were pleasantly surprised when “X-Men: The Animated Series” proved to be a crossover hit, drawing teens and young adults to a show that aired during a kid-friendly cartoon block Saturday mornings on FOX. Superhero fare that appeals across age demographics is old news now, but it’s nevertheless enjoyable to see Disney Plus return to the well with “X-Men ’97,” which picks up right where the original series ended in 1997. Cyclops, Wolverine, Rogue, and the rest of the mutants face a power vacuum with the loss of Professor X, and are left running their leader’s school and dealing with new and returning adversaries. It probably helps to have been a fan of the original show, but if you’re watching alongside your kids, you’ll probably enjoy “X-Men ’97” more than most things your children are watching.

How to watch: “X-Men ’97” is streaming on Disney+.

Kevin Slane

Staff Writer

Kevin Slane is a staff writer for Boston.com covering entertainment and culture. His work focuses on movie reviews, streaming guides, celebrities, and things to do in Boston.

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