The 5 Movies and TV Shows You Should Be Watching on Streaming Right Now

Streaming

The best of the new streaming offerings on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus and more.

Welcome to Boston.com 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 MaxPeacock, Paramount+ and more.

Many recommendations are for new shows, while others are for under-the-radar releases you may have missed or classics that will be leaving a streaming service at the end of the month.

Do you have a new favorite movie or show that you think we should know about? Let us know in the comments or via email [email protected]. Looking for even more great streaming options? Check out previous editions of our Must-watch list here.

Stream new movies

“Didi”

A coming-of-age story with plenty of 2000s nostalgia and heart, “Dìdi” is a funny and harrowing debut from director Sean Wang, whose early life as a Taiwanese immigrant in the Bay Area serves as inspiration for the film .

Chris (Izaac Wang, “Good Boys”) is under pressure from his mother to achieve academic success and integrate as a model minority, while his father supports the family in Taiwan. But the moody teenager finds inspiration less from books and more from his digital camera, and finds camaraderie when he works as a videographer for a group of skaters.

The familiarity of watching Chris court on AOL Instant Messenger and Facebook will trigger a powerful nostalgia trigger for many Millennials, but Chris’ growth (or regression, if his mother shares her opinion) is a universally relatable story, regardless of your generation.

How to watch: “Dìdi” is streaming on Peacock.

“Inside Out 2”

“Inside Out 2” takes us into the mind of Riley, the young girl from the first film who is about to enter high school. Initially, the same five emotions are in charge of Riley’s brain, with Joy, voiced by Burlington native Amy Poehler, being the de facto leader. The first “Inside Out” was about Joy learning the importance of letting Riley feel all of her other emotions: fear, anger, disgust, and especially sadness. But when puberty rears its ugly head, new emotions emerge – fear, envy, embarrassment and boredom.

There’s a lot to like about “Inside Out 2,” including its very realistic, very funny portrayal of middle school insecurity. Director Kelsey Mann also mixes in plenty of comic material that should be a hit with all kids. Ultimately, “Inside Out 2” doesn’t quite capture the magic of the original, but it’s still an entertaining, watchable 90-minute film.

How to watch: “Inside Out 2” is streaming on Disney+.

New TV streaming

“The Franchise”

“The Franchise” seems like an absolutely perfect show on paper. “The Franchise” is a satire by genre master Armando Iannucci (“Veep,” “The Thick of It,” “The Death of Stalin”) about the bloated production of a (slightly fictionalized) Marvel Cinematic Universe film. positioned as an antidote to superhero fatigue.

The audience surrogate is Daniel (Himesh Patel, “Station Eleven”), a first assistant director whose real job is to manage the gargantuan egos of his director (Daniel Bruhl, “Rush”) and leading man (Billy Magnussen, “Game Night”) ) to manage. , villain (Richard E. Grant, “Saltburn”) and countless others circling the production. The specificity of some of the jokes in The Franchise makes it clear that the creative team has done its job. And the main actors embody their characters perfectly, each of them a source of toxic narcissism whose talents are wasted.

Given Iannucci’s involvement (even if only as an executive producer), you’d expect The Franchise’s satire to be a little sharper and the characters a little fuller. But the series still provides plenty of laughs for the MCU and the fans who end up lining up for the upcoming CGI idea.

How to watch: “The Franchise” is streaming on Max.

“La Maquina”

While HBO has long held the crown as the home for prestige dramas, over the last decade Hulu (and its corporate sibling FX) has quietly taken over the mantle as a place for creators to tell unconventional stories. One of them is “La Máquina,” a boxing drama starring Gael García Bernal (“Old”) and Diego Luna (“Andor”) that is darkly funny, occasionally surreal and always captivating.

In a reunion of the stars of “Y Tu Mama Tambien,” Esteban (Bernal) is a boxer at a low point in his career and personal life, whose manager and best friend Andy (Luna) tries to pull him out of trouble. Given the weighty subject matter, the show has a strange sense of humor, with a shady cabal simply calling itself “Other People” coming after the couple. Esteban also struggles with a brain injury that results in intense visual hallucinations that constantly make him (and the audience) question reality. Add to that another star turn from Eiza Gonzalez as Esteban’s ex-wife, a journalist who investigates the darkness of the boxing world, and “La Maquina” is a blast.

How to watch: “La Maquina” is streaming on Hulu.

“Nobody wants that”

A good romantic comedy needs suspense and suspense as well as likeable leads and real chemistry. In “Nobody Wants This,” the question that animates the “Will they or won’t they?” is a seemingly unsolvable question: Can a rabbi (Adam Brody) and a non-Jewish, completely non-religious professional podcaster (Kristen Bell) get together?

Religious differences are a very real wedge that can drive promising relationships apart, and creator Erin Foster (“The New Normal”) based this Netflix series on her own love life. (Don’t Google their relationship history if you don’t want to be spoiled.) Bell and Brody are a winning couple, and the supporting cast — including siblings played by Justine Lupe (“Succession”) and Timothy Simons (“Veep”) — is a real bonus. “Nobody Wants This” has already proven popular enough to secure a second season renewal. So you can take the plunge knowing that this love story won’t end in a cliffhanger – at least not forever.

How to watch: “Nobody Wants This” is streaming on Netflix.