Streaming
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
“Ferrari”
When it came to the awards race of 2023, Michael Mann’s “Ferrari” stalled out at the starting line, earning zero Oscar nominations. It’s also the last of the prominent awards contenders to land on a major streaming service, following its debut on Hulu last weekend. That’s a shame, because Mann’s muscular biopic of auto magnate Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) is a force to be reckoned with.
Enzo lives in perpetual crisis mode, whether facing the bankruptcy of his company, the death of his son, or the wrath of his wife and business partner, Laura (Penelope Cruz), for his poor business acumen and even worse attempts to hide his extramarital affairs. With the walls closing in, Enzo stakes everything on the 1,000-mile cross-country race known as the Mille Miglia, pushing his engineers and drivers to the limit in pursuit of glory. Driver’s inscrutable Ferrari is magnetic, but the best performance of the movie belongs to Cruz, whose prideful Laura goes toe to toe with her stubborn, insatiable husband.
How to watch: “Ferrari” is streaming on Hulu.
“Jim Henson Idea Man”
Given that his filmography is as upbeat and sunny as his “Andy Griffith” character, Ron Howard is a fitting choice to chronicle the life story of Jim Henson and the joy he provided with his Sesame Workshop puppets. Seeing behind-the-scenes footage of how the Muppets magic was made is revelatory for generations of children and adults alike, as we see Henson grow from local public television employee to a children’s entertainment icon. Anyone hoping for a darker side of Henson can skip this one, as it’s almost entirely a celebration of a man whose legacy looms large 34 years after he passed away.
How to watch: “Jim Henson Idea Man” is streaming on Disney+.
“MoviePass, Movie Crash”
The proliferation of ripped-from-the-headlines documentaries in the streaming era means that anyone who becomes entranced by a particularly juicy news story can reasonably expect a docuseries in the future. (See the folks already getting excited about the idea of a hypothetical Karen Read documentary as an example.) Though “MoviePass, Movie Crash” is part of that assembly line, the three-part docuseries rises above its conceits to tell a larger societal story as well.
MoviePass gained fame (or infamy) as a buzzy startup that allowed users to see an almost unlimited number of movies in theaters for only $9.95 a month — a ludicrous business plan that immediately bankrupted the company. But beyond the splashy parties and typical venture capital excess, the documentary explores a part of the story that many (including myself) didn’t know: How the original Black founders, who had much more reasonable goals for the company but were unable to tap the old-boy network of venture capital funding, were pushed out by their white partners who immediately lit the company’s legacy on fire.
How to watch: “MoviePass, Movie Crash” is streaming on Max.
TV
“Eric”
In a weird bit of synchronicity, Disney’s Jim Henson documentary isn’t the only new streaming option centered around a puppeteer. Netflix’s limited series “Eric” is much darker than “Jim Henson Idea Man,” with Benedict Cumberbatch playing a puppeteer named Vincent living in 1985 New York City who created a “Sesame Street”-esque show. Vincent is at a low point, and begins to lose touch with reality following the disappearance of his 9-year-old son, Edgar. Vincent becomes obsessed with his son’s drawings of a creepy monster named Eric, and in his fragile mental state, becomes convinced that if he can bring the imaginary creature to life, his son will return.
Creator Abi Morgan (“Shame,” “The Hour”) is grappling with a lot of big ideas, while Cumberbatch gives a showy, unrestrained performance that we rarely see from the stoic English actor.
How to watch: “Eric” is streaming on Netflix.
“We Are Lady Parts” Season 2
Peacock has only had a few of its original series break through to the mainstream zeitgeist since its 2020 debut, but the Comcast-owned streamer produced its share of ambitious, creatively distinct programming in the interim. One of Peacock’s under-seen and under-appreciated shows is “We Are Lady Parts,” an import from the British Channel 4, which returns for a second season this weekend.
“We Are Lady Parts” follows a British punk band composed entirely of Muslim women, who in keeping with punk ethos refuse to be held down by the man. After struggling to make waves in the male-dominated punk scene in Season 1, the members of Lady Parts find themselves having to make space for a rival female group biting their style. Because this is a U.K. series, there are only six episodes in each season, so you’ll be caught up in a flash.
How to watch: “We Are Lady Parts” Season 2 is streaming on Peacock.
Newsletter Signup
Stay up to date on all the latest news from Boston.com