The WatchList: 5 things you should be streaming on Netflix, Prime Video, Disney Plus and more
Great shows and movies you should be streaming on Netflix and beyond.
Welcome to the StreamList, the ultimate place to find out the best things to stream this week - what you should be watching at the weekend and beyond.
Each week we will look at some fantastic new things that have landed on the likes of Netflix, Prime Video, NOW TV, Apple TV Plus and Disney Plus.
We have spent A LONG time watching things on all these streaming services. So, if you want more of an in-depth look at the shows and movies you can stream the please head to the following guides.
- The best Apple TV Plus shows, revealed
- The best Netflix shows and best movies on Netflix
- The best Amazon Prime Series and best movies on Amazon Prime Video
- The best Disney Plus shows and best Disney Plus movies
- The best NOW TV shows and best movies on NOW TV
Still here? Then what you are after are a handful of recommendations to stop you endlessly scrolling into next week.
Here's what we have been watching and what you should be watching too.
1. The Crown Season 4
The Crown continues with the fourth season focusing on the tumultuous marriage between Prince Charles and Diana. Emma Corrin stars as Diana and she is superb as the People’s Princess - she’ll just be in it for this season, though, as time jumps in future seasons will mean that Elizabeth Debicki will be playing the character.
2. Aunty Donna's Big Old House Of Fun
This absurdist sketch is an absolute treat. There’s so much packed into each 20 minute episode that you’ll want to rewatch them just to catch everything. Made by Aussie live comedy supremos Aunty Donna, they transfer fantastically well to the small screen. More of this stuff please, Netflix.
3. Trial 4
Trial 4 is a documentary that highlights systemic racism and corruption in the US justice system. Trial 4 is about Sean Ellis, a 19 year old jailed for killing a police officer. The documentary charts the fight for a fourth trial where he tries to prove his innocence. It’s a shocking doc that shows just how much the US justice system needs to change.
4. James May Oh Cook
Yep, it’s another cooking show but you can’t help but like James May and the shows he does away from all that car nonsense. Here he tries to cook (he proclaims that he can’t) and dishes out some anecdotes about the food he’s making along the way. It’s all good fun and a far cry from the polished cookery shows we are all used to.
5. The Simpsons: Season 31
The Simpsons is back for its 31st season - its new home, Disney Plus, has all episodes ready and waiting to be streamed. Is it as good as it used to be? God no, but there’s still plenty here to laugh about, including a couple of Brexit jokes thrown in for good measure.
Here's our previous recommendations
1. Truth Seekers
2. The Mandalorian: S2
3. His House
4. The Queen’s Gambit
5. Queen & Slim
Borat Subsequent Moviefilm
Unsolved Mysteries: S2
Star Trek Discovery: S3
Rebecca
Parasite
A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood
One of the most heart-warming movies of recent years. A Beautiful Day In The Neighbourhood is about US TV legend Fred Rodgers and his relationship with troubled journalist Lloyd Vogel. Tom Hanks is majestic as the ever-optimistic Rodgers, Matthew Rhys superb as the grizzled journalist who is trying to profile him and find cracks in his kind facade.
While Rodgers may not be as well known in the UK, director Marielle Heller proves once again (after Can You Ever Forgive Me? And The Diary of a Teenage Girl) that she is one of the best directors around.
Tiny World
This is a lovely nature documentary about the smaller things in life - Narrated by Paul Rudd (which already makes it 10x more awesome than most docs), it’s filled with fantastic macro photography of insects and tiny creatures. The initial six episodes are based in different habitats: from the jungle to the outback to the good ol’ garden.
Welcome To The Blumhouse: Nocturne
A number of Blumhouse-produced movies have landed on Prime Video - they are a mixture of horror and thriller. While not all of them hit, we were taken by Nocturne. It’s Black Swan-lite with an over-zealous piano prodigy who does a dangerous deal to make sure she surpasses her older sister. Sydney Sweeney stars.
My Octopus Teacher
Another wonderful nature doc hits our WatchList this week, My Octopus Teacher is about a burnt-out nature filmmaker who starts diving in his hometown of Cape Town and begins to notice an octopus that starts to trust him. The footage the filmmakers get of Craig Foster during his year following the octopus is just fantastic, we seemingly see a real bond between man and creature, as is the message throughout.
The Trial Of The Chicago 7
Aaron Sorkin’s tale of the cultural uprising of the late 60 that led to riots is about a time of tumult. The Vietnam War was still burning, the death of Martin Luther King Jr loomed large, the radicalisation of youths thanks to constant footage on the TV of police brutality was everywhere.
What happened divided a nation (mostly by age) and this is a decent effort at telling the story of the Chicago 7, protesters in the dock for their part in the riots. Given the political fumes we are all breathing in right now are still toxic, this feels like a movie about current events, starring some amazing actors, including Jeremy Strong, Mark Rylance and Sacha Baron Cohen.
The Haunting Of Bly Manor
The Haunting Of Bly Manor is an exquisitely told tale from the twisted mind of Mike Flanagan. If that name doesn't sound familiar then his film and TV output will. He made the equally scary The Haunting of Hill House, as well as some of the best Stephen King adaptations - including Gerald's Game and Doctor Sleep.
Here he takes the frightening tales of Henry James, namely The Turn Of The Screw, and modernises the story - now it's based in the 80s and focuses on an au pair who is hired by the folks at Bly Manor. Soon staying there she starts to see ghostly goings on. Told in a flashback of sorts, the story is woven seamlessly through nine episodes and while it doesn't have as many scares as Hill House, it's still a fantastic watch.
The Right Stuff
Tom Wolfe's seminal novel has been given the TV treatment by Disney and National Geographic and the results are a Mad Men style look at astronauts in the 60s preparing for their missions to space. While it doesn't quite encapsulate the feel of the brilliant film (or book), it is a decent retelling of a manned spaceflight program that was put in place to make sure the US outflanked the Soviets.
The good news here is that The Right Stuff doesn't just focus on the glitz and glamour of going into space and being an astronaut but the fraught behind-the-scenes battles that were going on to make the ambitious space program actually work.
Ted Lasso
This is an absolute joy of a show on Apple TV Plus and certainly shows that the streaming service has got a lot to give when it's competing with the likes of Netflix.
Ted Lasso stars Jason Sudeikis and is about US American Football coach Ted Lasso switching countries and going to the UK to try and train a London football team for the top flight. It's feel-good television at its finest (Lasso's endless optimism will warm the coldest of hearts), with the fish-out-of-water trope used to good effect.
The show is packed with great UK actors and while it's a little strange to see a US version of the UK (the shows creators are all from the US), it really does work.
The Twilight Zone: S2
Although episodes are dropping weekly on Sky, you can stream all of the second season of The Twilight Zone: Season Two on NOW TV. Like the first season some episodes are better than others but Jordan Peele's re-imagining of The Twilight Zone show is well worth a watch.
The first episode where WestWorld's Jimmi Simpson starring as a bachelor who has a psychic connection with someone he has never met before. While for the most part this is a match made in heaven, things take a very dark turn. You Might Also Like is also superb - it's all about trying to make America great again and, well, you can guess what happens.
The Walking Dead: World Beyond
Now streaming on Prime Video, this one is more a curio piece for fans of The Walking Dead. While we aren't convinced with the first episode of this show, which is set after the events of TWD, it is intriguing - following teenage survivors from the zombie apocalypse and features some familiar aspects, including the shadowy government agency Civic Republic Military.
- The best streaming services revealed
