This is a particularly good week for streaming TV, with solid new shows for people of all tastes. If you like epic historical drama, Hulu’s Shōgun will be your jam. If you’re into animation and/or afrofuturism, check out Disney’s Iwájú. If you want to sink into a deep conspiracy documentary, check out Netflix’s American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders.
Shōgun
Shōgun is the kind of sweeping, epic story that’s perfect for a miniseries. Based on James Clavell’s bestselling 1975 novel, Shōgun is a bigger-than-huge tale of war and passion set in Japan in 1600. With the country poised on the brink of civil war, Lord Yoshii Toranaga is beset on all sides, from the other members of the Council of Regents to the mysterious Europeans who end up marooned in a small fishing village nearby. The book has been previously adapted, but this is the first time a production will include actual East Asian creatives behind the scenes. The first few episodes have received unanimous critical praise.
Where to stream: Hulu
Iwájú
To create animated series Iwájú, Disney teamed up with Pan-African arts collective Kugali Media with the goal of presenting African stories in a way that anyone can relate to and enjoy. Set in an afrofuturist Nigeria, Iwájú tells the story of Tole, a wryly funny young girl who lives in the wealthy part of Lagos, and her friend Kole, who resides on the rougher mainland. All six episodes of this lush, unique, and kick-ass series are available to stream now, so gather the kids around your streaming device of choice.
Where to stream: Disney+
Avatar: The Last Airbender
Having been burned by M. Night Shyamalan’s regrettable 2010 movie adaptation, Avatar fans were holding their breath for this live action series. Thankfully, Netflix has done far better with Avatar: The Last Airbender. It tells the story of Aang’s quest to master the four elements through a balance of over-the-top action, comedy, emotional resonance, and thoughtful commentary. Whether you’re a rabid devotee of the original animated series or an Avatar newcomer, it’s worth checking out.
Where to stream: Netflix
Constellation
When you’re finished with the new Adam Sandler feature Spaceman on Netflix, check out Constellation on Apple TV. This sci fi series also features an astronaut on lonely mission, but goes in a totally different direction. After narrowly escaping death in the vacuum of space, Jo returns to her earthbound home, eager to restart her life. But she soon finds that things have changed while she was in space: Nothing on earth is how it should be, almost as if she returned to a different planet than the one from which her rocket took off. Constellation carefully builds a Twilight Zone vibe over its eight episodes as Jo looks for answers: Is she experiencing space madness, or is something deeper and more sinister afoot?
Where to stream: Apple TV
American Conspiracy: The Octopus Murders
Blow the dust off your tinfoil hats, people. To tell the story of the mysterious death of writer Danny Casolaro, director Zachary Treitz drags us down the rabbit hole of a conspiracy so huge, its slimy tentacles circle the globe—if it’s real, of course. Before his supposed suicide in 1991, Casolaro was researching world-shaking secrets that went as high up as the Reagan White House, leading to the speculation that someone wanted him dead to keep him from naming names. Or so they say. Whether the story is what it seems is an open question, but either way, American Conspiracy is a fascinating series.
Where to stream: Netflix
Me, Hereafter
This new ABC/Hulu true-crime series tells murder stories from the point of view of their victims. You could argue with the ethics of putting words in dead peoples’ mouths, but you can’t argue with how dramatically compelling it is. Me, Hereafter also interviews victims’ families, investigators, and other relevant parties, and uses dramatizations to fill out its compelling cases.
Where to stream: Hulu
Dead Hot
British comedy/thriller Dead Hot follows best friends Elliot (Bilal Hasna) and Jess (Vivian Oparah), young residents of Liverpool whose lives change forever when Elliot’s first love (and Jess’s brother) Peter up and disappears. We follow the pair through the grieving process and beyond as they discover who they really are and try to solve the mystery of what happened to Peter.
Where to stream: Prime
Earthsounds
Tom Hiddleston narrates this sweeping nature documentary that travels the globe, from tropical jungles to the Antarctic ice shelf to the dunes of Namibia, to capture the most exotic and interesting natural sounds on the planet. If you’ve ever wanted to hear snow leopards sing love songs, what howler monkeys sound like when they howl, the otherworldly music of spiders, or the buzz of the Northern Lights, Earthsounds is for you.
Where to stream: AppleTV
Last week’s picks
Last Week Tonight with John Oliver, Season 11
A new season of John Oliver’s Last Week Tonight begins this week on Max. While Last Week Tonight wears its politics on its sleeve and isn’t afraid to tackle big issues, it never forgets to be entertaining at the same time. The combination of Oliver’s sardonic delivery, very clever jokes, and meticulous research elevate Last Week Tonight far above any other satirical-news program (Sorry, The Daily Show).
Where to stream: Max
Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Season 6
Netflix’s popular documentary series chronicling Formula 1 racing returns for a sixth season this week with a look at the grueling 2023 F1 season. Drive to Survive takes viewers deep inside the high-stakes, high-stress world of elite drivers by combining racing footage with behind-the-scenes footage of the fame, interpersonal relationships, and personality issues that play into drivers’ success and failure.
Where to stream: Netflix
The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy
An animated series and written by Cirocco Dunlap (Russian Doll) The Second Best Hospital in the Galaxy is a workplace comedy about an outer space medical facility where alien surgeons Sleech and Klak battle space disorders while wrestling with their messy personal lives. Starring the voices of Maya Rudolph, Natasha Lyonne, Keke Palmer, Stephanie Hsu, Sam Smith and Kieran Culkin.
Where to stream: Prime
Can I Tell You a Secret?
Someone has to be the best at everything, and Matthew Hardy holds the dubious distinction of being the best at cyber-stalking. During his 11-year reign of terror, Hardy victimized hundreds of people, mostly young women (natch). Though many of his victims knew who was tormenting them and gave Hardy’s name to police, it took more than a decade for this uber-creep to meet justice. Can I Tell You a Secret? tells its sordid tale through interviews with victims and the police who hauled Hardy to jail—eventually.
Where to stream: Netflix
Apartment 404
It’s cool how streaming gives Americans a chance to watch TV shows we’d have no idea existed in the before times, like Apartment 404, a comedy/reality show that asks South Korean celebrities like Jennie from K-Pop super-group Blackpink and Yoo Jae-suk, and Yang Se-chan from Korean show Running Man to become detectives and solve crimes that supposedly happened in mysterious apartment 404. Whether Apartment 404‘s manic investigations will cross cultural lines to resonate with you cannot be determined until you give it a look.
Where to stream: Prime
Death in the Dorms, Season 2
This true crime series roots around in the darkest corners of the college experience, where the dreams of hopeful young scholars end in tragic murders. Death in the Dorms‘ macabre crimes feel all the more tragic because the series does such a good job of profiling its victims through interviews with their friends and families.
Where to stream: Hulu
Operation Arctic Cure
In Operation Arctic Cure, combat reporter Bob Woodruff takes war veterans to the frozen wilderness at the top of the world to “test whether awe-inspiring experiences can heal their trauma and stress.” So this is not typical reality television. Instead of manufactured conflict in a mansion, Arctic Cure presents breath-taking landscapes, survival drama, and a deeper level where chilling arctic landscapes, courage, and camaraderie battle the psychological demons of war.
Where to stream: Hulu
Jellystone, Season 3
Jellystone dusts off old cartoon characters like Yogi, Boo Boo, Huckleberry Hound, and Jabberjaw, gives ‘em a new coat of paint and fresh attitude, and sets ‘em loose on your TV. The hook is that all these animated weirdos live in a little town together. Kids will like it because it’s colorful, fast, and packed with interesting characters, while parents and grandparents will enjoy the meta-humor and nostalgia. Warning: you’ll probably end up saying things like, “Look, Captain Caveman!” to your confused children.
Where to stream: Max
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