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What to Watch

Overwhelmed by Netflix, Hulu and other TV and movie streaming services? We are here to help!

Overwhelmed by Netflix, Hulu and other TV and movie streaming services? We are here to help!

Highlights

  2. PhotoPhilippe Petit walking in between the towers of the World Trade Center in “Man on Wire.”
    CreditJean-Louis Blondeau/Polaris Images

    The Best Movies on Amazon Prime Video Right Now

    New films, and classics, just keep coming, but you don’t have to drill down to find the finest selections to stream. We’ll do the heavy lifting. You press play.

    By Jason Bailey

HBO

More in HBO ›
  2. Photo“The goal was to elevate regular Black people and make us look as beautiful in our regularness as humanly possible,” Issa Rae said of “Insecure.”
    CreditNatalia Mantini for The New York Times

    ‘Insecure’ Broke Ground by Embracing Imperfection

    The show, which ends this season, depicted its characters as authentically flawed. “True representation is the ability to show your vulnerability,” said the co-creator and star Issa Rae.

    By Salamishah Tillet

  4. PhotoThe post-“Game of Thrones” question remains: Can any one program bring together a mass audience?
    CreditGolden Cosmos

    Can TV Get Big Again?

    After “Game of Thrones,” many said the blockbuster series was dead. Maybe not — but the future of TV epics may look more like the movies’ recent past.

    By James Poniewozik

  5. PhotoJim Henson with Big Bird, as seen in “Street Gang: How We Got Sesame Street.” The HBO documentary uses file footage and new interviews to detail the early years of the influential show.
    CreditSesame Workshop/HBO

    ‘Sesame Street’ Was Always Political

    The beloved children’s show has been a recurrent culture-war target, but a documentary on HBO shows how social purpose was built into it.

    By James Poniewozik

Disney Plus

More in Disney Plus ›
  4. PhotoThe post-“Game of Thrones” question remains: Can any one program bring together a mass audience?
    CreditGolden Cosmos

    Can TV Get Big Again?

    After “Game of Thrones,” many said the blockbuster series was dead. Maybe not — but the future of TV epics may look more like the movies’ recent past.

    By James Poniewozik

Amazon Prime Video

More in Amazon Prime Video ›

Netflix

More in Netflix ›
  4. PhotoFrom left, John Cho, Mustafa Shakir and Daniella Pineda star in Netflix’s adaptation of the beloved anime series “Cowboy Bebop.”
    CreditGeoffrey Short/Netflix

    Review: ‘Cowboy Bebop,’ Minus the Art

    It’s unfair to compare Netflix’s live-action remake to the anime original. But there’s no really compelling reason to talk about it otherwise.

    By Mike Hale

  5. PhotoFrom left, a scene from Tig Notaro’s HBO special “Drawn,” Susie Essman in HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and Tiffany Haddish in Netflix’s “Bad Trip.”
    CreditFrom left: HBO; John P. Johnson/HBO; Dimitry Elyashkevich/Netflix

    Best Comedy of 2021

    The return of indoor shows brought comedy closer to normal, and there were plenty of specials from Bo Burnham, Tig Notaro, Roy Wood Jr. and others.

    By Jason Zinoman

  1. What’s on TV This Week: Kennedy Center Honors and ‘Insecure’

    A recording of this month’s Kennedy Center Honors ceremony debuts on CBS. And HBO’s “Insecure” airs its final episode.

    By Gabe Cohn

  2. Five International Movies to Stream Now

    This month’s picks include an experimental Canadian drama, an Egyptian weight-lifting documentary and a Chilean buddy comedy.

    By Devika Girish

  3. What’s on TV This Week: ‘American Auto’ and ‘MTV Unplugged’

    NBC debuts a sitcom about bumbling auto executives. And Tony Bennett sings with Lady Gaga on “MTV Unplugged.”

    By Gabe Cohn

  4. Five Horror Movies to Stream Now

    This month’s picks include a prude mutant, a vengeful witch, a tortured musician and a demonic dinner.

    By Erik Piepenburg

  5. How Much Watching Time Do You Have This Weekend?

    Britcoms, artisans and “Doom Patrol”: If you’ve got couch time, our critic has recommendations.

    By Margaret Lyons

  6. What’s on TV This Week: ‘Landscapers’ and ‘Live in Front of a Studio Audience’

    David Thewlis and Olivia Colman star in a true-crime mini-series on HBO. And an ABC special brings back the 1980s sitcoms “The Facts of Life” and “Diff’rent Strokes.”

    By Gabe Cohn

  7. Netflix Holiday Movies Ranked, From Tree Toppers to Lumps of Coal

    Is the streaming service delivering goodies in its holiday stockings? We make an assessment.

    By Elisabeth Vincentelli

  8. Five Action Movies to Stream Now

    Including bomb threats, bank robberies and more, the month’s action films pack a wallop.

    By Robert Daniels

  9. Best TV Shows of 2021

    From Bo Burnham to “We Are Lady Parts,” the best in television this year offered ingenuity, humor, defiance and hope.

    By James Poniewozik, Mike Hale and Margaret Lyons

  10. The Watching Newsletter

    How Much Watching Time Do You Have This Weekend?

    Our TV critic recommends three wonderful, wildly different comedies.

    By Margaret Lyons