Streaming

5 must-watch movies & TV shows streaming right now

The best of what's new streaming on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and more.

By Kevin Slane

April 26, 2024

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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

“7 Days in Hell”

You should definitely head to the theaters to see the sexy new tennis drama “Challengers” (filmed in Boston!) this weekend. (Read our full review of the erotic romp here.) But if you’d rather watch over-the-top tennis entertainment at home, Andy Samberg’s 2015 mockumentary “7 Days in Hell” is just the ticket. Inspired by the Isner-Mahut match at the 2010 Wimbledon tournament that took more than 11 hours to complete, Samberg and “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harrington play two tennis pros stuck in a seven-day match. Tennis legends like Serena Williams and John McEnroe lend an air of authenticity to the absurdity, which is anchored by talking heads like Fred Armisen, Lena Dunham, Jon Hamm, and June Squibb playing the Queen of England.

How to watch: “7 Days in Hell” is streaming on Max.

“King Richard”

Speaking of tennis, this biopic of the Williams sisters —or rather, their father, Richard Williams — will forever be associated with its star, Will Smith, slapping Chris Rock at the Academy Awards. And that’s a shame, because Smith gives an Oscar-winning performance as a dad whose dedication to his daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) treads the line between inspirational and pathological. Considering that the real-life Williams sisters served as executive producers, it’s a surprisingly raw look at the sacrifices and tough love required to raise generational talents.

How to watch: “King Richard” is streaming on Netflix.

TV

“Dead Boy Detectives”

While Neil Gaiman fans wait for the second season of “The Sandman” to arrive, Netflix has gone ahead and adapted another of the English writer’s comic books into a series with “Dead Boy Detectives.” Edwin and Charles play two ghosts who decide to remain on Earth to solve mysteries with the help of the living. While digging into the paranormal weirdness is all good and fun, Death himself is hot on the boys’ tail, hoping to drag them back to Hell. Gaiman’s blend of gothic, comic, and macabre energy is put to good use once more — though if you haven’t watched “The Sandman” already, you should probably do so, since this show is set in the same universe and features a couple of overlapping characters.

How to watch: “Dead Boy Detectives” is streaming on Netflix.

“Knuckles”

Paramount has built a surprisingly robust franchise on the shoulders of Sonic the Hedgehog, the speedy, chili dog-eating video game star voiced by Ben Schwartz. Ahead of December 2024’s “Sonic the Hedgehog 3,” the studio is giving a series spinoff to Knuckles (Idris Elba), the brooding echidna warrior who went from villain to ally in “Sonic the Hedgehog 2.” There’s no Dr. Robotnik (Jim Carrey) in this edition. Instead, one of Eggman’s associates (Rory McCann, “Game of Thrones”) seeks to harness Knuckles’ power.

How to watch: “Knuckles” is streaming on Paramount+.

“Sugar”

“Sugar” isn’t so much a modern film noir as it is a direct homage to the heyday of the genre in the 1940s. Colin Farrell plays the hard-boiled detective, who tells us in a steely voiceover about his new case, the search for the missing granddaughter of a Hollywood producer (James Cromwell). Creator Mark Protosevich, has made Farrell’s detective a movie buff, and he casually mentions all the L.A. noirs that this series pays tribute to throughout the eight-episode season. It’s a little distracting, but Farrell and his sidekick (Amy Ryan, “The Office”) are total pros, and keep the show moving.

How to watch: “Sugar” is streaming on Apple TV+.