Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that's before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!
Don't be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We've got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you're seeking something brand new (or just new to streaming), we've got you covered there, too.
17. Nova: Knowledge Keepers
From ancient permaculture to celestial navigation, intricate basket weaving to energy-efficient desert dwellings, the innovations of Indigenous communities in North America lies at the heart of PBS documentary Nova: Knowledge Keepers. The release explores the science and engineering practices of four Indigenous groups, some thriving in extreme conditions of Arctic tundra or desert. — S.C.
How to watch: Nova: Knowledge Keepers is now on the PBS app.
16. Don't Be Shy
Alia Bhatt-produced comedy Don’t Be Shy lands on Prime Video this week, a coming-of-age tale that leans into the mess and melodrama of young romance. Written and directed by Sreeti Mukerji, the Hindi film follows college student Shyamili "Shy" Das (Aarushi Bajaj), whose mapped-out life plans are thrown into chaos in an unexpected turn of events. While she's trying to keep up the ruse of perfection, she meets Tara (Bianca Arora), and becomes romantically torn between her childhood friend Dhruv (Ansh Duggal) and popular rich boy Mayank (Piyush Khati). But it takes significant energy to keep up appearances. — S.C.
Starring: Aarushi Bajaj, Ansh Duggal, Bianca Arora, Piyush Khati, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Neha Dhupia, Anurag Basu, and Anju Alva Naik
How to watch: Don't Be Shy debuts on Prime Video on Sept. 25.
15. The Great British Baking Show: Collection 14
Offbeat comedian Noel Fielding and affable TV presenter Alison Hammond return to crack jokes as the bakers crack eggs.
These two will chat it up with the bakers during the challenges — that is, before Paul Hollywood and new judge Nigella Lawson grill them over the judging table. How will these 12 home bakers stack up? There's only one way to find out. Tune in and bake off!* — K.P.
Starring: Paul Hollywood, Noel Fielding, Alison Hammond, and Nigella Lawson
How to watch: The Great British Baking Show: Collection 14 premieres on Netflix on Sept. 25.
14. Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story
Get to know former NFL star DeSean Jackson through his brother Byron's eyes with a new Prime Video documentary pieced together from thousands of hours of home video footage shot across 35 years. From writer/director Mandon Lovett, Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story follows the football icon's journey from early Pop Warner days to college football prowess and 15 years of NFL fame, as well as his latest chapter coaching the Delaware State Hornets. And it's all seen through behind-the-scenes raw footage from his filmmaking brother. — S.C.
Starring: DeSean Jackson
How to watch: Go Deep: The DeSean Jackson Story is now streaming on Prime Video.
13. Team Moms: Baseball
"The games are intense, but the parents can also be very intense." We have a feeling this quote from the trailer for Team Moms: Baseball, Paramount+'s new reality series following parents of boys attending Legendary Prep Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona, will probably sum up the show quite well. The pitch for this series was likely Last Chance U meets Selling Sunset — but judging by the number of arguments in the trailer, it may have more in common with the latter. — Sam Haysom, General Assignment Editor, UK
How to watch: Team Moms: Baseball is now streaming on Paramount+.
12. Bloody Tennis
Don't let the incredibly silly, have-they-finally-run-out-of-ideas title of this one put you off — the trailer for Bloody Tennis looks OTT in a fun way, with Nikias Chryssos' cult-meets-body horror following a tennis prodigy as she enlists in a European tennis academy with sinister undertones. Cue a montage of brutal initiation rituals, leeches, and instructors who may not have her best interests entirely at heart. — S.H.
Starring: Sandra Guldberg Kampp, Elina Löwensohn, and Tracy Gotoas
How to watch: Bloody Tennis premieres on Shudder on Sept. 25.
11. Wonka's The Golden Ticket
Kick your favorite grandfather out of bed and head for the chocolate factory, or Netflix's new reality competition series. Wonka's The Golden Ticket sees 12 pairs competing in themed challenges inspired by the classic 1971 film Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, based on Roald Dahl's 1964 novel. But the series is already fraught with controversy, after Netflix revealed the show used AI to recreate the voice of deceased actor Gene Wilder, who famously played Willy Wonka onscreen. "Pure Imagination" indeed. — S.C.
How to watch: Wonka's The Golden Ticket premiered on Netflix on Sept. 23, with new episodes through with a two-part finale on Sept. 30.
10. Line of Fire
NBC's soapy new crime procedural Line of Fire lands this week, from Gossip Girl and Quantico's Joshua Safran. The series follows a family of law enforcement agents, the Hollingsworths, who work across the FBI, Secret Service, Department of Justice, and U.S. Marshalls. When they're targeted by an assassin, they'll need to figure out where the threat is coming from, whether that be inside government or not. Notably, the show is executive produced by Today host and journalist Jenna Bush Hager, George W. Bush's daughter. — S.C.
Starring: Peter Krause, Hope Davis, Kat Cunning, Tommy O’Brien, Taylor Bloom
How to watch: Line of Fire is now streaming on Peacock.
9. American Horror Story: 13
Over its first 12 seasons, American Horror Story has conjured up a series of unforgettable nightmares, introducing viewers to haunted houses, quotable covens, and one of the most frightening clowns ever put on screen. As the hit anthology series enters its 13th season, what better way to celebrate than by mashing all these past seasons into one macabre story?
That's right: American Horror Story Season 13 is an all-star bonanza that brings back beloved actors and characters from throughout the show's history. Franchise heavy hitters like Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, and Evan Peters are all returning and pulling quadruple duty (or more) as they resurrect their prior roles. No matter what scares Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk dream up, it'll almost feel comforting to see Lange as Constance Langdon and Fiona Goode again. As long as there's no knotty pine, of course! — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
Starring: Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, Leslie Grossman, Joey Pollari and Jessica Lange. The epic cast also features Avantika, Jamie Brewer, Elle Chapman, Berto Colon, Alex Consani, Frances Conroy, Mat Fraser, Seth Gabel, Orlando Jones, Paul Anthony Kelly, John Carroll Lynch, Tig Notaro, Madelaine Petsch, Fedor Steer, Mena Suvari, Zach Villa, and John Waters.
How to watch: American Horror Story: 13 premieres Sept. 24 at 9 p.m. ET on FX and Hulu.
8. Brothers
Hollywood actors and True Detective co-stars Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson aren't brothers. But for the sake of everyone constantly thinking they are, what if they were? Apple TV's Brothers sees the pair playing fictionalized versions of themselves who find out they might actually be siblings. Holland Taylor plays possibly both of their mothers, which sounds worth watching the series for in itself. — S.C.
Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Woody Harrelson, Holland Taylor, Natalie Martinez, Brittany Ishibashi, Oona Yaffe, Highdee Kuan, Nolan Almeida, Ella Grace Helton, and Noah Carganilla
How to watch: Brothers is now streaming Apple TV.
7. Tuner
In the mood for a heist movie? You should tune into Tuner.
Co-written and directed by Daniel Roher, this thriller stars Leo Woodall as a piano tuner whose keen ear that also makes him adept at safe cracking. Looking to make some quick cash for a good cause, this antihero goes morally grey in a life-affirming movie that's way sweeter than the setup suggests. — K.P.
Starring: Leo Woodall, Havana Rose Liu, Dustin Hoffman, Lior Raz, Tovah Feldshuh, and Jean Reno
How to watch: Tuner is now streaming on Paramount+.
6. The Love Hypothesis
Romance lovers, rejoice! The film adaptation of Ali Hazelwood's The Love Hypothesis is finally here. The film stars Lili Reinhart as Stanford PhD candidate Olive Smith, who, through a series of classic rom-com gaffes, winds up in a fake relationship with intimidating biology professor Adam Carlsen (Tom Bateman). As the pair keep up their ruse, it becomes clear that their feelings might not be so fake after all.
What follows is a rom-com that captures much of the sweetness of the book, even if it doesn't quite stick the landing. As I wrote in my review, "like the elephant toothpaste you'd make in science class, it's a bubbly blast that'll have your insides fizzing. Yet despite this pure fun, not to mention two solid leading performances, The Love Hypothesis is missing one key ingredient that would truly make its experiment stick the landing: yearning." — B.E.
Starring: Lili Reinhart, Tom Bateman, Rachel Marsh, Jaboukie Young-White, Nicholas Duvernay, and Arty Froushan
How to watch: The Love Hypothesis premieres Sept. 23 on Prime Video.
5. Idiots
If you love comedies like Role Models and Superbad, you'll want to check out the latest from writer/director Macon Blair. When Idiots debuted out of Sundance (it was then called The Shitheads), it had critics cheering for its outrageous brand of humor. But what's it all about?
Dave Franco and O'Shea Jackson co-star as co-workers with little in common except their need to keep their job, which involves escorting a reckless teenager to a rehab facility. When things go wrong, they go wild, looping in unlikely allies and unhinged foes in a road trip movie. This makes for a comedy that's as stuffed with laughs as it is stars. — K.P.
Starring: Dave Franco, O'Shea Jackson Jr., Mason Thames, Kiernan Shipka, Nicholas Braun, and Peter Dinklage
How to watch: Idiots is now available to rent or purchase on Prime Video.
4. Jackass: Best and Last
Looking back on Jackass and its legacy, Johnny Knoxville and the gang give fans one more round of bonkers stunts and pranks. There's also fresh thrills, like messing with a robot named Larry.
The guys claim this is the last film. We hope that's not true. But they do say goodbyes hit hard, and this movie definitely does — in the feels, and the nuts. Repeatedly.* — K.P.
Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Steve-O, Chris Pontius, Wee Man, Dave England, Danger Ehren, Preston Lacy, Poopies, Zach Holmes, Jasper, Rachel Wolfson, and Dark Shark
How to watch: Jackass: Best and Last is now streaming on Paramount+.
3. A Different World
From 1987 to 1993, there was no cooler college on TV than Hillman. The historically Black college at the center of The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World introduced audiences to the likes of Whitley Gilbert and Dwayne Wayne, offering laughs alongside teen romance and drama.
Now, Netflix has rebooted the series, following the next generation of Hillman students, which include Dwayne and Whitley's youngest daughter Deborah (Maleah Joi Moon). As you can see from the trailer, there's plenty of new co-eds in the mix, and a notable shift in tone from sitcom to a more grounded streaming aesthetic. Are you ready to see how this Different World compares to the original? Us too. — K.P.
Starring: Jasmine Guy, Kadeem Hardison, Darryl M. Bell, Charnele Brown, Cree Summer, Dawnn Lewis, Glynn Turman, Ajai Sanders, Jada Pinkett, and Karen Malina White
How to watch: A Different World is now streaming on Netflix.
2. Backrooms
The concept of the Backrooms began with a 4chan post, which then-teenager Kane Parsons masterfully expanded into a series of extremely viral short horror films. Backrooms is his full-length feature adaptation, and it's about a bitter furniture shop owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who discovers the doorway to another world in the basement of his store. So, does Parsons manage to land the jump to feature? For the most part, yes. Backrooms uses uncanny spaces and an ominous soundscape to chilling effect, dragging us into a world that's as unsettling as it is endless. The movie's only real issue is its third act, which loses some tension after we see the face of the thing that's been chasing the characters through this hellish labyrinth.
"Despite this, Backrooms is still well worth a watch. The ending isn't enough to spoil what came before," I wrote in my Mashable review. "If anything, Parsons has managed to prove himself as an incredibly talented emerging filmmaker while also establishing the first chapter in what will surely end up becoming a brand-new horror franchise." — S.H.*
Starring: Chiwetel Ejiofor, Renate Reinsve, Mark Duplass, Finn Bennett, and Lukita Maxwell
How to watch: Backrooms comes to HBO Max on Sept 25.
Best of streaming this week: Toy Story 5
Woody and Buzz are back with Toy Story 5, but the real hero of this latest Disney/Pixar adventure is Jessie the Cowgirl (voiced by Joan Cusack). She's taken over as sheriff, leading the toys of Bonnie's room through highs and lows. But when a digital tablet named Lilypad (Greta Lee) appears, playtime could change forever.
In my review for Mashable, I wrote, "Whether she is cheering for her friends or condemning her foes, Jessie is exhilarating, funny, and riveting. Cusack's performance is bolstered by a top-tier animation team who created a beautiful and gleefully alive cowgirl, and who have continued that careful illustration to a broader cast of characters. Perhaps predictably, Toy Story 5 is an unabashed crowd-pleaser."* — K.P.
Starring: Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, Joan Cusack, Blake Clark, John Ratzenberger, Ernie Hudson, Tony Hale, Conan O'Brien, Greta Lee, and Melissa Villaseñor
How to watch: Toy Story 5 is now streaming on Disney+.
(*) denotes a blurb came from a prior list.
