Join The Community
It's Monday and that means it's time to round up the week's best new shows and movies! There are hundreds of great films and series available on the best streaming services, which can make choosing something to watch a bit of a chore.
That's why we've pulled together nine top choices covering Netflix, Max, Disney Plus, and Prime. As well as continuing shows like The Last of Us season 2 and Doctor Who, some brilliant recent films are hitting streaming, including the Hugh Grant horror movie Heretic. We've also got a hilarious new comedy in Government Cheese and the latest addition to a long-running anime franchise in Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX.
A Real Pain
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Disney Plus
One of the year's more unlikely indie hits, A Real Pain finds two estranged Jewish American cousins – played by Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin – embarking on a tour of Holocaust memorial sites. Given that synopsis, you might be surprised by just how funny A Real Pain often is. The film has a loose buddy comedy vibe as these two extremely mismatched people, one a successful family man, the other more aimless, enjoy and endure each other's company.
Both written and directed by Eisenberg, the script is wryly funny. It's to the film and its director's credit, however, that when it's time to get serious, it does. A scene set in the Majdanek concentration camp is haunting, and sets the stage for the cousins to face some powerful emotional truths.
Find out more about the movie with our full A Real Pain review.
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Prime
No, we didn't pass out on our keyboards, that really is the title of the latest iteration of the ever-popular Gundam franchise. This new series is the first major collaboration between Neon Genesis Evangelion creator Hideaki Anno's Khara studio and Bandai Namco's Sunrise. It introduces a brand new hero, along with some new mechs – and that's all we can probably say about a show that really does benefit fans from knowing as little as possible about the series going in.
If you're intrigued – and you should be – then the first four episodes of the series are bundled together into a feature-length special titled Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX - Beginning. Start there, and then get ready for new episodes dropping every Tuesday on Prime.
Keep track of new episodes with our Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX release schedule.
Government Cheese
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Apple TV Plus
This surreal new comedy series takes place in 1969, and follows Spooks star David Oyelowo’s Hampton Chambers – an ex-con who is determined to go straight and reconcile with his family. Rather than getting a normal job, however, he decides to become an inventor. His first creation? A self-sharpening drill known as the "Bit Magician." His family are as bemused and annoyed as you might expect – and that’s only the start of Hampton's problems when people from his past return to haunt him.
This looks like a whole lot of daft fun, with big laughs and heartfelt moments. Watch out for it when the full 10-episode first season drops on Apple TV Plus on April 16.
The Last of Us season 2
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Max
The long-awaited second season of The Last of Us continues. We're picking up with Joel (Pedro Pascal) and Ellie (Bella Ramsey) five years after the first season, with both now living in Wyoming. The two have grown sadly distant in the years following the end of season 1. That's not their only problem, however. A new type of infected is on the loose and Joel's previous actions have put a target on his head...
The first season of The Last of Us was a real shot in the arm (not the head) for the zombie genre and this second season, while naturally not as groundbreaking as the first, is still fiercely gripping horror TV with plenty of heart as well as guts.
Does The Last of Us season 2 live up to the original? Find out in our review.
The Glass Dome
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix
A new Scandi drama is always worth a look and this thriller, based on a story from the bestselling Swedish crime novelist Camilla Läckberg, sounds like a cracker. The Glass Dome is the story of Lejla, a criminologist played by Léonie Vincent who was kidnapped as a child and held inside – yes – a glass dome. She was eventually rescued, but on returning to the village she grew up in years later, Lejla discovers that another young girl, Alicia, has vanished. Can she crack the case and rescue Alicia?
We're promised a twist-packed thriller and a story that will see Lejla forced to "confront her own inner darkness" according to Netflix. Sounds good, though it does raise the question of how the villain was able to obtain a human-sized glass dome in the first place.
Heretic
Available: US
Where to watch: Max
Hugh Grant is a scene-stealing delight in this religious horror film from directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. He plays Mr. Reed – a charming, but reclusive man who opens his door to a pair of young Mormon missionaries played by Yellowjackets' Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, inviting the pair in with the promise of pie and a good-natured theological debate. It's not long, however, before the two realize that something sinister is afoot...
Grant's evolution from the boyish leading man roles of his early career to becoming one of Britain's most exciting character actors continues. You're pretty sure Reed will turn out to be a wrong 'un from the start, but how and why remains to be seen. In the meantime, the missionaries are kept in place by politeness, even as Reed grows ever more threatening.
Perhaps one day Heretic might be on our list of the best horror movies.
Doctor Who season 2
The new season of Doctor Who began with a wild, funny trip to a planet ruled by sinister red robots and continues this Saturday with an episode that is altogether different... In 'Lux,' the TARDIS brings the Doctor (Ncuti Gatwa) and his new companion Belinda Chandra (Varada Sethu) to 1950s Miami where they encounter Mr. Ring-A-Ding – a sinister living cartoon voiced by Alan Cumming.
Doctor Who fans often say that this show can do anything, and 'Lux' is further evidence of that. This appears to be Doctor Who does Who Framed Roger Rabbit? – and what an enticing prospect that is! If you haven't started the season yet, now's a great time to jump onboard.
Here's what we thought of the first episode of season 2, 'The Robot Revolution.'
Daredevil: Born Again season 1
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Disney Plus
The Man Without Fear's TV comeback has had an arguably slightly patchy first season. Happily, the last few episodes of the season have found a way to make the show's sometimes clashing tones work together. With fans still reeling from Matt Murdock/Daredevil's shooting, the city is now wide open for Vincent D'Onofrio's Kingpin to make his next move. Will Matt recover in time to save the day?
As ever, we're not allowed to share too many plot details in advance, nor would we wish to. All we can really say is that Daredevil: Born Again is returning next year for a second season, so don't expect this season finalé to wrap absolutely everything up. Do, however, expect a suitably thrilling climax with plenty of bone-crunching action as well as a few surprises.
Daredevil: Born Again is packed full of Easter Eggs.
Years and Years
Available: US/UK
Where to watch: Netflix
This six-part miniseries from Doctor Who and It's A Sin writer Russell T. Davies was originally broadcast by the BBC and HBO in 2019. Years and Years picks up with a single family, the Lyons, in 2019 and then checks in on them over the next 15 years as the UK (and indeed the world) is rocked by a series of calamitous changes, including a pandemic, the rise of authoritarian political leaders, innovations in AI, and more.
Years and Years isn't the cheeriest of shows, but it's perhaps one of the most relevant to our times. With Davies' typical razor-sharp dialogue and focus on believable characters, this is both a bleak portrait of the future, but one that still finds room for hope. If you've already binged Black Mirror season 7 and want another dystopian drama, this is for you.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our list of the best Netflix movies or the best movies on Disney Plus.
