Streaming

5 must-watch movies and TV shows streaming right now

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

By Kevin Slane

July 29, 2022

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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, 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-see list here.

Movies

“Deliverance”

During the summer of 1972, multiplexes couldn’t get enough of “The Godfather,” with the landmark film spending 26 weeks at the top of the box office from March to September. While it may have been overshadowed by the Corleone dynasty at the time, July 30 marks the 50th anniversary of another iconic film that has become part of America’s cultural and cinematic language with “Deliverance.” Set in the backwoods of Georgia, the film follows four city slickers from Atlanta (Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, Ronny Cox) as their canoe trip devolves into a nightmare fight for their lives against backwoods residents. The Oscar-nominated film is probably best known for its “dueling banjos” scene, but it has also served as inspiration for a generation of survival horror films and featured envelope-pushing scenes of violence that still shock and discomfit a half-century later.

How to watch: “Deliverance” is streaming on Netflix.

“Predator”

Before “Prey,” the newest film in the Predator series, arrives on Hulu next week, travel back in time 35 years to watch the original 1987 “Predator.” (Note: We saw an advance screening of “Prey,” and it’s pretty great). Featuring not one, but two former state governors in Arnold Schwarzenegger (“The Terminator”) and Jesse Ventura (“Demolition Man”), the muscle-bound actors turned politicos are part of an elite rescue team deep in the jungles of Central America. While the group easily dispatches the radical guerillas as assigned, they soon find themselves being hunted for sport by a ruthless alien with superior technology. “Predator” helped further Schwarzenegger’s career, and buoyed director John McTiernan to make “Die Hard,” “The Hunt for Red October,” and other big-budget flicks before he landed in jail for lying to the FBI. But that’s a story for another time. 

How to watch: “Predator” is streaming on Hulu.

 TV

“City on a Hill”

When “City on a Hill” returns to Showtime for Season 3 this Sunday, the show will once again center its plot on a different Boston neighborhood for a full season, this time focusing on the high society circles of Beacon Hill. Jackie Rohr (Kevin Bacon, “Footloose”) has left the FBI and is now running security for a wealthy family. His compatriot and frequent foil, ADA Decourcy Ward (Eldis Hodge, “Hidden Figures”) is chasing criminals once more, while Siobhan (Lauren E. Banks, “In Reality”) is fighting city corruption on behalf of a construction worker injured on the Big Dig. If you haven’t caught up yet, now is the perfect time to stream the first two seasons of the Tom Fontana drama, which is co-produced by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.

How to watch: “City on a Hill” is streaming on Showtime, with new episodes airing Sundays at 10 p.m. ET.

“Everything’s Trash”

On the same weekend that Newton’s B.J. Novak has a new self-aware movie out about a millennial caricature chasing the perfect podcast, you can also catch a less darkly comic riff with a similar premise on “Everything’s Trash.” Starring real-life actress and podcast host Phoebe Robinson (“2 Dope Queens”) as a podcast host named Phoebe who is perfectly happy floating through random hookups and silly adventures in New York City, “Everything’s Trash” puts you at ease right off the bat. Though Phoebe’s free-wheeling ways may change when she meets Hamilton (Brandon Jay McLaren, “Ransom”), there’s still plenty of time to enjoy her triumphs and follies in the meantime.

How to watch: “Everything’s Trash” is streaming on Hulu, with new episodes airing Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on Freeform.

“The Resort”

After the success of “The White Lotus” on HBO last year, Peacock is bringing its own dark tale of resort vacations gone wrong with “The Resort.” The dark comedy stars Cristin Milioti (“Palm Springs”) and William Jackson Harper (“The Good Place”) as a couple vacationing in Mexico who desperately need to jumpstart their spiraling marriage. Their strength as a couple is quickly put to the test as they are thrust into a missing-persons case from 15 years prior. Come for the spiky chemistry of Milioti and Harper, stay for stellar supporting castmembers like Nick Offerman (“Parks & Recreation”) and Skyler Gisondo (“Licorice Pizza”).

How to watch: “The Resort” is streaming on Peacock.