We know it’s tough to sort through the content churned out by the 700,000 streaming services, so we’re bringing you a curated little list of what to watch right now.
Pick of the week
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
Have you ever heard trailer music so haunting, so moving, that you just replay the damn thing over and over? Honestly: we’d watch “The Narrow Road to the Deep North” for the score alone.
Director Justin Kurzel (“Macbeth,” “The Order”) has collaborated with his brother, composer Jed Kurzel, on multiple films; now, they join forces on the swoony new miniseries version of Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel about a soldier’s experiences working on the Burma Death Railway and the resulting trauma, with Justin providing the moody visuals and Jed creating the gorgeous music.
Thankfully the show itself is already getting rave reviews, as is man of the moment and future Healthcliff Jacob Elordi (“Saltburn,” “Euphoria”). He plays Dorrigo Evans, an Australian PoW who uses memories of an old romance to endure torture at the hands of his captors, while veteran character actor Ciarán Hinds plays him as an older man. Stream it Friday on Prime Video.
Also on this week
1. #1 Happy Family USA
Ramy Youssef co-created and stars in this animated comedy about the travails of growing up brown in America the wake of Sept. 11. Stream it on Prime Video.
2. The Stolen Girl
Elisa (Denise Gough) and Fred (Jim Sturgess) drop their daughter off for a playdate, only to discover an empty house when they return to pick her up. They must figure out who took their child — before it’s too late. Stream it on Disney Plus.
3. Leverage: Redemption
Desperate for a Noah Wyle fix now that “The Pitt” is over for the season? Check out his other show, a fun little romp about a group of con artists with different specialties, like grifting, assassination, stealing and hacking (Wyle plays the motley crew’s fixer). Stream it on Prime Video.
4. Light & Magic
Industrial Light & Magic is one of the world’s best effects studios, creating groundbreaking imagery for everything from “Star Wars” to the “Mission: Impossible” series. This docuseries shares behind-the-scenes secrets of their work on “Twister,” “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Casper” and “War of the Worlds.” Stream it Friday on Disney Plus.
5. On Thin Ice: Putin vs. Greenpeace
Russia was determined to be the first to get their hands on offshore Artic oil — but Greenpeace had other plans. Find out how their protest went completely off the rails in this absorbing docuseries. Stream it Friday on CBC Gem.
6. Heavenly Ever After
In this show, dead folks get to choose what age they want to be in heaven. Hae Sook (Kim Hye-ja) chooses to be 80, given that her husband said that was when he found her most beautiful. She runs into a problem, however, when she gets to Heaven and everyone else is young — including her late husband. Stream it Saturday on Netflix.
7. The Rehearsal
Canadian Nathan Fielder is one of the most brilliant comic minds working today. Can he see the future, too? Preparation for Season 2 of “The Rehearsal” had been ongoing for a couple of years already. His chosen topic? Aviation disasters. It appears that this season, Fielder will be using his signature large-scale role-play scenarios to help (or, rather, “help”) airlines prevent crashes. Stream it Sunday on Crave.
8. Race for the Crown
The wild world of thoroughbred racing is explored in this colourful miniseries that spotlights owners, trainers and jockeys. Stream it Tuesday on Netflix.
9. How I Escaped My Cult
Cheer on former cult members as they make a break for freedom from insidious groups like NXIVM, the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Tony Alamo’s Christian Academy, the Word of Life, La Luz del Mundo, the Nuwaubian Nation and House of Yahweh. Stream it Wednesday on Disney Plus.
