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
Hacks
“Well, aren’t you a big, brave girl,” Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) spits. “I guess I am,” Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder) deadpans.
Our two heroines are at each other’s throats once more after Season 3’s jaw-dropping cliffhanger that saw Ava scheme her way, Deborah-style, into the head writer position that was cruelly wrested from her. Now the two must work together to make Deborah’s long-awaited talk show a huge success — without killing each other first, at least.
“Blackmail on day one?” agent Jimmy (Paul W. Downs) bleats. “Not good!”
The season promises many battle of wills, from failed trust falls to combative photo shoots, along with the progression of DJ’s motherhood journey and Marcus’s new career path. We’re most rooting for more time with Jimmy and his freshly minted partner Kayla (Megan Stalter) in their moviemaking adventure.
Helen Hunt and Tony Goldwyn return for the season, while Michaela Watkins and Julianne Nicholson join the cast. Stream it on Crave.
Also on this week
1. Black Mirror
The next six episodes portend a more dire future than ever, complete with a return of the USS Callister crew, a very ominous long-haired Peter Capaldi extracting something out of his brain, and Rashida Jones passing out mid-IRL cereal commercial. Paul Giamatti, Chris O’Dowd, Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae and Emma Corrin also appear, plus Will Poulter of “Bandersnatch” makes an appearance. Stream it on Netflix.
2. Pop the Balloon Live
Remember how Netflix turned down funding David Lynch’s next project? Apparently they needed the cash to bring more tantalizing options to life, like turning YouTube show “Pop the Balloon” into a live show. It features single folks popping balloons to signify that they’ve lost interest in potential matches. That’s it. Really. Stream it on Netflix.
3. Your Friends & Neighbors
No, sadly, it’s not the searing Neil LaBute dramedy starring Jason Patric, Aaron Eckhart and Ben Stiller (seriously — go watch it, it’s great!). It’s Jon Hamm’s first real star vehicle since the end of “Mad Men.” He plays a corporate shark who tries to ameliorate his divorced-dad energy with a romp with a co-worker in another department. Unfortunately, however, this li’l romp gets him fired, leaving him with tons of bills and few options. He turns to a life of crime, robbing his neighbours. Things go awry — including the appearance of a dead body. Stream it Friday on Apple TV Plus.
4. Billy & Dom Eat the World
The “Lord of the Rings” hobbit stars set out on a culinary journey around the world, stopping in London, the Outer Hebrides and Manchester; Costa Rista; California and Texas; Switzerland and Japan, to cook and kiki with the locals (and Gandalf himself, Ian McKellen!). Stream it Friday on StackTV.
5. The Last of Us
The HBO blockbuster returns for a tight seven-episode second season that takes place five years after the events of the first. Now Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Joel (Pedro Pascal) are living alongside fellow survivors in Jackson, Wyoming, and dealing with all the drama that comes with it, whether it’s navigating new relationships (Ellie gets a love interest, played by the spirited Isabela Merced) or even going to therapy (Joel’s shrink is played by Catherine O’Hara!). The awesome Kaitlyn Dever (“Dopesick,” “Apple Cider Vinegar”) joins the cast as the fearsome Abby. Stream it Sunday on Crave.
6. The Carters: Hurts to Love You
Soleil Moon “Punky Brewster” Frye continues her exploration of the dangers of child stardom in a series about the ill-fated Carter siblings, three of whom lost their fight with addiction. Stream it Tuesday on Paramount Plus.
7. Agatha Christie’s Towards Zero
We’ll watch Matthew Rhys in just about anything, so we are, as the kids say nowadays, already seated for this holiday-house murder mystery in which he plays a detective trying to get to the bottom of who killed who and why. Stream it Wednesday on BritBox.
