This week on streaming has everything: a sci-fi thriller! A superhero show! A sex comedy starring absolute icon Emma Thompson! Suffice to say, you have plenty of viewing options. Whether you’re a fan of romance or spy series, comedy reboots or bat mitzvah host stories, there’s something for everyone this week.
What to watch on Netflix
Spiderhead
From Top Gun: Maverick director Joseph Kosinski and Deadpool scribes Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick comes Spiderhead, a new sci-fi thriller for Netflix. This dystopian story finds Chris Hemsworth as a powerful man who runs a prison-slash-laboratory where inmates can commute their sentences by being test subjects for mind-altering drugs; Miles Teller and Jurnee Smollett star as two prisoners who struggle to maintain their feelings and free will. It’s a movie that takes plenty of sci-fi swings, making it the perfect fit for anyone languishing in the ongoing Black Mirror drought. Spiderhead premieres Friday, June 17th.
https://youtu.be/hs6alRuY1UU
The Umbrella Academy
Superhero shows and their myriad tropes are unavoidable these days, but at least The Umbrella Academy likes to shake things up. This time traveling, mind-bending series returns for its third season this week. After avoiding another apocalypse (but certainly on the verge of igniting another one), the Hargreeves clan is back together, albeit in a new timeline that sees an alternate-universe version of their blended family. The familial dynamics take center stage in this season, with a welcome amount of attention on Elliot Page’s newly-named Viktor. Season 3 of The Umbrella Academy premieres Wednesday, June 22nd.
What to watch on Hulu
Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
Emma Thompson has been in more than her fair share of romance movies, but Good Luck to You, Leo Grande puts a new spin on the rom-com formula. The veteran actress stars as Nancy Stokes, a retired teacher who wants something more out of love and life after a tedious marriage. Her solution? Hire a sex worker for a night of fun and sexual self-discovery. The film is part exercise in sex positivity, part intriguing character study between two characters from different rungs of the cultural ladder, and entirely a must-watch. Good Luck to You, Leo Grande premieres Friday, June 17th.
https://youtu.be/LL2lhM_kDPM
The Old Man
In his first role post-cancer diagnosis and remission, Jeff Bridges is diving headfirst into television by starring in FX’s The Old Man. The actor plays Dan Chase, a former CIA operative whose life off-the-grid gets upended by a ruthless assassin and a team of FBI agents who want answers. It’s like a western outlaw tale mixed with a spy thriller, complete with gray morals and the dirty consciences of those caught up in American intelligence. Jon Lithgow and Alia Shawkat also star. The first two episodes of The Old Man will be available on Hulu starting on Friday, June 17th.
What to watch on Amazon Prime
The Summer I Turned Pretty
If To All the Boys I Loved Before put some much-needed life into YA romance, then The Summer I Turned Pretty should jumpstart the genre. This new series comes from To All the Boys author Jenny Han, and it concerns a similar kind of teen love triangle: young Isabel finds herself stuck choosing between two old friends (who just happen to be brothers) on her annual summer beach trip. Amazon has already renewed the show for a second season ahead of its premiere, so it’s sure to be something special. The Summer I Turned Pretty premieres Friday, June 17th.
What to watch on HBO Max
Father of the Bride
An updated, thoroughly Latino take on the frequently-filmed Father of the Bride comes to streaming this week. Starring Andy Garcia and Gloria Estefan, the movie follows the classic story of a dad coming to terms with his daughter’s imminent marriage — with a few new twists. Garcia and Estefan’s long-suffering couple are about to announce their divorce when the much happier news arrives, and the potentially antiquated premise gets some interesting nuance through the movie’s lens of a tight-knit Cuban-American family. It’s the kind of mid-budget comedy we rarely see anymore, and this movie makes the case that that’s a shame. Father of the Bride is streaming now.
What to watch on Apple TV+
Cha Cha Real Smooth
This Sundance favorite cobbles together a “cozy blanket of a film” that mixes coming-of-age aimlessness with sharp wit. In Cha Cha Real Smooth, writer-director Cooper Raiff stars as Andrew, a recent college grad who moves back home with his family. To fill the void of inaction he finds himself in, he starts emceeing bar/bat mitzvahs for his little brother and his friends. At some point on this career path, he meets Dakota Johnson’s Domino, a mother with an autistic daughter, and a sweet trio is formed between them. It’s a film that’s both heartfelt and smart, a rare balance. Cha Cha Real Smooth premieres Friday, June 17th.
What to Watch is a regular endorsement of movies and TV worth your streaming time.
