Streaming

5 must-watch movies & TV shows streaming right now

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

By Kevin Slane

October 6, 2023

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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, Peacock, Paramount+, 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-watch list here.

Movies

“Dune”

For fans of “Dune,” the gorgeous, sprawling, hypnotic 2021 dreamscape from Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival”), the postponement of “Dune 2” from November 2023 to March 2024 due to the SAG-AFTRA strike is unfortunate, to say the least. But thanks to HBO parent company Warner Bros. Discovery leasing key parts of its Max streaming library to rival streaming services, the spice now flows on Netflix as well. The adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 sci-fi masterpiece introducing viewers to the futuristic desert world of Arrakis, where the Atreides family — Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), and son Paul (Timothee Chalamet) — face stiff resistance from all sides as they assume rulership of the planet and its rich supply of “spice.” Even on your couch at home, Villeneuve’s blockbuster truly feels epic in scale and ambition, and owes a debt of gratitude to the likes of “Lawrence of Arabia” as much as space-based sagas like “Star Wars: A New Hope,” which was inspired in part by Herbert’s novel.

How to watch: “Dune” is streaming on Netflix and Max.

“The Exorcist” (1973)

The reviews are in: “The Exorcist: Believer” can’t hold a candle to William Friedkin’s 1973 possession movie, which for 50 years has been honored by countless critics as both the greatest and scariest horror film ever made. A cultural phenomenon upon its release, “The Exorcist” was the first horror film nominated for Best Picture, the top-grossing R-rated horror movie for 45 years, and has been preserved by the Library of Congress. Even if the a few of the effects feel dated, the scares are still very real, and the possession of poor Regan (Linda Blair) is deeply unsettling.

How to watch: “The Exorcist” is streaming on HBO Max.

“Gloria Bell”

The story of the creation of “Gloria Bell,” the 2019 indie drama from A24, is an odd one. Chilean director Sebastián Lelio (“A Fantastic Woman”) decided to remake his 2013 film “Gloria” for American audiences, casting Julianne Moore as the titular divorcee who handles the tribulations of middle age and single parenthood with aplomb. Gloria dates a fellow divorcee (John Turturro, “The Big Lebowski”), smokes pot, flies to Vegas, and carefully manages relationships with her adult children and ex-husband. It’s a slice-of-life story, and with Moore at the center of it, you never want it to end.

How to watch: “Gloria Bell” is streaming on Max.

TV

“Beckham”

In recent years, it’s become sadly expected that a documentary about a famous subject will be a hagiography, especially when the subject is on board as an executive producer. “Beckham” manages to avoid that pratfall, giving viewers a relatively unflinching and revelatory look at a global superstar who may be more responsible for the rise of soccer’s popularity in the U.S. than anyone else. It probably helps that actor Fisher Stevens, seen most recently on “Succession” and “Asteroid City,” is behind the camera. The four-part docuseries is a treasure trove of information for hardcore fans of Manchester United as well as those who have never watched a competitive game of soccer in their lives.

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

“Loki”

Confession time: At some point, I stopped religiously keeping up on Marvel’s numerous Disney Plus shows. I’d catch a few episodes of shows like “Secret Invasion” or “Ms. Marvel,” but even if I found them entertaining, superhero fatigue kept me from making it to the season finale. I’m pretty sure that won’t be a problem with “Loki,” easily my favorite Marvel series since the launch of Disney Plus in November 2019. The troublemaking Norse God (Tom Hiddleston) and his sidekick Mobius (Owen Wilson) are back, attempting to traverse endlessly branching realities and keep the Time Variance Authority from collapsing amidst a “temporal meltdown.” (It makes sense once you watch, trust me.) Hiddleston and Wilson have excellent buddy cop chemistry, and Ke Huy Quan, (“Everything Everywhere All at Once”) is an entertaining addition to the Season 2 cast.

How to watch: “Loki” Season 2 is streaming on Disney Plus.