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Perez Hilton in 2025. He rose to fame in the 2000s with his popular blog that covers celebrities.
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Perez Hilton in 2025. He rose to fame in the 2000s with his popular blog that covers celebrities.
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We thought we said goodbye to lovable goof Ted Lasso back in 2023, but he's returned for a surprise fourth season on Apple TV. Jason Sudeikis is, of course, back as the title character, an American college football coach hired by Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham) to coach her Richmond football club, despite his lack of experience with the sport. Having won the team in a messy divorce, she figured Ted was destined to ruin the franchise her ex-husband loved so much. Of course, we all know how that went: Ted (and the team) persevered, mostly thanks to his unrelenting good nature and belief in others.
If you are looking for more streaming shows with the same can-do spirit, here are 10 to consider—not all of them having anything to do with sports, because in 2026, we need to take joy and inspiration wherever we can find it.
One minute, Russ Holliday (series star and co-creator Glen Powell) is the biggest name in collegiate football, with a future that couldn't be brighter. The next, he's fumbled a touchdown and shoved a fan into a wheelchair-bound cancer patient. Not great! Eight years later, he's looking for a comeback and, with shades of Mrs. Doubtfire, he reinvents himself via prosthetics and a wig as the title's Chad Powers, a charmingly naive athlete who signs on to the football team at a tiny Georgia college. It's a goofy premise, but Powell's performance sells it, and the show becomes more engaging as Russ/Chad is forced to ask himself whether this new persona is a total con, or the person he'd actually like to be. Stream Chad Powers on Hulu.
Amy Poehler stars as Leslie Knope, a can-do go-getter in the sleepy town of Pawnee, Indiana. Irrepressibly perky, she's the deputy director of the local Parks and Rec Department, with ambitions that extend to the White House. Her dream is as inspiring as it is unhinged, but she's hard not to root for—at least a little. In the best workplace comedy tradition, her office is filled with lovable oddballs: gruff libertarian Ron Swanson (Nick Offerman); cynical underachiever Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari); and saucy Donna Meagle (Retta), whose mysterious but definitely wild personal life is only ever alluded to. It's all amiably silly, and full of characters determined to do their best, albeit with mixed results. Stream Parks and Recreation on Peacock.
Another well-loved TV celebrity stars in a lightly satirical comedy that's a bit more plot-oriented than a typical sitcom. Ted Danson plays Charles Nieuwendyk, a hapless retired professor and recent widower who listens to his daughter's plea that he find something to keep him occupied. He answers an ad from a private investigator seeking someone to go undercover by moving into a retirement community in San Francisco in hopes of discovering who's been stealing the residents' jewelry. As he comes to care about the people he's investigating (and lying to), Charlie's job only gets harder. The second season moves to a small liberal arts college, and co-stars Danson's real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen. Stream A Man on the Inside on Netflix.
Bridget Everett plays Sam Miller, a woman struggling to find her new direction after moving back to her hometown to care for her dying sister (don't worry: there's plenty of comedy in the drama, and it's not as heavy as it sounds). She's solidly middle-aged and starting over, kinda—making new friends in a familiar environment where she has to confront the past and the future alike. Luckily, her love of singing, and a community of goofy oddballs, are there to help. It's another story of a person of a certain age trying to rebuild their life following an upheaval. Stream Somebody Somewhere on HBO Max.
One of the best and most beloved anime series of the past decade-and-change happens to be a reasonably good match for Ted Lasso, even while it concerns a high school volleyball team in Japan. Shoyo Hinata is athletic, though short, and determined to play volleyball professionally—whatever his stature. He signs on to his high school club, only to learn that he's the only member of the once-mighty team. Hinata eventually recruits enough scrappy underdogs to make a go of it...but they're overwhelmingly defeated their first time out, in large part due to Tobio Kageyama, a brutal and brilliant opposing player. Hinata vows revenge, but soon finds himself and his rival on the same team. Now they all have to work together if they're to have a shot at the championship. Stream Haikyu!! on Netflix and Crunchyroll.
A fun, funny, occasionally serious dramedy (vibe-match here, even if the setting is very different), Shrinking stars Jason Segal as cognitive behavioral therapist Jimmy Laird, who's been in a depression spiral since the death of his wife a year before the show opens. When he tries to get through a workday following a night of partying, he chews out a whiny patient—which is not exactly standard procedure. But Jimmy finds himself invigorated, nonetheless, and telling people what he really thinks becomes his new thing, with mixed results. Jessica Williams plays fellow therapist Gaby Evans, perpetually upbeat despite her recent divorce, while Harrison Ford is clearly having a great time playing Jimmy's crusty boss and mentor. Michael J. Fox joined the cast for the third season, and it's been renewed for a fourth. Stream Shrinking on Apple TV.
Almost certainly inspired by Ted Lasso, this (mostly) lighthearted docu-series follows the fortunes of Wrexham A.F.C., a Welsh professional association football club that has seen better days, despite being one of the oldest clubs in the world. In 2020, it was bought by actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds, who, despite having no particular experience with the sport (sound familiar?), were determined to revive its fortunes. The show has won eight Emmys so far, and won over audiences and critics with its inspiring tone and willingness to make fun of the occasional cluelessness of its leads. Stream Welcome to Wrexham on Hulu.
Quickly establishing itself as one of the great workplace mockumentaries, Quinta Brunson's Abbott Elementary portrays its cast of (mostly) well-meaning characters running up against an American educational system that doesn't always reward good intentions. It's another vibe match—a show about a group of goofballs doing their best in the face of overwhelming odds, and sometimes even succeeding. The 2022 Emmy win for the great Sheryl Lee Ralph became a viral moment, if only because it was so well-deserved for an actress representing an incredibly talented, brilliantly funny cast. Stream Abbott Elementary on Hulu, Disney+, and HBO Max.
The world of Rooster is a bit darker than that of Ted Lasso (this is more of a comedy-drama), but we're still playing in a similar sandbox. Greg Russo (Steve Carell) is the author of a series of popular, but critically dismissed, detective novels. Despite that, his world is falling apart around him rather precipitously in the opening episodes: He's started dating a grad student, and his already complicated relationship with his daughter grows even more so when she accidentally (kinda) burns down a house. It's a show about a likable, well-meaning character who struggles to maintain his principles and outlook when faced with a world that's more than happy to throw mud in his face. Stream Rooster on HBO Max.
A show that survived on viewer affection and critical acclaim more than ratings (at a time when such a thing was still possible), Friday Night Lights ran for five seasons without ever being a particularly big hit—but it's had an impressive afterlife. A drama about small-town high school football rather than a comedy, the show nonetheless stays positive and inspirational, even as it captures the highs and (often heartbreaking) lows of life for the kids, coaches, and families around tiny Dillon, Texas. A reboot is in the works. Stream Friday Night Lights on Prime Video and Paramount+.
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After two cancellations and four so-called series finales and counting, Futurama might be the most resilient show ever. Another new season is on the way from Hulu, plus a series of (just announced) specials. If it doesn't have the consistent staying power of something like The Simpsons (with which it shares a creator in Matt Groening), Family Guy, or Bob's Burgers, it's got a pluckiness that makes it all the more charming. Plus, those shows have never made me ugly cry like that one episode about Fry's dog.
If you're looking for other shows that deliver similar sci-fi silliness, or you just want to get set with a backup in case Futurama gets cancelled again, these 10 genre comedies will be just the thing.
More cynical than Futurama (which is saying a fair bit), Rick & Morty nonetheless plays in the same high-concept sci-fi sandbox; both shows excel at a stupid/smart blend of comedy. Rick Sanchez is an old-school mad scientist (think Doc Brown, but drunker) dragging his well-meaning but hapless grandson on adventures in time and space, as well as across dimensions—Back to the Future meets Doctor Who, but crasser and far weirder. It's clever, gross, frequently disturbing, and occasionally a bit emotional—but mostly it's a wild good time exploring the multiverse. Stream Rick and Morty on Hulu and HBO Max.
Instead of focusing on the upper ranks of any given Federation starship, Star Trek: Lower Decks deals with the, well, lower decks—the crew behind the scenes that keeps everything going on a second-rate ship specializing in "Second Contact"—i.e. arriving after the main event to make sure all the paperwork is signed. It's a sitcom in space that still manages to feel like real Star Trek by balancing cartoon wackiness with convincing character arcs. By the end of Lower Decks' five seasons, the two-dimensional crew of the Cerritos feels as real as that of any other show in the franchise. Stream Star Trek: Lower Decks on Paramount+.
One of the closest analogues to Futurama is set in Japan's past—we're in late Edo-period Japan (roughly the early/mid-1800s) but, in this version of history, aliens have invaded, the shogun has surrendered, and samurai are outlawed. The eccentric Gintoki Sakata takes on a teenage apprentice in his business making deliveries and doing odd jobs, later joined by a teenage alien. There are long-running plot threads and weighty character arcs, but that's all balanced by often over-the-top, and just as often very funny, comedy that's variously smart, raunchy, and goofy. Characters break the fourth wall to crack jokes, and the show mercilessly parodies pop culture, including other popular anime. Stream Gintama on Hulu and Netflix.
Sharing a Hulu home with Futurama and coming from the Rick & Morty creators, Solar Opposites follows Korvo (Dan Stevens), Terry (Thomas Middleditch), Yumyulack (Sean Giambrone), and Jesse (Mary Mack), aliens from a once-advanced planet destroyed by an asteroid. The humor is very R&M-esque, including running side stories about shrunken humans and alien cops, but there's a bit more sincerity here; the show satirizes human culture while making clear that it's not always fun to be a refugee. Stream Solar Opposites on Hulu and Netflix.
This much-loved, if relatively short-lived, animated series follows twin siblings Mabel and Dipper Pines (Kristen Schaal and Jason Ritter) as they are sent to spend the summer with their great-uncle (aka "Grunkle") Stan (voiced by show creator Alex Hirsch). While helping Stan run his mystery-themed tourist shack, the kids tackle a series of supernatural mysteries, many related to the show's ultimate antagonist, dream demon Bill Cipher. If it's not exactly Futurama-style sci-fi, the X-Files inspiration is certainly prominent. Stream Gravity Falls on Disney+.
Seth MacFarlane's The Orville began life as a slightly scatological Star Trek parody—a show with a reverence for The Next Generation but also jizz jokes. It quickly grew into something more interesting, as MacFarlane's obvious affection for the franchise sent the show off in a more serious direction. Certainly by the Hulu-produced third season, it had become one of the most ambitious (still a bit silly) sci-fi shows on the air. A fourth season is allegedly on the way, though I'll believe it when I see it. Stream The Orville on Hulu.
The Planet Express isn't exactly a luxury liner, but Avenue 5 most certainly is. It's an interplanetary cruise ship headed by its popular captain, Ryan Clark (Hugh Laurie), and owned by obnoxious, eccentric billionaire Herman Judd (Josh Gadd). A minuscule shift sends the ship off course, such that the planned months-long jaunt will take three years, even though supplies won't last. It doesn't take long before the ship's pocket of civilization breaks down, with crew and passengers alike jockeying for power, or just food. Veep's Armando Iannucci is the creator and showrunner, and if you're familiar with that show, you'll recognize the general tone: dark comedy and a dim view of people under pressure, particularly the rich and powerful. Stream Avenue 5 on HBO Max.
What if the Futurama characters were all sort of effortlessly cool? OK, that's a big "if," but if this isn't quite a vibe match, there are some similarities, in the sense that we're dealing with a ragtag crew of odd jobbers—among them a woman out of time, awakened from a long cryogenic suspension she'd never agreed to. An iconic genre classic, Cowboy Bebop is one of the undisputed GOATs of anime, blending western, noir, comedy, and crime genres and setting the resultant mash to a killer soundtrack. The title's "cowboys" are bounty hunters in a near-future in which humans have been forced to colonize the solar system after Earth became uninhabitable. Former hitman Spike Spiegel leads his crew on one nearly disastrous mission after another, their standalone adventures all building to a thoroughly memorable climax. Stream Cowboy Bebop on Crunchyroll or buy it from Prime Video.
Not science fiction, but this fantasy riff also comes from Matt Groening and company; the art style and sense of humor are very similar, as are the voice actors, many of whom (including John DiMaggio and Lauren Tom) are direct transplants from Futurama. Oh, and there's also a brief appearance from the crew via crystal ball, so the shows would appear to be set in the same universe. Abbi Jacobson is Bean, the hard-drinking, hard-living princess of Dreamland, who joins up with Elfo the half-elf and Luci, her personal demon, for a series of increasingly strange adventures. It starts out amiably enough, but the serialization and contained story set it apart from other Matt Groening shows. Stream Disenchantment on Netflix.
Another scrappy sci-fi comedy that's returned from the dead multiple times—and may yet again. Craig Charles is Dave Lister, amiable loser and well-meaning slob who holds the lowest job possible on the enormous mining ship Red Dwarf (if Fry's your guy, you'll love Lister). When he sneaks a pregnant cat aboard, he's punished by being placed in suspended animation (without pay) for the rest of the trip. Which is a lot longer than anyone anticipated: When Dave wakes up, three million years have passed, and humanity is entirely extinct. The kittens survived and sired an inbred cat empire that's since risen and all but fallen, while the senile main computer has recreated Dave's hated roommate (Chris Barrie) as a hologram to keep him company. Soon joined by a prissy android, they spend the next 30+ years bumming about in space and stumbling into adventures—some of them involving cross-time and/or universe encounters with Kristine Kochanski, the Leela-esque object of Dave's (mostly) unrequited affection. Stream Red Dwarf on Britbox.
August is a lighter month for Netflix, with a few familiar favorites and a handful of new series and films. Comedy show Tires (Aug. 13) returns for a third season along with Outer Banks (season 5 on Aug. 20). For reality TV lovers, there's a new season of Love Is Blind: UK (Aug. 19) and Let's Marry Harry (Aug. 5), a Bachelor-like competition show featuring Australian actor and reality star Harry Jowsey.
Robert DeNiro, Michelle Monaghan, Michael Keaton, and Adam Scott star in a new original crime thriller, The Whisper Man (Aug. 28), which is based on Alex North's novel of the same name. Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing (Aug. 19) is a documentary film investigating whistleblowing at Boeing. Netflix will also host Phillies vs. Twins in MLB Field of Dreams on Aug. 13. Here's everything else coming to Netflix in August, and everything that's leaving.
Mousetrap—Netflix Series
3 Ninjas: Kick Back
About Last Night...
Anaconda
Annie
Are We Done Yet?
Bride of Chucky
Child's Play 2
Child's Play 3
Clueless
Cult of Chucky
Curse of Chucky
Daddy Day Camp
Daddy Day Care
Elysium
The Fast and the Furious
2 Fast 2 Furious
The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift
Fast Five
Fast & Furious
Fast & Furious 6
Furious 7
Field of Dreams
The Hitman’s Bodyguard
The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard
Holmes & Watson
Marie Antoinette
Mile 22
Minions
National Security
Nightcrawler
Party Girl
Seed of Chucky
Selma
Something's Gotta Give
Speed
Speed 2: Cruise Control
Tears of the Sun
The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
Zero Dark Thirty
Ingrid Goes West
Eighth Grade
Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Sing
Spoiler Alert
Badly in Love: Season 2—Netflix Series
Best Medicine: Season 1
Beyond the Lights
The Cocktail Lab: Season 1
1670: Season 3—Netflix Series
Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy—Netflix Documentary
Inside The Trustor Scandal—Netflix Documentary
Let's Marry Harry—Netflix Series
One Hundred Years of Solitude: Part 2—Netflix Series
Soul Surfer
My Life With the Walter Boys: Season 3—Netflix Series
Tortilla Soup
Death Inc.: Season 4—Netflix Series
Operation Safed Sagar—Netflix Series
Our Sticky Love—Netflix Series
Ricky Gervais Alley Cats—Netflix Series
THE RIBBON HERO—Netflix Film
Lazareth
Dr. Seuss’s Red Fish, Blue Fish: Season 3—Netflix Family
Midwinter Break
MOURINHO—Netflix Documentary
Rory Scovel: Show Must Go On—Netflix Comedy Special
What's Eating Dan?: Season 1
Nando Between Two Worlds - A Sintonia Film—Netflix Film
A Child of My Own—Netflix Film
Immaculate
MLB Field of Dreams: Phillies vs. Twins—Netflix Live Event
My Brilliant Career—Netflix Series
This, That and Everything in Between—Netflix Film
Tires: Season 3—Netflix Series
Don't Say Good Luck—Netflix Film
Moria—Netflix Series
My Best Friend, His Girlfriend and Me—Netflix Film
To the Max—Netflix Film
Umthetho—Netflix Series
Firehouse Dog
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Shallows
Smurfs: The Lost Village
Kelsey Cook: Happy Hour—Netflix Comedy Special
On the Road: Season 1
Seal Team: Seasons 1-7
Take a Hike!—Netflix Series
Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing—Netflix Documentary
Here the Whole Time—Netflix Film
Love Is Blind: UK: Season 3—Netflix Series
Swiss Army Man
Blood Sacrifice—Netflix Series
Chompoo: Lost & Forgotten—Netflix Documentary
Outer Banks: Season 5—Netflix Series
S&X—Netflix Series
Facing El Chapo—Netflix Film
Talamasca: The Secret Order: Season 1
Danny Go!: Season 2
M3GAN
Revival: Season 1
Martha Cooks: Season 1
Stamptown—Netflix Comedy Special
Untold: The Testimony of Vince Young—Netflix Sports Series
Mom Knows Best?—Netflix Series
One Hundred Years of Solitude: Part 2: Grand Finale—Netflix Series
Leanne: Season 2—Netflix Series
All the Truth in My Lies—Netflix Series
Graveyard: Season 3—Netflix Series
The Secret Woman—Netflix Film
The Whisper Man—Netflix Film
Four Hands, Two Sonatas—Netflix Series
Sex Lives of College Girls: Seasons 1-3
Sheriff Labrador: Season 2
27 Dresses
A Million Ways to Die in the West
The Age of Adaline
Atonement
Borat
Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie
Chef
Click
Enough
Everest
Ex Machina
Father of the Bride
Father of the Bride: Part II
Fletch
The Five-Year Engagement
The Glass House
Hacksaw Ridge
Home Improvement: Seasons 1-8
Hunter X Hunter (2011): Seasons 1-6
I Feel Pretty
Kindergarten Cop
Midnight Diner: Seasons 1-3
Mississippi Grind
Pixels
Pretty Woman
The Proposal
R.I.P.D.
Single White Female
Splash
There's Something About Mary
Tootsie
Spider-Man
Spider-Man 2
Spider-Man 3
Labyrinth
Copshop
Marry Me
The Game: Seasons 1-33
Fall
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A wildly toxic eight-year relationship doesn't sound like much fun—but better a fictional couple than me. The juicy, addictive Tell Me Lies (streaming on Hulu and Disney+) ended this year after three seasons, finally revealing the full story that unfolded behind the wedding that kicked off the very first episode. If you're seeking more salacious drama, here are 10 other shows that dig into similarly, uhm, complicated, messy relationships.
You want a toxic relationship? How about a string of them involving a hot serial killer? Penn Badgley plays Joe Goldberg, who, in the first season, develops an extreme romantic obsession with Elizabeth Lail's struggling MFA student Guinevere Beck. He'll do whatever it takes to clear a path to lasting love—like, literally anything. The show concluded after five seasons of toxic, obsessive relationships that were just about as addictive for audiences as they were for Joe. Stream You on Netflix.
These rich ladies are going through it, and just because they've got beautiful homes and nice clothes doesn't mean they're not getting the full treatment. As the series opens, five women (played by Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoë Kravitz) become involved in a murder investigation connected to a school fundraiser that threatens to bring all of their private dirt out into the open—and there are secrets aplenty to uncover. Toxic relationships come into the light, and others become toxic under pressure. In their social strata, any threat to the status quo can lead to big drama. Stream Big Little Lies on HBO Max.
Less overtly toxic than Tell Me Lies, this is nonetheless a show about a thoroughly complicated relationship over time, and no less compelling. This one comes from Sally Rooney's smart, bestselling novel about the steamy coming-of-age romance between Marianne (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal), characters and actors with impressive chemistry. She's rich but lonely; he's popular but the son of a housekeeper. As time goes on and their roles start to shift, life and love only grow more complicated. The plot isn't groundbreaking, but its uncommon intelligence and a frankness about sex and sexual violence set it apart. Stream Normal People on Hulu.
A pitch-perfect (and pitch-dark) comedy, the Irish import Bad Sisters picked up several well-deserved Emmy nominations in its first year. Writer and co-creator Sharon Horgan leads the cast as Eva Garvey, oldest of five sisters, including Grace (Anne-Marie Duff), who's married to John Paul, an abusive and isolating husband. When the dude winds up dead under rather suspicious circumstances, down-on-his-luck insurance investigator Tom (Brian Gleeson) starts poking his nose into things. We know the sisters definitely wanted John Paul dead, but did they actually do the deed? Tom's family business will go under if he has to pay out on the life insurance policy, so he's motivated to pin the (potential) crime on at least one of the women. This isn't so much about a toxic romance as it is about toxic...well, everything. Stream Bad Sisters on Apple TV.
The title's affair impressively spins out over the course of five seasons via a clever, Rashōmon-like structure that has us constantly questioning our perspective as viewers. Starring Dominic West, Ruth Wilson, Maura Tierney, and Joshua Jackson, the show explores the extramarital relationship between West's Noah Solloway and Wilson's Alison Bailey, rotating between the points-of-view of the four leads to constantly put new light on events, while also suggesting that memories are ever-shifting and often self-aggrandizing. Stream The Affair on Paramount+ and Prime Video.
A messy relationship sits at the center of this addictive, if also slightly messy, South Korean miniseries. Art student Na-bi (Han So-hee) is coming off a borderline abusive relationship and no longer believes in love, which is not to say that she's entirely lost interest in sex. Convenient, then, that she meets flirty fellow student Jae-eon (Song Kang), similarly disinterested in anything long-term—at least initially. With impressive chemistry between the leads and a strong supporting cast of characters with their own issues, the show solidly depicts a modern situationship that slowly turns romantic despite its leads' best intentions. Stream Nevertheless on Netflix.
Sarah Shahi is Billie Connelly, a married mother of two in a quiet, wealthy suburb—and a woman with a rather wild past she's keen to reexamine. She starts daydreaming about her hot and horny relationship with an ex-boyfriend, Brad, writing down the sexy details, which her husband soon finds. And then it turns out that her bestie is sleeping with Brad, which puts her back in touch with the object of her fantasies. It's a show that asks: Do you stick with your safe, happy family or opt for the very extra good sex? Stream Sex/Life on Netflix.
Good luck finding a twisty relationship drama that goes harder than Behind Her Eyes, a show that builds to a climax so cuckoo bananas that you'll either applaud its audacity or cackle at its outrageousness. Louise (Simona Brown) is a single mother who starts an affair with her boss—and his wife—and then gets involved with his former mistress in the wake of a mysterious death. And then it gets really wild. Stream Behind Her Eyes on Netflix.
Based on your affection for Tell Me Lies, I'm guessing you're here for the drama—the truly fucked up relationships best enjoyed from the comfort of your living room (hey, no judgements!). In case you're looking for something a little less twisty and a little more sincere (and just as addictive), you might turn to Judy Blume. This adaptation of her widely banned 1975 novel updates the setting to current-ish day Los Angeles, and expands its exploration of the complexities of teen love and sex to include the challenges of being young, exceptional, and Black in 2020s America. Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone) attends a predominantly Black private school and is working toward a track scholarship at Howard, while Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) goes to school with white kids and is on his parents' track to go to Northeastern, ideally on a basketball scholarship. Forever follows their budding romance in a way that feels real and compelling—it's one of the best young relationship dramas streaming. Stream Forever on Netflix.
A rom-com so dark and messy that it very nearly misses the cut-off for the genre, functioning simultaneously as a satire and a very believable relationship drama. Jimmy Shive-Overly (Chris Greer) is an entirely self-absorbed writer; Gretchen Cutler (Aya Cash) is a publicist/cynical chaos goblin. They have what feels like a one-night stand after a wedding, but find themselves drawn to each other, in large part because they're similarly self-sabotaging. Rather than a long will-they/won't-they build up, the two immediately dive into a wildly dysfunctional relationship; the question isn't "will they get together?" so much as "how can they possibly make this work?" Stream You're the Worst on Hulu.
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Not since Happy Days spun off into Mork and Mindy has there been a weirder TV franchise expansion than Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, which takes the relatively straightforward sitcom antics of The Big Bang Theory and expands them into the multiverse. It seems that, at some point after the conclusion of their show, Howard, Sheldon, and Leonard built a quantum something-or-other machine that went haywire and triggered a multiversal apocalypse that only comic book guy Stuart (Kevin Sussman) can stop.
It's early days yet, but the HBO series is pretty fun, making the most of the parent show's geeky bona fides and affection for genre tropes. If you're looking for more entertainment in the same nerdy vein, here are other shows that inject varying degrees of comedy into serious sci-fi scenarios.
Though less overtly comedic, there's an appealing goofiness to this quintessentially '90s bit of sci-fi, a show that anticipates the multiversal mayhem of the modern Marvel era. Jerry O'Connell is Quinn Mallory, who accidentally opens a portal that sends him and a rotating group of companions (including, initially, John Rhys-Davies as Quinn's mentor) through the multiverse. The device that he invents to get them all home is, inconveniently, an unreliable timer that keeps them stuck wherever they land for...well, however much time the story demands. Over the course of their adventures, they visit worlds where the Soviet Union won the Cold War, where antibiotics were never invented, and where Hillary Clinton is president (I swear!). Increasing serialization involving a whole species of mostly evil sliders doesn't really improve things as the show goes on, but it's still a pretty good time. Stream Sliders on Peacock and Tubi.
Josh Hutcherson plays Josh Futturman, a twenty-something janitor who lives with his parents and isn't good at much aside from video games. Though that's enough, as it turns out: He's the only person ever to finish the game Biotic Wars, a success that triggers the arrival of time-traveling soldiers from the future who recruit Josh for their war (yes, that's basically the plot of The Last Starfighter). The show succeeds by wearing its sci-fi influences on its sleeve, taking its world and backstory seriously before populating it with goofy, raunchy, and believably out-of-their-depth characters. Buy Future Man from Prime Video.
The subject here is outer-space sci-fi in the Star Trek mold, but it's still a beautifully irreverent sendup of the genre, with an amiable loser at its center. Craig Charles is Dave Lister, a well-meaning slob who holds the lowest job possible on the enormous mining ship Red Dwarf. When he sneaks a pregnant cat aboard, he's punished by being placed in suspension (without pay) for the rest of the trip. Which is a lot longer than anyone anticipated: When Dave wakes up, three million years have passed, and humanity is entirely extinct. The kittens survived and sired an inbred cat empire that's since risen and all but fallen, while the senile main computer has recreated Dave's hated roommate (Chris Barrie) as a hologram to keep him company. Soon joined by a prissy android, they spend the next 30+ years bumming about in space and stumbling into adventures. Stream Red Dwarf on Britbox.
In a depressingly straight and self-serious superhero-media landscape, Legends of Tomorrow soared past its rocky origins as a dumping ground for supporting characters from other DC shows to become something altogether weirder (and queerer). Initially recruited by a time traveller for a mission specifically because of their insignificance (their absences from the timeline won't affect a thing), the Legends go from screwups to reluctant heroes under the leadership of Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), putting things right in time and space. Blending solid character work with brilliant goofiness, the show saw plotlines involving a giant animatronic bear threatening the Old West, a season-ending fight scene set to "The Thong Song," and a character's nipple getting bitten off by a unicorn. Stream Legends of Tomorrow on Netflix.
I feel like Resident Alien flew a bit under the radar during its run, though it still managed a solid four-season run. Alan Tudyk (Serenity, Rogue One, Superman) stars as Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, sort of: He's actually an alien with an unpronounceable name who crashed on Earth before killing the real Harry and assuming his identity. He's meant to scout the planet for a planned destruction, but, by assuming human form and integrating with the community in the tiny town of Patience, Colorado, he slowly begins to have second thoughts, even as he continues to be entirely repulsed by human culture. Tudyk is genuinely funny while managing to hit some moving emotional beats along his journey to not-wanting-to-kill-us-all-quite-as-much, and the supporting cast is similarly game. The fictional setting is set near the real Southern Ute Reservation, and offers up some impressive Indigenous representation, including Sara Tomko as Harry's bestie and occasional foil, Asta Twelvetrees. Stream Resident Alien on Peacock and Netflix.
The Librarians began life as a charming, Indiana Jones-light TV movie led by Noah Wylie way back in 2004, which spawned two sequels, the series in question, as well as a sequel show now entering its second season. While largely a standalone take on the mildly comedic premise (a secret annex of the New York Public Library that catalogs magical and occult objects), The Librarians finds Rebecca Romjin, John Larroquette, and Christian Kane leading a group of action-scholars who use their brains to save the world. They're not lovable losers in the Stuart mode, but are, nonetheless, a bunch of true nerds who become reluctant heroes. Stream The Librarians on Prime Video.
Creator Will Forte stars as Phil Miller, a former banker who believes, for about a year, that he’s the only survivor of a plague that wiped out humanity...until he meets Kristen Schaal, a notary from Delaware. The two don’t have much in common, but decide they’re responsible for repopulating the earth. Frequently genuinely funny, the show winds up striving for a larger purpose than parodying end-of-the-world narratives, exploring our obsession with the end times and what it means to live in a world where apocalyptic thinking winds up becoming self-fulfilling. Stream The Last Man on Earth on Hulu.
The tone of this sensational series is wildly different than that of Stuart, and yet it would feel like a disservice to not mention this weird sci-fi apocalypse from Breaking Bad's Vince Gilligan, which displays a very dark, very dry sense of humor. Rhea Seehorn plays Carol Sturka, a fantasy romance author and general grouch who becomes one of only 13 people on the planet immune to the "Joining"—the result of an alien virus that transforms the rest of humanity into a peaceful, perky, and perpetually content hive mind. Carol refuses to surrender her miserableness in the face of a loss of identity, fighting instead to restore humanity to its admittedly cruddy ways. Saving the world means saving the world for snobby misanthropes like herself. Thrilling, heartbreaking, and genuinely funny, the show manages to address some big questions about what it means to be human, and what we'd be willing to give up to change. Stream Pluribus on Apple TV.
Based on the ‘90s-era vehicular combat games that your parents probably hated (involving, as they do, a lot of wild, demolition-derby style action in which you smash and/or blow up your opponents), Twisted Metal stars Anthony Mackie as John Doe, a driver tasked with carrying a package across the entirely lawless Wasteland while dodging challenges that include a murderous clown in an ice cream truck. Alternately brutal and goofy, the show mostly does what it says on the tin, providing plenty of frenetic car-on-car action (and car-on-semi, car-on-hearse, -ice cream truck, etc.). If the over-the-top comedic violence of Stuart is your bag, you'll get plenty of that here. Stream Twisted Metal on Peacock.
New Queer Cinema pioneer Greg Araki followed up his neon-tinged cinematic apocalypse in Kaboom with Now Apocalypse, a successor in spirit. Avan Jogia plays Ulysses Zane, living in sun-soaked California with his best friend Carly (Kelli Berglund), a struggling actress and sex worker. He keeps having bizarre dreams about an alien invasion that feel increasingly like they might be premonitions, or possibly just anxiety delusions brought on by too much weed. The show only lasted one season and never quite made it to its own prophesied apocalypse, but it was definitely fun while it lasted, and definitely offers something a bit to the left of the typical dreary end-of-the-world. It's a comedy dystopia, just sweatier and hornier than usual. Stream Now Apocalypse on Tubi.
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A cozy, nearly idyllic small town full of an ensemble of quirky characters, grounded in the loving but frequently spiky relationship between single mom Lorelei (Lauren Graham) and Rory (Alexis Bledel). I doubt that Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino was trying to create a formula, but there are elements here that other creators have tried to recapture for a couple of decades now, to greater and lesser effect. The sharp, fast-paced dialogue, chemistry, and complex relationship between mother and daughter balance the charming, cutesy appeal of the Stars Hollow setting. At its best, the show balances its coziness with a sharp wit that keeps it from ever feeling cloying—as is the case with all of these shows that put complicated women in the lead.
Wild setup here in this telenovela-inspired romcom, but that's part of the fun. Gina Rodriguez is the title's Jane Gloriana Villanueva, a religious-ish waitress with dreams of becoming a romance novelist. She'd promised her grandmother that she'd maintain her virginity until marriage, a vow thoroughly complicated when she's artificially inseminated by mistake. The show has fun blending wild, telenovela-inspired, plot twists with more grounded character relationships, including among the three generations of women at the show's heart. Creator Jennie Snyder Urman was a co-producer on Gilmore Girls, and much of that influence is felt here, including in the ways that the show makes Miami feel like a small town. Buy Jane the Virgin from Prime Video.
A legitimate sitcom that just happens to be set in Northern Ireland during the violent Troubles of the 1990s, when clashes between nationalists and unionists frequently resulted in violence. It’s a fascinating contrast, brought to life by a writer and creator (Lisa McGee) who lived it. It’s also laugh-out-loud funny—though doesn’t make any allowances for audiences unaccustomed to Irish accents, so don’t feel bad if you need subtitles until you get the hang of it. Erin, Orla, Clare, and Michelle are joined by James, the only male student at their Catholic girls' school, dealing with normal growing-up stuff in absurd times. This world is a far cry from that of Stars Hollow, but there's the feel of a tight-knit community of quick-talking, quick-witted women (and one boy!) that strongly connects both shows. Stream Derry Girls on Netflix.
Amy Sherman-Palladino followed up Gilmore Girls in a big way with Mrs. Maisel, one of Prime’s first and buzziest original series. It's a comedy-drama about the title’s Midge Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan), a New York housewife of the late 1950s who discovers a talent for stand-up comedy. Inspired by the real-life careers of comedians like Totie Fields and Joan Rivers, the show is both warm and funny, with great performances and dialogue; it also achieves something rare in being a show about comedy that’s actually funny. Mrs. Maisel and her '50s New York milieu are far from Stars Hollow, but there's a similar wit and quippiness to the dialogue, albeit with references that are more appropriately tailored to the era. And, as with Lorelei, our lead is a funny, complicated woman who's not afraid to dream (and mess up) big. Stream The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel on Prime Video.
There's a moment in the first episode of this show when single mom Georgia describes herself and daughter Ginny as "...like the Gilmore Girls, but with bigger boobs!" So there you have it. Brianne Howey plays Georgia, who became a mom at 15 and who's been fleeing for much of that time, escaping from more than one abusive relationship and going to whatever lengths have been necessary (including possibly murder) in order to protect her two kids. As Ginny (Antonia Gentry) comes of age, she's forced to come to terms with her mom's actions (Ginny generally gets bits of backstory alongside us, the audience) and to try to understand the reasons behind them. Their relationship is close, but also complicated and sometimes antagonistic. Stream Ginny & Georgia on Netflix.
Inexplicably underrated, the sitcom Crazy Ex-Girlfriend staged wildly ambitious, and consistently hilarious, musical numbers throughout its four season run. The show stars Rachel Bloom as Rebecca Bunch, a a Yale- and Harvard-educated lawyer who works for a major NYC firm, and who throws it all away to chase a crush from her teenage years to a small town in California. Most impressively, the show dives into real-life issues around mental illness and treatment with humor, but also genuine compassion and frankness, doing a way better job than most other shows. The connective thread here is a lead, like Lorelei, who gets to be a believable, fully realized character while making some very, very questionable decisions on her way toward a more authentic life. Buy Crazy Ex-Girlfriend on Prime Video.
Amy Sherman-Palladino and David Palladino returned to TV, and to the ballet world (following Bunheads), for this series about two world-renowned ballet companies (one in NYC and one in Paris) that decide to spice things up by swapping their most talented dancers. Each company is on the brink of financial disaster, and so Jack McMillan (Luke Kirby), director of the Metropolitan Ballet, and Geneviève Lavigne (Charlotte Gainsbourg), director of of Le Ballet National, come up with the plan, and recruit an eccentric billionaire (Simon Callow) to pay for it. Much of the comedy comes from the mismatched natures of their swapped dancers, and there's a tangible love of ballet that keeps things light, despite the fancy title. Stream Étoile on Prime Video.
A little more schmaltzy than Gilmore Girls, perhaps, but if you're in the market for some more Gilmore-esque cutesy/quirky/townie vibes, then this one will fit the bill, all the more so because it's kinda the same town. Rachel Bilson plays Zoe Hart, who moves from New York to the small town of Bluebell, Alabama, to take over part of her father's medical practice—she didn't have much choice, given that her poor bedside manner made her virtually unemployable. So now she has to rebuild a life among three generations of family in a town full of eccentrics who love to hold festivals and hang out at the gazebo—the exit same gazebo from Stars Hollow, it happens, as both shows were filmed on the same Warner Bros. lot, making Bluebell a very good vibe match. Stream Hart of Dixie on Prime Video.
Following Gilmore Girls, Lauren Graham traded in her role as single mother Lorelei for the role of single mother Sarah, at the head of a large intergenerational ensemble. Craig T. Nelson plays the Braverman family patriarch with Graham, Peter Krause, Dax Shepard, and Erika Christensen as the four kids with families of their own. As with Gilmore, the comedy-drama revels in its distinctive characters and (relatively) low stakes. Stream Parenthood on Paramount+.
The emphasis here is less on a mother-daughter relationship than in most of these other shows, but Summer still feels like a bit of a match for Gilmore Girls in its universe of flawed and quirky characters. Adapted from the trilogy of YA bestsellers by Jenny Han, this series focuses on the coming-of-age of teenager Belly Conklin (Lola Tung), who is 16 as the series starts. Belly and her family spend every summer at Cousins Beach with the Fisher family, a tradition that's all well and good until she starts to develop a romantic attraction for first one Fisher brother (Christopher Briney), then the other (Gavin Casalegno), planting the seeds for a love triangle that unfolds over the course of several summers, and that sees Belly grow into young adulthood to a soundtrack made up largely of Taylor Swift tunes. They're not identical, but Belly feels a bit like an updated take on Rory, and Cousins Beach has cozy Stars Hollow vibes. The three-season run is over, but there's a continuation movie on the way. Stream The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime Video.
An intergenerational trio of women with quippy, fast-paced dialogue in a sleepy community full of quirky characters? Let's head off to the town of to the seaside town of Weston-super-Mare in Somerset, England, where Londoner Sara (Michelle Terry) has returned home following job and romantic disappointments. She helps her mom, Carol (Ellie Haddington), to run the little café that she owns, while mom's just hoping to get her married off and grandma Mary (June Ellis) is full of stories that people only occasionally want to hear. It's dry in that British way and as cozy as they come, as long as you don't mind a more leisurely pace. While only running for two seasons, the show wraps up nicely. Stream The Café on Peacock and Britbox.
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It's been a while since our last visit with the Ingalls family, though perhaps not as long as you might think: while the Melissa Gilbert/Michael Landon series ended in 1984 after a series of TV movies, there have been a couple of live-action adaptations, a stage musical, and an anime series in the years since. Still, none have been as high profile as Netflix's new take on the classic Laura Ingalls Wilder books. It has quickly become one of the biggest shows on streaming despite some controversy over certain plot elements.
Uncharacteristically for Netflix, Little House's second season is already in production, but if you've already binged the entire thing and are eager for more downhome historical drama, consider these 10 streamalikes.
Lucy Maud Montgomery’s classic historical novel Anne of Green Gables kicked off a long series of similarly family-friendly works, eventually leading to a beloved 1970s television series. Sound familiar? This particular story is entirely fictional, but hits similar notes in its exploration of the childhood of a precocious girl growing up in a rural 19th-century setting. As the series begins in 1896, a couple of elderly and unmarried siblings on Prince Edward Island, Canada, have sent away for an orphan boy to help on the farm, but instead find themselves with a girl: chatty Anne Shirley (Amybeth McNulty), who has to fight to prove herself to her prospective parents, as well as to others in the town who judge her alternately for being a useless girl or for being a poor orphan. The reboot revisits the novel and mines its text (and subtext) for new ideas without betraying the spirit of the work. Stream Anne With an E on Netflix.
At approximately the same time that Laura Ingalls Wilder and family were leaving Wisconsin for the broader Midwest of the author's recollections, Louisa May Alcott was writing and publishing her groundbreaking first novel, set in a Civil War-era New England in which women have largely been left behind by the men in their lives. Though overshadowed by the (excellent) Greta Gerwig film version's arrival two years later, this BBC adaptation is a bit more faithful to the text without ever feeling stuffy. The book takes place over a period of years, and the miniseries format does a better job of capturing the passage of time, which is so critical to the story. Emily Watson plays the stolid Marmee with an appropriate twinkle, and Angela Lansbury (in her final TV role) is perfect as the snide, snippy Aunt March. Stream Little Women on Peacock, Tubi, and Netflix.
A bit of a ratings blockbuster on the BBC, this miniseries revisits the events of Pride and Prejudice from the perspective of Lizzy Bennet's bookish, altogether dorkier sister. Her ruddy complexion, penchant for grammatical correctness, and (dear lord) spectacles make Mary entirely unsuitable for marriage and unfit for much other than genteel spinsterhood. That all begins to change when Mary sets off on her own to become a governess for the Gardiner family in London, and manages to forge a life and a future for herself away from the parents and siblings who see her as not much more than a piece of furniture. Pemberley and its environs are a world (an ocean, at least) away from the rural world of Little House, but both shows offer clever and forthright young women doing their best to find their place. Stream The Other Bennet Sister on Britbox.
An update of a venerable British franchise based on a series of autobiographical novels from writer James Alfred Wight (aka James Herriot), All Creatures takes us back to the rural Yorkshire Dales of the 1930s, with a Scottish vet moving to the small farming town of Darrowby to take up a job as a veterinary assistant. First among the local eccentrics is Helen Alderson (Rachel Shenton), a practical and hard-working farmer faced with some big choices in life. Though you need to be willing to witness animals in jeopardy, the big-hearted show only rarely goes for a gut punch. Mostly, it's charming domestic drama amid a bucolic landscape, with frequent guest appearances by baby cows. Stream All Creatures Great and Small on PBS or buy it from Prime Video.
Returning for a moment to the world of Anne of Green Gables—though Little House is about an American family and Lucy Maud Montgomery's novels are about a Canadian orphan (who finds a family), they're both about smart, adventurous young women growing up in a challenging, rural frontier. This beautifully animated anime adaptation (not the first Japanese take on the Anne stories) is faithful to the source material while adding some stylistic flourishes (a schoolhouse fight over a chalkboard is drawn, briefly, as a battle sequence). Stream Anne Shirley on Crunchyroll.
Based on a popular book series from Linda Chapman and Beth Chambers (who write under the pseudonym Lauren Brooke), this series follows the lives of a family of horse ranchers in western Canada led by sisters Amy and Lou (Amber Marshall and Michelle Morgan). Though it's set in modern-day western Alberta, the frontier feel and family drama don't feel far removed from the lives of the Ingalls. If you're new to the show, there's a lot to catch up on: It's coming up on its 20th season. Stream Heartland on Netflix.
The first of the Yellowstone spin-offs, 1883 gives us a bit of Dutton family prehistory. Tim McGraw and Faith Hill play the first generation of the family to make the trip from Texas to Montana on a dangerous wagon train led by Sam Elliott. This is a grittier take on westward expansion that doesn't have nearly the same family-friendly Little House vibes—but it does place Isabel May's 17-year-old Elsa Dutton at the heart of the story; she starts as an adventurous young woman before becoming hardened by her experiences. Stream 1883 on Paramount+.
Once again we're a world away from the American frontier of the Ingalls family, but nevertheless following a young woman's coming of age in the 19th century in a story drawn from a series of semi-autobiographical novels (by Flora Thompson). Country girl Laura Timmins (Olivia Hallinan) sets out looking for work in the wealthier, modestly more metropolitan neighboring town of Candleford. She manages to find a job at the post office, befriended and mentored by her mother's cousin, Dorcas (Julia Sawalha). Not everyone in Candleford is so welcoming of the rube from the countryside, especially when Laura is forced to choose between the demands of her job and the needs of the family she left behind. Stream Lark Rise to Candleford on Peacock.
This (very) Hallmark-y series, based on a Janette Oke novels, begins in 1910 and follows young teacher Elizabeth Thatcher (Erin Krakow) as she leaves her relatively wealthy family to take a job in a rural Canadian mining town. Luckily, there's hot mountie Constable Jack Thornton (Daniel Lissing) to help her make the adjustment. There's romance, drama, and triumph among the woman-led cast, with the gentle tone and big heart that you might expect, given the title. The show has lasted 13 seasons and counting, and, Yellowstone-like, has already generated two spin-offs, When Hope Calls and Hope Valley: 1874. Stream When Calls the Heart on Hallmark+ via Prime Video.
This almost certainly goes without saying, but there are nine seasons of classic Little House and three follow-up movies to plow through (pun intended). The show quickly outgrew its early reputation as a Waltons clone to become a fan and critical favorite with an expansive cast of characters and a strong social conscience, in large part due to the influence of executive producer and star Michael Landon. Melissa Gilbert plays Laura, while Alison Arngrim (who has a cameo in the new series) frequently steals the show as nasty neighbor Nellie Oleson. It's weirder, more dramatic, and a bit less interested in staying true to the books than is the current series, but arguably it's the reason Little House remains in the zeitgeist—even more so than the novels. Stream Little House on the Prairie on Peacock and Prime Video.
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I Will Find You is the 13th streaming series Netflix has adapted from a Harlan Coben novel, and there's at least one more in the works (expected to team Coben with writer and TV super-producer David E. Kelley). Audiences seemingly can't get enough: I Will Find You had one of the biggest streaming launches of the year, hitting numbers that place it near the top of any Netflix ranking from the past couple of years.
In the series, Sam Worthington plays David Burroughs, a man who is imprisoned for murdering his son, only to discover, five years later, that the child might still be alive. We do love a juicy mystery full of unreliable protagonists, jaw-dropping twists, and major personal drama, all of which I Will Find You offers in abundance—as do these 10 other shows (most of them not even adapted from Coben's books).
David E. Kelley produced this twisty psychodrama, adapted from the Jean Hanff Korelitz bestseller You Should Have Known. Nicole Kidman stars as Grace Fraser, a Manhattan psychologist married to oncologist Jonathan (Hugh Grant). She keeps running into a woman named Elena, whose increasingly strange behavior disturbs Grace—more so after the woman is murdered. Things get really alarming when Grace tries to contact Jonathan, but he has disappeared, leading her into a web of secrets and lies spun entirely too close to home. The focus is less on a (maybe) false accusation than on the question of whom can you trust. Stream The Undoing on HBO Max.
Claire Danes plays grieving mother Aggie Wiggs, an author who is struggling with her next book in the wake of a tragedy. She decides to focus her frustrated attention on her neighbor, which is obviously a good idea and something you should definitely do, especially when the guy was previously accused of murdering his first wife. What could go wrong? The reliably fantastic Matthew Rhys plays Nile Jarvis, the maybe-murderer neighbor, who gets caught up in the mix when Abbie's story becomes about way more than just one death. Stream The Beast in Me on Netflix.
An addictive and twisty crime drama, this one's mystery is a bit more operatic than the one in I Will Find You, but the show plays in a similar sandbox. Park Chang-ho (Lee Jong-suk) is a third-rate lawyer with a pretty atrocious success rate, nicknamed "Big Mouth" by his colleagues who see him as being all talk. He gets involved with a loan shark and loses a case involving a scam that he himself falls victim to, sending him to rock bottom, but then he gets a suspiciously timed big break: The mayor wants him to handle a high-profile case. In the process, he winds up mistaken by the police for a mysterious con man known as "Big Mouse," and finds that the only way out is through if he's to have any chance of clearing his name. Stream Big Mouth on Disney+ and Hulu.
Another Harlan Coben joint, this Spanish-language thriller follows the unexpectedly intertwined lives of two disparate people in Barcelona. Mateo Vidal (Mario Casas) accidentally killed a man years ago, a fact that comes back to haunt him when his new wife disappears. Meanwhile, Detective Lorena Ortiz (Alexandra Jiménez) is called upon to investigate the death of a nun. The two narratives eventually dovetail by way of several satisfyingly twisty-turny plot developments. Stream The Innocent on Netflix.
A brutal take on the trope of a lead character wrongly accused, this one poses an impossible mystery: A kid is horrifically murdered, and the evidence decisively points to Little League coach Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman). It’s an open-and-shut case—except that he was out of town at a conference while the murder was occurring, and even appeared on a news broadcast from miles away. As more tragedies pile up, it seems the threat isn’t entirely natural, which is hardly surprising, given this is an adaptation of one Stephen King's most disturbing recent works. Cynthia Erivo co-stars as Holly Gibney, one of King’s recurring characters. Stream The Outsider on HBO Max.
This David E. Kelley legal thriller (from the Scott Turow bestseller, previously adapted into a movie with Harrison Ford) focus a bit more on the courtroom bits than I Will Find You, but the setups are fairly similar: Jake Gyllenhaal is Rusty Sabich, a prosecutor charged with investigating the murder of his colleague. His attempts to steer the inquiry land him in hot water when it's discovered that he'd been having an affair with the dead woman—and she was pregnant. Rusty quickly becomes the prime suspect, his case not at all helped by his previous shady behavior. Stream Presumed Innocent on Apple TV.
Based on the book by William Landay, this one’s premise is as clever as it is harrowing: In an upper-class Massachusetts suburb, Andy (Chris Evans) and Laurie (Michelle Dockery) learn that a classmate of their 14-year-old son has been murdered in a local park. What happens next is even more shocking: Their son is arrested for the killing. This one's less about the wrongly accused and more about discovering what people will do to protect those they love—even if they (maybe) commit very bad deeds. The performances are solid, and the central mystery is compelling, leading up to a few jaw-dropping twists in the final act. Stream Defending Jacob on Apple TV.
Riz Ahmed stars as Naz Khan, a Pakistani-American student in NYC. After a night of partying, Naz wakes up to find that the woman he spent the night with has been stabbed to death in her bedroom. Fleeing the scene, he's picked up on a traffic violation and quickly identified by witnesses. He even has the murder weapon in his coat pocket. Seems bad—but he's mostly very sure that he had nothing to do with the killing, even if his memory's full of holes. He doesn't seem to have much of a defense, until thoroughly worn-out lawyer John Stone (John Turturro) takes the case with a "why not?" attitude, and finds himself drawn in. Stream The Night Of on HBO Max.
The question of the extent to which we can trust our own instincts is explored more literally than usual in the story of Sophie Ellis (Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who survives an (apparent) attempt at death by suicide and comes away missing huge chunks of her memory. She settles back into life with her husband, but is shocked to learn that she'd been having an affair and that her husband might have been embezzling money, among other sordid things. Everything turns on her deciding how much she can trust the men in her life over her own fragmented memories. Stream Surface on Apple TV.
Inspired by a documentary of the same name, The Staircase sidesteps true crime tropes by taking a nearly meta approach to its twisty story. Colin Firth stars as real-life crime novelist Michael Peterson alongside Toni Collette playing his wife and, perhaps, his victim, Kathleen, who dies following a fall down a flight of stairs. Peterson was convicted of murder, a charge later reduced to voluntary manslaughter, but there are a lot of lingering questions about the case, and the drama focuses on many of the tangential players—lawyers, family members, and the French film crew that turns up to document everything—offering a glimpse of what life might be like inside of such a whirlwind. Stream The Staircase on HBO Max.
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If TV can tell us anything, it's that sex and hockey are a winning combination—first with the steamy drama of Heated Rivalry, and more recently in the streaming smash Off Campus, an adaptation of the sports romance novels by Elle Kennedy. The latter stars Ella Bright as Hannah Wells, a music student who has a meet-cute with Boston Bruin-in-waiting Garrett Graham (Belmont Cameli) when she accidentally walks in on him naked in the gym showers. He needs a tutor, she needs to make the guy she has a crush on jealous...you get the picture. Off Campus is streaming on Prime Video, and once you've binged it, you can catch these other tales of young, horny, and occasionally athletic love.
Kimberly (Pauline Chalamet) is an endlessly naïve scholarship student; Bela (Amrit Kaur) is an aspiring comedy writer on the make for the hottest guys; Whitney (Alyah Chanelle Scott) is an overachieving athlete and senator’s daughter; and Leighton (Reneé Rapp) is a closeted sorority girl. They're all randomly assigned to room together as freshmen at the fictional Essex College in Vermont. Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, this comedy-drama isn't nearly as salacious as its title suggests. There's sex for sure, but like Sex and the City before it, it's a funny, queer-friendly show that's a little less about one overarching romance than it is about growing up, and the value of female friendship. Stream The Sex Lives of College Girls on HBO Max.
A bit more soapy than the frothier Off Campus, this is a thoroughly addictive campus romance all the same, the German import being Prime Video's top non-American series launch ever. Damian Hardung is James Beaufort, wealthy heir to his family's fashion line, star athlete, and imposingly muscular physical specimen. Harriet Herbig-Matten is Ruby Bell, a scholarship student at the elite Maxton Hall, and one who doesn't mind being invisible—the rich snobs don't interest her, and she's more interested in keeping her top marks. Ruby stumbles onto a secret involving James' sister, which she also doesn't care about, except that James pisses her off by trying to buy her silence. The situation escalates until they're forced to work together and, if you can't see where this is going, you're watching the wrong genre of show. Stream Maxton Hall on Prime Video.
There’s a lot of backstory here that you don’t really need to know to enjoy the show, but in brief, Heartbreak High is a sorta soft-reboot of a popular, long-running 1990s Australian show, which was itself a spin-off from a 1993 movie. It's a solid blend of teen drama (sealing with issues related to gender identity, race, and teen sexuality) and comedy (the main characters are corralled into the Sexual Literacy Tutorial, with the unfortunate acronym SLT). It all starts with Amelie and Harper, two students at a diverse Sydney high school, who set off a firestorm when they create a detailed map of the sexual exploits of the student body. Stream Heartbreak High on Netflix.
A complicated, messy relationship sits at the center of this addictive, if also slightly messy, South Korean miniseries. Art student Na-bi (Han So-hee) is coming off a borderline abusive relationship and no longer believes in love, which is not to say that she's entirely lost interest in sex. Convenient, then, that she meets flirty fellow student Jae-eon (Song Kang), similarly disinterested in anything long-term—at least initially. With impressive chemistry between the leads and a strong supporting cast of characters with their own issues, the show solidly depicts a modern situationship that slowly turns romantic despite its leads' best intentions. Stream Nevertheless on Netflix.
Comedian Benito Skinner plays himself, kinda, in this buzzy comedy that sees a former high school jock facing his freshman year in college while desperately trying to convince himself and everyone else that he's as straight as they come (relatable, except for the jock part). Much of the appeal is in its deft blending of tones: It's both a frequently raunchy college comedy, and a sweet coming-of-age story about accepting yourself without worrying about what everyone else thinks. The cast includes Adam DiMarco (The White Lotus) and Rish Shah (Ms. Marvel), and there's a romantic component, even if the emphasis is more on what not to do when it comes to young love. Stream Overcompensating on Prime Video.
Heavier than Off Campus but no less romantic, this one is based on Sally Rooney's bestselling novel about the appropriately steamy coming-of-age romance between Marianne (Daisy Edgar Jones) and Connell (Paul Mescal), two characters (and actors) with impressive chemistry. She's rich but lonely, he's popular but the son of the housekeeper. As time goes on and their roles start to shift, life and love only grow more complicated. The plot isn't groundbreaking, but there's an uncommon intelligence here, as well as a frankness about sex and sexual violence that sets it apart. Stream Normal People on Hulu.
While not exclusively a romantic drama (though several do bubble up), this British import features a scholastic setting and a talented cast of young stars-in-waiting (including leads Josh Tedeku and Jodie Campbell). At the (fictional) prestigious boarding school St. Gilbert’s, five Black teens are newly attending on scholarships, but their integration into the existing cliques is less than smooth—especially given that they're there largely as a PR stunt on the school's behalf. Boarders blends teen romance, coming-of-age drama, and a delightful willingness to take the piss when it comes to the whole "rich private school" thing. Stream Boarders on Tubi.
Adapted from the trilogy of YA bestsellers by Jenny Han, this series focuses on the coming-of-age of teenager Belly Conklin (Lola Tung), who is 16 as the series starts. Belly and her family spend every summer at Cousins Beach with the Fisher family, a tradition that's all well and good until she starts to develop a romantic attraction for first one Fisher brother (Christopher Briney), then the other (Gavin Casalegno), planting the seeds for a love triangle that unfolds over the course of several summers, and that sees Belly grow into young adulthood to a soundtrack made up largely of Taylor Swift tunes. The three-season run is over, but there's a continuation movie on the way. Stream The Summer I Turned Pretty on Prime Video.
Obviously I need to mention the other steamy hockey romance. Shane Hollander (Hudson Williams) and Ilya Rozanov (Connor Storrie) are professional ice hockey players who compete on rival fictional teams, the Montreal Metros and the Boston Raiders. Even as their public relationship remains contentious over a period of years, the two develop a casual (at least at first) sexual relationship that grows increasingly sweaty, ice notwithstanding. The book series on which Off Campus is based has been around for a while, but Heated Rivalry set off a wave of interest in sports-related romances (because the takeaway from the show's success was apparently "people like hockey"), so it's not hard to draw a line between the two. (If you want to narrow your recommendations to more shows like Heated Rivalry, we've got a list for that too—along with the books, movies, and video games to explore next.) Stream Heated Rivalry on HBO Max.
Who does teen drama better than Judy Blume? This adaptation of her widely censored 1975 novel updates the setting to current-ish day Los Angeles, and expands the novel's exploration of the complexities of teen love and sex to include the challenges of being young, exceptional, and Black in 2020s America. Keisha Clark (Lovie Simone) attends a predominantly Black private school and is working toward a track scholarship at Howard, while Justin Edwards (Michael Cooper Jr.) goes to school with white kids and is on his parents' track to go to Northeastern, ideally on a basketball scholarship. The smart show follows their budding romance in a way that feels real and compelling. Stream Forever on Netflix.
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One Piece, the manga, has been running nearly 30 years, with the anime series just a couple of years shy of that. Rather shocking, truly, that a saga with that much baggage landed as a rather brisk and fun live-action series on Netflix—even if the stretchiness of lead Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) lands slightly better in animation than in CGI. Luffy is the boyish leader of the Straw Hat Pirates, pillaging the seven seas but mostly hunting for the legendary "One Piece," which will make him the pirate king. The live action adaptation of the show leans into the colorful and offbeat world-building of its source materials, as do these other colorful adventure shows.
What if pirates, but a little silly? Not unlike One Piece, this swashbuckling series delivers action and a few laughs, while also serving as one of the better romances of the past few years. It's based (very loosely) on the real-life story of Stede Bonnet (Rhys Darby), a gentleman who took to piracy despite having barely been on a boat before. It plays as a bit of a workplace comedy with two men in the middle of midlife crises: Bonnet, and legendary pirate Blackbeard (Taika Waititi). It also features, unexpectedly, one of the most believable and compelling gay romances of the last several years; HBO Max cut it short after a mere two seasons (because of course they did) But that doesn't mean it's not worth diving in. Stream Our Flag Means Death on HBO Max.
This short-lived cult favorite follows a crew of mercenaries led by Mal Reynolds and Zoe Washburne (Nathan Fillion and Gina Torres), two disaffected former soldiers who fought on the losing side of a galactic war for independence against the thoroughly conformist central government. The crew tries to stay just under the radar of law enforcement while engaging in activities that aren’t always strictly legal. Canceled after just a handful of episodes aired, the series didn’t get a chance to make much of that core conflict, but the sequel/wrap-up film Serenity (2005) is a good capper, and the crew is forced to take a stand to protect one of its own. Stream Firefly on Hulu.
An iconic, effortlessly cool genre classic, Cowboy Bebop is one of the undisputed GOATs of anime, blending western, noir, and crime genres and setting the resultant mash to a killer soundtrack. The title's "cowboys" are bounty hunters in a near-future in which humans have been forced to colonize the solar system after Earth became uninhabitable. Former hitman Spike Spiegel leads his crew on one nearly disastrous mission after another, their standalone adventures all building to a thoroughly memorable climax. Stream Cowboy Bebop on Crunchyroll or buy it from Prime Video.
An anime import from Japanese animation studio Trigger (Cyberpunk: Edgerunners), Delicious in Dungeon is a cute and clever fantasy series with just enough action to keep things lively. A group of adventurers set out on a traditional dungeon crawl-type adventure only to have the sister of the leader eaten by a red dragon. Out of supplies but in a rush to catch the dragon who's fled to the lowest levels of the dungeon, the party comes to the attention of a dwarven master chef, who convinces them that their idea of cooking and eating dungeon monsters isn't merely practical—it could be high culinary art. The tie-in here is largely the fun, and adventurous vibe, but also in featuring a cast of immensely likable characters on an unlikely adventure. Stream Delicious in Dungeon on Netflix.
This isn't so much a vibe match for One Piece, but it is one of the best pirate-related shows of the past couple of decades—so if you're looking for barely legal action on the high seas, here you go. We're in what's referred to as the Golden Age of Piracy, when you could hardly cross the Caribbean and eastern Pacific without dealing with buccaneers and privateers. Toby Stephens stars as the feared Captain Flint of Treasure Island fame, to which this is a bit of a prequel. Fictional lead aside, the show eschews the romantic view of piracy in media presentations in favor of a darker tone; Flint and company are our protagonists, but the show doesn't ignore the fact that they're hardly heroes. The complex politics of the era, both between the pirates and the governments hunting them, as well as between various factions, lend the show more depth as it proceeds. Stream Black Sails on Starz, or stream the first episode on Prime Video.
Video-game obsessed Arisu gets his wish, after a fashion, when he finds himself, along with a couple of friends, transported to an alternate, eerily abandoned version of Tokyo—the title’s Borderland—vividly brought to life via some clever green screen work. The three are directed to an arena and given the instructions for the game, which they’ll be playing whether they want to or not. The first competition involves a locked-room-style puzzle; if they fail, the room goes up in flames with them in it—think Ready Player One, with deadlier stakes. There are games each night, though the rules allow for winners to get time off. There are a lot of rules, actually, but the games are cleverly and sadistically constructed. This is heavier than One Piece, but it's another impressively realized manga adaptation set in an impressively conceived, fully realized world—even if this one is virtual. Stream Alice in Borderland on Netflix.
Following a couple of just-OK movies, Rick Riordan's beloved middle-grade+ fantasy series gets a fun and faithful adaptation here with Walker Scobell as the young demigod. Following some shenanigans at a museum, our hero learns that he's been living a lie: His dad is Poseidon, and his mom has been trying to keep the family safe from godly machinations for years. With the cat now out of the bag, he's off to Camp Half-Blood, a training ground for other demigods, where he makes new friends (and new enemies) as he reluctantly pursues his destiny. There's fun camaraderie among the leads (friends and frenemies alike), but the series gets more One Piece-esque during the second season when Percy and company hop on a boat and head into the Sea of Monsters to rescue a friend, facing down the biggest names in Greek mythological sea creatures. Stream Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+.
Another impressively successful animated series-to-live-action adaptation, this one from a series heavily inspired by (but objectively not) anime and manga. Set in a world divided into four warring nations (Water, Earth, Fire, and Air), the show follows the journey of 12-year-old Aang (Gordon Cormier), last survivor of the Air Nomads, and who can control the elemental forces of all four nations. With the help and protection of his allies, he might be the one to unite a devastated world. Stream Avatar: The Last Airbender on Netflix.
Based on the fantasy books of Leigh Bardugo from her series of the same name, Shadow and Bone follows Alina Starkov, an orphan and cartographer who discovers and grows into her vaguely magical Grisha abilities. It’s a beautiful and dense fantasy world—darker but just as fully realized as the setting of One Piece, and content to drop you into its world without a lot of exposition. It’s worth the investment, even if a fan campaign to bring the show back for a third season didn't succeed. Stream Shadow and Bone on Netflix.
And then, of course, we have the 800-pound gorilla of TV anime, with 22 seasons and well over 1,000 episodes (and counting)—if you're truly obsessed, this should keep you occupied for a bit (if you still need more, the original manga series is slowly moving toward a conclusion after a quarter century, and there's a new anime series coming next year). The adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and company, at least in animation, begin here. Stream One Piece on Hulu, Netflix and Crunchyroll.
If you've paid for YouTube TV in the last seven years, you may be owed some cash from Disney. The company has agreed to a $50 million settlement stemming from alleged antitrust violations, which forced YouTube TV and DirecTV subscribers to pay more than they should have for their live TV streaming services. Keep an eye on your mailbox and inbox for a settlement notice—if you're eligible, you can claim a payment between now and Sept. 8.
This settlement stems from a 2022 class action lawsuit filed by YouTube TV subscribers, who allege that Disney's control over ESPN and Hulu forced streaming services (specifically those providing live TV) to raise their prices. The suit notes that Google's agreements with Disney resulted in a nearly 100% price hike—from $35 to $65—for a subscription to YouTube TV's base package. Disney agreed to settle the suit, though final approval is pending with a hearing scheduled for Jan. 14, 2027.
The Disney settlement provides cash payments for two different classes:
YouTube TV subscribers who purchased their subscription between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2026.
DirecTV live streaming customers who purchased their subscription (branded as DirecTV Stream, DirecTV Now, and/or AT&T TV Now) between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2026.
At this time, it's not clear how much each individual will receive from the settlement, though where you live (or lived) during the settlement period will be a significant factor.
According to the terms, 90% of the payouts will go to customers who resided in the following states at any time between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2026: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Guam, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The remaining 10% of funds will be distributed to class members in all remaining states.
If you had subscriptions to both services, you may receive a cash payment for each, but you only need to submit one claim form. It's worth noting that payouts are likely to be small, with $50 million split among a huge group of streaming subscribers over a period of seven years.
If you are part of a settlement class for the Disney lawsuit, you can submit a claim form online. You'll need to log in using the unique ID and PIN included in your notice. From there, you'll need to provide some personal information, verify your YouTube TV or DirecTV Stream subscription and state of residence, and choose an electronic payment method (otherwise you'll receive a paper check).
If you didn't receive a notice but believe you're eligible for a payout, you can contact the administrator via email at info@OnlineTVSettlement.com. Alternatively, you can print a PDF version and return it by mail to the following address:
Biddle v. Disney
Settlement Administrator
P.O. Box 4720
Portland, OR 97208-4720
Claim forms must be completed online or postmarked by Sept. 8, 2026.
“I think it’s fun,” he said of the interest in the song’s drumbeat. “It sort of made me rethink how long the pause is.”
A frame of a video generated by the original iteration of Sora, an artificial intelligence tool from OpenAI.
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