Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

The best new shows and movies to stream: ‘The Deuce,’ ‘La La Land,’ and more

The best new shows and movies to stream this week: The Deuce
Online streaming is bigger than ever, and with so many streaming services adding new shows and movies every week, it can be nearly impossible to sort through the good and the bad. If you need something to watch and don’t want to wade through the digital muck that washes up on the internet’s shores, follow our picks below for the best new shows and movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, HBO, Amazon, and other services.

On the list this week: The latest from the creator of The Wire, a modern-day musical, and more.

Related Videos

‘The Deuce’ premiere

Given its pedigree, HBO’s The Deuce — the new show from The Wire creator David Simon — has a high bar to reach. And in its feature length premiere, at least, the show rises to the challenge. Set in 1970s New York City, The Deuce follows a vast cast of characters involved in crime and the sex trade, with the rise of the porn industry at its center. Like The Wire, The Deuce focuses on how a subject — in this case, sex — can be turned into a product, and the impact that has on society. The show’s main characters are Vinnie (James Franco), a bartender down on his luck, his brother Frankie (also Franco), an insatiable gambler who doesn’t pay his debts, and Candy (Maggie Gyllenhaal), a prostitute working for herself on the grimy streets of NYC. The premiere takes its time introducing the characters and fleshing out its world, establishing a fascinating, sometimes disturbing setting.

Watch now on:

HBO Go

‘La La Land’

After the breakthrough success of Whiplash, director Damien Chazelle could have played things safe. Instead, he chose to resurrect a genre long dormant in Hollywood: The musical. La La Land tells the story of two aspiring artists, actress Mia Dolan (Emma Stone) and jazz pianist Sebastian Wilder (Ryan Gosling), who meet in Los Angeles as each is struggling to build a career while maintaining their artistic credibility. Their romance is a beautiful fantasy, until reality intrudes. On a visual level, La La Land is audacious, with bright, varied color palettes and kinetic dance sequences. The music, ranging from extravagant to somber, is a pitch perfect homage to the classics. Although La La Land isn’t nearly good enough to dethrone the legends that inspired it — The Umbrellas of Cherbourg comes to mind — it should please anybody who has longed for a splash of color and song in their films.

Watch now on:

HBO Go

‘Victoria’ season 1

One of Britain’s longest-reigning monarchs, Queen Victoria oversaw the rapid expansion of the empire worldwide, managing conflicts both within and outside the government. She led a life that was perfect for a dramatic adaptation, and Victoria tells her story in superb fashion. The first season follows Victoria (Jenna Coleman), who ascends to the throne at a young age, as she navigates the treacherous labyrinth of politics. In the process, she must manage the egos and agendas of her country’s politicians, and her responsibility to marry and establish a dynasty. With strong performances and the natural gravitas of history, Victoria is a solid addition to the growing trend of historical dramas.

Amazon Prime

‘An American Werewolf in London’

This classic horror movie begins with two Americans, David (David Naughton) and Jack (Griffin Dunne), backpacking across the moors, where they are attacked by a werewolf. The creature kills Jack and wounds David before local townsfolk slay it. As David recovers from his injuries, visions of Jack appear, warning him that he will now become a werewolf upon the next full moon. Directed by John Landis (Animal House), An American Werewolf in London has plenty of humor for a movie about a rampaging monster slaughtering the people of London. Alternately charming and frightening, it’s a great movie for any horror fan.

Amazon Prime

‘First They Killed My Father’

Based on the memoir of the same name by Loung Ung, First They Killed My Father tells the story of Loung’s (Sareum Srey Moch) childhood living under the oppressive Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. During her time in the countryside, under the eyes of government enforcers, Loung endures the deaths of family members, and the cruel machinations of one of history’s most vile regimes. First They Killed My Father is the latest war movie from Angelina Jolie, and the director improves on her previous such projects, which often felt bloated and uninspired.

Watch now on:

Netflix

Editors' Recommendations

The best shows on Disney+ right now (March 2023)
Din Djarin holding Grogu and firing his blaster in The Mandalorian season 3 promo art.

Disney+ can be admittedly quiet when it comes to an influx of high-quality originals, but it still has some of the best shows to stream right now. The library grows consistently, with new shows coming to Disney+ every month. In March, a fan-favorite series returns with the highly anticipated premiere of The Mandalorian season 3. What's essentially the Disney+ flagship original series returns with more adventures of Pedro Pascal's titular antihero and the Yoda-like Grogu, but there are also some other noteworthy TV shows to look into for the uninitiated.

It can be intimidating to sift through the platform's dense library, so we've combed through the catalog of content available on the streamer to provide a streamlined and updated list of the best shows on Disney+ right now.

Read more
The best LGBTQ movies on Netflix right now
Ennis embracing Jack in the movie Brokeback Mountain on Netflix

Queer content is, fortunately, becoming more accessible in film and television. Numerous movies are readily available on streamers like Netflix, from Oscar-nominated originals to critically acclaimed classics, thoughtful romantic dramas, and sweet romantic comedies. And with new movies coming to Netflix all the time, there are even some quality thrillers and steamy films in the mix, too. Indeed, Netflix's collection of LGBTQ+ is one of the best you'll find on any streaming platform. But because it's so broad, it can be hard to find something worth your time. So, to help you out, we've pulled together the best LGBTQ-themed movies on Netflix right now.

When you're done going through this list, check out the best LGBTQ films to stream right now on multiple services, the best new movies to stream on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, and HBO, and the best Netflix original series you can stream right now.

Read more
The best romance shows on Netflix right now
The couple from Little Things on Netflix taking a selfie together.

There's never a bad time for romance. Sometimes, all you need is a good romance show to dive into to make you feel better, help you relax, or watch while curled up with someone special for date night or a lazy Sunday. The advantage of romance shows over romance movies is that it's a slow-burn story that is told over multiple episodes and, in many cases, even multiple seasons.

Whether it's the depiction of what life is like for a real couple or a fantastical look at exaggerated romance, the best romance shows on Netflix are always entertaining. With new shows coming to Netflix all the time, the collection of romance shows is always changing, too. Many will make you both laugh and cry, and feel warm and fuzzy inside, too. Others, meanwhile, are total guilty pleasures that you talk to your friends about after binging the latest season or the newest episodes. Whatever the case, these are the best romance shows on Netflix right now.

Read more