I’ll be doing a big preview of Peacock when/if they reveal a full list of what will be available at launch. This post will cover the Big Three (Netflix, Hulu, Prime).
FILMS
Top Picks
The Films of Christopher Guest – Hulu 7/1
Palm Springs – Hulu 7/10
Spanglish – Prime 7/1
Batman: Mask of the Phantasm – Netflix 7/1
Christopher Guest is an undeniable comic genius. If you’ve never experienced three of the funniest movies ever made (and one of the sharpest Hollywood satires of the last 30 years), Hulu has you covered, with Waiting for Guffman (1997), Best in Show (2000) and A Mighty Wind (2003), plus For Your Consideration (2006).
Romantic comedy Palm Springs broke a record at Sundance, selling for $17 million (and 69 cents) to Neon. Alas, COVID-19 killed its chances at being the indie success of the summer, so it’s off to Hulu.
Adam Sandler got the best reviews of his career for his turn in Uncut Gems, but he’s been giving excellent dramatic performances (when he wants to) for many years, including in James L. Brooks’ wonderful, seriously underrated Spanglish, where he plays a chef facing a marital crisis. He also makes the best-looking sandwich ever captured on film.
Bafflingly not on HBO MAX (yet), Netflix has what might legitimately be the best Batman movie ever made: the animated Mask of the Phantasm, which features an insanely dark story and Mark Hamill’s incredible performance as the Joker.
Recent Selections
#AnneFrank: Parallel Stories – Netflix 7/1
The House That Jack Built – Hulu 7/1
A Kid Like Jake – Hulu 7/1
Mary Shelley – Hulu 7/1
Psycho Granny – Hulu 7/1
Trapped Model – Hulu 7/1
The Whistlers – Hulu 7/2
To the Stars – Hulu 7/3
Only – Netflix 7/5
A Kid from Coney Island – Netflix 7/6
The Long Dumb Road – Netflix 7/8
Vivarium – Prime 7/11
Shakuntala Devi: The Human Computer – Prime 7/15
The Rest of Us – Hulu 7/13
The Weekend – Hulu and Prime 7/15
Funan – Netflix 7/17
Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love – Hulu and Prime 7/19
The Assistant – Hulu 7/20
The Last Full Measure – Hulu 7/21
2099: The Soldier Protocol – Hulu 7/26
Banana Split – Netflix 7/26
Bull – Hulu 7/30
The Flood – Hulu 7/30
Originals
Under the Riccione Sun – Netflix 7/1
Desperados – Netflix 7/3
Mucho Mucho Amor: The Legend of Walter Mercado – Netflix 7/8
The Claudia Kishi Club – Netflix 7/10
The Old Guard – Netflix 7/10
The Business of Drugs – Netflix 7/10
On est ensemble – Netflix 7/10
Gli Infedeli – Netflix 7/15
Fatal Affair – Netflix 7/16
MILF – Netflix 7/16
Fear City: New York vs. the Mafia – Netflix 7/22
Love on the Spectrum – Netflix 7/22
Animal Crackers – Netflix 7/24
The Kissing Booth 2 – Netflix 7/24
Ofrenda a la tormenta – Netflix 7/24
Radioactive – Prime 7/24
My Spy – Prime 6/26
The Hater – Netflix 7/29
Seriously Single – Netflix 7/31
The Speed Cubers – Netflix 7/31
NEW SHOWS & SPECIALS
Top Picks
Stateless (Season 1) – Netflix 7/8
The Last Dance – Netflix 7/19
Produced by Cate Blanchett, this Australian series focuses on four people held up at an immigrant detention facility. Based on the talent involved, this is likely to be one of the year’s best shows, yet the hardest to watch.
If you’re like me, you don’t have cable and didn’t have any (legal) way to watch The Last Dance when it ran on ESPN in April and May But in an extremely quick turnaround, it will be available on Netflix just over two months after the last episode aired. Consider it an apertif for the NBA seasons that will (allegedly) be back on track at the end of July.
Originals
Chico Bon Bon: Monkey with a Tool Belt (Season 2) – Netflix 7/1
Deadwind (Season 2) – Netflix 7/1
Say I Do – Netflix 7/1
Unsolved Mysteries – Netflix 7/1
Warrior Nun – Netflix 7/2
The Baby-Sitters Club (Season 1) – Netflix 7/3
Cable Girls (Season 5, Part 2) – Netflix 7/3
Hanna (Season 2) – Prime 7/3
Ju-On: Origins – Netflix 7/3
Southern Survival – Netflix 7/3
What Is Love? – Netflix 7/8
Japan Sinks: 2020 – Netflix 7/9
The Protector (Season 4) – Netflix 7/9
Down to Earth with Zac Efron – Netflix 7/10
The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants in Space – Netflix 7/10
Dating Around: Brazil – Netflix 7/10
The Twelve – Netflix 7/10
Dark Desire – Netflix 7/15
Skin Decisions: Before and After – Netflix 7/15
Indian Matchmaking – Netflix 7/16
Absentia (Season 3) – Prime 7/17
Boca a Boca – Netflix 7/17
Cursed – Netflix 7/17
Into the Dark: The Current Occupant – Hulu 7/17
Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love – Netflix 7/20
How to Sell Drugs Online Fast (Season 2) – Netflix 7/20
Street Food: Latin America – Netflix 7/20
Norsemen (Season 3) – Netflix 7/22
Signs – Netflix 7/22
A Cantar – Netflix 7/24
Dragons Rescue Riders: Secrets of the Songwing – Netflix 7/24
Last Chance U: Lany – Netflix 7/28
Maxxx (Season 1) – Hulu 7/28
Inside the World’s Toughest Prisons (Season 4) – Netflix 7/29
In My Skin (Season 1) – Hulu 7/30
Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy – Netflix 7/30
Get Even – Netflix 7/31
Latte and the Magic Waterstone – Netflix 7/31
Sugar Rush: Extra Sweet – Netflix 7/31
The Umbrella Academy (Season 2) – Netflix 7/31
Vis a Vis: El Oasis – Netflix 7/31
ARASHI’s Diary: Voyage (Episodes 9-10) – Netflix TBD
OLD SHOWS
Abby Hatcher (Season 1) – Netflix 7/1
Cleo & Cuquin (Season 2) – Netflix 7/1
Kingdom (Seasons 1-3) – Netflix 7/1
LEGO City Adventures (Season 1) – Prime 7/1
Suits (Season 9) – Prime 7/1
A Touch of Green (Season 1) – Netflix 7/1
The Fosters (Complete Series) – Prime 7/6
Yu-Gi-Oh! (Season 1) – Netflix 7/8
Diary of a Prosecutor (Season 1) – Hulu 7/15
Search: WWW (Season 1) – Hulu 7/15
Sunny Bunnies (Seasons 1-2) – Netflix 7/15
Gigantosaurus (Season 1) – Netflix 7/18
The Remix: Hip Hop x Fashion – Netflix 7/22
In the Dark (Season 2) – Netflix 7/24
Shameless (Season 10) – Netflix 7/26
Jeopardy! (Collection 6) – Netflix 7/28
Animal Kingdom (Season 4) – Prime 7/29
Ladhood (Season 1) – Hulu 7/29
Brassic (Season 1) – Hulu 7/31
COMEDY SPECIALS
Top Pick
Jim Gaffigan: Pale Tourist – Prime 7/24
The patron saint of pale guys everywhere continues to avoid Netflix, letting Prime grow their stand-up library.
Other Specials
Thiago Ventura: Pokas – Netflix 7/2
Urzila Carlson: Overqualified Loser – Netflix 7/14
Jack Whitehall: I’m Only Joking – Netflix 7/20