5 must-watch movies & TV shows streaming right now

Streaming

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

Welcome to Boston.com’s weekly streaming guide. Each week, we recommend five must-watch movies and TV shows available on streaming platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and more.

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For even more great streaming options, check out previous editions of our must-watch list here.

New Movies Streaming

‘Bugonia’

When director Yorgos Lanthimos (“The Favourite,” “Poor Things”) and Emma Stone work together, Oscar nominations usually follow. In this black comedy, Stone’s high-powered CEO is kidnapped by a conspiracy theorist (Jesse Plemons) and his sidekick (Aidan Delbis) who are 100% convinced she is an alien draining their life force. Stone may (or may not) be from another planet, but the impact her company has had on the duo’s small town and the people who inhabit it can only be described as ruinous.

How to watch: “Bugonia” is streaming on Peacock.

‘Secret Mall Apartment’ (2025)

It’s the stuff of urban legend: Deep in the cavernous Providence Place Mall, a group of Rhode Island artists built a freestanding apartment, hidden away from mall security for the better part of four years. It was all true, though, and director Jeremy Workman not only brings together the stories of all eight artists for the first time, he captures the mischievous, anti-capitalistic DIY spirit of the collective, who were all displaced by the mall’s construction in the first place.

How to watch: “Secret Mall Apartment” is streaming on Netflix.

“The Smashing Machine”

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s first foray into serious acting didn’t land him a nomination for the 2026 Oscars, but the former WWE superstar is still quite good in this biopic about former amateur wrestler turned MMA fighter Mark Kerr, who battled substance abuse issues, a tumultuous relationship with his girlfriend (Emily Blunt), and inner demons en route to glory in the octagon.

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

New TV Shows Streaming

‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms’

“A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” the latest story set in George R.R. Martin’s world of Westeros, is so distinctly different from both “Game of Thrones” and “House of the Dragons,” it almost feels like a different genre entirely. Gone are the dragons, the palace intrigue, and the sprawling maps that remind you how many warring houses you need to keep track of. Instead, the scope is small (six episodes, 30 minutes each), and the story is about a knight (Peter Claffey) and his squire (Dexter Sol Ansell) trying to make a living among the lower caste. It may be short, and it may be devoid of magic, but it’s still a delight.

How to watch: “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms” is streaming on HBO Max.

‘Hijack’ Season 2

Having recently watched both the brilliant 1974 NYC subway hijacking film “The Taking of Pelham 123” (streaming on Tubi, Pluto TV, and Amazon) and its passable 2009 remake (streaming on Philo), I thought I was prepared for Season 2 of this Apple TV drama, which moves its hijacking hijinks from a plane (in Season 1) to a train.

Idris Elba’ corporate negotiator Sam Nelson is once again at the center of it all, but not in the way you might expect. In fact, nothing about the show’s plot goes as expected. It’s ludicrous, borderline trashy, and I watched it all in an afternoon.

How to watch: “Hijack” Season 2 is streaming on Apple TV.