There’s so much streaming entertainment these days that picking one perfect thing to watch feels impossible, and what’s supposed to be fun can feel downright intimidating. So our weekly streaming recommendation column, Cut the Crap, is here to simplify the decision. Each Friday, we look at what’s going on in the entertainment world, and we pick something to go with it — one perfect film, show, or episode available on VOD or on major streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime. We’ll explain why it’s a good time for this recommendation, and why it’s worth your time specifically. Let us help you cut through the world’s ever-growing pile of mediocre entertainment and find one thing worth watching.
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November 1, 2019
A classic Mary Tyler Moore Show episode mirrors Apple TV Plus’ Morning Show series
How two series airing nearly 50 years apart deal with women in media
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October 25, 2019
Mike Judge’s Silicon Valley take on power continues in Tales from the Tour Bus
The Prince episode is another strong exploration of insider/outsider dynamics
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October 18, 2019
Before HBO’s Watchmen, stream V for Vendetta, the best Alan Moore adaptation
The 2006 movie, written by the Wachowskis, is still the strongest screen version of his work
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October 11, 2019
Succession’s creator wrote one of the best Black Mirror episodes
‘The Entire History of You’ shares some of Succession’s best narrative tricks
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October 4, 2019
Here’s the best Joker episode of Batman: The Animated Series to stream this weekend
Mark Hamill’s Joker may still be the best, most balanced version
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September 27, 2019
Ryan Murphy’s Netflix series The Politician is a perfect pairing with Election
Both have the same bright-eyed, surreal, cynical attitude toward politics — and high school
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September 20, 2019
The Downton Abbey movie is a terrific excuse to revisit Gosford Park
Robert Altman’s film was written by Downton Abbey’s creator
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September 13, 2019
Amazon’s Undone makes a terrific double feature with Waking Life
Richard Linklater’s animated 2001 feature showed what computer rotoscoping could do
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September 6, 2019
Why the horror movie Mama makes the perfect pairing with It Chapter Two
Director Andy Muschietti + star Jessica Chastain + deep horror
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August 30, 2019
Netflix’s new Dark Crystal reboot reaches back to the gentle fantasy of Fraggle Rock
Both showcase Jim Henson’s love of grand, ambitious worldbuilding
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August 23, 2019
Why The Most Dangerous Game is this weekend’s best streaming bet
It’s a terrific pairing with Ready Or Not, and other humans-hunting-humans films
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August 16, 2019
This weekend, stream two David Fincher crime thrillers: Mindhunter season 2 and Zodiac
When Iron Man, Hulk, and Mysterio teamed up to find a serial killer
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August 9, 2019
Prep for GLOW’s new season by watching the original Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling
A terrific Netflix documentary lays out the movement’s history and battles
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August 2, 2019
Why Netflix’s Derry Girls is the perfect show to stream this weekend
It’s cheeky, playful, and smart about self-absorbed teenagers
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July 26, 2019
Before you see Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, watch Smokey and the Bandit
Tarantino’s latest film draws quite a bit of inspiration from the Burt Reynolds classic
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July 19, 2019
For San Diego Comic-Con weekend, it’s time to re-watch Galaxy Quest
It’s the only popular film to really get convention culture right — and this is its 20th anniversary
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July 12, 2019
Fans of The Farewell should check out Awkwafina in the Netflix doc Bad Rap
It’s a telling look at her music career from before she was famous
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July 5, 2019
Cop Car shows where Spider-Man: Far From Home director Jon Watts learned action and storytelling
The indie thriller is currently streaming on Netflix
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June 28, 2019
Experience Beatlemania this weekend with Yesterday and Yellow Submarine
The 1968 animated film is one of the wildest, most psychedelic offshoots of The Beatles’ music
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June 21, 2019
With Child’s Play and Toy Story 4 in theaters, it’s Devil Doll time
This week’s streaming recommendation: evil dolls, MST3K-style
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June 14, 2019
The Dead Don’t Die is a perfect excuse to return to Zombieland
And explore the rise of the zom-com via Netflix
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June 7, 2019
For twisty stories about human-AI relations, stream I Am Mother and Moon this weekend
They’re a perfect pairing for fans of heady, serious science fiction
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May 24, 2019
Ahead of Aladdin, watch the lost film that helped shape it
Richard Williams’ The Thief and the Cobbler has a complicated history
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May 10, 2019
Detective Pikachu is the perfect reminder to revisit Who Framed Roger Rabbit
We’re all living in the movie world Robert Zemeckis’ film inspired
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May 3, 2019
Before Netflix’s Dead to Me, watch Christina Applegate in Samantha Who?
It’s an earlier comedic role that also has her reinventing herself after trauma