Looking for something great to watch at home? Streaming subscribers are spoiled for choice between Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Shudder, Paramount+, Peacock, and more. And that’s before you even look at the vast libraries of movies and television programs within each streamer!
Don’t be overwhelmed or waste an hour scrolling through your services to determine what to watch. We’ve got your back, whatever your mood. Mashable offers watch guides for all of the above, broken down by genre: comedy, thriller, horror, documentary, and animation, among others. But if you’re seeking something brand-new (or just new to streaming), we’ve got you covered there, too.
Mashable’s entertainment team has scoured the streaming services to highlight the most buzzed-about releases of the week and ranked them from worst to best — or least worth your time to most watchable. Whether you’re hankering for incredible animated adventures, new crime thrillers, or a chance to catch 2025’s Superman, we’ve got something just for you.
16. Smurfs
The Smurfs come back to the big screen in this family adventure, which sees the return of familiar characters like Smurfette (voiced by Rihanna), Papa Smurf (voiced by John Goodman), and evil wizard Gargamel (voiced by JP Karliak). When Gargamel and his brother Razamel (also Karliak) kidnap Papa Smurf, it’s up to Smurfette and her friends to head to the real world and save him. Along the way, they’ll make new friends, including Papa Smurf’s brother (voiced by Nick Offerman).
Despite its A-list voice cast and the fact that it features a new Rihanna bop, Smurfs failed to wow critics. (It’s currently sitting at 21 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.) However, if you want to hear the word “smurf” a bunch of times in a row, then this is your best bet on this list. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
Starring: Rihanna, James Corden, Nick Offerman, JP Karliak, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Natasha Lyonne, Sandra Oh, Jimmy Kimmel, Octavia Spencer, Nick Kroll, Hannah Waddingham, Alex Winter, Maya Erskine, Kurt Russell, and John Goodman
How to watch: Smurfs is now streaming on Paramount+.
15. Next Gen Chef
If you’re a fiend for high-stakes culinary competition shows like MasterChef and Top Chef, Next Gen Chef should be on your radar. The Netflix series sees 21 American chefs under the age of 30 attempting to become the next Kristen Kish (look, we all want to be the next Kristen Kish, but there can only be one). These Gen-Z chefs will be challenged with various tasks at the Culinary Institute of America, the prestigious alma mater of top chefs from Anthony Bourdain to Roy Choi. A career-changing $500,000 is up for grabs, so every dish will count.
Influencer Olivia Culpo hosts with James Beard–nominated Top Chef winner Kelsey Barnard Clark and master sommelier Carlton McCoy as the show’s judges — and of course, there’s a lineup of guest judges in store. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
How to watch: Next Gen Chef is streaming on Netflix in two batches, with the first seven episodes debuting on Sept. 17 and the finale on Sept. 24.
14. The Case Against Adnan Syed, Part 5
Sarah Koenig’s 2014 investigative journalism podcast Serial drew global attention to the conviction of Adnan Syed for the 1999 murder of fellow Baltimore student Hae Min Lee. Then, in 2019, Amy Berg’s HBO documentary The Case Against Adnan Syed delivered new revelations. As Jess Joho wrote of the original series in 2019, “The Case Against Adnan Syed‘s greatest accomplishment is restoring some personhood to the murder victim.” When Syed’s conviction was overturned by a judge in 2022 (after he spent almost 22 years in prison), Serial released a new episode. And now, the HBO series also has a new part that promises to chronicle Syed’s release. According to the trailer, the series includes an interview with former Baltimore state attorney Marilyn Mosby, who identified issues with evidence in Syed’s trial which led to his overturned conviction and release. — S.C.
How to watch: The Case Against Adnan Syed Part 5 premieres Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
13. Night of the Reaper
Writer/director Brandon Christensen is responsible for some of the scariest movies on Shudder (hello Z and Still/Born), so any new movie from him is at least worth a look. Night of the Reaper swaps his usual supernatural scares for some ’80s slasher vibes, following college student Deena (Jessica Clement) as she takes a babysitting job while back home only to catch the attention of a serial killer terrorising the neighborhood. Throw in some mysterious video cassettes being sent to local law enforcement, walkie talkies and a masked killer, and Night of the Reaper should be a fun throwback for fans of the genre. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor
Starring: Jessica Clement, Ryan Robbins, Summer H. Howell, Matty Finochio, Max Christensen, Ben Cockell, and David Feehan
How to watch: Night of the Reaper hits Shudder Sept. 19.
12. The Morning Show, Season 4
It’s time to tune back into UBA, because The Morning Show returns this fall. Season 4 picks up two years after the events of Season 3. The UBA-NBN merger is officially complete, and several new players are entering the broadcasting game to either ally themselves or butt heads with the likes of Alex (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley (Reese Witherspoon). New cast members include Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, William Jackson Harper, and Boyd Holbrook.
The Morning Show showrunner Charlotte Stoudt has teased that Season 4 will touch on pressing concerns like deepfakes and AI. But more importantly, what will the show do to top sending Bradley to space in Season 3?* — B.E.
Starring: Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Karen Pittman, Greta Lee, Nestor Carbonell, Jon Hamm, Nicole Beharie, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Boyd Holbrook, William Jackson Harper, and Aaron Pierre
How to watch: The first episode of The Morning Show Season 4 is now streaming, with new episodes every Wednesday.
11. Black Rabbit
Jude Law and Jason Bateman team up for Netflix’s crime drama Black Rabbit. Law plays Jake Friedken, manager of the hip Manhattan restaurant Black Rabbit. Just as he’s about to take his business to the next level, the return of his estranged brother Vince (Bateman) throws his world into chaos. As the two fight to pay off climbing debts, they’ll have to fend off relentless criminals and confront their past traumas. Will these two brothers escape New York’s criminal underworld unscathed?
Law and Bateman shine in Black Rabbit, especially when the series centers on Jake and Vince’s screwed-up codependency. The rest of the series doesn’t fare quite so well, bogged down with undercooked plot lines and characters that don’t quite coalesce until the show’s anxiety-inducing final episodes. I praised these final episodes and their nail-biting action sequences in my review, saying, “They’re claustrophobic tears through a gritty underworld that force Jake and Vince to confront the gnarled ties that bind them. But with such a bloated journey to get there, is it really worth following this screwed-up pair down the rabbit hole?” — B.E.
Starring: Jude Law, Jason Bateman, Cleopatra Coleman, Amaka Okafor, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Dagmara Domińczyk, Chris Coy, Troy Kotsur, Abbey Lee, Odessa Young, Robin De Jesus, Amir Malaklou, Don Harvey, Forrest Weber, Francis Benhamou, Gus Birney, John Ales, and Steve Witting
How to watch: Black Rabbit is now streaming on Netflix.
10. Relay
Riz Ahmed and Lily James lead this New York-set thriller directed by David Mackenzie (Hell or High Water). In Relay, Ahmed plays Ash, a fixer who manages hefty payoffs between whistleblowers and the dodgy companies they could expose. Protecting his identity (and that of his clients) is of the utmost importance, so Ash uses a phone call relay system used by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. James plays a whistleblower named Sarah, and the pair need to dodge those corporate bigwigs who want company secrets to remain so, led by Sam Worthington. — S.C.
Starring: Riz Ahmed, Sam Worthington, Lily James, Willa Fitzgerald, Jared Abrahamson, Pun Bandhu, Eisa Davis, Matthew Maher, Seth Barrish, and Victor Garber
How to watch: Relay is now available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
Mashable Top Stories
9. Griffin in Summer
Writer/director Nicholas Colia’s feature debut is a queer coming-of-age film with a world of buzz around it since premiering at Tribeca Festival last year. Griffin in Summer hinges around the eponymous Griffin Nafly (Everett Blunck), a 14-year-old playwright whose work is inspired by his own divorced parents (Michael Esper and Melanie Lynskey). He produces these theatrical gems with his friends in the basement and would rather stay home penning new plays than cannonball into any pool party, much to his mother’s chagrin. With the arrival of 25-year-old performance artist and handyman Brad (Owen Teague), the film explores burgeoning desire despite the absolute racket Brad has been making while our protagonist is trying to write dammit. — S.C.
Starring: Everett Blunck, Owen Teague, Abby Ryder Fortson, Kathryn Newton, Melanie Lynskey, Michael Esper, and Johanna Colón
How to watch: Griffin in Summer is now available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
8. Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian
You may know Caleb Hearon from his podcast, So True with Caleb Hearon; his roles in projects like Sweethearts and Overcompensating; or for being more influential than Mr. Beast. Now, Hearon unleashes his comedic chops in his HBO stand-up special, Model Comedian.
The hour-long special is a riot, featuring everything from Hearon dissecting his complex relationship with his late father to him absolutely slamming homophobic and transphobic Republican politicians. (If you’ve caught Hearon’s side-splitting interview with Ziwe, you’ll have an idea of what to expect.) Whether you’re a Hearon novice or one of his loyal “she/they shooters,” check out Model Comedian for some much-needed laughs this week. — B.E.
Starring: Caleb Hearon
How to watch: Caleb Hearon: Model Comedian premieres Sept. 18 at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and HBO Max.
7. American Sweatshop
One of our favorites out of SXSW 2025, American Sweatshop is a “cyberthriller for the doomscrolling age,” as I declared in my review.
Riverdale’s Lili Reinhart stars as a young woman who makes rent by working as a content moderator at a video site. There, she and her co-workers are subjected to truly heinous footage of violence and depravity, which director Uta Briesewitz shrewdly keeps offscreen, so your imagination fills in the terrible gaps.
Haunted by a seeming snuff film, Reinhart’s righteous heroine seeks some sort of real-world justice for the mysterious victim. Along the way, American Sweatshop builds dark thrills alongside even darker jokes. As I wrote in our review, “[It] gets under your skin, creeping up your spine to bend your brain. Like the internet videos that are its grim inspiration, it’s not easy to shake off the chills American Sweatshop triggers.”* — Kristy Puchko, Entertainment Editor
Starring: Lili Reinhart, Daniela Melchior, Jeremy Ang Jones, Josh Whitehouse, and Joel Fry
How to watch: American Sweatshop debuts on Fandango at Home on Sept.19.
6. Haunted Hotel
Rick and Morty fans, your new cartoon obsession may be close at hand in Netflix’s Haunted Hotel. Created by Rick and Morty writer Matt Roller, the series is also executive produced by Dan Harmon and Steve Levy. That’s already a lot of creative overlap between the two shows, even before we get to Haunted Hotel‘s zany premise.
The series checks viewers into the Undervale, a hotel plagued with all manner of ghosts and demons. Single mother Katherine (voiced by Eliza Coupe) runs the establishment with help from her estranged brother Nathan (Will Forte), who also happens to be one of the hotel’s ghosts. Expect ridiculous hauntings with a sweet family story at their core.* — B.E.
Starring: Eliza Coupe, Will Forte, Skyler Gisondo, Natalie Palamides, and Jimmi Simpson
How to watch: Haunted Hotel premieres Sept. 19 on Netflix.
5. Gen V, Season 2
Gen V took the gore and shock value of The Boys to college in its spectacular first season. Now school’s back in session at Godolkin University, and things look bleak for Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair) and her crew.
Off-campus, war is brewing between humans and supes, as Homelander (Antony Starr) rules America with an iron fist. On-campus, Godolkin has a sinister new dean (Hamish Linklater) who’s determined to push students to their limits. Plus, the mysterious Project Odessa — also mentioned in Season 4 of The Boys — keeps coming up. That’s not the only The Boys crossover on display, though. According to Gen V Season 2’s trailer, Marie will cross paths with Annie/Starlight (Erin Moriarty). Could this be an incredible team-up, or will it end in disaster for both heroines?* — B.E.
Starring: Jaz Sinclair, Lizze Broadway, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, and Asa German
How to watch: The first three episodes of Gen V Season 2 are now streaming on Prime Video, with new episodes every Wednesday.
4. Futurama, Season 13
They’re back, baby! Futurama has returned with a new season and 10 new episodes of sci-fi mayhem.
Along with fresh fun with Fry, Leela, Bender, and the Planet Express gang, Season 13 promises the return of such wild fan favorites as the Robot Devil and Robot Santa Claus, plus callbacks to Bender’s Big Score. Futurama, which was created by The Simpsons‘ Matt Groening and thus shares some sibling-like sensibilities, has never shied away from irreverent humor. This season Futurama will take on climate change, steroid use, and much much more — including math! So strap in, things are about to get hilarious, smart, silly, and stupid all at once. — K.P.
Starring: John DiMaggio, Billy West, Katey Sagal, Tress MacNeille, Maurice LaMarche, Lauren Tom, Phil LaMarr, and David Herman
How to watch: All episodes of Futurama Season 13 are now streaming on Hulu.
3. Elio
Pixar’s Elio may have bombed at the box office, but don’t let that stop you from checking out this sweet, original sci-fi film. Protagonist Elio (voiced by Yonas Asuncion Kibreab) is a lonely misfit with a passion for space and aliens. After spending ages desperately trying to get aliens to abduct him, he finally gets his wish and is whisked away to the Communiverse, where great minds from across the galaxy co-mingle. There’s just one catch: The members of the Communiverse think Elio is Earth’s leader.
As Elio tries to cement his spot among his new alien companions, he forges an unlikely bond with alien Glordon (voiced by Remy Edgerly), the son of a warlord hellbent on destroying the Communiverse. That relationship becomes the film’s heart, and as I wrote in my review, “What follows is a sweet, empathetic look at how to find connection in the unlikeliest of places. That idea isn’t exactly new to Pixar — see: Up, WALL-E, and many more — but Elio‘s inventive setting and lovable main character help cast these eternal themes in a weird and wonderful new light.”* — B.E.
Starring: Yonas Asuncion Kibreab, Zoe Saldaña, Remy Edgerly, Brandon Moon, Brad Garrett, and Jameela Jamil
How to watch: Elio is now streaming on Disney+.
2. Ne Zha II
“You’ve never seen a movie quite like Ne Zha II before,” I cheered (and warned) in my review for Mashable. A sequel to the smash hit Ne Zha, this fantasy epic arrived on American shores already a titan at the international box office, having wowed critics and audiences.
Continuing the adventures of Ne Zha, a young boy with the powers of a demon but the heart of a hero, this sequel follows him on a series of trials so he might save his bestie Ao Bing, son of the Dragon King. There’s just one catch. Until Ne Zha can secure a special magical item to reconstitute Ao Bing’s body, they’ll need to share his. Hilarity ensues as martial arts showdowns include bonkers action, gross-out gags, and boyish drama. But beyond that, a massive war is brewing between the dragons and an army of sky-high immortals. And the way this plays out is eye-popping, but also a bit scary for all ages to watch. So, check out our review for a better sense of what’s to come, and whether this is a family night watch or better for once the kiddos (or the squeamish) have gone to bed. — K.P.
Starring: Michelle Yeoh, Crystal Lee, Griffin Puatu, Aleks Le, Vincent Rodriguez III, Rick Zieff, William Utay, Christopher Swindle, Kari Wahlgren, Daniel Riordan, Damien Haas, and Grace Lu
How to watch: Ne Zha II is now available to rent or buy on Prime Video.
1. Superman
Now you can catch one of 2025’s biggest films (and dare I say, its best superhero film) at home, as Superman hits HBO Max this week. Directed by James Gunn, this reboot reintroduces all the Superman staples: Clark Kent/Superman (David Corenswet), Lois Lane (Rachel Brosnahan), and Lex Luthor (Nicholas Hoult), along with the film’s animal MVP, Krypto the superdog.
Gunn doesn’t hem and haw over Superman’s origin story, instead launching viewers straight into an action-packed adventure. Does it occasionally move too fast? Sure. But the film’s optimism and the cast’s exquisite chemistry help smooth out even the bumpiest of stretches. Look, I left the theater wanting to work at the Daily Planet, hug my dog, and save a squirrel, and you can feel that way too, with the help of Superman.
However, not everyone is as psyched about the film as I am. In his Mashable review, Siddhant Adlakha wrote, “Superman is big summer fun, with just enough laughs and action to get by. However, it also makes several lofty promises, by way of narrative and theme, that it doesn’t always keep. It’s a grand old time (until it isn’t). But its off-kilter visual approach is surprisingly effective, shaping the contours of a detailed, politically charged comic book universe that, for better or worse, never slows down.”* — B.E.
Starring: David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, Nathan Fillion, Isabela Merced, Edi Gathegi, Anthony Carrigan, and Nicholas Hoult
How to watch: Superman hits HBO Max Sept. 19.
(*) denotes a blurb has come from a prior list.
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