Put the kids to bed before you go through this list of great titles to stream. These are the very best movies and shows with a TV-MA ratings, intended for mature audiences only.
Hailed as one of the best shows of the year, Gangs of London is a big and brutal account of a gang war that takes place in modern-day London.
It’s big both in terms of scale and budget, but also risk. Each episode runs a long 90 minutes, and the violence is truly exceptional. The first scene will tell you everything you need to know.
Genre: Action
Actor: Joe Cole, Lucian Msamati, Ray Panthaki
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Antoinette Robertson, Ashley Blaine Featherson, Brandon P. Bell, DeRon Horton, Giancarlo Esposito, John Patrick Amedori, Kyle Gallner, Logan Browning, Marque Richardson, Tessa Thompson, Teyonah Parris, Tyler James Williams
Director: Justin Simien
Phoebe Waller-Bridge became famous for her hit show Fleabag, but few people know about Crashing which she has also created and stars in, and which deserves just as much attention. She plays a girl who moves to London to be with her childhood friend, who’s already in a relationship and living with his partner and four others in an abandoned hospital. Waller-Bridge settles into the hospital as well, and the six twenty-somethings become property guardians of the hospital building.
Funny characters and excellent performances make this show dangerously bingeable.
Genre: Comedy
Actor: Adrian Scarborough, Amit Shah, Damien Molony, Jonathan Bailey, Julie Dray, Louise Ford, Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Beastie Boys Story, a live documentary that runs for two hours and consists entirely of two speakers presenting a PowerPoint onstage, shouldn't be as enjoyable and enthralling as it is, but with the help of director Spike Jonze, remaining band members Mike D and Adam Horovitz pull off the impossible and draw in a rapt crowd by chronicling how the iconic hip-hop group came to be.
Told with intimate detail and blithe humor, Beastie Boys Story has the easygoing charm of a dear friend recounting the good old days with you. Mike D and Adam Horovitz are skilled storytellers, and with Jonze operating the technicals to a tee backstage, everything comes together in a satisfyingly smooth and utterly watchable take. You don't have to know much (if anything at all) about the Beastie Boys to enjoy this documentary, and whatever your opinion is of them beforehand, you'll leave this film knowing a bit more about the creative process, necessary growth, and unbelievable luck all artists go through.
Genre: Documentary, Music
Actor: Adam Horovitz, Adam Yauch, Afrika Bambaataa, Ben Stiller, Bill Hader, David Cross, Dick Clark, Don Cornelius, Joan Rivers, Karen Duffy, Kurt Loder, Kurtis Blow, Madonna, Michael Diamond, Michael Kenneth Williams, Michael Stipe, Money Mark, Rick Rubin, Russell Simmons, Spike Jonze, Steve Buscemi, Tenzin Gyatso
Director: Spike Jonze
Genre: Drama, Horror, Mystery
Actor: Freddie Highmore, Keegan Connor Tracy, Max Thieriot, Mike Vogel, Nestor Carbonell, Nicola Peltz, Olivia Cooke, Vera Farmiga
The drug trade is international, but it is rarely portrayed as such on TV. Drug thrillers often take place in one country and in one or two languages (usually Spanish and English) - but in reality, there are producers, buyers, and sellers, all based in different parts of the world. So a show depicting the drug business in a realistic way should also move around the world. ZeroZeroZero is that. It’s a fast thriller set in many countries: The U.S., Italy, Mexico, Senegal, and Morocco to name a few. The stunning cinematography bounces between contexts seamlessly, telling a nihilistic yet thrilling story of a conflict that starts within the Italian Mafia.
Genre: Thriller
Actor: Andrea Riseborough, Dane DeHaan, Francesco Colella, Gabriel Byrne, Giuseppe De Domenico, Harold Torres
TV nerds know that Orange is the New Black, as much as it’s hailed in the U.S. for being 'crazy’, doesn’t deserve that title. It’s only a mellow take on the women prison genre that was perfected outside the States. The Australian show Wentworth is one example and Vis a Vis (or Locked Up) is another. The show starts with an inmate being boiled alive.
Macarena Ferreiro is set up by her boss/lover and ends up in prison for tax crimes. First naive and used to luxury, she has to adapt to harsh prison conditions, and harsher inmates. On the outside, her parents try to secure a large sum to pay her bail.
Genre: Thriller
Actor: Abril Zamora, Adriana Paz, Alba Flores, Alberto Velasco, Alma Itzel, Almagro San Miguel, Ana María Picchio, Ana Marzoa, Berta Vazquez, Carlos Hipolito, Claudia Riera, Cristina Marcos, Cristina Plazas, Daniel Ortiz, David Ostrosky, Harlys Becerra, Huichi Chiu, Inma Cuesta, Inma Cuevas, Isabel Naveira, Itziar Castro, Javier Lara, Jesus Castejon, Laura Baena, Laura Baena Torres, Lisi Linder, Lucas Ferraro, Luis Callejo, Maggie Civantos, María Isabel Díaz Lago, Maria Isabel Diaz, Maria Salgueiro, Marta Aledo, Najwa Nimri, Ramiro Blas, Roberto Enríquez, Ruth Díaz, Verónika Moral
In Under the Banner of Heaven, Andrew Garfield plays Detective Jeb Pyre, a devout Mormon whose faith is shaken when he takes up a violent case that involves his church. When he discovers the gruesome death of a fellow worshipper and her 15-month-old child, he is driven mad by the choices he needs to make about his faith, his family, and the threat of fundamentalism these two pillars present. Terrifying and compelling, Under the Banner of Heaven is not for the weak-hearted, but it is recommended to anyone up for a good, challenging watch.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Adelaide Clemens, Andrew Garfield, Billy Howle, Chloe Pirrie, Christopher Heyerdahl, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Denise Gough, Gil Birmingham, Rory Culkin, Sam Worthington, Sandra Seacat, Seth Numrich, Wyatt Russell
Undead Unluck is such a strange anime with such a strange duo. Named after their respective powers, the undead Andy seems familiar with his Deadpool-like regeneration, albeit with such a fast rate that he can shoot out body parts with such gruesome animation. However it’s the unlucky Fuuko that brings them to the most absurd comedic scenarios, including, but not limited to, surviving a giant truck crash, a lightning strike, and a whole meteor. In order to achieve their goal of dying, they have to build up a bond to maximize her unluck. As they learn more about Fuuko’s abilities, as well as the organization hunting them down, it’s likely that they’ll go through wackier situations that will escalate as the show progresses. It’s definitely something uniquely watchable, if you can handle the off-putting gore that’s part and parcel of Andy’s powers.
Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Actor: Aoi Yuki, Kenji Nomura, Koji Yusa, Mariya Ise, Moe Kahara, Natsuki Hanae, Nobuhiko Okamoto, Rie Kugimiya, Rikiya Koyama, Yuichi Nakamura
Also known as Rabo de Peixe, after the real town where the series is based, Turn of the Tide follows a group of four friends, who dream of a life outside their hometown, where nothing ever happens. Except, something does finally happen, and it’s whole packs of cocaine washing up on the island’s shores. It’s a wild series, one where the show’s teen underdogs take advantage of sailing expertise and knowledge of the town in order to sell out one third of the stash from the mainland Italian mafia. And it’s one that is endlessly entertaining, as we hope for the four teenagers to succeed in their plan, and to escape for another life.
Genre: Drama
Actor: André Leitão, Helena Caldeira, José Condessa, Maria João Bastos, Rodrigo Tomás
It’s hard not to roll your eyes at what looks like yet another white-centered story set in a foreign land. But Tokyo Vice, thankfully, is hardly that. Co-produced by crime drama auteur Michael Mann (Heat, Collateral, Miami Vice), the HBO series is a stylishly thrilling and comprehensive look at the yakuza crime ring running Tokyo from the underground.
Ansel Elgort’s Jake, an investigative journalist, may be our way in, but it’s the rest of the characters who grip our interest. They’re gangster tropes fleshed out with rich and complicated backstories. Ken Watanabe’s Katagiri is a hardboiled detective—so effectively cool and scary—who you’d like to believe is good, but also has his own secrets lurking in the shadows. Rachel Keller’s Samantha is a sultry hostess who, unlike in mob films past, actually has character, motivation, and specific problems she figures out on her own. Sato (Sho Kasamatsu) and Emi (Rinko Kikuchi), Jake’s yakuza friend and newspaper editor respectively, are also given stories that genuinely intrigue and compel on their own.
Lit by Tokyo’s neon glow and set to Mann’s signature fast pace, this is a series not to be missed by action-crime fans.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Ansel Elgort, Ella Rumpf, Hideaki Ito, Ken Watanabe, Rachel Keller, Rinko Kikuchi, Show Kasamatsu
Based on the 1962 award winning novel of the same name by Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High castle presents a world in which World War II concluded with the victory of the Axis powers, dividing the United States of America into two powers on the verge of conflict, the Greater German Reich and the Japanese Pacific States. The show follows Juliana Crain (Alexa Davalos) and her boyfriend Frank Frink (Rupert Evans) as their lives quickly turn into chaos when they come across a film reel that shows a glimpse into the world that could have been, ours, bringing the couple to the restless attention of both governments and of the resistance. The Man in the High Castle will captivate you with excellent writing, a superb cast, and a carefully crafted world that is as believable as it is terrifying.
Genre: Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
Actor: Alexa Davalos, Brennan Brown, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Chelah Horsdal, DJ Qualls, Joel de la Fuente, Luke Kleintank, Rufus Sewell, Rupert Evans
Succession, whether that be of family assets or of job titles, is always a tricky situation to navigate– often, those choosing a successor would have to check in with the possible choices next in line in order to make sure there are no resentment, otherwise, it could drive the hillside horror present in The Bequeathed. From passive-aggressive co-workers to mourning relatives, Yoon Seo-ha is having a terrible time dealing with the succession situation, both being resented by a superstitious half-brother for the land and resentful of a co-worker who got promoted before her. It’s so easy to suspect potential rivals, especially when murder strikes those around you, but The Bequeathed also recognizes something scarier– the fear of what you could do with that resentment.
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery
Actor: Hyun Bong-sik, Kim Hyun-joo, Park Byung-eun, Park Hee-soon, Park Sung-hoon, Ryu Kyung-soo
Director: Min Hong-nam
After having just lost her sister Holly, Sam (Bridget Everett) is in a bit of a midlife crisis. Work feels meaningless, singing doesn't bring as much joy as it used to, and her family isn't exactly the most supportive bunch out there. When a colleague introduces Sam to his friends (a lively, welcoming group of choir singers), she slowly regains hope and even confidence to start a new life in her 40s.
Produced by the comedic Duplass brothers, Somebody Somewhere finds joy in everyday life. Office gossip provides respite at work, local talents transform into stars during choir practice, and drive-thrus for coffee become stalking escapades to find out if Sam's brother-in-law is a drug dealer. This slice-of-life journey is at once funny and poignant, as well as incredibly perceptive about issues like grief and depression. Everett was most known for her stand-up and comedic sketches, but after her turn as Sam, she'll no doubt make a name for herself as one of the most layered and nuanced actresses of her generation.
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Actor: Bridget Everett, Danny McCarthy, Jeff Hiller, Mary Catherine Garrison, Mike Hagerty
Shining Girls is painful to watch. How could it not be, when it follows the serial and brutal murders of female victims? Even when the series is told through the lens of sole survivor Kirby (played by the excellent Elisabeth Moss), we witness the indelible effects of assault and trauma. Kirby’s sense of reality shifts; time is circular and memories are provisional. She’s an unreliable source in her own story.
And yet Shining Girls is also necessary to watch. It’s one of those stories where pain is the point, and it brings you close enough to the scene of the crime that it feels wrong to pull away too soon--not until you pull through the ending.
As always, Moss is unrelentingly intense as she takes us through the deepest corners of the victim she portrays, but a strong supporting cast also rounds off the performances. Jamie Bell is particularly haunting as the yet-to-be-discovered killer.
Genre: Crime, Drama
Actor: Amy Brenneman, Chris Chalk, Elisabeth Moss, Jamie Bell, Phillipa Soo, Wagner Moura