Stream On This Week: Nick Offerman Will Break Your Heart, and a ’90s Favorite Bodyslams Back Into the Arena

Welcome to the latest issue of Stream On, the weekly newsletter from Consequence that answers the eternally confounding question: What films and TV shows should you be watching? (Subscribe here!) We’re looking at all the new and recent releases from Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max, and more for ideas — not to mention a Blast From the Past and streaming recommendations from this week’s special guest: writer and actor Felicia Day!

This Week’s Picks

Margo’s Got Money Troubles (TV)

Created by: David E. Kelley
Cast: Elle Fanning, Nick Offerman, Greg Kinnear, Thaddea Graham, Michael Angarano, Michelle Pfeiffer
Streaming on: Apple TV

I was already predisposed to like this show, after recently reading the book it’s based on and really enjoying every cast member from other projects. And I’m delighted by the way it exceeded my expectations, a character-focused dramedy with some lovely found family vibes. Elle Fanning stars as a young college student and gifted writer whose unplanned pregnancy upends her life; in need of cash, she turns to some unconventional opportunities. It’s a pretty remarkable ensemble, with Nick Offerman a beautiful surprise as Margo’s recovering addict/ex-professional wrestling father. Oh, and I guess you could say Michelle Pfeiffer’s a pretty good actress. I guess.

Beef Season 2 (TV)

Created by: Lee Sung Jin
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Carey Mulligan, Cailee Spaeny, Charles Melton, Youn Yuh-jung, Seoyeon Jang, William Fichtner, Matthew Kim, Mikaela Hoover, Song Kang-ho
Streaming on: Netflix

The Emmy-winning Netflix anthology series returns for a second installment that doubles the number of lead characters, and more than doubles the amount of beef between them all. The drama begins when country club manager Josh (Oscar Isaac) and his wife Lindsay (Carey Mulligan) are caught having a violent argument by their employees Ashley (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin (Charles Melton), a simple event that leads to a sprawling international mess of scandal.

Often intense but never boring, Beef features an original Tangerine Dream-esque score by FINNEAS (who even makes a cameo as himself), and it’s also a soundtrack filled with a lot of love for bands like LCD Soundsystem and Hot Chip. One mildly spoiler-y warning (skip to the next blurb if you want to avoid): For those sensitive to violence against animals, there’s a subplot here that will not be pleasant for you.

Kiss of the Spider Woman (Film)

Directed by: Bill Condon
Cast: Diego Luna, Tonatiuh, Jennifer Lopez
Streaming on: Hulu

Bill Condon’s adaptation of the Broadway musical (itself based on the 1976 novel) has some flaws, but its virtues are many, especially the three lead performances: The always great Diego Luna finds his way into playing a political activist who’s quite a bit different from Cassian Andor, while new discovery Tonatiuh (also seen doing gay best friend duty in Love Story: John F. Kennedy Jr. & Carolyn Bessette) is an endlessly empathetic, engaging screen presence who also can sing and dance. And, speaking of singing and dancing! Jennifer Lopez really kills it as a classic film star, whose appearances in the fantasies of these two political prisoners ends up sustaining them through dark times. It’s an unconventional love story, a musical, and a tale about what it means to rebel against impossible forces. I cried a lot.

American Gladiators (TV)

Featuring: The Miz, Rocsi Diaz, various professional wrestlers and bodybuilders
Streaming on: Prime Video

There have been many efforts to recapture the magic of the original syndicated American Gladiators, from NBC’s failed 2008 reboot (featuring Hulk Hogan and Gina Carano, sigh) to shows like the Dwayne Johnson-produced The Titan Games. Prime Video’s new relaunch, hosted by The Miz, genuinely comes closest to nailing the series’ original spirit, with a solid mix of classic and new challenges, some well-cast contenders, and a collection of Gladiators who are very committed to the bit. Plus, when that original theme kicks in as the announcer calls “Contenders ready… Gladiators ready…” Yeah, ’90s indoor kids know what I’m talking about.

Blast From the Past

The home screens of streaming services are always packed with the latest new releases, but we don’t spend enough time appreciating how much good library content is streaming across all of these platforms. Each week, Stream On will spotlight one less-than-new favorite (must pre-date the founding of Consequence, so 15 years or older) that deserves attention from modern-day eyes.

Network (Film)

Directed by: Sidney Lumet
Cast: Faye Dunaway, William Holden, Peter Finch, Robert Duvall, Wesley Addy, Ned Beatty, Jordan Charney, Conchata Ferrell
Streaming on: YouTube (free with ads)

Network is one of the greatest movies ever made, a true classic. However, it’s rare to find it streaming these days, which makes the discovery that YouTube is currently streaming it for free a real thrill. (It’s even ad-free, if you have a YouTube Premium account!) The only thing more brutal than the satire here is the cold calculus of its characters, and the ways in which it’s still relevant today are numerous. Seriously, it could have been made yesterday. And it’s much more funny than anyone gives it credit for.

A Special Guest Recommends!

Liz isn’t the only person in the world capable of suggesting stuff for people to watch… So each week, Stream On will now feature picks from a special guest! Said special guest could be literally anyone from the world of entertainment — actors, writers, directors, musicians, or anyone else Liz thinks might be watching something interesting.

This Week: Felicia Day!

Who Are They? Felicia Day’s breakout role came as a potential slayer in the seventh season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. However, her career exploded in a game-changing way a few years later, when she created the web series The Guild, based on her experiences as a gamer. Since then, Felicia’s kept busy as an actress, with notable roles on Dollhouse, Supernatural, and the 2017 relaunch of Mystery Science Theater 3000 (in which she played mad scientist Kinga Forrester), while also continuing to create and innovate in many mediums. Most recently, she published her first graphic novel, The Lost Daughter of Sparta (art by Rowan MacColl), which is available now on Amazon!

What Do They Recommend? Felicia’s here to rave about an Irish favorite from earlier this year, How to Get to Heaven from Belfast (Netflix):

This dark comedy murder mystery from the creator of Derry Girls is the freshest funniest show I’ve seen in a while. Three dysfunctional women investigate the death of an old school friend. Simple setup. But their adventure quickly turns dysfunctional, surreal and downright hilarious. The kind of show I wish US broadcasters would make, but never would. Unmissable.

Thanks so much to Felicia for this pick! (It’s actually the second time Belfast has been mentioned this spring — comedian Jackie Kashian was also a fan.) Be sure to check out The Lost Daughter of Sparta now!

One Last One Before Bed

Finally, let’s spotlight a movie or TV show that’s not only great, but won’t take up too much of your time: Think of this section as the answer to the question “What’s something I can watch before hitting the hay, that won’t keep me up too late?” The only rule is that it has to be less than 95 minutes if it’s a movie, or less than 30 minutes an episode if it’s a TV show. Otherwise, sky’s the limit!

In a World… (Film)

Directed by: Lake Bell
Cast: Lake Bell, Demetri Martin, Fred Melamed, Rob Corddry, Michaela Watkins, Ken Marino, Nick Offerman, Tig Notaro
Streaming on: Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Tubi

If you noticed a slight uptick in movie news this week, the reason was CinemaCon, a multi-day party in Vegas where all the major studios present their upcoming slates to the people who own movie theaters. In preparing for this, I ended up pre-writing posts for a ton of trailers in case they would be released publicly, an experience which reminded me of this lowkey indie about a female voice-over artist (Lake Bell) who wants to be the guy who says “In a world…” at the beginning of movie trailers. It’s a little inside baseball, but also a sweet story about fathers and daughters and legacy. And, yes, institutional sexism. That part’s a little less sweet, but gives this story a welcome edge.

We’ll be back next week with more picks — in the meantime, stay safe out there, or better yet stay inside, where it’s definitely safe, and there’s so much film and TV to watch. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter!