By Kevin Slane
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, Disney+, HBO Max, Peacock, Paramount+, and more.
Many recommendations are for new shows, while others are for under-the-radar releases you might have missed or classics that are about to depart a streaming service at the end of the month.
Have a new favorite movie or show you think we should know about? Let us know in the comments, or email [email protected]. Looking for even more great streaming options? Check out previous editions of our must-watch list here.
Ahead of the release of “Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F” on Netflix July 3, catch up on the original, which cemented Eddie Murphy’s A-list status and briefly made director Martin Brest (“Midnight Run,” “Scent of A Woman”) the toast of Hollywood before a career-ending misfire (“Gigli”).
The 1984 film was originally developed for Sylvester Stallone, and had almost no jokes in it. Watching the movie, you can tell that the violent, gripping action scenes would have worked well in a Stallone police procedural. But Murphy’s streetwise Detroit detective Axel Foley, smooth-talking his way through Beverly Hills in search of his best friend’s killer, is what makes “Beverly Hills Cop” endure 40 years later. At a time when studios were genuinely terrified of letting a Black man lead a movie by himself — even one as popular and charismatic as Murphy — the “SNL” star created the template for the action-comedy genre. Will Smith, Chris Tucker, Martin Lawrence, and so many others have Murphy to thank for paving the way.
How to watch: “Beverly Hills Cop” is streaming on Netflix.
Speaking of Smith, much like the Christmas tradition of watching “It’s A Wonderful Life” or flipping on “Groundhog Day” on February 2, Fourth of July weekend (or the weekend just before it, in this case) is the perfect moment to revisit “Independence Day.” As Marine pilot Steven Hiller, Smith cemented his leading man bonafides in Roland Emmerich’s alien invasion film, teaming up with Jeff Goldbum’s nebbish engineer to save the planet.
The strong box office performance of Smith and Lawrence’s “Bad Boys: Ride or Die” this summer has been proof that the world is ready to forgive and forget the Fresh Prince’s slap of Chris Rock at the Oscars. Watching movies like “Independence Day” or “Men in Black,” it’s easy to understand why.
How to watch: “Independence Day” is streaming on Hulu.
On the subject of seasonally appropriate rewatches, this is the time of year that I like to revisit some of my favorite summer camp movies — and in one case, my favorite summer camp TV show (more on that below). Your favorite may depend on the decade you grew up in, but popular options include Bill Murray’s “Meatballs” (streaming on Tubi), Ben Stiller’s “Heavyweights” (streaming on Disney+), and both the 1961 and 1998 versions of “The Parent Trap” (both streaming on Disney+).
For a more recent addition to the summer camp movie canon, check out “Theater Camp,” the comedy from debut directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman. After camp director Joan Rubinsky (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma, AdirondACTS is in danger of shutting down, thanks in no part to the lack of business acumen of her son (Jimmy Tatro). In classic after-school-special fashion, it’s up to longtime counselors played by Gordon and Ben Platt to put on a big show that will save the camp. Even if you don’t have an artistic bone in your body, “Theater Camp” is a hilarious tribute to the theater kids of the world, and a fantastic showcase for the next generation of rising comedic talents.
How to watch: “Theater Camp” is streaming on Hulu.
In a flashback scene from the Season 3 premiere of FX’s award-winning dramedy “The Bear,” Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) is back in New York City, where an abusive head chef (Joel McHale) tells him his dish has too many ingredients, underlining the message with a piece of green tape on which he writes the word “SUBTRACT.”
Perhaps I still need time to digest after a ten-episode binge-watch, but “The Bear” creator Christopher Storer may have wanted to heed McHale’s advice. Though there is a lot to like about the show’s third season, it feels like a slight step down from the first two seasons due to a lack of focus and precision. The premiere is a strong indicator of what’s to come, a formally inventive but ultimately indulgent episode in which we essentially see inside the brain of Carmy (Jeremy Allen White). We watch all of the lessons he’s learned from his time training in the kitchens of New York, his feelings about the relationships in his life, and his mindset ahead of the true opening of The Bear, his new fine-dining concept.
Later in Season 3, “The Bear” takes time to explore the backstories of other characters to great effect, with an episode centering Tina (Liza Colón-Zayas) a particular highlight. But after the pressure-cooker atmosphere of the first two seasons, “The Bear” Season 3 is a slow, low-heat simmer.
How to watch: “The Bear” is streaming on Hulu.
Though I didn’t mention it up there, my favorite summer camp movie is David Wain’s parody of the genre, 2001’s “Wet Hot American Summer.” The sheer comedic talent assembled years before the actors broke through — Bradley Cooper! Paul Rudd! Elizabeth Banks! — is reason enough to watch, but the madcap antics of Wain and fellow members of his comedy troupe The State are what makes repeat viewings a must.
When Netflix first began producing original programming in the 2010s, one of the first big splashes they made was announcing a series revival of “Wet Hot,” with the ridiculous conceit that the show would be a prequel, despite casting the same, much older actors in their original roles 16 years later. If you watch the trailer above and don’t spot at least one actor or comedian you like, you probably haven’t watched a movie or TV show in the last 25 years.
How to watch: “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” is streaming on Netflix.
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