School is back in session for most kids, but streaming never takes a summer break.
Take this weekend, for instance — streamers like Netflix, Apple TV and Peacock are rolling out some high-profile shows that will have everyone talking throughout fall.
At the top of Watch With Us’ binge list is Apple TV’s Last Seen, an absorbing mystery about a father who thinks he’s found his long-lost daughter.
Peacock is celebrating the NBC show by dropping a new docuseries about the beloved show, Fan Level Midnight, as well as the second season of The Paper, which is clearly inspired by the seminal Steve Carell sitcom.
Last but not least, Netflix is challenging Prime Video’s YA dominance with its own original teen drama, Crew Girl.
‘Last Seen’ Season 1 – Apple TV
11 years ago, Ian Ridley’s (Patrick Brammall) life was shattered when his 3-year-old daughter, Maggie, disappeared. Now working as a police dispatcher, he sleepwalks through his existence until he answers a distress call that wakes him right up. A desperate teenager calls in asking for help, and Ian is certain it’s actually a still-alive Maggie. He’s so sure that he breaks protocol and tries to track her down himself, but will Ian’s obsession with finding his daughter prevent him from finally coming to terms with his own trauma?
Last Seen is a gripping thriller with a can’t-miss premise not unlike last summer’s hit Harlan Coben show, I Will Find You. Both series involve grieving fathers certain their missing children are still alive, but Last Seen is more realistic and serious than its popular Netflix counterpart. The first two episodes are now streaming, with new episodes dropping every Wednesday.
‘Fan Level Midnight: Devoted to The Office’ — Peacock
Are you a fan of The Office? It would be unlikely if you weren’t. Since its debut on NBC in 2005, The Office has amassed millions of followers over the years with its found-family dynamic, one-of-a-kind ensemble cast and consistently hilarious scenarios. The show is so beloved that it spawned Fan Level Midnight: Devoted to The Office, a new series devoted to celebrating all things Dundler Mifflin.
Across six episodes, Fan Level Midnight chronicles the unlikely origins of the workplace sitcom, how it overcame low ratings in its first season to become one of NBC’s most beloved shows of the 2000s, how one of its most iconic episodes, “Dinner Party,” came to be and its lasting cultural footprint. It’s clear this docuseries was made with tremendous love, but it’s also an illuminating look at how a 22-minute show can touch so many people throughout the years.
‘The Paper’ Season 2 — Peacock
If the words The Toledo Truth Teller mean nothing to you, then that means you didn’t catch The Paper when it debuted last year. If that’s true, stop reading this article and watch it right now. If you have already seen it, there’s good news — The Paper season 2 is now streaming, and it’s even better than the first one.
Season 2 spotlights editor-in-chief Ned (Domhnall Gleeson) and staff reporter Mare’s (Chelsea Frei) new romance, which is still a secret from the rest of the paper’s staff. (Well, most of them.) Meanwhile, Ned still struggles to find funding for the struggling newspaper and a juicy story ties some of the staff to an ongoing murder investigation. The Paper still doesn’t hold a candle to its obvious inspiration, The Office, but it’s getting there, and it’s already established just enough of an identity to stand on its own.
‘Crew Girl’ Season 1 – Netflix
Teagan Tao (Miku Martineau) is only 16 years old, but she’s already rebuilding her life. After her father commits fraud and disappears, she and her mother, Ella (Mad Men’s Jessica Paré), leave California to start a new life in Eagle’s Cove, a small New England town where prep schools are still a thing. Teagan enrolls in one, Easton Prep, and finds her place in the school’s hierarchy when she joins the all-boys rowing team as a coxswain. But Teagan soon finds herself in trouble when she falls for both the wealthy and handsome Josh Regis (Sam Braun) and the poor and handsome Cam Dillinger (Kyle Clark). Can Teagan keep her focus on helping her team win an upcoming tournament, or will she be distracted by a love triangle she never planned to be in?
If you asked ChatGPT to generate a typical YA romance set in a bucolic setting that looks like it was filmed in Canada, it would come up with Crew Girl. It’s not all that different from other YA dramas like Prime Video’s Off Campus, except it’s a little more soapy and sentimental, like those old WB dramas from the 2000s. That’s not bad if you’re into that kind of thing, and for what it is, Crew Girl is successful at giving you what you want: pretty people falling in and out of low, gorgeous scenery in places you can’t afford and a random appearance by a celebrity guest star. (Kesha randomly pops up — don’t ask why.) Crew Girl is disposable fun and nothing more than that — if you’re looking for something a little deeper, watch Sterling Point instead.
