Watch With Us is faced with two common dilemmas each week — finding good content to watch and finding the time to watch it.
This week is especially challenging, as streamers like Netflix, Prime Video and more are set to release some can’t-miss movies and shows.
At the top of our binge-watch list is Netflix’s The Boroughs, an intriguing sci-fi series from Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer.
We also recommend checking out Apple TV’s latest crime show, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, which lives up to its title, and Quentin Tarantino’s spruced-up Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair, on Peacock.
‘Wanda Sykes: Legacy’ (May 19) — Netflix
Wanda Sykes is funny. That’s not necessarily groundbreaking news, especially if you’ve watched any of her comedy specials over the years or her hilarious supporting performance in Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm.
But her latest stand-up show, Legacy, sees the veteran comedian return to her alma mater to offer funny, often blistering takes on the current state of the world today. From Cybertrucks to Robert Kennedy Jr., no subject or person is spared, so sit back, relax and be prepared to laugh — a lot.
‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: Ghost War’ (May 20) — Prime Video
Attention, all dads — Jack Ryan is back. This is not a drill. But it’s a bittersweet return, as John Krasinski’s popular small-screen take on Tom Clancy’s beloved action hero is about to come to an end. After four successful seasons on Prime Video, Jack Ryan is wrapping up long-running plotlines and giving fans closure with a two-hour movie, Ghost War.
The film picks up where season 4 left off, with Ryan, who retired from the CIA, now working in the private sector. But Ryan soon discovers that it’s not so easy to walk away from his past when his former colleague, CIA Director James Greer (Wendell Pierce), convinces him to return to the fold to defeat an old enemy. What results is a globetrotting adventure filled with dangerous stunts and action-packed fight sequences. What more should you expect from a Jack Ryan movie?
‘Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed’ (May 20) — Apple TV
Forgive Paula (Tatiana Maslany), the stressed-out protagonist of Apple TV’s newest mystery show, Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed, for she does not know what the hell she’s doing. Divorced and raising a rambunctious pre-teen daughter, Paula’s nerves are fried, and she needs a release. That comes, so to speak, in the form of a charming camboy Trevor (Brandon Flynn), who provides Paula with some release. But when she thinks she’s witnessed a crime involving Trevor, Paula’s world turns upside down — and her life becomes more exciting and dangerous than she could ever imagine.
Sex, lies and videotape streaming — that sounds like the ideal summer murder mystery show to me. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed blends dark humor with its thrills, creating a funny and surprisingly poignant portrait of a woman way past the verge of a nervous breakdown — she’s having it in real time, and you’re right there with her. The only downside to Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed is finding time in your busy schedule to watch it.
‘The Boroughs’ (May 21) — Netflix
It hasn’t even been six months since Stranger Things ended, and already, the Duffer Brothers are back on Netflix to scare the hell out of you. They executive produce The Boroughs, a new eight-episode series about a sleepy retirement community that is plagued by an unusual problem — monsters!
At least, that’s what newly arrived resident Sam Cooper (Alfred Molina) believes, but almost everyone dismisses his claims as the ravings of a lonely widower looking for attention. Most, but not all — a few others, like Renee (Geena Davis) and Jack (Bill Pullman), believe him enough to help him investigate. You don’t see a lot of horror shows with the baby boomers as leads, which is only just one of the ways The Boroughs stands out from the crowded genre pack.
‘Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair’ (May 22) — Peacock
You’ve probably seen Kill Bill Parts 1 and 2, but have you seen The Whole Bloody Affair? If you think it’s just the two movies smashed together, think again. This revised version is a unique experience, with a new animated sequence showcasing a young O-Ren Ishii’s (Lucy Liu) killer moves, the House of Blue Leaves fight sequence in full color and more nips and tucks that make this revised, 253-minute-long version of Quentin Tarantino’s revenge masterpiece worth watching all over again.
