Quality streaming services continue to pop up, creeping our monthly TV bills back to cable-era levels. The silver lining is that the quality of the content is far beyond what it used to be, and in my opinion, has passed film.

In no particular order…

The Mandalorian

Who doesn’t like this? It’s not like Disney+ needed a killer app, but this series is as much a must-subscribe as Game of Thrones was to HBO. The best part for me however, is the behind the scenes that show the usage of LED technology instead of green/blue-screen being superior in virtually every way, including cost.

Fun Fact: Some former MLG.tv devs went on to Disney+. They are killing it. Rock on.

Natalie Palamides: Nate - A One Man Show

Next year I’ll do a whole section just for comedy, and probably re-list this special on it. None of the trailers show even a hint of what you’re in for.

Heaven’s Gate: The Cult of Cults

I remember only vaguely hearing about this growing up. The best part is that it was only 4 one hour episodes, hopefully a tactic more documentaries will take.

How To with John Wilson

A silly person’s love letter to New York. Brilliant, hilarious, and hard to get. Exactly what you’d expect with Nathan Fielder as an executive producer.

Into the Night

Ok it’s not really that good. But I love it for the same reason’s I liked The Platform, and I really just wanted to see what happened at the end, which is an easy commitment since this is a one and done limited series.

Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House of Fun

Australian absurdist comedy gets picked up and produced by Scott Aukerman and Ed Helms. It’s not the sketch we needed but its the sketch comedy we deserved. It’s not bad at all. I’d post an actual clip from the show if it weren’t so obscene.

HIGH SCORE

A well done history of video games that has both a competition/esports and a cultural issue highlighted in each episode.

Babies

Science + Babies. I don’t expect you to watch the full episode above, or any of them. Unless you had a baby. Which if you did, you probably don’t have the time to be reading this, let alone watching anything at all.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

One of the best parts about Last Week Tonight is how much fun John Oliver makes fun of HBO. That being said they were allowed to upload a whole episode to YouTube, embedded above, covering the years most pressing subject.

The Eric Andre Show

Yes. I know I’m too old for this. His standup was also pretty great.

Magic For Humans

Another guilty pleasure. Professional liar Justin Willman may be lying about not using actors or maybe he’s one of the best magicians ever. Either way it’s fine because magic isn’t real, its fun.

Real Time with Bill Maher

The above New Rules is the best I’ve seen him in a while. I’ve never met anyone else that has said they like this show, which is understandable.

Hunters

Hopefully covid doesn’t slow down season 2 too much.

The Boys

Nowhere near as good as the first season, but it’s still a great alternative super hero franchise.

Big Mouth

One of the most inappropriate animated series ever, and also one of the funniest, with undeniably the best cast.