5 must-watch movies, TV shows streaming right now: Sept. 16-22, 2022

Streaming

The best of what’s new on Netflix, Hulu, HBO Max, Disney Plus, and more.

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, 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-see list here.

Movies

“Fatal Attraction”

Nearly 35 years ago, Glenn Close made sure that she was not going to be ignored — by audiences, by critics, and especially not by Michael Douglas’ adulterous Manhattan lawyer. “Fatal Attraction” was a huge hit, topping the box office for eight weeks, garnering six Academy Award nominations, and triggering a raft of discussions about Close’s character, a woman who obsessively stalks Douglas’ character after a one-night stand. Director Adrian Lyne (“Flashdance,” “Indecent Proposal”) kicked off a wave of domestic, often erotic psychological thrillers, but none could truly match the original, which is streaming now on HBO Max.

How to watch: “Fatal Attraction” is streaming on HBO Max.

“School Ties”

Five years before they really hit the big time with “Good Will Hunting,” Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (and fellow “Hunting” star Cole Hauser) had early roles in the 1992 drama “School Ties,” which was largely filmed at the Middlesex School in Concord and celebrates its 30th anniversary this weekend. Starring an early-career Brendan Fraser as the only Jewish athlete at an elite prep school and Damon as his rich, anti-Semitic bully, “School Ties” is a movie that reels you in despite its rather on-the-nose plot and emotional bow. The fun of seeing Damon, Affleck, Fraser, Hauser, and a young Chris O’Donnell is worth the price of admission — especially when that price is free if you already subscribe to HBO Max.

How to watch: “School Ties” is streaming on HBO Max.

TV

Abbott Elementary

At the 74th Emmy Awards on Sunday, a number of veteran shows took home the biggest awards, with “Ted Lasso” winning its second straight Best Comedy statuette and veteran HBO series “Succession” winning Best Drama. But rookie shows weren’t shut out completely: “Abbott Elementary,” a mockumentary-style sitcom that follows the exploits of the teachers at its titular underfunded Philadelphia public school, nabbed wins for Writing for a Comedy Series and Supporting Actress in a Comedy ( Sheryl Lee Ralph). Catch up now on the 13-episode first season before the series returns for an extended 22-episode Season 2 starting next Wednesday on ABC.

How to watch: “Abbott Elementary” is streaming on Hulu, with new episodes airing Wednesdays at 9 pm on ABC.

“Atlanta”

Speaking of Emmys, Donald Glover’s heady FX comedy-drama “Atlanta” only managed to snag one award on Sunday, perhaps due in part to the four-year hiatus between its second and third seasons. Awards aside, the entire main cast — Glover, Brian Tyree Henry, Lakeith Stanfield, and Zazie Beetz — were in top form during Season 3, which took them to Europe as Tyree Henry’s striving rapper Paper Boi went on tour. The fourth and final season brings the crew back to Atlanta, where they’ll once again encounter a mix of ethical dilemmas and deeply surreal situations cooked up by Glover and his writing staff.

How to watch: “Atlanta” Season 4 is streaming on Hulu, with new episodes airing Thursdays at 10 pm on FX.

“The Handmaid’s Tale”

Since its premiere in 2017, “The Handmaid’s Tale” has moved well past the plot confines of the 1985 Margaret Atwood novel it’s based on, adding more characters and deepening the regressive, anti-woman society known as Gilead. In Season 4, the show unshackled itself from the book’s location in dystopian Massachusetts as well, heading north of the border away from Gilead to Canada. After years of building up and tearing down June/Offred (Elisabeth Moss), the show finally gave her a measure of closure at the end of Season 4 (which we won’t spoil here). With Hulu announcing that Season 6 will be the show’s last, Season 5 has a sense of energy and purpose that has been missing from the show in recent years. Even amidst narrative stasis, “The Handmaid’s Tale” has been worth watching for Moss’ peerless talent alone. With Season 5, which premiered its first two episodes on Wednesday, the rest of the show seems to be ascending back toward her level.

How to watch: “The Handmaid’s Tale” Season 5 is streaming on Hulu, with new episodes debuting Wednesdays.