Top streams for the week
Julian Fellowes, creator of "Downtown Abbey," goes stateside for "The Gilded Age" (TV-14). Set in 1880s New York City, the "upstairs downstairs" melodrama takes on the collision of old money and new wealth in the changing face of American high society. Christine Baranski and Cynthia Nixon are sisters with inherited wealth and Morgan Spector and Carrie Coon are their nouveau riche neighbors trying to break in to New York society. New episodes on Sundays. (HBO Max)
The limited series espionage thriller "In From the Cold" (TV-MA) stars Margarita Levieva as an American single mother whose past life as a Russian spy catches up with her. The action series puts her back in the field while flashbacks show her origins as the survivor of a secret KGB program that gave her enhanced abilities. (Netflix)
The mystery comedy "The Afterparty: Season 1" (TV-MA) plays out the events of a murder at a high school reunion from the different perspectives of the attendees, each in a different genre style. The series from producers Chris Miller and Phil Lord stars Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Ben Schwartz, and Ilana Glazer). Three episodes available, new episodes on Fridays. (Apple TV+)
Jessica Chastain is Tammy Faye Baker in "The Eyes of Tammy Faye" (2021, PG-13), about the scandal that toppled the evangelical empire she built with Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield) and her redemptive journey that made her an icon in the LGBTQ+ community. Vincent D'Onofrio and Cherry Jones costar and Michael Showalter directs this adaptation of the 2000 documentary. (HBO Max)
Netflix
"The Woman in the House Across the Street From the Girl in the Window: Season 1" (TV-MA), a parody of paranoid crime thrillers, is a dark comedy about a heartbroken, wine-guzzling shut-in (Kristen Bell) who thinks she saw a murder.
"Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness: Season 1" (TV-MA) turns the nonfiction podcast into a streaming series.
Kevin James stars in "Home Team" (2022, PG) as former NFL head coach who takes on a new challenge: a team of 12-year-olds.
International passport: a pair of TV technicians stumble across a murder in the crime comedy "Framed! A Sicilian Murder Mystery" (Italy, TV-MA, with subtitles).
International TV: "All of Us Are Dead: Season 1" (South Korea, TV-MA, with subtitles) is a zombie thriller set in a high school and "Feria: The Darkest Light: Season 1" (Spain, TV-MA, with subtitles) is a crime thriller about two sisters seeking the truth behind a cult killing.
True stories: the award-winning short documentary "Three Songs for Benazir" (2022, TV-PG) profiles a newly-married Afghan man in a displacement camp.
Kid stuff: "Angry Birds: Summer Madness: Season 1" (TV-Y7) is a new animated spinoff of the popular game.
Stand-up: "Aziz Ansar: Nightclub Comedian" (TV-MA)
Amazon Prime Video
"The Legend of Vox Machina: Season 1" (2022, TV-MA) turns the role-playing streaming show "Critical Role" into an animated fantasy-adventure with a comic twist.
Hulu
Robert De Niro is the "Dirty Grandpa" (2016, R) in the raunchy comedy with Zac Efron. Also available in an unrated version.
Streaming TV: the new ABC drama "Promised Land: Season 1" (TV-14) follows two powerful Latinx families vying for wealth and power in California’s Sonoma Valley. Episodes stream a day after network debut.
HBO Max
The horror film "Malignant" (2021, R) from director James Wan stars Annabelle Wallis as a woman whose waking nightmares of grisly murders are actually visions of real events.
Streaming TV: Jack Bannon is Alfred Pennyworth, former Special Forces soldier and future butler to Bruce Wayne, in "Pennyworth: Seasons 1-2" (TV-MA), a prequel series set in post-World War II London. Also new is "Gomorrah: Season 5" (Italy, TV-MA, with subtitles), with new episodes on Thursdays.
Other streams
The animated "The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild: Season 1" (2022, PG) continues the adventures begun in the "Ice Age" movies. (Disney+)
In "Billions: Season 6" (TV-MA), Corey Stoll takes over from Damian Lewis as the hedge fund manager targeted by the U.S. Attorney (Paul Giamatti). (Showtime Anytime)
The adult animated comedy "Doomlands: Season 1" (TV-MA) follows a mobile bar in the post-apocalyptic wastelands. Free with ads. (Roku Channel)
True stories: "Boris Karloff: The Man Behind the Monster" (2021) profiles the life and career of the iconic actor. (AMC+ and Shudder)
"Joseph L. Mankiewicz: Talking Pictures" collects thirteen features from the erudite writer/director, including his Oscar-winning pictures "A Letter to Three Wives" (1949) with Jeanne Crain and Kirk Douglas and "All About Eve" (1950) with Bette Davis and Ann Baxter. Other highlights include his romantic ghost story "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir" (1947) with Gene Tierney and Rex Harrison, the Tennessee Williams adaptation "Suddenly, Last Summer" (1959) with Elizabeth Taylor, Katharine Hepburn, and Montgomery Clift, and the historical epic "Cleopatra" (1963) Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. (Criterion Channel)
Iranian American writer-director Desiree Akhavan also stars in the LGBTQ+ romantic comedy "Appropriate Behavior" (2015, not rated). Also new:
classic comedy "Harvey" (1950) with James Stewart;
Michael Moore's award-winning documentary "Roger & Me" (1989);
a double feature of 1950s westerns: "Man in the Saddle" (1951) with Randolph Scott and "The Man from Laramie" (1955) with James Stewart.
Visit the paper's website online for more options and recommendations.
Sean Axmaker is a Seattle film critic and writer. His reviews of streaming movies and TV can be found at https://streamondemandathome.com.
Copyright © 2022 by Sean Axmaker