So, what's everyone been watching this week? Hmmmm? What exactly is trending on all your streaming services?
To get a sense of the most popular movies and TV shows people are watching at home, we've streaming aggregator Reelgood(opens in a new tab), which gathers viewer numbers from hundreds of streaming services in the U.S. and UK. Each week, the most streamed watches come down to a few elements — sheer buzz, a big finale, smart marketing, star power, critical acclaim, or word-of-mouth that leads people to finally watch it out of spite.
But just because a lot of people are watching something doesn't make it...good. Here they are, the 10 most streamed TV shows and movies of the week, where to watch them, and what Mashable critics thought.
1. The Diplomat
Netflix's smart political drama, The Diplomat, helmed by showrunner Debora Cahn (The West Wing, Grey's Anatomy, Homeland), has hit the top spot this week. Keri Russell stars as diplomat Kate Wyler, deployed to London as U.S. Ambassador to the UK instead of her preference, Kabul, Afghanistan. She's joined by her fellow diplomat and political renegade husband, Hal (Rufus Sewell), despite how much of a sexy, sexy trainwreck their marriage is.
When a British military aircraft carrier is bombed, and the geopolitical blame game starts, Kate will need to use those pure gold negotiation skills of hers before, y'know, war breaks out. Luckily, she's got a dream team to back her up, with the deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy, Stuart Heyford (Ato Essandoh), and the chief of the CIA station in London, Eidra Park (Ali Ahn). — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
How to watch: The Diplomat is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)
2. Ghosted
Cole (Chris Evans) falls for Sadie (Ana De Armas) after one date. She ghosts him. He decides to vault over this boundary and track her down. Spy things occur.
How to watch: Ghosted is now streaming on Apple TV+.(opens in a new tab)
3. Citadel
Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Stanley Tucci, and Richard Madden lead Prime Video’s new espionage blockbuster from the Russo brothers. It's all about a global spy agency called Citadel, which was destroyed by the villains, the Manticore syndicate. Trouble is, Citadel's best agents Mason Kane (Madden) and Nadia Sinh (Chopra Jonas) have had their memories wiped — and they're more needed than ever. — S.C.
How to watch: Citadel is now streaming on Prime Video.(opens in a new tab)
4. Scream VI
Ghostface is rearing that dreaded Munch-inspired mask again, and this time we're not in Woodsboro, it's New York City. The sixth instalment of the meta slasher franchise picks up just a year after the events of Scream (2022), with survivors Sam (Melissa Barrera), Tara (Jenna Ortega), Mindy (Brown), and Chad (Mason Gooding) all trying to move on with their lives. But someone has more sinister plans for the "Core Four", so they'll need the help of the inimitable Gale Weathers (Courtney Cox), along with the return of Scream franchise fave Kirby (Hayden Panettiere). Prepare to be fan serviced. — S.C.
What we thought: In the end, Wes Craven's first film feels woefully far away from where Scream VI lands fans. Character has been sacrificed in favor of frenzied pacing, which murders the whodunit fun this franchise has long promised. — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
How to watch: Scream VI is now streaming on Paramount+.
5. Beef
A chance encounter between two strangers leads to a feud — and a quest for revenge. This is the premise of Beef, Netflix and A24's series that sees Amy Lau (Ali Wong) and Danny Cho (Steven Yeun) become entirely consumed after a road rage incident. The former is a disillusioned entrepreneur and the latter, a failing contractor, and their mutual obsession with revenge starts to affect their respective relationships and everyday lives.
Created by Lee Sung Jin, the 10-part dark comedy also stars Joseph Lee, Young Mazino, David Choe, Patti Yasutake, Maria Bello, Ashley Park, Justin H. Min, Mia Serafino, Remy Holt, Andrew Santino, and Rek Lee.* — Meera Navlakha, Culture Reporter
What we thought: Like the vivid paintings that open each of its episodes, Beef is a large canvas of two people with the not-so pleasant details of their lives excruciatingly enclosing around them — creating a stunning portrait of the cost of empathy and a story that'll linger with you long after its credits finish rolling. — Yasmeen Hamadeh, Entertainment Intern
How to watch: Beef is now streaming on Netflix.(opens in a new tab)
6. Succession
The wait for Succession Season 4 can fuck off. After a diabolical Season 3, the latest and final season of Jesse Armstrong's award-winning series is here, and the Roy siblings Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) are geared up to challenge their newly estranged father Logan (Brian Vox) in the media game. Everything is on the table this season. — S.C.
What we thought: Jesse Armstrong's Emmy-winning drama takes no prisoners in its fourth and final season. It's as unsparing and sharp as its predecessors, yet somehow manages to up the show's audacity to new heights. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Succession Season 4, episode 1 is streaming now on HBO Max(opens in a new tab), with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays at 9 p.m.
7. Peter Pan and Wendy
The Disney film based on J. M. Barrie's classic novel has got the live action treatment, this time with Jude Law as Captain Hook. Set in London around 1911, Peter Pan and Wendy sees Wendy Darling (Ever Anderson) resisting the inevitability of growing up, despite her parents' (Alan Tudyk and Molly Parker) encouragement. So, Peter Pan (Alexander Molony) and his fairy BFF Tinker Bell (Yara Shahidi) show up to take Wendy and her brothers John (Joshua Pickering) and Michael (Jacobi Jupe) on an adventure to Never Land — where Peter's hooked nemesis awaits.— S.C.
What we thought: When detractors decry Disney for cannibalizing IP for profit, they could point to Peter Pan and Wendy, a live-action recreation of a classic movie that mercilessly bleeds life out of its iconic characters and passion out of its heralded helmer. — K.P.
How to watch: Peter Pan & Wendy is now streaming on Disney+.(opens in a new tab)
8. Love(opens in a new tab) and Death
Elizabeth Olsen, Jesse Plemons, Lily Rabe, and Patrick Fugit lead HBO's Love and Death, which is about exactly that. Written by David E. Kelley and directed by Mad Men and Homeland's Lesli Linka Glatter, the series follows Texas couples Candy and Pat Montgomery and Betty and Allan Gor, whose lives get entangled by an affair. And murder. And folks, the shocking true story behind the series is stranger than fiction. — S.C.
How to watch: Love and Death is now streaming on HBO Max.(opens in a new tab)
9. Jury Duty
Created by Lee Eisenberg and Gene Stupnitsky and directed by Jake Szymanski, Jury Duty has one hell of a set-up: a staged court case starring entirely actors except for one jury member. No, they do not know it's all fake. — S.C.
What we thought: In theory, Jury Duty is my worst TV nightmare. But to my surprise, this prank show-meets-mockumentary proves a surprisingly warmhearted delight. — B.E.
How to watch: Jury Duty is now streaming on Amazon Freevee.(opens in a new tab)
10. Cocaine Bear
Inspired by outrageous true events from 1985 in which a black bear got his paws into quite the sticky situation — that being cocaine — director Elizabeth Banks and writer Jimmy Warden bring us the turbulent and satirical Cocaine Bear.
After a cocaine-filled plane crashes and leaves the drug’s whereabouts unknown, absolute carnage is afoot when a raging bear finds and ingests the products. As the town’s inhabitants, local tourists, and crime-loving teens attempt to retrieve the missing drugs, the bear (high out of his mind) advances into a coke-fueled attack on anyone in sight. Millions of dollars worth of cocaine, annoying tourists with superiority complexes getting shred to bits, and one drugged-out papa bear: What else could film buffs ask for from the cinema gods of 2023?* — Kyle McWilliams, Entertainment Intern
What we thought: There are few films that can deliver as succinctly and accurately on their title as Cocaine Bear does. There is a bear. She does cocaine. Hence, the Cocaine Bear of it all. But while the movie comes through on its gloriously stupid title, it still left me craving something extra. — B.E.
How to watch: Cocaine Bear is now streaming on Peacock.(opens in a new tab)
* Asterisks indicate the writeup is adapted from another Mashable article.
