So, what's everyone been watching this week? Hmmmm?
Just to get a sense of the most popular movies and TV shows people are streaming, we've streaming aggregator Reelgood, which gathers viewership 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. 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.
2. The Night Agent
He's an agent, who works at night. But that's not all this show is. Based on Matthew Quirk's novel and created by Shawn Ryan, The Night Agent follows low level FBI agent Peter Sutherland (Gabriel Basso) who works in a windowless room in the basement of the White House under the command of White House Chief of Staff Diane Farr (Hong Chau). Peter sits around processing paperwork and waiting for hotshot Night Agents to call the secret landline if they're in need of assistance — and then one call changes it all. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
How to watch: The Night Agent is now streaming on Netflix.
3. Tetris
Everyone's favorite blocky video game get sthe big-screen treatment in Apple TV's Tetris. But this is no adaptation of the popular puzzle game. (How would one even do that?) Instead, it's a look at the wild true story of how Tetris came to be played around the world.
Taron Egerton stars as Henk Rogers, who discovers Tetris and becomes obsessed with bringing it to the masses. With its combination of art and math, it is, in Henk's words, "the perfect game." There's just one problem: Inventor Alexey Pajitnov (Nikita Efremov) lives in the Soviet Union. With the Cold War still raging, there's no way they'll let Tetris out easily. Henk and Alexey team up and car chases, spy shenanigans, and "Final Countdown" karaoke ensue.* — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
What we thought: Combining the stranger-than-fiction story of its making with an ardent embrace of the game's aesthetic and nostalgia for the era more broadly, Tetris is a surprisingly smart, silly, and satisfying adventure. — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
How to watch: Tetris is now streaming on Apple TV+.
4. Yellowjackets
Buzz buzz buzz! Showtime's taking us back into the wilderness to pick up where we left off with the Wiskayok High School Yellowjackets soccer team, lost somewhere in the Canadian wilderness after their plane crashed on the way to Nationals. Season 1 threw plenty of mysteries at us in the past and present, with the show meeting up with the survivors of the crash 25 years later. Who might die in the wilderness in Season 2? What's the deal with all this cult stuff? Are there clues in the opening credits? Before you jump into Season 2, here's a recap of everything you need to remember from Season 1, and the burning questions we have. — S.C.
What we thought: Yellowjackets Season 1 was just an amuse-bouche. The excellent kickoff to Showtime's addictive series hinted at cannibalism and ritualistic sacrifice, but it's only in Season 2 that we truly get at the meat of what happened to the Yellowjackets in the wilderness. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: Yellowjackets Season 2 is streaming on Showtime, with new episodes streaming weekly on Fridays. Episodes also air every Sunday on Showtime at 9 p.m. ET.
5. John Wick
"It wasn't just a puppy."
John Wick can't melee his way back onto our screens fast enough, with the fourth instalment now showing in cinemas. So, it seems everyone's going back to the start, meeting Keanu Reeves in 2014 in the first film as a hitman jolted out of retirement on a quest for revenge. Justice for Daisy. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
How to watch: John Wick is now streaming on Peacock.
6. Murder Mystery 2
Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are back together again, and this time they're heading for Paris.
It's been four years since the Agatha Christie-inspired events of Netflix's first Murder Mystery, and Nick and Audrey Spitz (Sandler and Aniston) are now working for themselves as detectives, with their own agency and everything. They take a break from life as a duo of private dicks to head to a private island for the nuptials of their old friend, the Maharaja (Adeel Akhtar). Unfortch for everyone involved, the groom is kidnapped, the ransom is astronomical, and everyone is a suspect. It's up to Nick and Audrey to save the day, which thankfully involves them finally going to Paris together — minus the romance, plus explosions, rappelling up the Eiffel Tower, and some minor hand-to-hand combat as they try to save their friend and solve their biggest case yet.
Murder Mystery 2's cast also includes Mark Strong, Mélanie Laurent, Jodie Turner-Smith, Kuhoo Verma, with John Kani, and Dany Boon.* — Y.H.
How to watch: Murder Mystery 2 is now streaming on Netflix.
7. 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. — B.E.
How to watch: Succession Season 4, episode 1 is streaming now on HBO Max, with new episodes airing weekly on Sundays at 9 p.m.
8. Ted Lasso
Apple TV+'s Emmy-winning comedy Ted Lasso is back for Season 3. All your favourite AFC Richmond players and staff return of course, including the eponymous hero Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis), Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt), Roy Kent (Brett Goldstein), Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster), Isaac McAdoo (Kola Bokinni), Sam Obisanya's (Toheeb Jimoh), Dani Rojas (Cristo Fernández), Higgins (Jeremy Swift), Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), and Keeley (Juno Temple). — S.C.
What we thought: Just as football continues to be life, so too does Ted Lasso continue to be its charming, heartwarming (and occasionally heartbreaking) self in Season 3. — B.E.
How to watch: Ted Lasso is now streaming on Apple TV+.
9. Everything Everywhere All at Once
One of the absolute best movies that 2022 had to offer, Everything Everywhere All at Once boasts a little bit of everything, from a deeply poignant mother-daughter tale to a gleefully silly thread involving a quirky one-hit wonder, to a romantic scene featuring hot dog fingers and a sprawling battle involving butt plugs. It's A24's highest-grossing film to date and it swept the Oscars this year, taking home Best Picture, Best Director, and all four acting awards.
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka Daniels), Everything Everywhere All at Once stars Michelle Yeoh in her most exhilarating role yet: a multiverse-hopping mom, dedicated to saving all existence but especially her on-the-edge daughter (the sensational Stephanie Hsu). Having more fun with the multiverse concept than Marvel could dare, this outrageous action-comedy giddily thrusts audiences into wild alternative worlds, brandishing unexpected weapons alongside jaw-dropping fashion and wildly captivating performances from Yeoh, Hsu, and their totally game co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis.* — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
What we thought: Everything Everywhere All at Once is a tornado of a movie: dizzying, filled with turns, and peppered with eye-catching elements. Yet at the core of its frenetic swirls of allusions, action sequences, and madcap mayhem, there lies a poignant parable about this ruthlessly overwhelming age. — K.P.
How to watch: Everything Everywhere All at Once is now streaming on Paramount+.
10. The Mandalorian
As if Pedro Pascal wasn't busy enough on The Last of Us, he's back with another season of The Mandalorian.
Season 3 of the Star Wars spinoff will consist of eight episodes, and follow the titular bounty hunter as he travels to Mandalore to seek forgiveness for his "transgressions." He probably won't receive the warmest reception once he gets there, but fortunately the journey there won't be a lonely one. While the Mandalorian parted ways with Baby Yoda aka Grogu at the end of Season 2, the duo were later reunited during spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett.
The small Force-sensitive child is thus along for the ride once more, joining the Mandalorian on his highly dangerous, child-unsafe adventure though space. It isn't the best environment for an infant, but at this point it'd probably do more damage to keep them apart.* — Amanda Yeo, Australia Reporter
How to watch: The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes weekly.
* Asterisks indicate the writeup is adapted from another Mashable article.