What to watch next: 37 binge-worthy movies and TV shows

I love good storytelling more than anything in the world. From ‘The Antisocial Network’ & ‘Brandy Hellville’ to ‘Couples Therapy’ & ‘Last Stop Larrimah’, here are my recent favourites.

11 min readJun 2, 2024

My good friend Martina recently asked me for my top movies and series recommendations — so naturally I spent three hours making a pretty comprehensive list.

I thought it might be good to start keeping one anyway; and then I thought it might be a good idea to share it in a public forum, in case anyone has any great recs for me.

I’ve organised my favourites into 6 categories:

1. Documentary, Reality, News

2. Actual Works of Art

3. Series About Tech Startups

4. Series Based on Books

5. Stuff Nicole Kidman is in

6. Misc. Series & Movies

Hope you like!

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Documentary, Reality, News

1. Couples Therapy (2019–2024)

‘A documentary series following couples as they seek the help of psychoanalyst Dr. Orna Guralnik with their troubled relationships.’

I’d argue their relationships are less “troubled” and more “entirely consistent with the usual amount of challenge associated with the average person’s experience of interpersonal human relationships”, but I also understand that meta descriptions have a character limit. Be prepared: Once you start this series, you won’t be able to stop. Set aside a good solid amount of time. Get ice cream. And popcorn. This one’s a goodie.

2. Brandy Hellville & the Cult of Fast Fashion (2024)

A case study exposing the toxic work culture endemic to fast fashion.

Insane firsthand accounts of workplace discrimination, plus amazing video footage from Ghana that solidified my resolution to never buy fast fashion ever again.

I recently heard Dax Shepard say on Armchair Expert that people who shame people for buying fast fashion are shaming poor people who can’t afford ‘real’ fashion “like The Row’’ — so I feel it’s necessary to clarify that the proposed solution to the fast fashion problem is not to buy more expensive stuff, it’s to buy preloved stuff. Aka: Thrifting.

Facts are, as a population, we’ve definitively and conclusively made enough new stuff to last us a good while. There’s almost no category of consumer goods in which it would hurt you to switch to buying secondhand. (I just got demo model Airpods and a reloved 13 Pro from the “reloved iStore’’ brand in Cape Town and have never felt (a) happier with my products nor (b) smugger about my big-ticket item choices than the people who side-eye people who fly too often.)

Thank you for coming to my TED talk. In short, watch Brandy Hellville, it’s great.

3. The Antisocial Network: Memes to Mayhem (2024)

‘From the rise of QAnon to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, this documentary film explains how a group of bored teenagers built an online community out of their shared loneliness but accidentally shattered consensus reality in the process.’

Yup. That pretty much sums it up. Shoutout to the animation team on this one—love your work!

4. Savior Complex (2023)

‘The controversial story surrounding Renee Bach, a young American missionary who felt called by God to set up a charity for malnourished children in Jinja, Uganda.’

As a card-carrying member of the African continent, this explained a lot.

5. The Secrets of Hillsong (2023) and 6. Hillsong Exposed (2022)

Vindicating viewing for former members of megachurches.

And friends and family of former (or current) members of megachurches, too.

7. Last Stop Larrimah (2023)

‘Nestled deep in the Australian Outback is the town of Larrimah and its 11 eccentric residents. When one of them mysteriously disappears into thin air, the remaining residents become suspects and a long history of infighting is unveiled.’

This might not be for everybody, but it might be the best documentary I’ve watched ever. In my whole life. Loved it.

8. Revelation (2020)

What is it with the Priests of the Catholic Church..?!

So weird. It’s almost like suppressing fundamental human needs and desires predictably and repeatedly has catastrophic results. Anyway, this Australian doccie is very, very good.

9. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (2014-present)

Continues to be a very palatable way to get a pulse on mainstream centre-left talking points in the US.

Delivered with a side of English-style comedy!

Actual Works of Art

10. The Curse (2024)

A masterclass in both cringe comedy and social commentary.

I felt bad about being a gentrifier after this, but I also felt deeply and profoundly entertained.

11. Severance (2022)

Ben Stiller’s directorial masterpiece.

How a comedic actor attained such deep insight into the very specific hell that is corporate life, we’ll never know. I listened to a Smartless podcast interview with Stiller recently where he described having to raise, as a discussion point, why exactly his Something About Mary character wouldn’t FEEL the semen about to drip from his ear. Directing Severance must’ve been such a satisfying full-circle moment for him, from such humble beginnings. Anyway, this show is elite, and they absolutely nailed the landing.

12. Scenes From A Marriage (2021)

Trigger warning for highly sensitive folk, and/or people riding out a difficult patch in their relationship.

Wow. Can you believe I had the audacity to think I could binge this on a plane. Thankfully, I have no problem (and lots of practice) with ugly-crying in public.

13. De Twaalf (2019) and 14. The Twelve (2022)

‘When a respected woman is accused of a sensational crime, twelve jurors with ordinary lives are selected to deliver justice.’

I loved this so much I binged both versions with no break between. Covered it here, if you need to know more.

15. The Broken Circle Breakdown (2012)

Absolutely devastating.

This one requires English subtitles, and, as above, a high tolerance for works likely to reduce the average human to a sobbing pile of nothing.

16. Rust and Bone / De rouille et d’os (2012)

Exquisite; flawless.

If you watched The Regime you’re already familiar with the enigma that is actor Matthias Schoenaerts. IMHO this is his best work. English subtitles required; and, as always, way worth it.

Series About Tech Startups

17. Super Pumped (2022)

‘Travis Kalanick undergoes several upheavals as he ventures to take his company, Uber, to new heights against battles that threaten to destroy everything.’

The monologue Joseph Gordon-Levitt literally spits at us by the end of this series gave me chills — both times I binged this.

18. The Dropout (2022)

‘Elizabeth Holmes develops healthcare technology that puts millions of patients at risk and loses everything in the blink of an eye.’

Remember the actor who flawlessly delivered the line “On Wednesdays we wear pink” in Mean Girls? Well. If you haven’t seen her performance in this, you haven’t seen anything yet.

19. WeCrashed (2022)

‘The love story at the centre of the rise and fall of one of the world’s most valuable startups.’

Two words: Anne Hathaway. As Rebekah Neumann. Wife of Adam Neumann. The maniacal founder of the company behind the coworking spaces known as WeWork. Fine, twenty-two words.

Series based on books

20. My Brilliant Friend (2018-..?)

‘Named after the first of four novels in the Neapolitan Novels series by Elena Ferrante, the series will adapt the entire literary work into four eight-episode seasons.’

I was absolutely obsessed with Ferrante’s Neapolitan series, and the TV series adaptation did not disappoint. Requires English subtitles; is in Italian. We await our fourth and final season with bated breath.

21. Normal People (2020)

‘Based on the 2018 novel by Sally Rooney; follows the relationship between Marianne Sheridan (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Connell Waldron (Paul Mescal..!), as they navigate adulthood from their final days in secondary school to their undergraduate years in Trinity College.’

Stunning, beautiful, flawless, no notes.

22. Sharp Objects (2018)

‘Crime reporter Camille Preaker returns to her hometown to solve the murder of two young girls. However, she is forced to face and deal with her own demons too.’

Amy Adams is mesmerising in this. As are Patricia Clarkson and Chris Messina. High recommend.

Stuff Nicole Kidman is in

23. Expats (2024)

I don’t have intimate knowledge of the subject, but reviews say the cultural commentary was on point with this one.

So much so, it was blocked from streaming in Hong Kong — which is also where it’s set.

24. Nine Perfect Strangers (2021)

Satisfying commentary on wellness culture; overall a very entertaining watch.

Based on the book of the same name by Liane Moriarty. Not too heavy, not too light — just right. Word on the street is Hulu was rounding out the cast for Season 2 a couple months back. Fingers in Añjali Mudrā!

25. The Undoing (2020)

Encouraging to see an ever-broadening range of mental illnesses portrayed in mainstream on-screen narratives.

I think I screenshotted every coat Kidman wore in this one.

26. Big Little Lies (2017–2019)

Extremely rewatchable.

Still paying my therapist to unpack why Alexander Skarsgård is everything I’ve ever wanted in a man. Speaking of, Succession — much like Big Little Lies — is probably mainstream enough to not need to be on this list, but I want to take this opportunity to strongly encourage any virgins who might be on the fence. If Skarsgård isn’t reason enough for you to have already binged both, the quality of the writing should be.

27. The Killing of a Sacred Deer (2017)

‘Steven Murphy, a surgeon, takes an awkward teenage boy, Martin, under his wing. But things get worse for the Murphys when they find out that Martin has a sinister agenda of his own.’

‘An absurdist psychological horror thriller’ — maybe read a few reviews before you commit.

28. Practical Magic (1998)

‘Two sisters move in with their relatives. They must use the gift of practical magic, which they inherited from their [dead] parents, to overcome obstacles in life.’

I had this on VHS as a preteen. I must’ve watched it a thousand times. It’s my comfort film. :)

Misc. Series & Movies

29. Mare of Easttown (2021)

An intricately complex crime drama completely eclipsed by the magic and intrigue of the inimitable Kate Winslet, IMHO.

Winslet is everything as Marianne “Mare’’ Sheehan — ‘a detective sergeant in Easttown, Pennsylvania, who is investigating the murder of one young girl and the disappearance of another’. This show demands little of the viewer but gives so much. 10/10.

30. Saltburn (2023)

Just so sexy.

Just allow yourself to enjoy it. Give in. What do you have to lose.

31. All of Us Strangers (2023)

Paul Mescal + Andrew Scott. I died.

Maybe watch this one in private.

32. The Banshees of Inisherin (2022)

Barry Keoghan (from Saltburn) brought me here.

Not sorry.

33. Tár (2022)

‘It is indeed a great film, although its success pretty much relies entirely on Blanchett’s astonishing performance.’

Touché. Cate’s exceptional. Either way, this is worth a watch.

34. Industry (2020-?)

Young finance graduates venture out in the cut-throat competitive world to get a job during the recession times that followed as a result of the 2008 financial crisis.

Loved it. Patiently waiting for Season 3.

35. High Maintenance (2016–2020)

An incredibly intelligent anthology show that’s so much more about the human condition than anything else.

I will never stop rewatching this. I will never stop thinking about the episode that’s told entirely from the perspective of a dog, and how perfect it is. I will also never stop delusionally fantasising that I one day meet Ben Sinclair and we hit it off and collaborate on a creative project loosely based on our real lives, just like him and Katja. I think this might be my favourite TV show of all time.

36. I May Destroy You (2020)

‘Arabella, a young woman, struggles to remember the events that took place during her night out with friends. However, she soon realises that she was drugged and taken advantage of.’

If you enjoyed Baby Reindeer, you’ll probably enjoy this. Michaela Coel is a genius, and the rest of her work is work looking up too.

37. Keeping the Faith (2000)

Millennium-era gold.

Ben Stiller, Jenna Elfman, and Edward Norton. Hilarious. Pretty sure Elfman’s character shaped everything I believe to be true about female sexuality.