Welcome to the latest issue of Stream On, the weekly newsletter from Consequence that answers the eternally confounding question: What films and TV shows should you be watching? (Subscribe here!) We’re looking at all the new and recent releases from Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, Prime Video, Paramount+, Peacock, HBO Max, and more for ideas — not to mention a Blast From the Past and streaming recommendations from this week’s special guest: One Spoon of Chocolate director (and Wu-Tang Clan legend) RZA!

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This Week’s Picks

The Four Seasons Season 2 (TV)

Created by: Tina Fey & Lang Fisher & Tracey Wigfield
Cast: Tina Fey, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Marco Calvani, Erika Henningsen, Colman Domingo
Streaming on: Netflix

It’s odd to describe a series featuring this much grief and marital strife as “a chill hang,” but that’s the odd nature of The Four Seasons. Season 2 continues exploring the aftermath of Season 1’s big [SPOILER] and the subsequent [SPOILER], with the top-notch talents of its great cast all fully committed to diving deeper into their respective characters — and more importantly, their complicated relationships and friendships. (Colman Domingo and Tina Fey remain a delightful screen pairing.) Tonally, I know it’s not for everyone, but if you’re in the right frame of mind, its pleasant vibe does go down smoothly, and there’s some great vacation porn as well, as a treat!

Star City (TV)

Created by: Ben Nedivi, Matt Wolpert, Ronald D. Moore
Cast: Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O’Casey, Adam Nagaitis, Alice Englert, Josef Davies, Ruby Ashbourne Serkis, Solly McLeod, Priya Kansara
Streaming on: Apple TV

I don’t want to say that this spinoff is for For All Mankind fans only, but For All Mankind fans will have an easier time getting a grip on Star City. The series goes back to the 1960s to depict Russia beating America to a moon landing — not only that, but it explains why the Russians succeeded in this alternate universe. Beyond its space-age trappings, though, Star City is a deep dive into what it was like to live under Soviet rule during the Cold War, as portrayed by a remarkable collection of largely British actors all speaking English. (Yes, on For All Mankind they have Russian actors speaking Russian, but TV makes its own rules.)

Spider-Noir (TV)

Developed by: Oren Uziel
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li, Karen Rodriguez, Abraham Popoola, Jack Huston, Brendan Gleeson
Streaming on: MGM+, Prime Video

I remain absolutely delighted by the existence of Spider-Noir​. The first time Nicolas Cage agrees to do a TV show, and it’s a spinoff of his character from an animated Spider-Man movie that’s streaming in both black and white and “True-Hue Full Color”? Love it, almost as much as I love the outstanding supporting cast and all its creepy details. In terms of how to watch: In my review, I suggest that the color version is maybe slightly more exciting to watch because of its ultra-saturated look, but when I personally was watching, I alternated between the two versions. At the end of the day, that gives you a taste of both worlds, and so that might be my ultimate recommendation.

Lisa Ann Walter: It Was an Accident (Comedy Special)

Directed by: Lisa Ann Walter
Featuring: Lisa Ann Walter, Sheryl Lee Ralph, a special guest
Streaming on: Hulu

I gotta say, Hulu messed up by not putting this special up in time for Mother’s Day, as the Abbott Elementary star has some great material on maternity. Even getting to it a few weeks late, though, Lisa Ann Walter still delivers a great hour of comedy on her life, her newfound fame, and the evils of shapewear. Not only is she introduced by her Abbott costar Sheryl Lee Ralph, but she’s joined at the end by a special musical guest for a song that I can confirm, weeks after watching, will get stuck in your head.

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Blast From the Past

The home screens of streaming services are always packed with the latest new releases, but we don’t spend enough time appreciating how much good library content is streaming across all of these platforms. Each week, Stream On will spotlight one less-than-new favorite (must pre-date the founding of Consequence, so 15 years or older) that deserves attention from modern-day eyes.

The Commitments (Film)

Directed by: Alan Parker
Cast: Robert Arkins, Michael Aherne, Angeline Ball, Maria Doyle, Dave Finnegan, Bronagh Gallagher, Félim Gormley, Glen Hansard, Dick Massey, Johnny Murphy, Kenneth McCluskey, Andrew Strong, Colm Meaney
Streaming on: Peacock, Pluto TV, Shout TV

This 1991 Irish comedy features a bunch of working-class folk getting a band together to play soul music, and if it’d had come out just a few years later, I bet Miramax could have bullied it into the Best Picture race. It’s for the best that Harvey Weinstein didn’t taint this movie’s legacy (he did attempt to produce a sequel in 2000, though it never got off the ground), because even without his influence, it endures as a charming ’90s favorite. Also, the music is pretty fantastic — the cast all learned to play their own instruments, creating one of the best fictional bands of all time.

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A Special Guest Recommends!

Liz isn’t the only person in the world capable of suggesting stuff for people to watch… So each week, Stream On will now feature picks from a special guest! Said special guest could be literally anyone from the world of entertainment — actors, writers, directors, musicians, or anyone else Liz thinks might be watching something interesting.

This Week: RZA!

Who Are They? Objectively one of the smartest people I’ve ever interviewed, RZA has been a hip hop legend for decades as part of the Wu-Tang Clan, and a film director since 2012’s The Man with the Iron Fists. His fourth feature film, One Spoon of Chocolate, stars Shameik Moore as a young ex-con/veteran attempting to restart his life — unfortunately, he’s chosen to make his fresh start in Karenville, Ohio, where a racist sheriff, roving gangs, and a black-market organ-farming operation have made the place very unsafe for anyone who’s not white. Fortunately, he’s not afraid of a fight.

What Do They Recommend? One Spoon of Chocolate features a lot of cinematic references, which RZA broke down in a recent Crate Digging interview. All 10 of his movie picks are fascinating, but I’m spotlighting his selection of First Blood (aka the first Rambo movie, streaming on Kanopy) because I loved what he had to say about it:

To me, that’s a masterpiece of a movie. I think it’s evident in my film — a military guy just trying to start a new life. He deserves to be free. And yeah, somebody blocks him because of how he looks. Rambo is discriminated against. Rambo is treated like he doesn’t belong — but he does belong. He fought for the country. He is the country. You know what I mean? He’s the reason why we can go to Disneyland and get a big cotton candy and not worry about missiles flying over our heads. And they treated him like shit. So that story always resonated with me.

Thank you again to RZA for doing this Crate-Digging (you can watch the full video on YouTube)! One Spoon of Chocolate should be available soon on VOD.

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One Last One Before Bed

Finally, let’s spotlight a movie or TV show that’s not only great, but won’t take up too much of your time: Think of this section as the answer to the question “What’s something I can watch before hitting the hay, that won’t keep me up too late?” The only rule is that it has to be less than 95 minutes if it’s a movie, or less than 30 minutes an episode if it’s a TV show. Otherwise, sky’s the limit!

Tuca & Bertie (TV)

Created by: Lisa Hanawalt
Cast: Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong, Steven Yeun
Streaming on: Netflix (Season 1), HBO Max (Seasons 2-3)

Animation nerds will all agree that Tuca & Bertie deserved better — the madcap adventures of two best friends (who happen to live in an anthropomorphic world where everyone’s animals) did manage to make it to three seasons, but only after a somewhat unprecedented move from Netflix (where Season 1 still lives) to Adult Swim (meaning that Seasons 2-3 are available on HBO Max). Despite that minor issue, it remains a very funny and heartfelt exploration of friendship and mental health, with an exuberant animation style courtesy of creator Lisa Hanawalt (who also gave BoJack Horseman its signature look).

We’ll be back next week with more picks — in the meantime, stay safe out there, or better yet stay inside, where it’s definitely safe, and there’s so much film and TV to watch. Be sure to subscribe to the newsletter!