Streaming During Social Distancing
So you’re stuck at home and wondering how to kill the time. Lucky for us, we’re living in a golden age of streaming services, with more options than ever. Of course with all that choice it’s hard to know what’s actually worth digging into. I’ve seen a few lists of “The Best of Netflix” and the like, but most of these articles seem to be written for those with access to US Netflix, and thought it might be worth while compiling a list of some of my favourite things to stream on the most popular Canadian streaming services.
Updated August 8th, 2020.
NETFLIX
MOVIES
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - David Fincher’s adaptation of this Swedish thriller novel remains one of my all time favourite films
Monty Python and the Holy Grail - Speaking of all time favourite films, laughter is the best medicine, and it doesn’t get better than this one
Monty Python’s Life of Brian - Holy Grail is my favourite, but this is definitely their best film
The Godfather Trilogy - Two of the greatest films of all time (and one of the most underwhelming), but a great way to kill 6 hours
The Dark Knight - Batman’s best
Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve, and Thirteen - George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, and the gang in probably my favourite trilogy of all time (yes, even the second one)
Shaun of the Dead - “Let’s head to the Winchester and wait for all of this to blow over” - a ZomCom that you can’t help but love
Hot Fuzz - Edgar Wright’s tribute to 80s/90s action movies will have you laughing your butt off
Snatch - Guns, geezers, and Brad Pitt with an Irish? accent
Easy A - One of the best modern comedies in recent years, it’s got Emma Stone and The Tooch, so you can’t go wrong
Arrival - for those into SciFi, this is a must watch
Logan Lucky - Ocean’s Seven Eleven, a fun heist movie set in the deep south
The Departed - Can’t go wrong with Scorsese
Burlesque - So bad it’s good; Christina Aguilera and Cher perform their butts off and deliver some of the worst dialogue ever written
Groundhog Day - Classic Bill Murray
Molly’s Game - Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut is thoroughly entertaining
Muppets Take Manhattan - it’s no Great Muppet Caper, but it’s still The Muppets, and you can’t go wrong with The Muppets.
Mary Poppins Returns - I’m not crying, you’re crying!
Game Night - A genuine treat, I laughed so much
Inception - Arguably Christopher Nolan’s finest work, it’s a bit confusing but it’s well worth the watch
John Mulaney’s Netflix Stand-up Specials - You can’t go wrong with any one of these. Again, laughter is the best medicine
Dealt - A documentary about one of the greatest card magicians working today
Icarus - It won the Oscar for best documentary. Find out why!
TV SERIES
Sherlock - If you haven’t yet watched this brilliant modern take on Sherlock Holmes now’s your chance. Each episode is 90 minutes (so basically a movie) so it’s a great way to kill some time
Unbelievable - Warning: this show deals with sexual violence, but it is one of the best things I’ve watched all year
That ‘70s Show - It starts to fall apart in the later seasons, but those early seasons remain some of the funniest of the late 90s/early 00s. I adore this show.
Brooklyn Nine Nine - My favourite currently running SitCom. It’s an absolute delight!
Friends - Could it be any more nostalgic?
Halt and Catch Fire - A great, underrated series about Silicon Valley in the 80s, with some truly amazing performances from its leads
The Office - I mean, if you somehow haven’t discovered this show yet, there’s no time like the present!
Penn and Teller Fool Us - If you like magic, you’ll love this series.
Archer - A send up of spy movies like James Bond, it’s both fun, and laugh out loud funny
Gilmore Girls - My wife’s favourite show, so I couldn’t forget to include it
Santa Clarita Diet - sadly this got cancelled and ended on a cliffhanger but it’s very funny, charming, and yes it’s about zombies so at times a bit icky…
Community - First couple seasons are truly hilarious, but sadly it starts to fall apart in the later years
New Girl - A great bingeable comedy, there’s been many weekends where in the early afternoon we throw an episode on and just leave the show running the rest of the day. Great characters, laugh-out-loud moments, a fan favourite in our house.
Schitt’s Creek - We were late to the game on this one, but what an absolute delight of a show. Canada has always been great when it comes to comedy, but this show never ceases to cause me to laugh-out-loud, and features truly phenomenal performances from its leads. And in the later season it also has some of the best on screen relationships I’ve ever seen.
Hannibal - Looking for something darker in tone? Hannibal is a show that will astonish you; something this dark, this good should not be on network TV. And yet, it was. If you enjoy any of the Thomas Harris novels you owe it to yourself to watch this series, which may just have the best rendition of the cannibalistic doctor yet (sorry Sir Anthony).
DOCUMENTARY SERIES
Cheer - This is one you’ll want to binge in one sitting. We love you Jerry!
Queer Eye - Each episode is like a shot of happiness direct to the heart. A feel good series unlike any other, which will definitely help at times like this.
Abstract - A documentary series about all kinds of designers; from sneakers, to costumes, to typography
Dirty Money - This might actually just end up making you mad, but it’s a must watch series.
Ugly Delicious - David Chang talks food. That’s the pitch. Need I say more?
Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat - A great four part series that will leave you salivating.
The Chef Show - Jon Favreau and Roy Choi talk food and hang out with some of Favreau’s famous friends (including The Avengers themselves)
AMAZON PRIME
Amazon Prime is a streaming service I often forget about, but flipping through to pick stuff to recommend I was shocked at how many great films and tv series are available.
MOVIES
Zodiac - Arguably David Fincher’s best film, this thriller follows the hunt for the Zodiac killer
The Imposter - one of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen; best to go in knowing as little as possible. Just trust me, and watch it
Rocket Man - This musical fantasy about Elton John is full of great performances, and some of the best music of the last 30 years. Note: it is a full on musical, not a traditional biopic so people do just burst out into song
Booksmart - It’s amazing, just watch it
The Report - it’s about the 9/11 Torture Reports, so it’s heavy stuff, but has a truly amazing performance from Adam Driver
John Wick Series - Some of the best action sequences I’ve ever seen. It’s quantum baby!
Dredd - looking for a unique action movie? Check this one out!
Midnight in Paris - Cancelled or not, this is one of Woody Allen’s best movies
Apollo 13 - Tom Hanks announced he has Coronavirus, so why not watch one of his best movies?
Jurassic Park - It’s one of the best movies ever made, so you should probably watch it
Whiplash - From the guys who brought you La La Land, this was easily one of the best films of 2014
Chicago - The best musical film of the last 20 years
Back to the Future - One of the best movies of the 80s. Period.
Ex Machina - for the SciFi nerds
Amy - One of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen about one of the greatest artists of the last decade
Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams - A must watch for Coldplay fans (otherwise, you can skip it)
It Follows - a really unique horror flick, if you’re not scared enough already
Clue: The Movie - A cult classic! Love this one
Spotlight - The power of journalism in action
Apollo 11 - Surprise! I really like this documentary!
The Bourne Series - if you love espionage thrillers, you can’t go wrong with this series (except skip the one without Matt Damon)
TV SERIES
ReGenesis - Okay, maybe not the best time to binge this one, but if you’re more fascinated by COVID-19 than you are scared of it, this Canadian series about a team of scientists working to fight these very sorts of outbreaks might be of interest. It’s one of my favourite shows of all time, though again, may not be the best time to discover this one…
Happy Endings - Simply put, my favourite sit-com of the last 10 years, and probably the show that I am the saddest about being cancelled. A modern day “Friends”, it follows the lives of 6 best friends in Chicago and the wacky antics they get up to every week. Featuring Canadian crush Alicia Cuthbert, and underrated funny-gal Casey Wilson, it remains one of the few shows Morgan and I re-watch annually, and still laugh hysterically at every single time. Perfect for today’s situation.
Parks and Rec - From the people who brought you The Office, this remains one of my favourite SitComs of recent years, and is full of wonderful characters, and plenty of laughs!
30 Rock - People love this show. It was never my favourite, but I feel like I’d be wrong not to recommend
Will & Grace - Another classic that has held up surprisingly well; worth watching for Megan Mullally alone
The Grand Tour - aka “Not Top Gear”, it’s ostensibly a car show, but it’s really about three old Brits ribbing each other while driving fancy cars you could never afford around some of the most beautiful places in the world
The Good Wife - Who doesn’t love a good Legal thriller?
The Good Fight - The sequel to The Good Wife, I actually watched this show before The Good Wife and loved it! I also think it’s far superior to Wife, and if you’re a Broadway fan like me, you’re bound to see lots of familiar faces.
Fleabag - You can fly through this one, and it’s one of the best things I’ve watched last year, be it film or TV show
Catastrophe - Funny and heartbreaking in equal measure
Justified - I didn’t finish this one yet, but really enjoyed the first season
House - If you like medical procedurals, this is one of the best
CRAVE
Crave has a decent selection of movies and a great selection of TV, though some of these will require you to have the more expensive HBO + Crave package. I would say it’s well worth the extra cost though. There’s also some films that require the “Starz” package, which I don’t have, so I haven’t included those films.
MOVIES
Contagion - I mean… watch it if you want (it is genuinely great) but maybe skip this one for now?
Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse - Unlike any other movie I’ve ever seen; so much fun!!
Widows - One of my favourite films I’ve seen since working at TIFF, it’s got a great heist and plenty of Girl Power
Detective Pikachu - This one is genuine fun, and no one was more surprised than me!
O. J. Made in America - a nine hour documentary about O.J. Simpson, it’s a great way to kill a day.
The Favourite - it’s not going to be everybody’s cup of tea, but I really loved this one
Everybody Knows - a brilliant thriller, don’t let the fact it’s in Spanish turn you off
Parasite - there’s a reason this one cleaned up at the Oscars this year. Go in cold knowing as little as possible and enjoy the ride.
Anything from the Best of TIFF shelf - what can I say, we like good movies at TIFF. Some of these even include “bonus features” created by my team
TV SERIES
The Jinx - one of the best documentary series I’ve ever seen. Go in knowing as little as possible and enjoy the ride!
The Sopranos - Arguably the greatest series of all time, don’t be surprised if you blow through this one.
Seinfeld - Arguably the greatest sitcom of all time, this show about nothing has surprisingly held up pretty well over the years
Frasier - While Seinfeld get’s all the praise, this is probably my favourite sitcom from the 90s. If you haven’t seen this one before, now’s a great time to dig in! There’s 11 seasons so you can kill prenty of time with this one
Curb Your Enthusiasm - Funnier than Seinfeld (how is that possible you ask) and way more neurotic
Killing Eve - Hard to describe, but really worth checking out
Nathan for You - The king of cringe comedy, this show’s not for everybody, but if you like it you’ll love it.
McMillions - Great doc series about the McDonalds Monopoly scam
Watchmen - the first show in a long time that I couldn’t wait to watch the next episode. Highly recommend this one!
Key & Peele - some great sketch comedy to help with that laughter medicine
Veep - Because politics isn’t funny enough these days…
The Fourth Estate - speaking of politics, this doc series follows NYT Journalists during the first year of the Trump Presidency
The Paradise Lost Trilogy - some tough subject matter, but this series that digs into the trial of the West Memphis Three has a happy ending (well, “happy”)
The Defiant Ones - documentary series about Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine that I really enjoyed
TIFF is also doing a very special “Stay-at-Home Cinema” initiative in which a film from Crave is selected, and before a nation-wide watch party, a guest is interviewed. Great Q&As with some really outstanding talent, and films featuring everything from classics, to hidden gems.
Still looking for more? There’s always iTunes where you can rent just about anything. Need more recommendations? Follow me over on Letterboxd where I log everything I’m watching, including reviews for many entries. You can’t go wrong with my top 4!
And if you’re more into classic cinema, be sure to check out The Criterion Channel which will fill all your art-house and international cinematic needs (I didn’t include recommendations here because it’s such a niche service, and anyone who has it is already would know far better than I what to watch).
And of course, there’s Disney+, which you could get and just binge the first 12 seasons of The Simpsons…
Also, while I have you, may I ask that you consider making a donation to The AFC. Being an arts worker is hard at the best of times, but things are going to be even tougher for so many incredible people now suddenly out of work. Every little bit helps!
Stay safe out there friends. Remember, we’re all in this together. Keep calm, stream on, and practice social distancing. Together we can get through this.