Stream On This Week: A Demented Joker Homage, a Great Sundance Indie, and a Loving Mel Brooks Tribute

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 suggestions from this week’s special guest: A Thousand Blows star Malachi Kirby!

This Week’s Picks

The People’s Joker (Film)

The People’s Joker (Altered Innocence)

Directed by: Vera Drew
Cast: Vera Drew, Lynn Downey, Christian Calloway, Griffin Kramer, Kane Distler, Nathan Faustyn, Phil Braun, David Liebe Hart, Scott Aukerman, Tim Heidecker, Maria Bamford, Bob Odenkirk
Streaming on: Tubi

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This underground indie went through a wild journey to make it to your TV today, from being pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival in 2022 to eventually finding distribution in 2024. Co-written, directed, and starring Vera Drew, The People’s Joker is a deeply personal story about coming out as trans that happens to play heavily with the Joker and other DC Comics iconography — which complicated its release, before parody and fair use laws eventually triumphed.

When it first came to theaters, I spent nearly an hour talking to Drew about the movie; it’s a rich text to explore, delivering a savage take on comedy institutions like UCB and Saturday Night Live, and it’s also funny as hell. It’s a hard movie to explain, but that just makes it all the more fascinating to watch. And now you can, on The People’s Streaming Service (TM someone else, I forget who).

Twinless (Film)

Twinless (courtesy of the Sundance Film Festival)

Directed by: James Sweeney
Cast: Dylan O’Brien, James Sweeney, Aisling Franciosi, Chris Perfetti, François Arnaud, Tasha Smith, Lauren Graham, Susan Park, Cree, Katie Findlay
Streaming on: Hulu

As you read this, the 2026 Sundance Film Festival is in full swing, and this year’s virtual edition kicks off on January 29th, with dozens of movies available via VOD to the public. For a taste of last year’s Sundance, though, I recommend the now-streaming Twinless, featuring a remarkable dual performance from Dylan O’Brien as very different brothers who encounter a young gay man (James Sweeney) in very different ways. Without spoiling any of the major twists, Twinless works really well as a character study that finds the humor in grieving — a pretty remarkable feat.

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (TV)

The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (NBC)

Created by: Robert Carlock, Sam Means
Cast: Tracy Morgan, Erika Alexander, Precious Way, Jalyn Hall, Bobby Moynihan, Daniel Radcliffe
Streaming on: Peacock

Finally, a TV show starring Tracy Morgan, executive produced by Tina Fey! Morgan does what he does best here, an energy only enhanced by Daniel Radcliffe as a documentary director tasked with telling the life story of Morgan’s disgraced sports hero. NBC premiered the first episode of The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins this past weekend as a post-football treat, with the remaining episodes set to debut in February, and I have to say I was knocked out by some of the jokes in the pilot — and the next three episodes don’t disappoint either.

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man (Film)

Mel Brooks: The 99 Year Old Man (HBO)

Directed by: Judd Apatow, Michael Bonfiglio
Streaming on: HBO Max

Speaking of funny people, Judd Apatow and Michael Bonfiglio direct this two-part documentary portrait of a legend. Featuring a ton of interviews with loved ones, collaborators, and fans, The 99 Year Old Man largely lets Brooks narrate the story of his life — there aren’t any hugely shocking revelations (beyond the candid admission that Brooks could have been a better husband to his first wife), but there is a lot of love, along with so many hilarious clips. One note: Rob Reiner is amongst the interview subjects featured, and while the doc doesn’t make a thing about it, it’s still heartbreaking to remember he’s not here anymore.

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.

Tomorrow Never Dies (Film)

Tomorrow Never Dies (MGM)

Directed by: Roger Spottiswoode
Cast: Pierce Brosnan, Jonathan Pryce, Michelle Yeoh, Teri Hatcher, Joe Don Baker, Judi Dench
Streaming on: Netflix

It was revealed a few weeks ago that 26 of the 27 existing James Bond movies would be available on Netflix for at least a little while, and now that they’re streaming I’m gonna stump for my favorite of the Pierce Brosnan adventures. Apologies to every teenage boy I knew growing up for not preferring Goldeneye, but Michelle Yeoh jumping off a dang building and riding a motorcycle while handcuffed to Bond trumps Famke Janssen killing dudes with her thighs, sorry not sorry. Tomorrow Never Dies is definitely a little silly, largely thanks to Jonathan Pryce as a scene-chewing media mogul with a submarine, but did I mention that Michelle Yeoh has a cool house filled with booby traps and guns?

Because I understand that my personal taste in Bond movies is a little outside the norm (though I do also love Goldfinger and Daniel Craig’s Casino Royale), please consider this a blanket recommendation of Bond movies in general. Who knows what Denis Villeneuve might eventually bring to the franchise, but I bet it’ll be pretty damn cool.

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: Michelle Rabin!

Matty Matheson and Michelle Rabin (courtesy of Michelle Rabin) and A Murder at the End of the World (FX)

Who Are They? Fans of Matty Matheson should already be familiar with chef/food stylist/TV personality Michelle Rabin, who matches wits with the Bear star on the cooking-focused series Just a Dash. The series just returned for its third season on Netflix, which finds Matheson and his crew exploring unconventional kitchens instead of Matheson’s home kitchen. At the center of the chaos is Michelle, making sure the food seen on screen looks good enough to eat. (I am fascinated by the job of the food stylist. It’s truly an art.)

What Do They Recommend? Michelle has an eclectic mix of comedy favorites, as well as a recent FX mystery drama…

One thing to know about me: I watch an unhealthy amount of TV and movies. I am a shameless binge-watcher of whatever my streaming services throw at me—and yes, I pay for all of them. Each day, when we wrap shooting on Just a Dash, I need to fully dissociate, and television is my method of choice. At one point I became completely obsessed with A Murder at the End of the World (Hulu). It didn’t inspire anything specific on Just a Dash, but it did a fantastic job of helping me forget.

Plus, I’m a forever fan of Girls (HBO Max) and Broad City (Hulu, Paramount+). I also just finished I Love LA (HBO Max) and loved it so much that I now have a very serious, very real girl crush on Rachel Sennott.

Thank you so much to Michelle for these picks! Just a Dash is streaming now on Netflix.

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!

THE 25 BEST FILMS OF 2025: A Video Countdown (Film)

Edited by: David Ehrlich
Streaming on: Vimeo

Every January, the most discerning of film fans look forward to… No, not the Oscar nominations! Film critic David Ehrlich’s epic video countdown of his favorite films from the previous year! It’s always a stunning celebration of music and cinema, which Mr. Ehrlich also uses as a fundraiser for a worthy cause: This year, he’s asking for donations to the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. These videos are a true treat even if some of the movies listed aren’t familiar to you, and I won’t spoil a single moment of this one, I’ll just say you should watch it. You can also watch past installments here. As each video begins: “Headphones recommended.”

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. We’ll update this post every Friday morning with the best to consider, and also be sure to subscribe to the newsletter as well!

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