There is suddenly an abundance of worthwhile content on streaming services. Maybe not anything essential, but lots of very watchable stuff. Here are my selects:

Hustle (Netflix)

Noted basketball superfan Adam Sandler finally makes a big basketball film. This one is about an NBA scout who goes rogue after his mentor dies. 

The flick features the best on-screen basketball we’ve seen in a film since Blue Chips and sees Sandler balancing humor and drama with more skill than ever. I watched this one twice the day it came out. An easy, fun watch, especially if you’re a big basketball fan.

Dirty Daddy: The Bob Saget Story (Netflix)

Chris Rock and Jim Carrey joking around about Bob Saget with all of his friends for 80 minutes or so. Saget has a reputation for being beloved and quite the Hollywood socialite, and here’s the proof. This one plays through like a mix between a roast and a memorial, and it’s a fun, breezy watch that passes like night.

Love on the Spectrum (Netflix)

A show where producers not only follow people on the spectrum as they try to “find love,” but also where the producers attempt to pretty deeply manipulate the subjects and the audience. 

This one ain’t art, but the subjects are fun and sweet. A wholesome show that will often leave you wondering if it’s OK to laugh. Netflix has three seasons of this show available, two set in Australia and one in the U.S.

Outer Range (Amazon Prime)

Josh Brolin, Lili Taylor, and Imogen Poots lead this high-end western set in Wyoming. 

This one is beautifully shot and acted, and will hopefully be the star vehicle Poots has been looking for. Two words: dark mineral. 

Eight episodes, an easy, engaging binge.

The Card Counter (HBO Max)

Paul Schrader’s much anticipated followup to the great 2017 film First Reformed sees Oscar Isaac at the center, playing an ex-military interrogator turned gambler. 

Schrader writes big, brave scripts, and not all of them work. This one works. It doesn’t feel like a drop dead classic like First Reformed or Auto Focus did when they came out, but The Card Counter is certainly essential Schrader.

Irma Vep (HBO Max) 

Based on his 1996 film of the same name, Irma Vep is Olivier Assayas’ first venture into the American serial market, and he does a wonderful job in this eight-episode drama that has rightly been described as “purposefully pretentious.” 

My biggest takeaway was: “Wow, Alicia Vikander is one of the best actors on the planet.” 

A fun, unique watch.

Pistol (Hulu)

Danny Boyle directs a show about the Sex Pistols that stars Toby Wallace as Steve Jones. Talk about a no-brainer. If you’re a fan of rock (specifically the punk movement of the mid- to late-’70s), then this one should be extremely enjoyable for you. 

Boyle is obviously a skilled director who loves this era and scene of music, but Wallace is a revelation. This is a young talent I’d watch in anything. Lucky for me, I love punk rock, bonus. 

Also, as you’d expect, this one is produced at cinema-level quality in every way. Maybe Boyle has another comeback in him after all.