It’s officially summer holiday season in the Northern Hemisphere (sorry, Australia and New Zealand readers), and that means it’s time to turn on the TV for the kids before you go on a family holiday.
However, you won’t want to keep any of the following new movies or TV shows on for them. None of them are family friendly, so I would advise you to load something else on one of the world’s best streaming services instead.
But once they’re tucked into bed, I implore you to throw on one or more of these seven great movies and TV shows. That said, don’t start this week’s first pick before you’ve even retired to a good night’s sleep, because it’s terrifying in the best possible way. — Tom Power, senior entertainment reporter
Occupation (Peacock)
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I’m not kidding when I say that OccupationThe breakout hit of 2026 so far, which has finally landed on the Peacock, is terrifying fun. I spent weeks thinking about this supernatural horror after watching it, and I’ll admit that I also felt sick the first few nights after watching it.
For those who don’t know: Occupation follows Bear (Michael Johnston), a lovesick loser who is in love with one of his best friends Nikki (Inde Navarrette). When Bjorn stumbles upon an item called One Wish Willow, he buys one and uses it to make Nikki fall in love with him. It’s a spur-of-the-moment act that ends up having horrific and deadly consequences and will have you constantly repeating Nikki’s “No, no, no, no, don’t do it thaaaaat!” dash in your head as the plot progresses.
Before you stream it, check out our review Occupation to see why everyone has become obsessed with a film that, with a reported budget of just $750,000, has grossed $400 million. $ global, broken horror movie box office records, and turned Navarrette into a series award contender. And hey, if Peacock isn’t available in your region yet, see where you can rent or but the Curry Barker-directed phenomenon instead. — TP
Heartstopper Forever (Netflix)
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Guys… the end we’ve been dreading is here. Nick and Charlie’s healthy relationship has been a focal point for Netflix original content, but now it’s all coming to an end Heartstopper Forever.
If you’re upset because we’re not getting a full fourth season, don’t be. As Nick, Charlie and the gang all prepare before going their separate ways to college, a feature film actually reflects their growing maturity and crises of confidence much more appropriately.
Heartstopper Forever is really forever… at least it is in my house where I want to play it so much that Netflix might issue a warning. Its spirit and generation-defining influence will live on, and it’s perhaps the most special achievement the streamer has ever been responsible for. – Jasmine Valentine, entertainment reporter
Ride or Die (Prime Video)
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Whoever is going to cast Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham in an action comedy show from Amazon needs a raise now. Ride or die giving us the entertainment duo we didn’t know we needed and plenty of laughs along the way.
The pair play best friends Debbie Claybourne and Judith Burton, who thought they knew everything about each other. But when Judith (Waddingham) turns out to be an international assassin, when a mysterious figure appears, their world is turned upside down.
Tackling everything from menopause to, well, the complexities of life, this Prime Video Original is incredibly funny. And that’s the most important thing in life, right? — JV
Lucky (Apple TV)
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Is there anything Anya Taylor-Joy can’t do? Ever since she made her debut in Robert Eggers’ The witchI have been impressed by how varied each of her roles are.
In Apple TV Luckyshe plays a con artist who is forced to go on the run after a robbery goes wrong. Across seven episodes, we follow Luciana ‘Lucky’ Armstrong as she tries to evade the FBI and a ruthless crime boss in hopes that she will live up to her nickname and make it out alive. It seems that breaking the law also runs in her family, as Timothy Olyphant stars as her father, who is in prison when the story begins.
The first two episodes are out now and something tells me this is going to be another Apple Original that I can get hooked on. – Lucy Buglass, senior entertainment writer
The Hawk (Netflix)
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If you ask me, Will Ferrell and golf feel like a natural TV marriage. The hawk on Netflix proves me right, starring Ferrell as Lonnie Hawkins, a top golfer in 2004. Two decades later, and he’s trying to recapture his late-career magic. However, he refuses to believe that he is anything but a stroke away from golf’s greatest comeback.
If you’ve ever seen Happy Gilmore or The Phantom of the Openthis is for you… even if you pretend you actually know the first thing about the sport, which is easy to do. — JV
Descendants: Wicked Wonderland (Disney+)
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The Descendants franchise continues over on Disney+ with Wicked Wonderland, which marks the fifth episode in the series (even I didn’t think there had been that many).
Collected shortly after Descendants: The Rise of RedRed and Chloe return from their time travel adventure to discover that the Queen of Hearts has been captured. The once infamous villain is now on a nice streak, but it gives way to a new evil: Maddox Hatter.
Personally, I still can’t believe that a British pop star from the 2010s is playing one of the most iconic fictional queens of all time. If you’re British, it’s a must see for that reason alone. — JV
Murder 101 (Prime Video)
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Prime Video’s new three-part docu-series is fascinating. Murder 101 is about a high school sociology class based in rural Tennessee that helps revive a decades-old case into a shocking hunt for a killer today.
It’s the kind of thing you’d expect to find in a work of fiction, Netflix How to get away with murder comes to mind but this is 100% real. You can also check out the podcast of the same name if you’d like to dive deeper.
Ultimately, this program shows the strength of a local community as we follow a group of students who have become amateur loopers. I’m already locked in. — LB
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