Something to Stream Every Day this Week: ‘Irma Vep,’ ‘Ms. Marvel,’ ‘For All Mankind’ Premieres
Something to Stream Every Day this Week: ‘Irma Vep,’ ‘Ms. Marvel,’ ‘For All Mankind’ Premieres
In a world where there is an insurmountable amount of content to watch and an ever-increasing number of streaming services to watch it on, sometimes you need something (or someone) to just tell you what to watch on a given day. So while you certainly don’t have to take all of my recommendations, I’ve selected one thing every day this week that promises to be a worthwhile streaming option. So here are my picks for what to stream every day of the week from Monday, June 6 through Sunday, June 12, 2022.
Monday, June 6
“Irma Vep” Series Premiere | HBO Max at 9 p.m. ET
If you like your limited series served with a heaping helping of self-referential meta-ness, “Irma Vep” might be right up your alley. The eight-episode limited series follows a film crew who is remaking the 1915 French silent film “Les Vampires” as a limited series. However, the HBO limited series “Irma Vep,” about the making of a limited series that is remaking the French film “Les Vampires,” is actually a remake of the 1996 French film “Irma Vep,” which itself was about a film remake of the French film “Les Vampires.”
Confused yet? Not to make things even more complicated, but both the 1996 film and the 2022 limited series come from writer and director Olivier Assayas, so he is essentially making a remake of his own film.
Irma Vep
Mira is an American movie star disillusioned by her career and a recent breakup, who comes to France to star as “Irma Vep” in a remake of the French silent film classic, “Les Vampires.” Set against the backdrop of a lurid crime thriller, Mira struggles as the distinctions between herself and the character she plays begin to blur and merge.
Part and parcel to all of the Hollywood commentary inherent in this kind of inside-baseball story is Academy Award winner Alicia Vikander as the series star who is struggling to remember that her she is not actually the master criminal that she is portraying. Though “Les Vampires” has nothing to do with vampires, it does tell the story of a spy and jewel thief. So, this new series promises to be a thriller — both in terms of action and the psychology of its main character — while also critiquing Hollywood and modern movie making.
Like with all HBO shows, “Irma Vep” (which is an anagram for “vampire”) will stream simultaneously on HBO Max.
Tuesday, June 7
“Celebrity IOU” Season 4 Finale | discovery+
If you are like me and enjoy some sentimental programming from time to time, catch the fourth season finale of “Celebrity IOU” hosted by the Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott. After airing on linear HGTV on Monday night, the feel-good finale will come to discovery+ on Tuesday.
The episode will follow Oscar-winner Halle Berry as she travels back to Cleveland, Ohio to give an extraordinary gift to her fifth-grade teacher who provided invaluable mentorship to the actress in her youth. One note from personal experience, don’t forget to have a box of tissues handy for whenever you watch this show.
Celebrity IOU
Twin brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott help Hollywood A-listers express their deep gratitude to the individuals who have had a major impact on their lives by surprising them with big, heartwarming home renovations that bring everyone to tears.
Other celebs who have appeared on the series this season to give back to deserving people in their lives have been Tiffany Haddish, Howie Mandel, Snoop Dogg, Ali Wong, Lisa Kudrow, John C. Reilly, and Anthony Anderson.
Wednesday, June 8
“Ms. Marvel” Series Premiere | Disney+
As the Marvel Cinematic Universe continues to expand across screens large and small, that means that different types of stories are able to be told, and for a certain segment of the comic-loving population, that means that one of the most popular characters in recent Marvel history is finally getting her chance to shine.
Since debuting in a very small cameo in August 2013 ahead of getting her own title in February 2014, Kamala Khan has become a beloved figure in the Marvel world. Either as the Jersey City teenager that her friends and family know her as, or as Inhuman superhero Ms. Marvel, Kamala’s enthusiasm, earnestness, humor, and faith have made her a beacon of light for everyone she touches, including her legions of comic readers.
Ms. Marvel
A great student, avid gamer, and voracious fan-fic scribe, Kamala Khan has a special affinity for superheroes, particularly Captain Marvel. However, she struggles to fit in at home and at school — that is, until she gets superpowers like the heroes she’s always looked up to. Life is easier with superpowers, right?
The series adaptation will star newcomer Iman Vellani as Kamala and will air weekly on Disney+ through July 13. Ms. Marvel will then join her hero and namesake Captain Marvel in the 2023 film “The Marvels.” Early reports indicate that while some comics fans might not love the fact that Kamala’s origins and powers have been tweaked for the series, the show reportedly nails Kamala’s signature exuberance and charisma.
While the six-episode series will undoubtedly hit a lot of familiar Marvel beats, a show focused on a devout Muslim teenage girl who loves being a superhero should have a much different feel and tone than some of its more somber MCU counterparts.
Thursday, June 9
“Queer as Folk” Reboot Premiere | Peacock
Timed perfectly for pride month, NBCUniversal streaming service Peacock is rebooting the ground-breaking series “Queer as Folk” for a new generation. Following the short-lived British version created by Russell T Davies, the original American series aired on Showtime from 2000 to 2005.
This new incarnation will follow a diverse group of friends who find their lives transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy. Set in New Orleans, the series has brought on survivors of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando to serve as consultants in order to get the tone and human details of the story correct.
Queer as Folk
The lives of a diverse group of friends in New Orleans are transformed in the aftermath of a tragedy.
The series will star Devin Way, Fin Argus, Jesse James Keitel, Candace Grace, Johnny Silbilly, and Ryan O’Connell while Kim Cattrall, Juliette Lewis, Ed Begley Jr., and others will occur.
Friday, June 10
“For All Mankind” Season 3 Premire | Apple TV+
Perhaps one of the most under-appreciated shows on all of television, “For All Mankind” returns for its third season on Apple TV+ on Friday. This alternative history series imagines a world in which the Soviet Union had been the first nation to land on the moon and how that might have impacted the U.S. space program moving forward.
After the series started in 1969, the second season jumped forward to 1983. While the Season 2 finale promised a jump to 1995, the third season opens a few years earlier as NASA sets its sights on Mars which almost certainly means that the new slate of episodes will unfold over a few years.
For All Mankind
Explore an aspirational world where NASA and the space program remained a priority and a focal point of our hopes and dreams as told through the lives of NASA astronauts, engineers, and their families.
Before “Ted Lasso” or “The Morning Show” or “Severance,” Apple found artistic and critical success with “For All Mankind.” However, it has not yet broken through as some other streaming dramas have. After the onslaught of new series and seasons released in April and May, perhaps this incredibly deserving show will find an increased audience with its June release. At only 10 episodes per season, there is time — if you are dedicated — to catch up on the first two seasons before the third premieres on Friday.
Saturday, June 11
The 2022 Belmont Stakes | Peacock at 5 p.m. ET
The third and final leg of the Triple Crown comes to you from Long Island, New York on Saturday and you can stream a simulcast of NBC’s horse racing coverage on Peacock beginning at 5 p.m. ET. Rich Strike won the Kentucky Derby and Early Voting took the Preakness, so there won’t be a Triple Crown winner this year but as of now, Rich Strike is coming in with the second-best odds to win the race at 9-2. Mo Denegal is the current betting leader at 5-2 after finishing fifth at the Derby.
Sunday, June 12
“Dark Winds” Series Premiere | AMC+ at 9 p.m. ET
The obvious thing to recommend on Sunday is the Season 3 finale of “Barry,” but there is a fairly good chance that you already know that’s coming, so I am going to go with something that you might have missed, “Dark Winds” on AMC+.
Based on the Leaphorn and Chee book series by Tony Hillerman, the show follows two Navajo police officers in the 1970s. Lt. Joe Leaphorn (played by Zahn McClarnon) and Deputy Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon) investigate a series of unrelated crimes as they are forced to face their own trauma while they work to solve the case.
Dark Winds
This psychological thriller follows two Navajo police officers, Leaphorn and Chee, in the 1970s Southwest as their search for clues in a grisly double murder case forces them to challenge their own spiritual beliefs and come to terms with the trauma of their pasts.
I am a sucker for a good, hard-boiled crime story in which the investigators are just as tormented as everyone else involved, but those tales have become a bit cliche in our true crime-obsessed media landscape. However, by framing this one in the drastically underrepresented world of a Native American reservation, the series has the potential to bring a whole host of new storylines and perspectives that we don’t often see in prestige drama series.
the series will also feature Rainn Wilson, Noah Emmerich, Jessica Matten, and Deanna Allison. George R. R. Martin also serves as one of the series’ executive producers. The series will debut on both AMC+ and AMC on Sunday at 9 p.m. ET.