Netflix has been rolling out some pretty sweet shows and movies so far this summer. Harlan Coben’s I Will Find You and the streamer’s latest chilling docuseries, Worst Neighbor Ever, have both been squatting comfortably in the Netflix Top 10, and Hamnet is pulling on all the heartstrings. Not a bad problem to have
But if you’ve cleared your watchlist already and need fresh material, we’ve got you. This weekend’s picks include a flawlessly reviewed ’70s Western crime saga, a beloved hot-sauce-fueled interview show leveling up, and a stand-up comedy hour that sneaks up on you
Dark Winds (Season 4)
Leaphorn and Chee head to Los Angeles
Few shows can claim a perfect 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, but the thrill-ride police procedural known as Dark Winds holds one for all four of its seasons. Executive-produced by George R.R. Martin and the late Robert Redford, the neo-Western noir is based on Tony Hillerman’s bestselling Leaphorn & Chee novels, with season 4 adapting the sixth novel in the series, 1984’s The Ghostway
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Dark Winds’ fourth season follows Lt. Joe Leaphorn (Zahn McClarnon, Reservation Dogs), who, while still reeling after his wife left him at the end of season three, commits to one last case before retirement—finding a Navajo teen who has disappeared from her boarding school. The trail pulls him, Sgt. Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon, The Twilight Saga), and Sgt. Bernadette Manuelito (Jessica Matten, Frontier) out of the desert and into 1970s Los Angeles, where hired killer Irene Vaggan (The Bourne Identity’s Franka Potente), and her boss, Dominic McNair (Titus Welliver), await.
All eight episodes landed on Netflix on July 4
Hot Ones: Extra Heat
Sean Evans brings the Da Bomb to the big leagues
I’ve been enjoying watching Sean Evans scorch the mouths of some of the world’s biggest celebrities online since his little YouTube show got started in 2015, and it’s been incredible watching it rise to the status it is now. Now, after more than a decade as YouTube’s most reliably viral interview show, Hot Ones is officially expanding to Netflix—and yes, the wings made the trip
Hosted as always by Evans, Hot Ones: Extra Heat is a series of 30-minute specials that takes the famous wings of death out of the studio and on location to Netflix’s biggest live events and premieres, announced on a case-by-case basis. The first installment streams Monday, July 13, immediately following Netflix’s broadcast of the MLB T-Mobile Home Run Derby in Philadelphia, which starts at 8:00 p.m. ET, with guests Will Ferrell, Fortune Feimster, and Jimmy Tatro—stars of Netflix’s upcoming golf comedy The Hawk—braving the hot sauce.
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It technically lands a day after the weekend wraps, but I wanted to get out in front of it. The show, if you haven’t seen it, is expertly executed by Evans, an incredible interviewer who throws cutting questions at guests just as the Scoville units take hold. Will Ferrell’s been on the YouTube show before, so expect laughs, sweat, runny noses, and people drinking all kinds of liquids to quench the pain
Jeff Arcuri: Nice to Meet You
The viral crowd-work king gets his Netflix hour
If clips of a lightning-quick comic roasting audience members have crossed your Instagram or TikTok feed in the past two years, odds are it was Jeff Arcuri. One of the fastest-rising comics of the last year, Arcuri has parlayed that viral crowd-work into packed theaters nationwide, and Nice to Meet You, which hit Netflix on July 7, is his first full-length special—Jeff Arcuri: Nice to Meet You
Taped across five sold-out shows at Phoenix’s Celebrity Theatre last December, the hour-long special has Arcuri covering a range of hilarious topics, from marital pranks and urinal social etiquette mind games to dismantling internet trolls, all delivered with his signature rapid-fire pace
The heart of the stand-up special, though, is Arcuri reflecting on making his wife, The Bachelor/Bachelorette’s Katie Thurston, laugh through her stage 4 breast cancer journey. It’s a solid Netflix stand-up debut that’s not only hilarious, but surprisingly heartfelt
July’s just getting started
Whether you’re in the mood for a crime mystery, mouth-scorching wings, or laughs with a side of heart, these are three killer choices. For more watch-worthy picks, check out our streaming coverage at How-To Geek’s streaming section
