Top 10 most popular streamed shows and movies of the week (March 10)
So, what’s everyone been watching this week? Hmmmm?
Just to get a sense of the most popular movies and TV shows people are streaming, we’ve streaming aggregator Reelgood(Opens in a new tab), which gathers viewership numbers from hundreds of streaming services in the U.S. and UK. Each week, the most streamed watches come down to a few elements — sheer buzz, a big finale, smart marketing, star power, critical acclaim, or word-of-mouth that leads people to finally watch it out of spite.
And this week, it’s clear Pedro Pascal has been busy, with starring roles in The Last of Us and The Mandalorian, two of the most popular watches this week.
But just because a lot of people are watching something doesn’t make it…good. Here they are, the 10 most streamed TV shows and movies of the week, where to watch them, and what Mashable critics thought.
This scene tho 😧😭
Credit: Liane Hentscher/HBO
It’s the one to beat, every week — and now, the finale is upon us. The Last of Us has been the most streamed of the week for eight weeks running now, and episode 9, the end of Season 1, is sure to keep this here for another next week too after it lands on Sunday.
Chernobyl director Craig Mazin and The Last of Us creator Neil Druckmann bring the lauded Naughty Dog survival adventure game to the screen, with a deeply moving, stunt-packed, superbly scripted, and powerfully performed television show.
Pedro Pascal takes the lead as Joel Miller, a man living in a post-apocalyptic America in 2023 amidst a pandemic caused by the Cordyceps fungus, which turns regular humans into monsters. He’s tasked with bringing 14-year-old Ellie, played by Bella Ramsey, across the country on a mission, but there’s more than monsters that stand between them and their destination. Fans will be especially thrilled to see how HBO’s The Last of Us masterfully weaves in the game mechanics, but they’ll have to keep on their toes for new inclusions, clues, and breadcrumbs. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor
What we thought: Making a TV show that lives up to the source material is always a high bar to clear, but especially so in this case. Luckily for gamers and new viewers alike, The Last of Us leaps over it with room to spare, chasing excellence with the boundless energy of a Clicker hunting its prey. — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter
How to watch: The Last of Us airs at 9 p.m. ET every Sunday on HBO and HBO Max.(Opens in a new tab)
Michelle Yeoh is up for Best Lead Actress at this year’s Oscars.
Credit: A24
One of the absolute best movies that 2022 had to offer, Everything Everywhere All at Once boasts a little bit of everything, from a deeply poignant mother-daughter tale to a gleefully silly thread involving a quirky one-hit wonder, to a romantic scene featuring hot dog fingers and a sprawling battle involving butt plugs. It’s A24’s highest-grossing film to date(Opens in a new tab) and it’s nominated for 11 Oscars.
Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert (aka Daniels), Everything Everywhere All at Once stars Michelle Yeoh in her most exhilarating role yet: a multiverse-hopping mom, dedicated to saving all existence but especially her on-the-edge daughter (the sensational Stephanie Hsu). Having more fun with the multiverse concept than Marvel could dare, this outrageous action-comedy giddily thrusts audiences into wild alternative worlds, brandishing unexpected weapons alongside jaw-dropping fashion and wildly captivating performances from Yeoh, Hsu, and their totally game co-stars Ke Huy Quan and Jamie Lee Curtis.* — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor
What we thought: Everything Everywhere All at Once is a tornado of a movie: dizzying, filled with turns, and peppered with eye-catching elements. Yet at the core of its frenetic swirls of allusions, action sequences, and madcap mayhem, there lies a poignant parable about this ruthlessly overwhelming age. — K.P.
How to watch: Everything Everywhere All at Once is now streaming on Paramount+.(Opens in a new tab)
Take a bow.
Credit: Prime Video
Based on Taylor Jenkins Reid’s hugely popular novel, Daisy Jones and the Six is one of the most anticipated releases of 2023 — and already proving one of the most popular. The series reunites the iconic, titular, fictional ’70s band decades after their disbandment at the height of their fame, and sends you back on the road with its feuding lead singers, Daisy Jones (Riley Keough) and Billy Dunne (Sam Claflin), and their complicated artistic and personal relationship. The original soundtrack is there. The outfits are there. The chemistry is there. — S.C.
What we thought: Daisy Jones and the Six catapults us back into the ’70s for a look at the meteoric rise and tumultuous fall of the eponymous band, from humble beginnings to sold-out concerts, studio sessions to drug-filled afterparties. Though the show definitely takes liberties from Taylor Jenkins Reid’s bestselling novel, it remains an engrossing portrait of a rock band battling personal demons and relationship drama. — B.E.
How to watch: Daisy Jones and The Six is now streaming on Prime Video with new episodes releasing weekly.(Opens in a new tab)
Credit: Fredrick Wenzel / :Platform Produktion
Ruben Östlund’s Palme d’Or winner and Oscar nominee takes on class, power, and social hierarchy — one of several outstanding “eat-the-rich” films of 2022. Fuelled by projectile vomiting(Opens in a new tab), the film sends you off on a luxurious, highly Instagrammable cruise with influencer/model couple Carl (Harris Dickinson) and Yaya (Charlbi Dean), helmed by a drunken boat captain (Woody Harrelson), alongside a deckhand (Timoleon Gketsos), and cruise manager (Vicki Berlin). The destination, however, is ruin. — S.C.
What we thought: Packed with performances that’ll make you shudder, gross-out gags that spark guffaws, and an unflinchingly embrace of social awkwardness that’ll have you cringing so much you might cramp, Triangle of Sadness is not just a viewing experience but a physical one. — K.P.
How to watch: Triangle of Sadness is now streaming on Hulu.(Opens in a new tab)
5. The Mandalorian
Grogu and Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal) are back.
Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.
As if Pedro Pascal wasn’t busy enough on The Last of Us, he’s back with another season of The Mandalorian.
Season 3 of the Star Wars spinoff will consist of eight episodes, and follow the titular bounty hunter as he travels to Mandalore to seek forgiveness for his “transgressions.” He probably won’t receive the warmest reception once he gets there, but fortunately the journey there won’t be a lonely one. While the Mandalorian parted ways with Baby Yoda aka Grogu at the end of Season 2, the duo were later reunited during spin-off series The Book of Boba Fett.
The small Force-sensitive child is thus along for the ride once more, joining the Mandalorian on his highly dangerous, child-unsafe adventure though space. It isn’t the best environment for an infant, but at this point it’d probably do more damage to keep them apart.* — Amanda Yeo, Australia Reporter
How to watch: The Mandalorian is now streaming on Disney+ with new episodes weekly.(Opens in a new tab)
Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale in “Poker Face.”
Credit: Sara Shatz / Peacock
If you’re thirsty for more mystery-solving after Knives Out and Glass Onion, dive right into Poker Face, created by Rian Johnson. Natasha Lyonne plays Charlie, whose uncanny ability to tell if someone is telling the truth or not sees her hitting the road to solve different cases. — S.C.
What we thought: Poker Face cements itself as a gem in its own right. Its effective mystery-of-the week format scratches any itch you may have for puzzly goodness (and for guest stars), all while introducing a phenomenal new case-cracker in Natasha Lyonne’s Charlie Cale. — B.E.
Where to watch: Poker Face is now streaming on Peacock.(Opens in a new tab)
7. We Have a Ghost
Ta-da!
Credit: Netflix
Based on the short story “Ernest” by Geoff Manaugh, Netflix’s We Have a Ghost follows a teenage boy’s discovery of a ghost in his new home, that’s played by none other than David Harbour. Ernest immediately becomes some sort of a family friend to Kevin’s (Jahi Di’Allo Winston) family, with Kevin adamant on finding out what happened to him in his life. He’s also become a viral sensation thanks to a video Kevin took of him, and everyone from Jennifer Coolidge (playing a famous medium) to the CIA wants a shot of Ernest. Well, the CIA actually wants to capture Ernest which leaves Kevin with no choice but to hit the road with Ernest by his side and the CIA at his heels. We Have a Ghost‘s cast also includes Tig Notaro, Erica Ash, and Anthony Mackie.* — Yasmeen Hamadeh, Entertainment Intern
How to watch: We Have a Ghost is now streaming on Netflix.(Opens in a new tab)
Margot Robbie stars in the Oscar-nominated “Babylon.”
Credit: Paramount Pictures
Damien Chazelle’s opulent Oscar nominee has hit streaming, and audiences are smashing that play button. The director’s early Hollywood epic starring Margot Robbie, Diego Calva, Brad Pitt, Jovan Adepo, Li Jun Li, and Jean Smart delves into the excesses of 1920s Los Angeles. — S.C.
What we thought: Brace yourself for Chazelle’s about-face, because Babylon is a ghastly, sticky, indulgent mess of a movie, slinging shock value in lieu of anything interesting to say. — K.P.
How to watch: Babylon is now streaming on Paramount+.(Opens in a new tab)
9.Yellowstone
Taylor Sheridan’s western drama won’t be beat.
Credit: Peacock
Kevin Costner-led Western Yellowstone has one of the most loyal audiences around, making the most streamed list every single week. Created by Taylor Sheridan and John Lindan, the drama follows John Dutton (Costner) and his family of ranchers in Montana. The show hasn’t always been beloved by critics (the first season, in particular, got a very mixed reception(Opens in a new tab)) but it is undeniably popular(Opens in a new tab). — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor
How to watch: Yellowstone(opens in a new tab) is streaming now on Peacock.(opens in a new tab)
Cate Blanchett’s also up for Best Actress.
Credit: Universal Pictures
Not just a source of puns in 2022, it’s one of the most talked about films of the last year, and with the Oscars coming up, everyone’s scrambling to see Tár. In director Todd Field’s drama, Cate Blanchett leads as Lydia Tár, lauded principal conductor of a major German orchestra, who is accused of sexual abuse. Blanchett is up for Best Lead Actress, one of the most watched categories this year, alongside Michelle Yeoh for Everything Everywhere All At Once, Michelle Williams for The Fabelmans, Ana de Armas for Blonde, and Andrea Riseborough for To Leslie. — S.C.
* Asterisks indicate the writeup is adapted from another Mashable article.