Summer is upon us. The planet’s gone footie mad as the 2026 FIFA World Cup has taken over America, Canada, Mexico, and roughly 8 billion TV sets around the globe. We’re all absolutely baking in this weird, humid weather. And yet, dear reader — and yet! — there remains no shortage of movies and TV shows to get excited about, beaming into our homes from across the streaming universe. From Steven Spielberg’s most underrated sci-fi movie, to must-see horror comedy series, to eye-popping stop-motion marvels, the hits start comin’ and they just don’t stop comin’. Which is where Empire Recommends comes in.
Your friendly neighbourhood film experts here at Empire HQ — namely Deputy Online Editor Ben Travis, Social Media Editor Harry Stainer, and Online Writer Jordan King — have come together to deliver three handpicked, personal streaming favourites that we just have not been able to stop banging on about in the office. So just in time for the weekend, every week, you can look forward to a fresh piece from us offering up a water cooler/brew debrief ready show, a hidden gem, and a retro pick to pop on when you clock off. All you have to do is fire up the relevant streamer, kick back, and enjoy some of the very best the box has to offer.
And so, without further ado, here’s what Empire Recommends this week…
Series Spotlight | Widow’s Bay
Creator/Showrunner: Katie Dippold | Genre: Horror Comedy | Streaming on: Apple TV
Starring: Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn, Kevin Carroll, Dale Dickey, Kingston Rumi Southwick, Stephen Root
The line between horror and comedy is a fine one, but few creators manage to marry the two in a way that can be piss-your-pants funny one moment and dementedly unsettling the next. Enter Katie Dippold’s Widow’s Bay, which follows the mayor of a sleepy New England island determined to boost tourism despite the painfully obvious fact that the place is, in fact, spectacularly cursed. What follows is a twisty descent into the island’s history, led by Matthew Rhys, Kate O’Flynn and Stephen Root, all of whom know EXACTLY what show they’re in. There’s delightfully slapstick humour, genuinely renal staining imagery, and one of the year’s finest episodes in Episode 4, ‘Beach Reads’. We’ve spent more than a year missing David Lynch, and what a pleasure it is to find something that so effortlessly captures the spirit of Twin Peaks without simply imitating it. More of this, please. HS
———
Retro Pick | War Of The Worlds (2006)
Director: Steven Spielberg | Genre: Sci-Fi | Streaming on: Paramount+
Starring: Tom Cruise, Dakota Fanning, Tim Robbins, Miranda Otto
If you’re still in the ‘Spielberg alien movie’ zone after Disclosure Day, it’s well worth revisiting his last close encounter – a tense and terrifying survival thriller that stands in stark contrast to all his other extra-terrestrial explorations. This is a spectacular heart-in-mouth blockbuster with massive set-pieces that only Spielberg can do – but it’s also a fraught and sombre journey through post-9/11 America, anchored by Tom Cruise at his least heroic as a dud dad barely holding it all together. Frankly, War Of The Worlds deserves more love. BT
———
Hidden Gem | I Am Frankelda (2026)
Directors: Arturo and Roy Ambriz | Genre: Musical Fantasy | Streaming on: Netflix
Starring: Mireya Mendoza, Arturo Mercado Jr, Luis Leonardo Suárez
If big-screen blockbuster animated sequels aren’t really giving you much of a Buzz these days, then why not give Roy and Arturo Ambriz’s phantasmagorical wonder I Am Frankelda a try? The first — and almost certainly not last — stop-motion feature from Mexico, the Ambriz Brothers’ movie tells the story of Francisca ‘Frankelda’ Imelda, a frustrated young writer in 19th-century Mexico who turns into a ghost to travel to a fantastical realm where her macabre literary creations live. Part dark fantasy, part musical epic, all absolutely bizarre and beautiful and bursting at the seams with handcrafted frame-by-fantastical-frame creativity, this truly has to be seen to be believed. If you’re a fan of Guillermo del Toro, Henry Selick, Tim Burton, the great engraver Auguste Rodin, or just generally vibe with many-eyed mythic monsters and badass heroines, then this is for you. JK
Boshed our three picks for this weekend already? Do you find yourself craving even more streaming delights? Fear not: we’ve got you covered. Check out our guides to The Best Netflix Movies, Shows, and Documentaries; The Best Movies And TV Shows On Disney+; and The Apple TV Shows You Must See. And if you’re a real screen fiend, then our lists of The 100 Best Movies and 100 Best TV Shows Of All Time will keep you going for a long, long time to come.
Want to make sure you never miss out on the latest movie and TV news, reviews, and Empire exclusives again? Click here to add Empire as your go-to source on Google Feed.
