5 Streaming Gems You Might Have Missed (And Shouldn’t!)

Oh I know, everyone makes lists like this these days. And for a reason – most of us know the experience of scrolling through our beloved streaming site, not knowing what to watch, only to end up rewatching Castle for the nth time, or fall asleep. Not that there’s anything wrong with rewatching Castle or falling asleep, but it’s good to check out other shows out there. After all, we live in a time of infinite choices. There are so many good shows that are flying under the radar (ish) and might need our support. So here goes, here’s my attempt to add to the conversation of streaming gems that deserve more views.

1. Presumed Innocent (Apple TV)

Genre: Legal Thriller

Released: 2024

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Ruth Negga, Peter Sarsgaard

I read Scott Turow’s Presumed Innocent as a teen so I was always going to watch this adaptation. But, when I heard that one of my favourite directors, Greg Yaitanes (Banshee, House of the Dragon Season One), was involved in the project, I was even more intrigued. Yes, there were changes from the book, lots of them, but this was, to me, a successful adaptation that preserved the courtroom classic’s slow-burn, psychologically-rich narrative. 

Jake Gyllenhaal starred as Rusty Sabich, a prominent prosecutor who found his near perfect life turned upside down when he was accused of murdering a colleague – who also happened to be a former lover. Taut, tense, and filled with deeply human moments, Presumed Innocent deserved to be called ‘prestige drama’. 

2. Criminal Record (Apple TV)

Genre: Crime Drama/ Social Commentary

Released: 2024

Starring: Peter Capaldi, Cush Jumbo

A domestic violence call reopened a long closed case, igniting a power struggle between two detectives, a weathered, morally ambiguous veteran (Peter Capaldi) and a principled newcomer (Cush Jumbo). Peter Capaldi was brilliant as expected, but it was Cush Jumbo who had me in awe the whole time I watched this series. The way you could see her effort in choosing her words carefully, in keeping her voice level, that insistent grace amidst casual racism, the performance was instructive, empowering, heartbreaking. 

Yes, there was a whodunit mystery, but more than that, Criminal Record was rich with themes of race, policing, and generational trauma that took a closer look at the system built to solve cases. And, they were able to sustain this narrative force without being completely depressing. There was a skilled tonal discipline through this series that made it unique and immensely watchable. I recommend it unreservedly. 

3. The Leopard (Netflix)

Genre: Historical Drama

Released: 2025

Starring: Kim Rossie Stuart, Benedetta Porcaroli

The Leopard is one of the best period dramas I’ve seen ever. Yet, no one in my circle has even heard of it. The online conversation is decidedly muted. I checked on a popular messaging site, and there were only a handful of posts there. This show came out back in March of this year. What happened? What was the barrier to entry that prevented The Leopard from soaring through the popularity heights of other period dramas?

For me, it was the setting. I immediately added The Leopard to my watch list after it came out but it took me two months before I actually watched it, because I had no familiarity, at all, with the Italian reunification. I needed to read up a bit and watch this excellent video on Garibaldi before I felt comfortable enough to watch the show. Once I had started, of course, I didn’t want to stop. There is breathtaking beauty in the care of its production. The melancholy is infused with periods of levity, so that the show does not feel heavy. It is anchored with a magnificent performance by Kim Rossi Stuart as the titular The Leopard, the Prince of Salina, Don Fabrizio, the leader of the fading Sicilian aristocracy.

The Leopard deserves to be seen, and discussed, and celebrated. If you don’t usually watch period dramas, this might not be the best maiden voyage. But, if you already are a period drama fan, I highly recommend it.

Note: Recap Lab's coverage of The Leopard can be accessed here!

4. Slow Horses (Apple TV)

Genre: Spy Thriller

Released: 2022

Starring: Gary Oldman

Slow Horses is a critically acclaimed show (hello Gary Oldman!) but I wanted to include it here because in my neck of the woods, it has not gotten the mainstream attention that I think it should have. Even I was late to it, and this is the kind of show I usually love. John Le Carre’s Smiley’s People was one of my favourite books growing up. My introduction to Matthew Macfadyen's work was Spooks . Yet, it was only recently that I finished the first season.

Slow Horses refers to a group of British spies working at what was known as Slough House, the destination for service eff ups. Jack Lamb (the venerable Mr Oldman) was its chief, a legend in the service, but now an old man who, on the surface, was just riding out his days until retirement. River Cartwright (Jack Lowden) was a nepo baby up and coming spy sent to Slough House following a very public training exercise blunder. When a college student was kidnapped and threatened to be beheaded, Slough House found themselves in the middle of the service’s biggest case.

Real talk — the first couple of times I tried to watch Slow Horses, I fell asleep partway through the first episode. Life is busy, I am frequently tired, it is the way it is. When I found myself with some free time, when I finally had the mental space to take care of myself a bit and slow down, when I turned on Slow Horses again, I could not stop watching. This is a show that rewards careful attention. That is when you notice the brilliance of the small moments amidst a pulsing espionage thriller. 

As of this writing, I just started the second season, and it grabbed me from the first scene. If you haven’t seen Slow Horses, if you, like me, tried to watch Slow Horses before but life fatigue just didn’t give you the energy to push through, give it another shot. It is so worth it, and all the critical acclaim it has received so far.

5. Étoile (Amazon Prime)

Genre: Drama/ Dark Comedy

Released: 2025

Starring: Luke Kirby, Charlotte, Gainsbourg, Lou de Laâge

I came into Étoile unfamiliar with the work of Amy Sherman Palladino. I somehow missed being part of the Gilmore Girls phenomenon. I’ve never seen an episode of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. So, I didn’t really know what I was into when I started watching Étoile on Prime. 

My experience? Well, it was not at all unpleasant. I binged watched it. I liked it overall. I expected to love Luke Kirby and Charlotte Gainsbourg, who were the reasons I started watching this show in the first place, but I ended up feeling mostly <shrug> about their characters. I’m still not quite sure what the point of Étoile is, except as a lighthearted fare, which given all the daily stress most of us have to live with, is a good point to have. 

Étoile was at its best when the magnetic Lou de Laâge was on screen as Cheyenne. Billed as the best dancer in the world, Cheyenne was a force of fury. She knew she was a legend, and she exercised her power within the small world of ballet. Her uniquely dark stories were a riot. Her yell-filled relationship with her mother provided the show with surprising heart. There were other parts of Étoile that I liked, of course, but just like her one woman ballet show, if Étoile were only about Cheyenne for eight episodes, if Étoile were only Cheyenne telling her mad stories and fighting with her mother for eight episodes, I would still watch it. 

Étoile is not going to be for everyone, and I get where some of the rough reviews are coming from. My thing is, there is enough room in the TV landscape for quirky little shows. Plus, Lou de Laâge’s Cheyenne is just magnificent. 

Just five?

No, there are more, but I’m on the clock here. My final word for now is, try watching something you wouldn’t normally watch. You never know, you might find a gem of a show that would move you in ways other shows have not moved you in a long time. For the busy amongst us, TV often functions as a way to unwind at the end of the day, or to help us rest over the weekend after a particularly busy week. The best kind of TV is one that transports us to unexpected emotional places. The thing is, and I write this as someone who survived some of the most difficult points of my life with the help of some of Merlin’s not that well reviewed episodes, you never know what will do this. Have fun exploring new shows, and till next time!