Always Be Watching: Always Be Streaming

The Big Bang Theory spin-off fails to save the universe, but might entertain 10 year-olds

Dan Barrett — Fri, 24 Jul 2026 07:13:09 GMT

I’m a big believer in taking big swings when it comes to spin-off shows. The example I always come to is the choice to spin-off Lou Grant from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and put him in a one hour drama instead of the half-hour sitcom we know him from.

The safest route is generally just to do like-for-like genres and that can yield success. Look to Happy Days spinning-off Laverne & Shirley and Mork & Mindy as an example of it working very well. Of course, also look to Joanie Loves Chachi for an example of where it doesn’t.

But for every Frasier, you also need to contend with a Joey. Not all spin-offs work, but at least if you take a big swing creatively, you can at least view it as a noble, creative effort vs lazy commercial cash grab.

While I was never all that into The Big Bang Theory, I do respect that for the various spin-offs for that show, they have all been fairly different. Young Sheldon was a Wonder Years pastiche, spinning its own Georgie and Mandy’s First Wedding off as a relationship show back in multi-cam sitcom mode.

This week has its latest spin-off and you don’t get a creative swing any bigger than this.

It doesn’t take much imagination to envision a Big Bang Theory traditional multi-cam sitcom spin-off focused on the staff at the local comic book shop. But to instead take those characters and put them into a dimension-hopping sci-fi comedy series that owes as much to Sliders as it does to the sitcom that spawned it… that’s a bold choice.

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The premise of Stuart Fails To Save The Universe is that every episode has Stuart, the comic book store owner from The Big Bang Theory hopping through the multiverse helping alternate Stuart’s in putting their respective universes back on track following a science experiment gobe wrong conducted by TBBT’s core leads Leonard, Old Sheldon, and Howard.

Expect cameos of actors from across the Big Bang Theory universe of shows. There’s a notable cameo in the first episode and I suspect that won’t be the last. Also expect celebrity cameos… there’s two well-known magicians in the first episode with one who has a speaking part…

I found it to be largely laugh-free and not especially interesting narratively. But, myself and jaded adult viewers aren’t really who this show is for.

The show will play very well with families looking for co-viewing with a pre or young-ish teen. I’d have to assume that there are a lot of families watching the fairly safe Big Bang Theory still in repeats and for them, this undoubtedly ticks a lot of boxes.

Returning TV

Ransom Canyon (s02) Josh Duhamel, Minka Kelly, Lizzy Greene, James Brolin, Eoin Macken, Garrett Wareing, and Andrew Liner

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (s04, Paramount+) Anson Mount, Ethan Peck, Jess Bush, Celia Rose Gooding, Rebecca Romijn, and Christina Chong

King of the Hill (s15, Hulu [US]) Mike Judge, Kathy Najimy, Pamela Adlon, Stephen Root, Lauren Tom, and Toby Huss

The Undeclared War (s02, Channel 4 [UK]) Simon Pegg, Adrian Lester, Hannah Khalique-Brown, Mark Rylance, and Maisie Richardson-Sellers

The Crow Girl (s02, Paramount+ [UK]) Eve Myles, Katherine Kelly, Clara Rugaard, and Victoria Hamilton

Granite Harbour (s03, BBC One / BBC iPlayer [UK]) Romario Simpson, Hannah Donaldson, Dawn Steele, Michelle Jeram, John Gordon Sinclair, and Alastair Mackenzie

New TV

Treasure & Dirt — ABC / ABC iView [Aus]

Who’s in it: Michael Dorman, Liv Hewson, Sarah Peirse, Elena Carapetis, Kelton Pell, and Bessie Holland

What’s it about? In the dying opal-mining town of Nulla, big-city homicide detective Ivan Lucic is sent to investigate after a miner is found beheaded in the depths of his own claim. Paired with former local constable Nell Buchanan, who knows how the town really works, Ivan is drawn into a labyrinth of secrets, greed, and old sins, in a case that grows stranger and more surreal the deeper they dig. A six-part crime thriller adapted from Chris Hammer’s bestselling novel, shot in Coober Pedy.

Elite Force — Netflix

Who’s in it: Tomer Sisley, Guillaume Gouix, Tristan Zanchi, Géraldine Pailhas, Nicolas Wanczycki, and Judith El Zein

What’s it about? Veteran GIGN officer Sylvain Caron confronts the threat of a stolen experimental explosive while a rookie, Max Villiers, joins the unit without realising the case will unravel long-buried family secrets. A French action-thriller built around hostage rescues and high-stakes tactical operations, from director Julien Leclercq. Eight episodes.

Musafir Cafe — Netflix

Who’s in it: Vikrant Massey, Vedika Pinto, Mahima Makwana, Adil Hussain, Rajeev Siddhartha, and Anubha Fatehpuria

What’s it about? Three travellers’ lives unexpectedly intertwine across Bhopal and Mussoorie. Chander, a man searching for a life that feels authentically his own, shares an instant spark with the fiercely independent Sudha, before years later building a new life in the hills with Preeti, though memories of the past linger. Marks the debut of Vikrant Massey’s production banner, Homemade Stories.

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe — HBO Max [US]

Who’s in it: Kevin Sussman, Brian Posehn, Lauren Lapkus, John Ross Bowie, Ryan Cartwright, and Josh Brener

What’s it about? A spin-off of The Big Bang Theory. Comic-book shop owner Stuart Bloom accidentally breaks a device built by Sheldon Cooper and Leonard Hofstadter, triggering a multiverse Armageddon. With help from his girlfriend Denise, pal Bert, and quantum physicist Barry Kripke, Stuart sets out to restore reality, running into alternate-universe versions of familiar faces along the way.

New Movies

72 Hours — Netflix

Who’s in it: Kevin Hart, Marcello Hernández, Mason Gooding, Kam Patterson, Ben Marshall, Zach Cherry, Michael Mando, Mike Epps, and Teyana Taylor

What’s it about? A flailing forty-something executive, hoping to inject some life back into his career, is accidentally added to the wrong group chat and finds himself swept into a chaotic three-day Miami bachelor party with a crew of twenty-somethings. Directed by Tim Story.

Elize: Shadows of a Woman — Netflix

Who’s in it: Lorena Comparato, Henrique Kimura, Denise Weinberg, and Gustavo Falcão

What’s it about? A dramatic retelling of a notorious real Brazilian crime case. A former escort discovers her wealthy husband’s infidelity, and the betrayal poisons their marriage with catastrophic consequences.

The Debt Collector — Netflix

Who’s in it: Nadech Kugimiya, Daou Pittaya Saechua, Chaiwat Thongsaeng, Nuanprang Trichit, and Johnathan Holman

What’s it about? Haunted by guilt after his time behind bars, a former underground debt collector races against a terminal illness, returning to his old criminal world to avenge injustices against illegal-loan victims and seek redemption from his past. A Thai action-thriller marking the Netflix debut of both leading men.

Love in Slow Motion — Netflix

Who’s in it: Eiad Saleh, Ali Kakuli, Nour Al Ghandour, and Elie El Semaan

What’s it about? Haya has always kept love at arm’s length, until her best friend Jawad gets engaged and drops news she never saw coming. Suddenly, nothing feels quite so simple. A Kuwaiti romantic comedy.

The Truthers — Netflix

Who’s in it: Jose Coronado, Stéphanie Magnin, Fanny Gautier, Alberto Olmo, and Mabel Del Pozo

What’s it about? After her mother’s sudden death, Ruth returns to her hometown and reunites with her father Martín, a retired man whose odd, erratic behaviour and obsession with a sinister conspiracy theory make her question whether he might be responsible for her mother’s death. A Spanish psychological thriller from the writers of Elite.

The Dink — Apple TV+

Who’s in it: Jake Johnson, Ben Stiller, Ed Harris, Mary Steenburgen, and Aaron Chen

What’s it about? A washed-up tennis pro rehabbing an injury at his father’s suburban country club reluctantly turns to pickleball, in a sports comedy that gives the paddle-sport boom the Happy Gilmore treatment. Andy Roddick and John McEnroe appear as themselves.

That’s the newsletter for this week.

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Connect with Dan on Bluesky. Connect with Dan on Letterboxd. Connect with Dan on Linkedin. Email Dan @ alwaysbewatching.com or just reply to this email.

Will Ferrell tees off, Anya Taylor-Joy goes on the run, and Heartstopper says goodbye

Dan Barrett — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 21:11:14 GMT

We are firmly in the doldrums of the TV year. It’s not that there’s nothing to see, but rather it’s that the best viewing options are shows and movies that the streamers don’t think were good enough to warrant a release before the Emmy eligibility window closed a few weeks back.

Also, it’s summer in the northern hemisphere, meaning a large chunk of view…

The Ingalls settle the prairie. But real talk: I'm not 100% sure I could define what a prairie is

Dan Barrett — Fri, 10 Jul 2026 09:35:58 GMT

I’m sure I saw the OG Little House on the Prarie (1974-1983) at some point when I was a kid. But when I think Michael Langdon, my point of reference is Highway To Heaven (1984-89) and even that is a very faint memory.

So, pressing play on the highly-anticipated Netflix reboot this week, I didn’t actually know exactly what I was in for. I thought I had a …

Silo, the X-Men, and Elle Woods return. But THIS is what you really should be watching...

Dan Barrett — Fri, 03 Jul 2026 20:16:54 GMT

This week is rough on viewing options. Fans of Apple TV sci-fi show Silo will v=be very happy to see the show back for its third season. Similarly, the X-Men cartoon revival series X-Men 97 is back for season two.

Less enthusiastic will be fans of Legally Blonde with prequel series Elle. I’ve read a lot of commentary this week about how the show makes no…

It's The White Lotus meets Crazy Rich Asians. If that sort of description helps...

Dan Barrett — Fri, 19 Jun 2026 05:42:22 GMT

It has been a very slim week of TV and movies this week. But, it isn’t without a few notable titles.

A few thoughts on what is actually available:

The most interesting show to debut this week is The Season, a show that is being billed as The White Lotus meets Crazy Rich Asians. It looks lightweight, but fairly entertaining. It debuts on the US Hulu today,…

Nicolas Cage is a spider-guy, Tina Fey delivers all four seasons, and is this guy the future of late night?

Dan Barrett — Sat, 30 May 2026 01:05:40 GMT

Apologies to paid ABW subscribers for the lateness of this week’s Always Be Streaming newsletter – life just got in the way.

A bunch of thoughts on the new and returning shows of the week.

I wrote about Spider Noir already in the newsletter on Monday. For the TL;DR version: Nicolas Cage is perfect in the series, but the show stumbles a little bit with a plot that isn’t especially interesting. A shame, because so much else about the show is incredible. Especially the cinematography that looks gorgeous in both the black & white (my preference) and colour versions.

A show like The Four Seasons is generally right in my wheelhouse, but the first season of it left me pretty cold. The second season has a lot more confidence about it and played a bit better, but broadly I think my issue is the cast. I really like Tina Fey (obviously… I’m not a monster) and I’m delighted by Claude Calvani, but I have never been on the Colman Domingo bandwagon, I have a fiery disinterest in Will Forte, and I’ve always been a bit annoyed by Kerri Kenney-Silver (one of many reasons I never took to Reno 911 back in the day). The show does everything it can to stop me watching, but watch it I have.

We have two biographical soccer drama shows on this week, with the BBC’s Dear England and Netflix’s Brazil 70: The Third Star. Both are timed to generate some viewership as excitement builds for The World Cup, starting June 11.
Am I alone in struggling to find the enthusiasm in pressing play on For All Mankind spin-off Star City?

Usually in the Always Be Streaming newsletter I focus more on scripted TV shows and movies (it becomes too much for me to also cover all of the unscripted shows), but I did want to highlight this YouTube show that debuted this week

Good Night with Ben Gleib is one of the efforts springing up right now to bring a late night variety chat show to YouTube. This one has Gleib, a comedian who has been around for around 20 years, building up a substantial enough IMDB profile, is hosting a show from his house.

I have only watched a few minutes of it, but it has strong community television / public access vibes to it. Not that I have an issue with that – I’m very into authentic-feeling shows like this.

Is Ben Gleib the future of late night? Doubtful. But he seems amiable enough and I’ll watch a few episodes of this, I reckon. Is Kevin Smith a guest that has me enthused to watch? Heavens no. Is the 1 hour, 48 minute runtime of the first video a hugely off-putting proposition? It’s a bad vibe, Gleib.

Here’s episode one:

Returning TV

The Chi (s08), Rick & Morty (s09), A Good Girl’s Guide To Murder (s02), The Four Seasons (s02), Deli Boys (s02), Criminal Minds (s19), Murder Mindfully (s02)

New TV

Spider Noir — Prime Video

Who’s in it: Nicolas Cage, Lamorne Morris, Li Jun Li

What’s it about? Ben Reilly, a seasoned, down on his luck private investigator in the 1930s New York, is forced to grapple with his past life, following a deeply personal tragedy, as the city’s one and only superhero.

Brazil 70: The Third Star — Netflix

Who’s in it: Lucas Agrícola and Rodrigo Santoro

What’s it about? In 1970, the Brazilian national team took the field with big dreams and an even bigger challenge: to become the first three-time world champions.

Dear England — BBC One [UK] | Binge [AUS]

Who’s in it: Joseph Fiennes and Jodie Whittaker

What’s it about? Biographical drama following the reign of Gareth Southgate as England National Football Team Manager

Viral Hit — Netflix

Who’s in it: Ouji Suzuka

What’s it about? A high school student at the bottom of the school hierarchy takes on the world's injustice in a unique way: streaming his own fights!

Star City — Apple TV

Who’s in it: Rhys Ifans, Anna Maxwell Martin, Agnes O'Casey, Alice Englert

What’s it about? A troubled young man becomes a divine agent through a pact with a deity; his job is to protect the mortal realm from dark forces with a little help.

New Movies

Miss You, Love You — HBO Max

Who’s in it: Allison Janney, Andrew Rannells, Bonnie Hunt, Suzy Nakamura, Oscar Nunez, and Lisa Schurga.

What’s it about? A grieving widow is forced to plan her husband's funeral with her estranged son's assistant

That’s the newsletter for this week.

Consider becoming a paid supporter of Always Be Watching.

Connect with Dan on Bluesky. Connect with Dan on Letterboxd. Connect with Dan on Linkedin. Email Dan @ alwaysbewatching.com or just reply to this email.

We say goodbye to The Late Show and hello to Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed

Dan Barrett — Sat, 23 May 2026 00:56:46 GMT

Yesterday afternoon I live streamed the final episode of The Late Show. It was a terrible hour (plus) of television that managed to capture everything that has frustrated me about the show through its run.

While I like Stephen Colbert a lot and certainly wanted to like his tenure hosting The Late Show more than I ever actually did, the show never felt li…

Somehow Good Omens came back. The Punisher and Dutton Ranch deliver more rewarding returns.

Dan Barrett — Fri, 15 May 2026 11:20:29 GMT

It’s a pretty big week for familiar-feeling TV with returning shows, spin-offs, and sequels dominating options this week.

Good Omens, a well-received cult show starring David Tennant and Michael Sheen, has dragged itself to see the release of what I guess one could call the third and final season. The third season comprising of a single episode to wrap e…

Two unexpected TV delights. But first... I need to talk about Entourage for some reason

Dan Barrett — Fri, 08 May 2026 06:37:21 GMT

This was supposed to be a dud week. And look, it kinda is for the most part. I went into the week with a plan to catch up on some shows and to get started on some screener episodes for upcoming shows.

But, like with all of the best intentions, I did the TV watching equivalent of just dicking around and watched a whole bunch of Entourage. I fell into rewa…

Widow's Bay has been streaming for around 48 hours. I'm already awarding it Emmys.

Dan Barrett — Fri, 01 May 2026 05:19:46 GMT

Earlier this week I was rapturous over new Apple TV show Widow’s Bay. I may have been so bold as to suggest it is your new favourite show. That’s obviously hyperbole, but it will be true for a lot of viewers.

It would be redundant talking up the show again, so if you missed it, take a read of this:

Instead, I’d like to talk about Widow’s Bay’s Emmys chanc…

Good TV is where ambition meets your expectations

Dan Barrett — Fri, 24 Apr 2026 23:19:35 GMT

The enjoyment we have for a TV show is based on finding that meeting point between the scale of ambition for a show and our perception on where that scale needs to be.

The new Stranger Things spin-off Tales From ‘85 has a really broad mix of critical response. Alison Herman at Variety, for example was disappointed in the show. Her criticism exemplified t…

We say goodbye to The Pitt, but hello to Margo's Got Money Problems

Dan Barrett — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 06:08:51 GMT

With the Emmy awards eligibility window closing on May 31, we are this week seeing the last gasp of award-friendly shows released for the next few months. Consider Margo’s Got Money Problems, a show that is 100% going to be a leading contender across all of the limited series categories. It debuted with three episodes this week and will end its eight-ep…

Jon Hamm steals my attention, but The Drama makes a strong case to hold it

Dan Barrett — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 21:24:04 GMT

One of last year’s biggest disappointments is back this week, in the form of Apple TV’s Your Friends & Neighbors. It’s not that the show isn’t broadly good… I liked it quite a bit. But it did that exceptionally lame TV move of having a series wrap up its first season and then have the lead make an out-of-character decision that lacks logic for no real r…

Get 'DTF' with some pretty f**king good TV options this week

Dan Barrett — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 20:24:12 GMT

Yesterday afternoon I wanted to play around with going live on Substack. I hadn’t used the function before. It’s incredibly barebones – I’d like to be able to do things like play video clips during the stream and add graphics. Or in the very least, connect it to Riverside and run live production tools through that.

I put together a poorly-prepared, ramsh…

Scrubs (2026) makes a great case for TV critic-assisted euthanasia

Dan Barrett — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 05:09:14 GMT

There’s some beloved big name shows back this week. Paradise is back for season 2. The second part of season 4 of Bridgerton is back too. And there’s also season 2 of Apple TV’s Godzilla spin-off show Monarch.

As far as new shows are concerned, this week is pretty dire.

The first episode of new Dick Wolf drama CIA is titled ‘Directed Energy,’ but the rea…

Netflix just debuted the most earthy, funniest comedy of the year (probably)

Dan Barrett — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 22:31:07 GMT

There’s a lot to be across this weekend, but not all of it is especially high profile. Here’s what you need to know…

My big advisory this week is to press play on the terrific Netflix comedy How To Get To Heaven From Belfast. The show is from Lisa McGee who wrote one of TV’s best comedies of the past decade, Derry Girls.

Like with Derry Girls, McGee is b…

If you watch The Muppet Show, they'll make more

Dan Barrett — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 09:47:14 GMT

As I type this, I’m watching the Women’s Ski Jump at the Milano Winter Olympics. I’m not really much of a sports guy, but I do find myself watching a lot of the Winter Olympics every four years.

While the Winter Olympics are not quite as big a draw as the standard Olympics, it does feel like there is some reluctance to schedule too much against the game…

My ongoing struggle to recommend Shrinking

Dan Barrett — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 06:54:05 GMT

I enjoy watching Shrinking and I’m certainly very happy to see both that there are new episodes of the show and that it has been renewed for a fourth season…

But…

I never feel comfortable recommending it or even speaking too openly about my enjoyment of the show. At times it is a really dopey hang-out comedy. That part of the show I’m happy to recommend. …

The new show from DailyWire+ looks every bit as unwatchable as you'd expect

Dan Barrett — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 04:14:28 GMT

Straight up if you want to know what you should check out this weekend, it is the new Prime Video heist drama Steal. It’s Sophie Turner from Game of Thrones as a woman working on the trade desk for an investment country that manages pension funds. What happens when a group of armed thieves turn up to take everyone hostage, demanding they transfer four b…

Matt Damon & Ben Affleck remind you why they're movie stars

Dan Barrett — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 05:11:01 GMT

The Rip is a hugely entertaining movie that will make for a great Friday or Saturday night’s viewing with a beer (or five) on the couch.

It’s Matt Damon and Ben Affleck as two cops who are working as part of a squad in LA which likely has one or more cops who are on the take. Internal Affairs is sniffing around (complicated as one of the officers is Aff…