What to Watch on Peacock May 2023

Poker Face | Comedy, mystery

Fugitive from the law Charlie Cale (Natasha Lyonne) travels New Mexico, taking odd jobs on the down-low and solving murders with her acute talent for pinpointing liars. Like Columbo with a bitchin’ blue Barracuda instead of a trench coat, Charlie breezes from locale to locale, stumbling upon a new case in every episode of Poker Face—a Rian Johnson (Knives Out) creation, BTW. Thanks to him and Lyonne’s winning performance, Peacock has one of its biggest hits ever.

Paul T. Goldman | Comedy, reality

The life of everyman Paul T. Goldman (Paul T. Goldman) has been documented for over 10 years by director Jason Woliner—maybe. Woliner directed Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, so he can’t be trusted. A “docuseries” about marital fraud victim Goldman turns into a bizarre true-crime satire, as non-actor Goldman portrays himself in a biopic and a behind-the-scenes reality show, all based on his book. Is anything here real? Woliner and Goldman keep you guessing.

Bates Motel | Drama, thriller

Bates Motel, a 2013–2017 A&E series, is a modern-day prequel to horror classic Psycho that chronicles the origins of future killer Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) and his mother Norma (Vera Farmiga). The dark drama doesn’t let up on the suspense and creeping terror over five 10-episode seasons, with Highmore and Farmiga turning in fantastically fraught performances. Bates Motel’s winding story leads nicely into Psycho, which is also on Peacock.

Charmed | Drama, fantasy

The CW’s recent reboot is a nice update, but the original 1998–2006 Charmed can’t be beaten when it comes to fun fantasy cheese. Witch sisters Phoebe (Alyssa Milano), Prue (Shannen Doherty), and Piper (Holly Marie Combs) battle demons and warlocks while trying to hold their personal lives together. Charmed gets progressively wackier over eight seasons, with new witches (including Rose McGowan and Kaley Cuoco) being introduced along the way.

MacGruber | Comedy

Several seasons as a Saturday Night Live sketch led to 2010 cult flick MacGruber, which surprisingly turned up again in 2021 as an eight-episode Peacock original series, also entitled MacGruber. Creator and star Will Forte takes this iteration to the limits of sanity and good taste, with super-patriot MacGruber being sprung from prison to save the world from evil supervillain Enos Queeth (Billy Zane). Kristen Wiig and Ryan Phillippe also return as sidekicks Vicki and Dixon.

M3GAN | Horror, sci-fi

Seattle toy company roboticist Gemma (Allison Williams) brings AI prototype doll M3GAN home for her niece Cady (Violet McGraw)—what could possibly go wrong? As you’ve probably guessed, M3GAN becomes sentient and murderously protective of Cady. Unlike his similar Annabelle, producer/writer James Wan has injected a sense of black humor into M3GAN, like Chucky with better hair. If you’ve wondered if 2022’s most left-field hit movie earns the hype, dig in.

Nope | Horror, sci-fi

Sibling ranchers OJ (Daniel Kaluuya) and Em (Keke Palmer) discover an airborne alien entity feeding on their livestock, and it’s coming for them next if they don’t take it down. Writer/director Jordan Peele’s Nope has been called his “most enjoyable” and “creepiest” film to date, a semi-tribute to the sci-fi of Steven Spielberg and Paul Verhoeven that lays the tension and dark comedy on thick. And really, is there a better title for a horror movie than Nope? Nope.

Casino | Drama

Martin Scorsese’s sprawling 1995 crime epic Casino is one of the greatest mob movies of all time, mostly because it’s so well-written and filmed that you don’t even notice that it’s three hours long. The tragicomic tale of good times gone bad in ’70s and ’80s Las Vegas is carried by a killer cast (Robert De Niro, Sharon Stone, Joe Pesci, Kevin Pollack, and James Woods) and a dangerously deep knowledge of Sin City mafia practices. Spoiler: it doesn’t end well.

Speed | Action, drama

Speaking of the ’90s, 1994’s Speed is up there with Die Hard in the action-flick annals and made Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock overnight stars (but somehow, not Succession’s Alan Ruck). The bomb-on-the-bus thriller still holds up better than its imitators, and don’t skip the wrongly maligned sequel, 1997’s Speed 2: Cruise Control. Holdout Reeves really missed the boat on that one.

Copshop | Action, drama

A tense, blood-splashed showdown between a con man (Frank Grillo), a hitman (Gerard Butler), and a rookie cop (Alexis Louder) explodes in a small-town Nevada police station, and it’s never clear who’s going to get out alive. Copshop, a 2021 film directed by action auteur Joe Carnahan, puts the action pedal to the metal for a brisk 107 minutes, dropping improbable plot twists like bullet shells all the way. Also, Toby Huss nearly steals the show as a comically unhinged assassin.