What To Watch This Week: Stream Our Top 7 TV and Movie Picks (July 6–12)

This week’s “What To Watch” picks include the Mexican drama “I’m Not Afraid” (Netflix), a period mob drama “The Westies” (MGM+), a Burning Man documentary (HBO, HBO Max), and the anime series “Ghost in the Shell” (Prime Video).

Wait, there’s more! We have a third drama — “The Five Star Wedding” (Peacock), plus a three-headed horror pitch: a Joe Bob Briggs double-feature (Shudder) and “Backrooms” on video-on-demand (VOD). Let’s hit the couch!

“Ghost in the Shell” | Prime Video | Anime

Series premiere, Tuesday, July 7: Shirow Masamune’s cyberpunk story debuted as a manga (1989), then it was an anime movie (1995) and a live-action film (2017). Now “Ghost in the Shell” is a series courtesy of the award-winning animation studio Science SARU (“Dandadan”). The multiple adaptations are testament enough to the story’s popularity, but it’ll probably gain new fans — first, by being cool as hell, and second, by tapping into our fear of what the tech bros have in store for us plebs. But isn’t this show on a platform owned by one of the aforementioned billionaire bros? Yup. We’re doomed. But at least we have cool TV to watch until the chips scramble our brains.

“I’m Not Afraid (No tengo miedo)” | Netflix | Drama

Limited series, Wednesday, July 8: Drawn from Italian author Niccolò Ammaniti’s novel of the same name, this series (originally titled “No tengo miedo”) follows Miguel, a 10-year-old boy who in 1986 finds a kidnapped child, Felipe, trapped in a deep hole outside a remote village. The boys become friends, and Miguel eventually discovers that adults he knows might be responsible for Felipe’s situation. The series, directed by Ernesto Contreras, is one of four brand-new series coming to Netflix as part of a $1 billion investment in movies and series from Mexico. All episodes stream on Netflix starting today.

“The Five Star Weekend” | Peacock | Drama

Series premiere, Thursday, July 9: From writer/producer Bekah Brunstetter (“Maid,” “This Is Us”), this drama based on Elin Hildebrand’s novel stars Jennifer Garner as a celebrity chef and author who suffers a devastating loss. Trying to move on, she gathers her closest friends at her posh casa on Nantucket Island. The noteworthy cast also includes D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Judy Greer, Regina Hall, Harlow Jane, Chloë Sevigny, and Timothy Olyphant. This is a binge drop, so you can stream all eight episodes as of today.

“The Man Will Burn” | HBO, HBO Max | Documentary

Limited series premiere, Thursday, July 9, 9 p.m. ET: You wanna know the history of the Burning Man festival? Here, munch on the dry, undelicious contents of this baggie and all will be revealed. Or, if you don’t know what I’m talking about — or even if you’re already a tuned-in alpha Burner — you can watch Jehane Noujaim’s (“The Vow”) four-part docuseries. Made with exclusive access to Burning Man Project leadership and the organization’s vast video archives, Noujaim’s series offers a “unique behind-the-scenes look” at the massive, desert-set counterculture event, from its 1986 inception until now. (But if you’re not gonna eat those shrooms, can I have ’em back?) HBO drops one hour-long episode per week through July.

“Joe Bob’s Savage Summer” | Shudder | Horror, comedy

Special, Friday, July 10: “The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs” series might be a memory, but at least we still have the specials. You know, the ones Shudder likes to tease us with, offering no deets on the movies, just a li’l hint. The clue for “Joe Bob’s Savage Summer” goes like this: “A summer screening of two titans of transgressive cinema, including an infamous ‘Video Nasty’ that he’s never been allowed to host — until now.” Joe Bob off the leash, hosting a screening of a formerly forbidden film? Say less; I’m in.

P.S. A trailer for this special doesn’t exist, so please enjoy this archival clip of Joe Bob in a glam metal wig, miming the song “Stick Shift Drive-In Love” in tribute to the rock ‘n’ roll nightmare “Black Roses.” Rawk!

“The Westies” | MGM+ | Drama

Series premiere, Sunday, July 12, 9 p.m. ET: “The Westies,” if you don’t already know, were a notorious Irish organized crime gang. In this series from Chris Brancato (“Narcos”), it’s the early ’80s in NYC’s Hell’s Kitchen and, although outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Italian mafia, the Westies reputation for brutal violence and cunning “business” acumen helped them carve out a place alongside the bigger mob. But you know how these things go: an internal clash upsets things, and the FBI comes sniffing around. J.K. Simmons (“Juno,” “Whiplash”) and Titus Welliver (“Deadwood,” “Bosch”) lead the cast.