Most watched TV shows and films of the week (Sept 2)

So, what’s everyone been watching this week? Hmmmm?

Just to get a sense of what everyone’s streaming, we’ve used data from streaming aggregator Reelgood, which gathers viewership numbers from hundreds of streaming services in the U.S. and UK. Each week, the most streamed TV shows and films come down to a few elements — sheer buzz, a big finale, smart marketing, star power, critical acclaim, or word-of-mouth that leads uninterested people to finally watch it out of spite.

This week, House of the Dragon. remained dominant, with new additions including the awaited documentary series about Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying a Welsh football team, Welcome to Wrexham, and Steve Carrell serial killer series The Patient.(opens in a new tab) Marvel’s She-Hulk: Attorney At Law remained super popular, as did horror films like Orphan: First Kill and The Black Phone.

But just because a lot of people are watching something doesn’t make it…good. Here they are, the 10 most streamed TV shows and films of the week, where to watch them, and what Mashable critics thought.

Rhaenys Targaryen (Eve Best) has a lot to be angry about.
Credit: Ollie Upton / HBO

There is simply no denying the power of Game of Thrones, a franchise that has roared back into our lives with the release of prequel series House of the Dragon. Taking place nearly 200 years before Jon Snow and Daenerys Targaryen existed, House of the Dragon follows House Targaryen at the height of its power in Westeros. There’s just one small problem: King Viserys (Paddy Considine) doesn’t have a male heir. With the line of succession in question, you can bet on scheming, bloodshed, and mayhem. Oh, and many, many dragons. Let fire and blood reign! — Belen Edwards, Entertainment Reporter

What we thought: If you’re worried about House of the Dragon after getting burned by the final season of Game of Thrones, don’t be. HBO’s epic new series is excellent through and through, juggling memorable characters, high fantasy, and intense emotions with practiced ease. You’ll be sucked in faster than you can say “Dracarys.” — B.E.

How to watch: House of the Dragon is now streaming on HBO Max. New episodes premiere Sundays at 9 p.m. ET.

2. Samaritan

Sylvester Stallone and Javon “Wanna” Walton in “Samaritan.”
Credit: Amazon Studios

Syvlester Stallone plays Mr. Smith, former vigilante Samaritan who is in hiding after being presumed dead 25 years ago. But his 13-year-old neighbour Sam Cleary (Javon “Wanna” Walton) suspects his true identity and tries to convince him out of the shadows to fight crime once again. — Shannon Connellan, UK Editor

How to watch: Samaritan(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Prime Video.

3. Echoes

Gina McCleary (Michelle Monaghan) can’t get anything past Sheriff Floss (Karen Robinson).
Credit: Netflix

The classic “twin swap” trope gets a psychological thriller twist in Netflix’s Echoes. Michelle Monaghan plays Leni and Gina, two twins who have swapped lives since childhood. When one of them goes missing, their double act threatens to get entirely exposed. There are twists, there are turns, and there are twin shenanigans of the silliest degree. — B.E.

How to watch: Echoes is now streaming on Netflix.

Tatiana Maslany as Jen Walters aka She-Hulk.
Credit: Marvel Studios

The newest hero to burst into the MCU is Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany). She’s a lawyer who just happens to be a Hulk, but she’d much rather do good through the legal system than through smashing things. As Jennifer grapples with life, love, and pressing questions about Captain America, she’ll team up with MCU mainstays like her cousin Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) and Wong (Benedict Wong). It’s a fun time all around, and Maslany is as charming as humanly possible in her double role. — B.E.

What we thought: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is unlike any Marvel show we’ve seen before. Yes, it’s the story of a hero — Jennifer Walters, aka She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany) — discovering their powers. But this half-hour comedy about a lawyer-turned-Hulk has just as much in common with Ally McBeal or Legally Blonde as it does with WandaVision or Ms. Marvel. It’s a smaller-scale take on the MCU with an irreverent, self-referential tone, making for a refreshing change of pace from the MCU’s other TV offerings. — B.E.

How to watch: She-Hulk: Attorney At Law is now streaming on Disney+, with new episodes every Thursday.

5. Me Time

Kevin Hart looks for some quality me time.
Credit: Netflix

Kevin Hart leads this Netflix comedy as Sonny, a dad who goes on a wild ride when his wife, Maya (Regina Hall), and kids go away. His old friend, Huck (Mark Wahlberg), shows up and they endeavour on a weekend of chaos at “their own Burning Man.” — S.C.

How to watch: Me Time(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Netflix.

We love Naru (Amber Midthunder).
Credit: Hulu

Director Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator prequel still has huge buzz nearly a month after hitting Hulu. Set in 1719 in the Comanche Nation, Prey is all about Naru (Amber Midthunder), a skilled warrior and hunter whose community is threatened by an advanced alien (yep) predator. So, she sets out to confront it in one hell of a showdown. — S.C.

What we thought: With spectacular action, compelling characters, and an engrossing story, Prey absolutely deserves the hype that comes with a large audience. It’s a crime that it isn’t getting a theatrical release, but do not think for a second that this is a case of a studio dumping a mediocre film direct to streaming. — B.E.

How to watch: Prey(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ in the UK.(opens in a new tab)

Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney take to the pitch at Wrexham AFC.
Credit: Disney+

In case you missed it, Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney had bought a Welsh football club: Wrexham AFC. If you were as perplexed over this seemingly random life decision, you might want to find some answers in Welcome to Wrexham, the documentary that delves into the whole process. But not only that, and perhaps even more so, the series explores the ambitions of the club’s players and fans, and the community surrounding this now-celebrity owned team. — S.C.

What we thought: If you’re going in hoping for a celebrity reality series that pulls the curtain back on the lives of two Hollywood actors, you may be disappointed. There is an element of that, but for the most part, LA stays in the background. If you’re looking for a documentary that captures the highs and lows of football, though, and the lives impacted by the sport, then you’ll be pleased to hear Welcome to Wrexham places its namesake front and centre. — Sam Haysom, Deputy UK Editor

How to watch: Welcome to Wrexham(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Disney+.

8. The Patient

Steve Carell is trapped
Credit: Suzanne Tenner / FX

Steve Carrell in a serial killer series? What? From The Americans’ Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg comes this Hulu psychological thriller about therapist Alan Strauss (Carell), who is held captive by a patient, serial killer Sam Fortner (Domhnall Gleeson), who demands a cure for his homicidal tendencies — his will mean Alan attempting to dig into topics Sam is resistant to, and verging on the possibility of complicity. While imprisoned, Alan digs through his own past too, as time is running out. — S.C.

How to watch: The Patient(opens in a new tab) is now streaming on Hulu.

The mask that launched a thousand nightmares.
Credit: Universal Pictures

Ethan Hawke terrifies in The Black Phone, a horror flick based on a short story by Joe Hill. Hawke plays the Grabber, a part-time magician who kidnaps boys and keeps them locked in his basement. His latest victim? 13-year-old Finney (Mason Thames), a frightened child whose ordeal brings him face to face with the dead: Finney is able to communicate with the Grabber’s previous victims through a phone in the basement. Will this lifeline — or maybe deathline is more accurate — be enough to save him? — B.E.

What we thought: The Black Phone feels like a miss almost across the board. For years, Hill has been forging his own brand of horror with books and interesting adaptations (Horns, NOS4A2, Locke & Key). This is the weakest yet. A story that feels like he was playing in his father’s sandbox to create, trying to formulate something grittier and his own, is puffed up with cheap ’70s nostalgia for suburban naivete, old-school technology, and a more casual attitude toward kids cursing and hurling slurs. — Kristy Puchko, Film Editor

How to watch: The Black Phone is now streaming on Peacock.

She’s back!
Credit: Paramount Pictures

There’s something wrong with Esther… again. Isabelle Fuhrman reprises her role from 2009’s Orphan in this prequel that takes us deep into Esther’s twisted origin story. Julia Stiles and Rossif Sutherland join Furhman as the couple who adopts Esther, but just as in Orphan, their lives take a turn for the horrific pretty quickly. — B.E.

What we thought: This sinister sequel can’t compare to its older sister flick, but it’s not without its own ghoulish goodies. Fuhrman is wickedly entertaining in her repulsive reprisal. The turnabout of concept and tone is clever, shifting from a retread of Orphan to a re-imagining of its titular terror with a knowing wink and an unapologetic thirst for chaos.  — K.P.

How to watch: Orphan: First Kill is now streaming on Paramount+.

* Asterisks indicate the writeup is adapted from another Mashable article.