Liam Mathews

Liam Mathews is the Watercooler's Senior Editor. He's written for Esquire, Gold Derby, TV Guide, and Fast Company, among other outlets. Previously, he was a Reviews and Recommendations Editor at TV Guide. Follow him on Twitter: @liamaathews.
Featured Image

Sexy Beasts

You know how Belle fell for that Beast, who was really just a Furry hiding a hot stud of a prince? That’s essentially the premise of this dating show, which may or may not be a parody of The Bachelor. Shop for your next date or your next pet and have a jolly good howl.

Featured Image

Halloween Kills

Halloween Kills is a worthy entry in the Halloween franchise. It doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it’s an above-average slasher movie that will get you in the spooky season mood.

Featured Image

What You Need to Know About Impeachment: American Crime Story

Each season of FX’s American Crime Story franchise, executive producer Ryan Murphy and his team of collaborators dramatize a true crime that dominated headlines in the ‘90s. It’s renowned for finding fresh, compelling angles that re-evaluate well-known stories while providing juicy parts for ambitious actors. The first season, The People v. O.J. Simpson, came out

Read More »
Featured Image

The Voyeurs

A fun, sexy revival of a lost genre with a modern twist. If you like movies that make you feel a little bit dirty for enjoying them, The Voyeurs will float your boat.

Featured Image

After the Dystopian Drama See, Get Inspired by the Blind Magician Documentary Dealt

Welcome to What to Watch After, where you’ll find recommendations inspired by your favorite dark shows and movies that the algorithm couldn’t come up with, and only a thinking human brain would suggest.  Instead of more disturbing dystopian serial killer horror, the Watercooler’s after-watch picks work as “palate cleansers” to help clear your head so

Read More »
Featured Image

If You Loved The White Lotus, Here Are Six Shows to Watch Next

A biting satire series from creator Mike White (Enlightened, School of Rock), White Lotus covers one eventful week at an exclusive Hawaiian luxury resort, where conflict brews between the spoiled rich guests — who are all going through personal crises that money might not be able to fix — and the stressed-out workers who have

Read More »
Featured Image

The North Water

A dark and intense historical saga, The North Water is not for everyone, but it’s a must-watch for fans of nautical period pieces and truly cinematic television.

Featured Image

Reservation Dogs

Reservation Dogs is a fresh comedy series from a community that’s never made a show like this before. It’s one of the best new comedies of the year so far.

Featured Image

She’s Gotta Have It

Free-spirited artist Nola Darling (DeWanda Wise) juggles three lovers while trying to stay true to herself in this sexy comedy-drama series that brings a timely update to Spike Lee’s 1986 film. A hidden gem that ran from 2017-2019, it’s waiting to be rediscovered on Netflix. 

Liam Mathews

Liam Mathews is the Watercooler's Senior Editor. He's written for Esquire, Gold Derby, TV Guide, and Fast Company, among other outlets. Previously, he was a Reviews and Recommendations Editor at TV Guide. Follow him on Twitter: @liamaathews.
Featured Image

What to Watch This Weekend: 5 Watercooler Picks

As storms swirl across the hemisphere and winter fatigue sets in, the Watercooler’s writers have picked five of the best new releases for every frame of mind to hunker down with — or to head out for — this weekend. A High Fantasy Escape Watch:  Wheel of Time c. Prime Video More fun and female-centered

Read More »
Featured Image

Black Bag

A taut, stylish and steamy take on the high-stakes espionage thriller, Steven Soderbergh’s Black Bag keeps you second-guessing every character’s motives until the very end. The tension, the suspicion, the sense that the walls are closing in? It’s all here.

Featured Image

Raging Midlife

An over-the-top broad comedy for Gen Xers or older Millennials, Raging Midlife works for fans nostalgic for 80s movies who just want to laugh and de-stress. Wrestling fans will find a special level of joy in the moves.

Featured Image

How to Die Alone

A good show for anyone who wants to get “unstuck,” How to Die Alone reminds us to embrace vulnerability and take more risks. Mel shows us how to live.

Featured Image

Grand Theft Hamlet

Grand Theft Hamlet is a testament to the relentless and pure desire to make art– it might not be convenient, it might not make sense, it might not even be well-received, but that’s not going to stop those who want to make it. The result is a touching and funny doc that justifies its experiments

Read More »
Featured Image

I’m Still Here

An inspiring historical drama about the resilience of the human spirit and the life-affirming power of forgiveness. I’m Still Here delivers a hopeful message that even in the darkest times, good can triumph over evil.

Featured Image

The Black Godfather of Horror: A Tribute to Tony Todd

Three things I don’t do anymore: ride roller coasters, drive behind a truck with logs, and get on bridges that are under construction. One movie is the reason why: Final Destination. But what I remember most about the film is that it starred one stereotype-defying Black man who did not die first — Tony Todd.

Read More »
Featured Image

Conclave

Conclave transcends its rich setting to tell a universally compelling story about power, morality, and the fundamental human condition — which no amount of religious ceremony, historical weight, or status can change.

Featured Image

The Most Relevant Oscar Contenders of 2025

The most relevant Oscar movies of 2025 shed light on timely issues and help us process our current moment, from Wicked’s take on fascist leaders to The Brutalist and Anora’s sentiments on the American Dream.

2 what-you-need-to-know-about-impeachment-american-crime-story
Featured Image

Abbott Elementary

Abbott Elementary will catch you off guard and surprise you. It captures the balance between comedy and heart, much like its mockumentary predecessors—but with a new spin, because the work these characters are doing truly matters.

Featured Image

The Adam Project

The Adam Project is one of those movies you go into imagining big explosions and kids hilariously making life-or-death decisions (like Zathura, for example). And, to be sure it throws everything it has at the wall and then some: time-travel jiu jitsu soldiers, a stacked all-star cast, and lots of heart. 

Featured Image

The Wildest Documentaries Streaming on Netflix

Truth can be stranger than fiction, as you’ll discover in these Netflix documentaries filled with true crime, cults, and colorful characters.

Featured Image

Our Flag Means Death

Our Flag Means Death is a fun escape into the absurd, and we could all use a reminder that even in the 1700s people had mid-life crises and needed to escape reality as much as we do today.

Featured Image

Pam & Tommy

Riding the current trend of dramatized real-life events to the limits, Pam & Tommy does an excellent job of comparing what happened to everyone involved with our still-evolving attitudes surrounding sex, consent, and pornography today.

Featured Image

Together Together

This film is heartwarming and heartbreaking in all the ways you want in a character-driven indie about a subject matter that we need to talk more about.

Featured Image

Catching up on Outlander: The Story So Far

Outlander is finally back after two long years and we’ve got a handy refresher to catch you up on everything that’s happened since Season 1.

Featured Image

Understanding Russia & Ukraine: What to Watch for Context

The best films and series to watch for a deeper understanding of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the historical events that led up to the current conflict.

Featured Image

Oscar Broadcasts Then and Now: How the Academy Awards Have Changed

The Academy has drawn criticism for changing the format of the Oscars this year, but it’s not the first time they’ve switched things up.

Scroll to Top