What to Watch in March 2022: Best TV Shows, Movies Streaming Online

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March sees the return of a tireless crimefighter dedicated to making sure justice is done: John Hunchman, the private eye voiced by John Hodgman on Dicktown. And, oh yeah, there’s a new Batman movie, too. In fact, there’s a lot to take in in March, from failed tech start-ups to robot sons to the return of Amy Schumer.

The Batman (Theaters, March 4th)

The “Who’s the best Batman debate?” is about to get more complicated. Directed by Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes), The Batman casts Robert Pattinson as tortured playboy Bruce Wayne, a man who’s devised an elaborate coping mechanism to process his parents’ death (and maybe make Gotham City a safer place in the process). The film also features a big chunk of Batman’s rogues gallery, featuring Zoë Kravitz as Catwoman, Paul Dano as The Riddler, and Colin Farrell as Penguin. See tickets and showtimes here.

The Dropout (Hulu, March 3rd)

Start-up scandals have proven to be rich fodder for podcasts, TV series, and TV series based on podcasts (look for another example later in the month). The Dropout continues the trend with a podcast-inspired retelling of the story of the doomed company Theranos and its shady CEO Elizabeth Holmes. Amanda Seyfriend plays Holmes opposite a cast that includes Naveen Andrews, William H. Macy, and Laurie Metcalf. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.

Joe vs. Carole (Peacock, March 3rd)

The Dropout was originally supposed to star Kate McKinnon and, in a twist of fate, a different McKinnon-starring project is premiering on the same day. Joe vs. Carole is another ripped-from-the-headlines story, this one starring McKinnon as Carole Baskin and John Cameron Mitchell as Joe Exotic, rivals who have different notions of how big cats and other exotic animals should be treated. It’s the same story that inspired Netflix’s Tiger King, though this series is adapted from a season of the true crime Over My Dead Body. Watch with a free subscription to Peacock here.

Dicktown (FXX and Hulu, March 3rd)

Because it was originally packaged as a segment on the anthology series Cake it was kind of easy to miss one of the funniest animated shows in recent years. Now a series in its own right, Dicktown continues the adventures of grown-up boy detective John Hunchman (John Hodgman) and his one-time bully David Purefoy (David Rees, who co-created the show with Hodgman) as they go about the funny, but kind of sad, business of solving mysteries for teens. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.

After Yang (Theaters and Showtime, March 4th)

One of the breakouts at this year’s Sundance, the latest from director Kogonada (Columbus) is a science fiction story with an intensely personal focus. Colin Farrell (it’s a big week for him with this and The Batman) stars as the father of a family of four that becomes a family of three when the android they regarded as a son experiences a seemingly irreversible breakdown. Watch with a free trial to Showtime here.

Fresh (Hulu, March 4th)

Fresh isn’t the first film to depict how much it sucks to be a single woman looking for love even in a moment when online dating is supposed to have made it easier. But no film has portrayed it quite like this buzzy thriller, a 2022 Sundance premiere, starring Daisy Edgar-Jones (Normal People) as Noa, a romantically frustrated woman who falls head-over-heels in love with Steve (Sebastian Stan) after a grocery store meet-cute. Fair warning: any resemblance to a romantic comedy ends after a certain point. Making her feature debut, veteran music video director Mimi Cave directs from a script by frequent Funny or Die contributor Lauryn Kahn. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.

Luci and Desi (Amazon Prime, March 4th)

Another 2022 Sundance premiere, this Amy Poehler-directed documentary takes a close look at the lives, careers, and relationship of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Their partnership helped define television as we know it while experiencing a series of ups and downs that played out in public. Watch with a 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime here.

The Boys Presents: Diabolical (Amazon Prime, March 4th)

The Boys’ dark, satirical take on superheroes has always suggested there was even more going on in its violent world outside the scope of the central story. This new animated anthology series depicts some of those tales and features writing contributions from Awkwafina, original comic book writer Garth Ennis, executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, and Andy Samberg. Watch with a 30-day free trial to Amazon Prime here.

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (HBO, March 6)

Adapted from Jeff Pearlman’s book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s, this miniseries recounts the behind-the-scenes story of the superstar Lakers line-up that helped bring glamor, showmanship, and Eighties excess to the NBA. Created by Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht and executive produced by basketball obsessive Adam McKay, its stars include a mix of familiar faces (John C. Reilly, Jason Clarke) and newcomers (Quincy Isiah, Solomon Hughes). Watch on HBO Max here.

Shining Vale (Starz, March 6th)

This new comedy stars Courtney Cox as a troubled big city novelist who tries to start over in a small town. That sitcom-friendly premise doesn’t sound like new territory for Cox except for one detail: her new home might be haunted or otherwise troubled by demonic spirits. Greg Kinnear, Mira Sorvino, and Sherilyn Fenn co-star. Watch with a free trial to Starz here.

The Thing About Pam (NBC and Peacock, March 8th)

The thing about Pam Hupp, the real-life inspiration for this new miniseries, is she’s murderer. But wasn’t sort of woman people immediately suspect to be a murderer and fooled a lot of people into thinking she was innocent, which makes this sound like a meaty role for Renee Zellweger, who’s making only her second significant venture into television after the Netflix series What/If. (not to be confused with Marvel’s What If…?, a much different show). Watch with a free subscription to Peacock here.

Pixar’s Turning Red (Disney+, March 11th)

Mei Lee (voiced by Rosalie Chiang) has a problem that goes beyond the usual issues that come along with being a teenager: whenever she gets overwhelmed she turns into a red panda. Pixar’s been on a winning streak lately, so this looks proving, though it’s a shame it’s the third Pixar feature in a row to debut exclusively on Disney+. We first fell in love with Pixar’s movies on the big screen and they’re missed there. Watch on Disney+ here.

The Adam Project (Netflix, March 11th)

Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy teamed up for one of last year’s biggest successes, the high-concept comedy Free Guy. So why not do it again? In this second collaboration, Reynolds plays a time traveler from the near future who has to backtrack and team up with his childhood self (Walker Scobell). They appear to be playing it a little more straight than Free Guy this time, so expect Levy to bring some of the skills he picked up helming some of Stranger Things’ best episodes. Watch on Netflix here.

The Last Days of Ptolemy Great (Apple TV+, March 11th)

Adapted from a novel by Walter Mosley (Devil in a Blue Dress), this new miniseries stars Samuel L. Jackson as an elderly man who, thanks to an experimental treatment, gets a temporary reprieve from dementia. Knowing his time is limited, he sets about taking care of some unfinished business. A cast that includes Walton Goggins and Dominique Fishback makes this look even more promising, as does the presence of Ramin Bahrani (Chop Shop, The White Tiger) in the director’s chair. Watch on Apple TV here.

Minx (HBO Max, March 17th)

Between Boogie Nights, The Deuce, and The People vs. Larry Flynt it would seem like the Seventies porn explosion has been covered pretty thoroughly already but Minx finds a different angle. Ophelia Lovibond stars as Joyce, a woman who decides to advance her feminist principles by publishing an erotic magazine for women — but doing so navigating the sleazier side of the publishing world with the guidance of Doug (Jake Johnson), a publisher who knows it well. Watch on HBO Max here.

Welcome to Flatch (Fox, March 17th / Hulu March 18th)

Minx’s production team includes Paul Feig, who also serves as an executive producer (and occasional director) of this Jenny Bicks-created comedy about a documentary crew attempting to capture life in a small town crawling with eccentrics played by Aya Cash, Seann William Scott, and others. In an unusual arrangement, the series will roll out its first episode on Fox on March 17th before dropping the first seven episodes on Hulu the next day. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre (Theaters, March 18th)

The last time Guy Ritchie directed a spy movie the result was 2015 The Man From U.N.C.L.E., a stylish and witty throwback to the classic TV series. Unfortunately, that movie didn’t quite take off as planned, but Ritchie gives the genre another go with this comic thriller about a Hollywood star (Josh Hartnett) who might be super spy Orson Fortune’s (Jason Statham) best hope to save the world.

Deep Water (Hulu, March 18th)

With films like 9 1/2 Weeks and Fatal Attraction, director Adrian Lyne helped define the erotic thriller. Lyne’s latest, and his first film in twenty years, looks like an attempt to bring the genre back. Adapted from a Patricia Highsmith novel, it stars Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas, once an offscreen pair themselves, as a couple whose relationship turns deadly. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.

X (Theaters, March 18th)

It’s been awhile since Ti West made a horror movie, but the latest from the director of The House of the Devil sounds like it will have been worth the wait. Mia Goth leads the cast as part of a band of Seventies filmmakers trying to shoot a porn film called The Farmer’s Daughter in the middle of nowhere. Surely nothing could go wrong, right?

Human Resources (Netflix, March 18th)

A spin-off of Big Mouth, this animated workplace sitcom focuses on the hormone monsters and various other beings that shape human behavior. It’s a clever idea that sounds a bit like a (much) more grown-up spin on Inside Out. The voice cast includes a mix of Big Mouth veterans and newcomers, including Nick Kroll, Maya Rudolph, Rosie Perez, and Tahndiwe Newton. Watch on Netflix here.

Life & Beth (Hulu, March 18th)

Making her return to television, Amy Schumer stars as Beth, a woman looking for a fresh start as she approaches 40 but who remains haunted by her past (seen in flashbacks to her teen years where Beth is played by Violet Young). Serving as star, writer, and director, this is Schumer’s first significant TV project since Inside Amy Schumer. Beyond mentioning an “incident” that changes Beth’s life, Hulu isn’t offering many details about the show, whose co-stars include Michael Cera and Michael Rappaport. Watch with a free trial to Hulu here.

WeCrashed (Apple TV+, March 18th)

Anyone looking for a companion piece to The Dropout should probably consider this miniseries charting the rise and fall of WeWork. Jared Leto stars as company co-founder Adam Neuman opposite Anne Hathaway as Rebekah Neumann, Adam’s wife and fellow WeWork executive. Watch on Apple TV here.

Atlanta (Third season premiere: FX, March 24th)

A combination of scheduling conflicts and the pandemic means it’s been nearly four years since the second season finale of Atlanta. Nonetheless, this third season is apparently set to pick up the story as if no time has passed, opening with Paper Boi (Brian Tyree Howard) touring Europe with Earn (Glover) in tow. As recently announced, this will be the show’s penultimate season, so enjoy it while it’s still around.

Halo (Paramount+, March 24th)

Attempts to turn the hit humans-versus-aliens game Halo into a live-action film or TV series have been around almost as long as the games themselves. But it’s finally been done via this high-profile Paramount+ series starring Pablo Schreiber as the super-soldier Master Chief. Watch with a free trial to Paramount+ here.

Pachinko (Apple TV+, March 25th)

Kogonada’s new film After Yang helped kick off the month. Now this miniseries adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s bestselling novel about several generations in the life of a Korean family living in Japan, which Kogonada co-directs with Justin Chon (Blue Bayou), helps bring it to a close. The story spans most of the 20th century and the expansive cast includes Minari’s Youn Yuh-jung and Jin Ha (Devs). Watch on Apple TV here.

The Lost City (Theaters, March 25)

In what sounds like the set-up for a fun movie, Sandra Bullock plays Loretta Sage, a bestselling author who’s kidnapped by one of her biggest fans (Daniel Radcliffe) convinced she can lead him to hidden treasure. Channing Tatum co-stars as the hunky cover model for one of Sage’s novels who sets out to rescue her. There’s a fourth star, too, and if you haven’t watched the trailer to this film yet, don’t. Let it come as a surprise.

Moon Knight (Disney+, March 30th)

Marvel’s latest Disney+ series brings one of the company’s strangest comic book characters to life. Oscar Isaac stars as Marc Spector. Or maybe he’s Steven Grant? Or maybe someone named Mr. Knight? Though a skilled mercenary, Spector’s not always sure of his own identity, a condition that seems to have something to do with an Egyptian god, and possibly a sinister cult leader played by Ethan Hawke. With this series, WandaVision, Loki, and (from the looks of it), She-Hulk, Disney+ has become the place Marvel goes to get weird and experimental (by MCU standards, anyway). Watch on Disney+ here.