The Best TV Shows to Stream on Max This Week

Max's new series this week include The Truth About Jim, a documentary series in which a woman digs into her family history and learns that her step-grandfather might have been The Zodiac Killer. There's also a second season of excellent crime/journalism drama Tokyo Vice. If you want to clear your mental palate after all that grittiness, you can also watch The Puppy Bowl!

The Truth About Jim

Just about everyone’s grandpa has a dark side, but Sierra Barter’s step-grandfather might have been the damn Zodiac Killer. His name is Jim Mordecai, and when he was alive, he was a high school teacher and a respected member of his Bay Area community. Behind closed doors, he was an abusive husband, a sexual predator, and maybe the most notorious, unidentified serial killer in American history. The Truth about Jim explores the evidence linking Mordecai to Zodiac’s crimes as well as examining the devastation a monstrous patriarch wrought on his family. 

Tokyo Vice, Season 2

Loosely based on the career of journalist Jake Adelstein and directed by Michael Mann, Tokyo Vice takes viewers into the criminal underworld of Japan. As the sole Western reporter on the staff of Tokyo’s largest newspaper, Jake investigates a shadowy underworld of hidden power structures and criminality.

Puppy Bowl Presents: 20 Years of Puppies

The Puppy Bowl began as low-budget Super Bowl counter-programming and has grown into an American institution, so celebrate 20 years of adorable little mutts with this special retrospective collection of the most exciting moments in the show's history, including that time that one puppy did something cute, and the time you were like "awwww. Lookit that lil guy!" You can also watch this year's puppy bowl in its entirety on Max, in case you missed it on Super Bowl Sunday.

The Outsider (2020)

Based on a novel by Stephen King, The Outsider begins with the discovery of the mutilated body of an 11-year-old boy in the woods. All the evidence points to a local man, but detective Ralph Anderson isn't convinced. With the help of Holly, a psychic investigator, Ralph uncovers an ancient evil that feeds on human misery. On the surface, The Outsider is a well-paced, bleak supernatural thriller, but on a deeper level, The Outsider is an examination of the role of faith in our wicked world.

Last week's picks

Curb Your Enthusiasm, Season 12

Curb Your Enthusiasm might be the best comedy that has ever been on television, and so far, season 12 clears the high bar the previous 11 seasons set. Larry David’s delightful misanthropy is so honest and fearless, it’s impossible not to care about the old bastard. “I really did the best under the circumstances as a person who hates people but had to be among them,” David says in the trailer, which really sums up his whole persona. The first episode of the new season begins with Larry making a trip to Atlanta. In Curb style, it ends in hilarious disaster. This is the last season of the show, so show some respect and check it out. 

The Redemption Project (2019)

Each episode of CNN’s The Redemption Project details a meeting between a convicted criminal and the people they’ve victimized—the families of murder victims confront their loved ones’ killers; victims of assaults meet with their attackers. It’s a powerful premise, and it’s handled with sensitivity by host Van Jones, who lets all sides speak openly, leaning toward honesty instead of sensationalism. 

The Cleaning Lady (2019)

If you missed The Cleaning Lady when it premiered on Fox in 2022, you can catch up on the first two seasons on Max. This crime drama tells the story of a Cambodian-Filipino doctor who brings her son to the US for a life-saving medical procedure. When things fail to go as planned, she ends up employed as a crime scene cleaner for a criminal organization. Caught between the mob, ICE, and the FBI, the cleaning lady plays by her own rules as she fights to save her son. 

Our Flag Means Death (2022)

There are two seasons of Max's original comedy series Our Flag Means Death available for streaming, but there won't be a third. The pirate-based romantic comedy starring Taika Waititi earned accolades from critics and built up a loyal fanbase for its offbeat interpretation of the relationship between real-life pirates Stede Bonnet and Blackbeard, but it didn't catch on widely enough to continue. It's a pity because it's a really funny, strangely touching, and always inventive program. Maybe Our Flag Means Death is a little too beautiful to live.