On Our Streaming Radar: Politics, NBA and Blue Bloodlines

As the weather cools down, the streaming slate is heating up — and this week offers a perfect mix of political intrigue, sports storytelling, small-screen reinvention, and cinematic reflection. From Keri Russell’s return in Netflix’s The Diplomat to an inside look at NBA life in Starting Five, a new chapter of crime and conscience in Boston Blue, and an intimate documentary on the legendary Martin Scorsese, there’s no shortage of binge-worthy stories to dive into. Here’s what’s new on our streaming radar this week.

The Diplomat

For fans of high-stakes political dramas, Netflix is back with a third season of its incredibly bingeable series The Diplomat. Keri Russell returns as Kate Wyler, who has just accused the Vice President of the United States, Grace Penn (played by the wonderfully talented Allison Janney), of orchestrating a terrorist plot — setting the stage for a volatile new chapter.

As the dust settles, the President is dead, and Penn now occupies the Oval Office. To make matters worse, Kate’s husband Hal (Rufus Sewell) may have played a role in the President’s demise. With loyalties shifting and ambitions colliding, Season 3 explores a haunting question: does getting what you want also come with a nightmare attached?

The Diplomat Season 3 streams this week on Netflix.

Starting Five

Also streaming on Netflix, just in time for the upcoming NBA season, comes Starting Five — a new docu-series that delivers the kind of access sports fans crave. Think of it as Hard Knocks for the hardwood.

The series follows five elite players through the 2024–2025 NBA season: Jaylen Brown of the Boston Celtics, the newest Houston Rocket Kevin Durant (documented during his final Phoenix Suns campaign), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who just led his team to an NBA Championship, Tyrese Haliburton of the Indiana Pacers, and the ever-enigmatic former Rocket, James Harden.

What makes Starting Five compelling isn’t just the highlight-reel action — it’s the human side of these athletes. We see their routines, struggles, and moments of doubt as they balance fame, fatigue, and personal sacrifice. Like actors or any working professional, they have to check their emotions at the door and perform at an elite level, even when life off the court tests them the most.

Starting Five streams this week on Netflix.

Boston Blue

Debuting this week is Boston Blue, the anticipated spinoff of CBS’s long-running hit Blue Bloods. Donnie Wahlberg reprises his role as Detective Danny Reagan — this time relocating from New York to Boston. There, he joins the Boston Police Department and partners with Detective Lena Silver (Sonequa Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a storied law-enforcement family.

Lena’s grandfather is Reverend Peters, portrayed by the legendary Ernie Hudson, who brings both spiritual weight and moral complexity to the role. When I spoke with Hudson, he said that Boston Blue is “as much about family and faith as it is about forensics — a show where the badge isn’t the only thing that defines you.”

He says the show stands apart because it doesn’t shy away from the complicated relationship between police and community. “A lot of police shows focus on the difficulties of policing — trying to be fair, trying to get justice,” Hudson explains. “But the community often sees it from a different perspective. Sometimes the police come down hard without taking a lot of factors into consideration. Communities that feel disadvantaged need someone to champion them, to be heard. It’s the letter of the law, yes — but it’s also about balance and empathy.”

He continues, “My character sort of represents that humanity we all share. It’s easy to judge people and separate them — to say, ‘They’re not like us, they deserve this.’ But when we see ourselves in others, that changes everything. Television can remind us of that.”

Hudson adds that the show’s power lies in its depiction of family as a microcosm of America itself. “On Boston Blue, you’ve got this family with all these different backgrounds — my character’s a Baptist reverend, Donnie’s Catholic, my daughter married a Jewish man — and yet they still find common ground. That’s real life. That’s real America.”

Like its predecessor, the show balances crime-solving with deeper themes of legacy, loyalty, and personal conviction. Boston Blue premieres October 17 on CBS and streams on Paramount+.

Mr. Scorsese

Rounding out this week’s lineup is Mr. Scorsese, a five-part documentary on one of cinema’s true icons: Martin Scorsese. Directed by Rebecca Miller, the series charts the filmmaker’s life and work — from his student films to his modern masterpieces — exploring how his experiences, influences, and worldview shaped his distinctive cinematic voice.

Featuring reflections from Scorsese himself, never-before-seen archival footage, and commentary from some of his closest collaborators, the doc paints a vivid portrait of an artist in constant evolution. With classics like Goodfellas, Casino, The Irishman, and The Departed behind him, Mr. Scorsese offers a rare, introspective look at a director who has spent a lifetime redefining storytelling on screen.

Mr. Scorsese premieres this week on Apple TV+.

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