Nixon

If you want a drama that takes its characters as seriously as its plot, Nixon is available in Australia on Disney Plus, and in the US on Hoopla right now. The runtime earns every minute, with nothing here that feels like padding. 402 people have weighed in on TMDB, and the verdict leans heavily positive. Anthony Hopkins sets the tone, and the rest of the cast matches it scene for scene. Available now on Disney Plus — press play and find out why people keep recommending it.

Nixon is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. Character-driven storytelling at its most effective — Nixon earns every emotional beat it goes for. A look at President Richard M. Nixon—a man carrying the fate of the world on his shoulders while battling the self-destructive demands from within—spanning his troubled boyhood in California to the shocking Watergate scandal that would end his Presidency. Anthony Hopkins and Joan Allen lead a cast that brings real weight to the material. It was released in 1995. What elevates Nixon is a refusal to let any character off the hook too easily. There is real craft here, even in the moments that do not fully land.

Viewers drawn to character-driven storytelling will find plenty to sit with in Nixon. If you have run out of similar titles to watch, this is a strong next pick. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Anthony Hopkins's work here is the kind that gets referenced in career retrospectives. It makes everything else feel thin by comparison.