If you just watched your favorite show’s season finale and you’re feeling down because you think there’s no good TV until September (and with the strike? Eeek!), think again!
Summer is full of wonderful shows you won’t want to miss.
From compelling family dramas to shocking sci-fi series, we’ve got complex mysteries, teen angst, crafty criminals, and resourceful heroes.
When you’re not busy applying sunscreen, lying poolside, or firing up the barbecue, you’ll definitely want to check out the top 17 shows you MUST watch this summer!
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Paramount+) June 15
We are ready to boldly go where no men have gone before once more as Star Trek: Strange New Worlds takes flight on June 15. As our writer has noted, this incarnation delights purists and new fans alike with its bold direction and risk-taking. Season 1 ended with Chin-Riley being taken into custody for hiding her Illyrian side! We’ll be reviewing it weekly, so return for more.
Outlander (Starz) June 16
After a long Droughtlander, the series continues and changes, as always, are afoot. Following a pattern, Outlander Season 6 ended with Claire being taken into custody after being implicated in Malva’s death. Someone will come to her rescue, as they always do! We’re also eagerly awaiting Brianna and Roger’s new baby. We’ll cover all of it in our weekly reviews.
The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC) June 18
Maggie and Negan continue their personal battles and battles for life and death in the latest (and best?) The Walking Dead spinoff. They’ve got royal chips on their shoulders that have always made them volatile separate and together, and we’re really excited to see where the new adventure takes us.
The Bear (Hulu) June 22
One of the hottest series of 2022 returns for a new season! Carmy and the gang will be working hard to turn The Original Beef of Chicagoland into the restaurant of their collective dreams. The biggest bummer is that all ten episodes will drop at once, so the discussion around the show will be short and fierce. Still, it’s easily in our top five of shows to check out this summer.
Average Joe (BET+) June 26
Here’s the offical synopsis: Inspired by the life of creator Robb Cullen, Average Joe is a darkly comedic, intense one-hour ensemble set in “The Hill” district of Pittsburgh. Blue-collar plumber, Joe Washington, discovers his recently deceased father lived a secret, second life and stole millions of dollars from dangerous people just before he died. Now those people think Joe knows where it is. A bloody and violent confrontation triggers a chain of events that force Joe and his close-knit circle of family and friends out of their very average and mundane lives into a life-or-death race against time to find the truth and the millions. We’ll be bringing you more of this exciting series!
Hijack (Apple TV+) June 28
Did someone say Idris Elba? Oh, yeah, that’ll turn a lot of heads! Summer is the perfect place to drop this sky-high thriller with earthbound roots. Elba plays a passenger on a plane who helps thwart its hijacker’s plans, whatever they may be. Could we possibly be in safer hands? Find out as we’ll be sharing our thoughts as the episodes drop.
The Witcher (Netflix) June 29
Geralt’s epic journey to protect Ciri of Cinatra continues on The Witcher Season 3, which will be released in two parts. This show quickly found its way into our hearts due to Henry Cavill’s dynamic performance as Geralt. Get your fill because, after this season, the role will continue with Liam Hemsworth in the lead role. It hurts, but we’ll be counting down Cavill’s final hours with episodic reviews!
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan (Prime Video) June 30
Jack Ryan returns in his final outing for Prime Video. Unique to this final season, the episodes will be dropping two per week, which gives you a little something to hang onto and discuss. You don’t have to let go all at once. Who doesn’t love that? The final season introduced a character played by Michael Peña named Domingo “Ding” Chavez joins as a regular cast member, setting up a potential spinoff. The best news for Jack is that his girlfriend Cathy returns. Will he get a happy ending?
Full Circle (Max) July 13
Full Circle is a crime-thriller in the limited series format about an investigation into a botched kidnapping that uncovers secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in New York City. That sounds about right! Steven Soderbergh directed the series, with a cast that makes your head spin, including Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes, Dennis Quaid, and Timothy Olyphant.
The Summer I turned Pretty (Prime Video) July 13
Belly, Conrad, and Jeremiah return, adding even more complicated to their already complicated story. Belly and Conrad have made their relationship official, but will it really be that easy to move forward? Season 2 follows It’s Not Summer Without You and finds Belly and Conrad reeling after a tragic loss, and Belly and Jeremiah working together to find a missing Conrad. We’re so here for it, and by that, we mean we’ll have reviews, so stick around TV Fanatic for an in-depth discussion.
Justified: City Primeval (FX) July 18
It’s been 15 years since Raylan Givens left the hollers of Kentucky. Nowadays, you can find him raising his 15-year-old daughter in Miami, carefully balancing fatherhood with the duties of a US Marshal. This return will take him to Detroit, where he’ll cross paths with The Oklahoma Wildman, Clement Mansell, a violent sociopathic desperado who has slipped through the cracks before. We doubt he’ll do it again under Givens’s watch!
Minx (Starz) July 21
Who doesn’t love a happy ending? We have no idea if anyone in Minx Season 2 will get one, but the show itself survived cancelation, which is all we need to know. If you missed the first season of this cult favorite, the official synopsis will fill in the gaps: n the 1970s, Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond) is a young feminist from Los Angeles who creates an unlikely bond with editor Doug (Jake Johnson) as they set out to create the first women’s erotic magazine.
Good Omens (Prime Video) July 28
A demon named Crowley (David Tennant) and an angel named Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) who have struck up an unusual friendship (and stopped the Apocalypse) return when archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) drops to earth. Missing his memories (and his clothes), he needs help, and Crowley and Aziraphale need to find out why he’s here and help restore Gabriel to his old self. We’ll be covering this one weekly, so be sure to return for more!
Heels (Starz) July 28
Confusion between Lionsgate and Starz made fans wait two years for this fan-favorite to return, so it’s about darn time! The Heels Season 1 finale found brothers Jack and Ace Space struggling to maintain their relationship, which was torn down to build up the family business. The legacy their father left behind has made life very difficult, and in Heels Season 2, they will need to find their way back to each other but, more importantly, to themselves. We’ll be covering this one, too, so stick around for insights.
When Calls the Heart (Hallmark) July 28
Good things come to those who hope, the poster says, and they come to those who wait, too! When Calls the Heart Season 10 promises new relationships and stronger connections between the characters we love. Elizabeth and Lucas will navigate their engagement, while Rosemary and Lee enjoy her pregnancy and look forward to the birth of their first child. Nathan’s love life will give us all something to get excited about, too. We’ll bring you our response to all of the season’s best moments in episodic reviews, too.
The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (Prime Video) August 4
Alycia Debnam-Carey stars as the adult Alice Hart with Sigourney Weaver playing her grandmother June in this seven-part adaptation of the book by Holly Ringland and set in Australia. Alice’s world went up in flames at age nine when she lost her parents to a house fire, and the orphaned girl is sent to live with her grandmother. As Alice ages, June struggles to keep long-buried family secrets from getting out.
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu) August 8
Paul Rudd is a the heart of Only Murders in the Building as Oliver, Mabel, and Charles-Haden set out to solve his character’s murder. New faces include Meryl Streep (She’s such a fantastic comedic actress), Jesse Williams, and Ashley Park. They can’t really give too much away lest all the fun is spoiled, but we know it will be simply marvelous.
