TAGGED AS: Apple TV Plus, Apple TV+, Freeform, HBO Max, Netflix, Starz, streaming, Summer, TBS, television, TNT, TV
If this heat wave has you sitting in front of your A/C window unit with the television on, now’s the perfect time to bask in some Fresh summer TV. From a long-awaited sequels (Masters of the Universe: Revelation, Gossip Girl) to the final outing of a Netflix favorite (Atypical), we’ve got plenty to dive into with 11 returning series you should binge-watch this July.
97%
I Think You Should Leave With Tim Robinson
(Netflix)
What it is: Saturday Night Live vet Tim Robinson co-created, writes, and produces on this sketch comedy series that became an instant cult favorite with its first season. Through ever-heightening means, the character drives someone into wanting to leave his company.
Why you should watch it: Time to spend a Sunday Funday with these idiots! Robinson is joined by a slew of guests each episode, from Vanessa Bayer to Steven Yeun to Andy Samberg — all of whom are more than game to play in Robinson’s bizarre world. Season 2 premieres July 6 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 1.5 hours (for the first season)
84%
Gossip Girl
(HBO Max)
What it is: The dishy primetime drama that made stars out of Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, and others is slated to do it all over again with a new group of heartthrobs playing Manhattan-dwelling teen elite in a sequel story from showrunner Joshua Safran. The best news: Kristen Bell returns as the titular voiceover. Xoxo, Gossip Girl.
Why you should watch it: A sexy, soapy teen drama isn’t doing its job unless it’s attacked by one side of the political spectrum for being too sexy, too soapy, and too corrupting of young minds — and Gossip Girl 2021 got that job without even premiering yet. Catch up on the original that started it all before its July 8 debut on HBO Max.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, HBO Max, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 85 hours (for all six seasons of the original Gossip Girl)
- -
grown-ish
(Freeform)
What it is: We all already know and love the Johnson clan from ABC’s long-running Black-ish, and daughter Zoey (played by a standout Yara Shahidi) gets the spinoff treatment in this Freeform hit when she goes off to college — only to learn that not everything is fun and games when mom and dad aren’t around.
Why you should watch it: With beauty, brains, and charisma in spades, Shahadi has the kind of screen presence that actors simply can’t fake. And she’s joined by an ensemble of similarly stellar teens and twentysomethings tackling socially conscious (but still entertaining) material for three seasons strong. Catch up before season 4 premieres July 8 on Freeform.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 7 hours (for the first three seasons)
90%
Atypical
(Netflix)
What it is: Led by Keir Gilchrist and Jennifer Jason Leigh and from creator Robia Rashid, Atypical follows the coming of age of Sam, an 18-year-old high schooler on the autism spectrum whose search for independence leads to growth and lessons learned for everyone around him.
Why you should watch it: While the last few years have shelled out more offerings than ever before of authentic onscreen representations of the autism spectrum, Atypical remains a standout thanks to heartfelt storylines, precise performances, and lovable characters out the gate. Season 4, its last, premieres July 9 on Netflix.
Where to watch it: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 14 hours (for the first three seasons)
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Animal Kingdom
(TNT)
What it is: Based on the 2010 Australian feature film of the same name from writer-director David Michôd, Animal Kingdom reconfigures itself in Southern California and showcases the city’s grittier side through a crime family led by iron-fisted matriarch Janine “Smurf” Cody (Ellen Barkin). Our point of entry is Joshua “J” Cody (Finn Cole), a 17-year-old who’s swept up into the family business after his mother dies of a heroin overdose.
Why you should watch it: Ellen Barkin, Ellen Barkin, Ellen Barkin. The series’ thrilling writing and direction, led by creator Jonathan Lisco, is well worth the binge, but Tony- and Emmy-winner Barkin’s Machiavellian Smurf must be seen to be believed. Season 5 premieres July 11 on TNT.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 40 hours (for the first four seasons)
84%
Miracle Workers
(TBS)
What it is: Two lowly angels, Craig and Eliza, must convince God to save humanity in this off-kilter divine comedy.
Why you should watch it: Starring in season 1 as Craig and God, respectively, Daniel Radcliffe and Steve Buscemi make an unlikely comedy dream team alongside creator Simon Rich and costar Geraldine Viswanathan. As an anthological series, season 2 is set in the Dark Ages. We recommend you watch both installments before the third season’s Oregon Trail–set adventure begins July 13 on TBS.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 6 hours (for the first two seasons)
93%
Never Have I Ever
(Netflix)
What it is: Inspired in part by co-creator Mindy Kaling’s own childhood, Maitreyi Ramakrishnan stars in this contemporary comedy about the life of a first-generation Indian American teenage girl.
Why you should watch it: Teen comedies don’t get much better than this. An oft-untold high school perspective paired with a star-making performance from a plucked-from-obscurity newcomer — plus a love triangle? Sign us up for more! Season 2 premieres July 15 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 5 hours (for the first season)
81%
Power
(Starz)
What it is: The highly anticipated Power Book III: Raising Kanan spinoff from creator Sascha Penn hits Starz this month, so we think an original Power binge is in order. Omari Hardwick stars in the hit series as New York City nightclub owner James “Ghost” St. Patrick, who doubles as a drug kingpin to an elite clientele. Executive producer Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson also stars as competing drug dealer Kanan Stark, whom prequel series, Power Book III, follows through his rise in the 1990s.
Why you should watch it: We’ve written before of Power’s addictive brand of soapy melodrama, and it’s kept us coming back for more with six seasons of the original and a one-season installment of Power Book II: Ghost. Power Book III: Raising Kanan premieres July 18 on Starz.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, Starz, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 52.5 hours (for all six seasons of Power)
100%
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
(Netflix)
What it is: A tale as old as time covering the fight between good and evil, the 1983–’85 television installment of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe from Filmation follows the universe-protecting adventures of He-Man, Orko, Cringer, and Man-At-Arms as they battle one of the biggest baddies of all time, Skeletor.
Why you should watch it: We’ve long known that Kevin Smith is one of the biggest fanboys around, so as the creator of this new sequel series, there’s little doubt he’ll do right by viewers new and old of the classic He-Man from nearly 30 years ago. Considering his Masters of the Universe: Revelation picks up from the 1985 conclusion of the original, we recommend you watch He-Man and the Masters of the Universe before jumping into this long-in-the-making follow-up. Masters of the Universe: Revelation premieres July 23 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 65 hours (for both seasons of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe)
90%
Ted Lasso
(Apple TV+)
What it is: Created by Bill Lawrence and Golden Globe–winner Jason Sudeikis, Ted Lasso follows a fish-out-of-water American football coach who’s hired to head a floundering soccer team on the other side of the pond.
Why you should watch it: Along with Sudeikis, this series has taken home about every gold accolade its first season has been eligible for, most recently including the coveted Peabody Award. Coming at a time when the world, shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, needed it most, Ted Lasso’s whip-smart, big-hearted humor served as an antidote to the darkest of times for many. Find out what all the fuss is about before season 2 premieres July 23 on Apple TV+.
Where to watch: Apple TV+
Commitment: Approx. 5 hours (for the first season)
79%
Outer Banks
(Netflix)
What it is: Set in the titular vacation town of North Carolina, Outer Banks follows a group of teens (donned “the Pogues”) who are swept up in a treasure hunt, missing-persons case, and more after a hurricane wipes out their power for the summer.
Why you should watch it: From creators Jonas Pate, Josh Pate, and Shannon Burke, Outer Banks has teen melodrama and adventure to spare for those looking to soak it all in like a day at the beach. Season 2 premieres July 20 on Netflix.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 8 hours (for the first season)
Thumbnail image: Netflix, Apple TV+, Freeform/Art Streiber
