The Best of Summer: Shows and Movies To Watch at Home This Season

ABC

Now AiringPremiering slightly ahead of the official summer season, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. will air new episodes deep into the heart of the traditional vacation period, so we’re highlighting it anyway. The final season of the series promises a sad goodbye to its longtime stars as they jump through time to preserve the characters we’ve come to know and love over the past six seasons. Airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET/PT with next-day streaming on Hulu.
Stars: Clark Gregg, Ming-Na Wen, Chloe Bennet, Iain De Caestecker, Elizabeth Henstridge

HBO Max

Out NowGiven that the start of summer looks somewhat anemic for real-life romantic antics, it may be that Anna Kendrick’s charming Darby may be just the heroine we need (to live vicariously through) this summer. Just shy of a Fresh score – but notably boasting an Audience Score over 70% – this story about a millennial’s epic journey through love and life remains a worthy binge for the rom-com inclined.
Stars: Anna Kendrick, Zoë Chao, Peter Vack, Sasha Compere, Lesley Manville

Hulu

Out NowGolden Globe winner Ramy Youssef’s Certified Fresh comedic series about the dichotomy of being a millennial Muslim Egyptian American returns for more soul-searching in its second season. Season 2 guest stars include Oscar winner Mahershala Ali, social media maven Mia Khalifa, and Awkward’s Jared Abrahamson as a vet suffering from PTSD.
Stars: Ramy Youssef, Amr Waked, Hiam Abbass, May Calamawy, Mahershala Ali

Related: Ramy Youssef on Working with Mahershala Ali To Portray an ‘Earnest’ Muslim Experience

 Netflix

Out NowThe Netflix space-race series reunites The Office star Steve Carell with writer-producer Greg Daniels and is another title that scores with audiences, if not critics. Does it feel like someone pitched it as a joke over dinner? Sure, but the show’s all-star cast makes up for any flights of comedic fancy in the story; with John Malkovich playing the sober scientist to Carell’s blustery Air Force general, for instance, an entertaining binge awaits any who have not yet savored the quirky “Spacemen” humor. (Pro tip: Order in some of the limited-batch “Boots on the Moooo’n” Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to complete the indulgence.)
Stars: Steve Carell, John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz, Diana Silvers, Jimmy O. Yang, Tawny Newsome

Related: Video: The Space Force Cast on Chimpanzees and Breaking John Malkovich

Quibi

Out NowNeed something to sing about? Darren Criss and You’re the Worst’s Kether Donohue play struggling song artists on their way to greatness, complete with cameo appearances from stars like Rufus Wainwright, Julianne Hough, Lil Rel Howery and Mark Hamill playing – according to the press release – “fictitious (and ridiculous) music stars.” A bonus: The series features 12 original songs and 10 music videos, all co-written by Criss.
Stars: Darren Criss, Kether Donohue

 USA Network

Now AiringAmanda Peet and Christian Slater dramatize the riveting ripped-from-the-headlines story of a woman scorned who descends into murderous rage. Critics have embraced the portrayal, lauding Peet’s performance as Broderick as “astonishing” and “career-best.” Now three episodes in, there’s still time to catch up with the series on demand and USANetwork.com as it unravels over 10 episodes in total. Want more? Season 1 of the anthology series tells the true story of Debra Newell (Connie Britton) and John Meehan (Eric Bana) and is now available to stream on Netflix.
Stars: Amanda Peet, Christian Slater, Rachel Keller

 Netflix

Out NowA new season finds the Fab 5 in Philadelphia, making over more of America’s style-challenged, including a dog groomer who needs a confidence boost to get her small business rolling again, a pediatrician whose style got stuck back in med school, and a father-of-the-bride who needs an overhaul before the wedding. Uplifting and “Awe”-inspiring, the Queer Eye revival continues to be a great escape.
Stars: Bobby Berk, Karamo Brown, Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness

HBO

Now AiringMichaela Coel, who is known for the British hit Chewing Gum, plays Londoner Arabella, who was living a carefree, confident life with a close group of friends, a great career as a budding writer, and a boyfriend in Italy. On a night out, her drink is spiked, creating a chasm between what she thinks she knows and her fuzzy memories. The story follows her as she tries to rebuild her life and solve the case of her assault.
Stars: Michaela Coel, Weruche Opia, Paapa Essiedu

 Hulu

June 17From the writers of 91% Certified Fresh film Love, Simon, the Hulu series follows Victor, a teen adjusting to a new high school in a new city, facing trouble at home, and struggling with his sexual orientation. When it all becomes too much, he reaches out to Simon for guidance.
Stars: Michael Cimino, Ana Ortiz, James Martinez, Isabella Ferreira, Mateo Fernandez, Rachel Naomi Hilson, Bebe Wood, George Sear, Anthony Turpel, Mason Gooding

Netflix

June 19Though season 1 of this high-school political satire struggled to get critics’ support, viewers voted its Audience Score into the high 80s. Season 2 finds Payton Hobart (Ben Platt) challenging popular New York state senator Dede Standish (Judith Light) for her seat. Bette Midler appears as Standish’s no-nonsense chief of staff, while Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Payton’s mother Georgina in the series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan.
Stars: Ben Platt, Judith Light, Bette Midler, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lucy Boynton, Zoey
Deutch, Julia Schlaepfer, Laura Dreyfuss, Theo Germaine, Rahne Jones

Showtime

June 21From Emmy-winning creator Lena Waithe, the series’ first season was Certified Fresh at 87% for its hopeful coming-of-age story about the intertwining stories of a group of working-class African-Americans on Chicago’s volatile south side. To catch up with the story so far, the first two seasons are available to stream on Showtime.com.
Stars: Ntare Guma Mbaho Mwine, Jacob Latimore, Alex R. Hibbert, Shamon Brown Jr., Michael Epps, Jason Mitchell

HBO

June 21An origin story about the famed TV lawyer, Perry Mason traces his steps from private investigator to the defense chair in Depression-era Los Angeles. Former star of The Americans Matthew Rhys takes on the iconic role in a story that sees Perry Mason hunt kidnappers who killed their infant hostage.
Stars: Matthew Rhys, John Lithgow, Juliet Rylance, Tatiana Maslany, Chris Chalk, Shea Whigham

CBS All Access

June 25You are about to enter another dimension, also known as the second season of Jordan Peele and Simon Kinberg’s revamped The Twilight Zone. Peele will again narrate the anthology series, where each episode brings in new members of an all-star cast. Episodes this year include ones written by The X-Files’ Glen Morgan and Peele’s former MADtv co-star, Heather Anne Campbell.
Stars: Jordan Peele, Morena Baccarin, Kylie Bunbury, Jenna Elfman, Ethan Embry, Sky Ferreira, Tavi Gevinson, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, Gillian Jacobs, David Krumholtz, Thomas Lennon, Sophia Macy, Natalie Martinez, Joel McHale, Chris Meloni, Gretchen Mol, Paula Newsome, Billy Porter, Jimmi Simpson, Jurnee Smollett, Daniel Sunjata, Damon Wayans Jr.

HBO Max/DC Universe

June 25The weirdness continues in season 2 of the series starring DC’s strangest group of heroes. “Robotman” Cliff Steele (Brendan Fraser), “Negative Man” Larry Trainor (Matt Bomer), “Elasti-Woman” Rita Farr (April Bowlby), “Crazy Jane” (Diane Guerrero), and “Cyborg” Victor Stone (Joivan Wade) confront their feelings of betrayal by “The Chief” Niles Caulder (Timothy Dalton) and work to embrace the newest member of the Doom Patrol family, The Chief’s dangerous daughter Dorothy Spinner (Abigail Shapiro).
Stars: Brendan Fraser, April Bowlby, Matt Bomer, Diane Guerrero, Joivan Wade, Timothy Dalton

 HBO

June 28The six-part documentary series is based on Michelle McNamara’s best-selling book I’ll Be Gone In The Dark: One Woman’s Obsessive Search For The Golden State Killer that was finished posthumously and published through the efforts of her husband, comedian Patton Oswalt. McNamara tracked the unsolved case in her crime blog, “True Crime Diaries,” but became increasingly dependent on prescription painkillers to help manage her anxieties and died in her sleep of an accidental overdose.
Stars: Michelle McNamara

Amazon Prime Video

July 3In season 2, Hanna (Esme Creed-Miles) runs from the shadowy CIA program that birthed her and an army of teenage trained assassins. Mireille Enos returns as CIA agent Marissa Wiegler, while Dermot Mulroney joins the cast as the program supervisor eager to assimilate the wayward killer.
Stars: Esme Creed-Miles, Mireille Enos, Dermot Mulroney

Apple TV+

July 10From J.J. Abrams and Grammy-winning singer and musician Sara Bareilles, Little Voice tells the story of Bess King (Brittany O’Grady), a talented music artist struggling to succeed in life and love in New York City. The series features original music by Bareilles.
Stars: Brittany O’Grady, Sean Teale, Colton Ryan, Shalini Bathina, Kevin Valdez, Phillip Johnson Richardson, Chuck Cooper

Starz

July 12The temperature’s rising, and we don’t just mean the weather. Playwright Katori Hall, who is known for lauded biographical Broadway productions about the likes of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Tina Turner, has now created a tale of the steamy, gritty, and dangerous world of strip clubs on the Mississippi Delta.
Stars: Brandee Evans, Nicco Annan, Shannon Thornton

Peacock

July 15Based on Aldous Huxley’s novel, Brave New World presents a utopian picture of society cured of its ills through the prohibition of monogamy, privacy, money, family, and history. When adventurous citizens Bernard Marx (Harry Lloyd) and Lenina Crowne (Jessica Brown Findlay) travel beyond the safety of New London to explore the Savage Lands, they are rescued from a violent rebellion by John the Savage (Alden Ehrenreich). John escapes back with Bernard and Lenina to their New World, but his presence threatens to disrupt its harmony.
Stars: Alden Ehrenreich, Harry Lloyd, Demi Moore, Jessica Brown Findlay, Kylie Bunbury

Netflix

July 17It’s about time the women of fables got to be more than bit parts. This new series, which is based Frank Miller and Tom Wheeler’s illustrated novel, stars Katherine Langford as Nimue – aka the future Lady of the Lake from the King Arthur legend. Devon Terrell, who also appeared in 2018’s femme-focused version of Hamlet called Ophelia, costars as young Arthur, while Gustaf Skarsgård plays the wizard Merlin.
Stars: Katherine Langford, Devon Terrell, Gustaf Skarsgård, Daniel Sharman, Sebastian Armesto

Related: First-Look Photo Gallery

 TNT

July 26Based on author Caleb Carr’s novel The Angel of Darkness, season 2 of the crime series finds Dakota Fanning’s Sara Howard at the head of her own private detective agency and recruiting famed alienist (psychiatrist) Dr. Laszlo Kreizler and New York Times reporter John Moore to contribute to her new case.
Stars: Daniel Brühl, Dakota Fanning, Luke Evans

 Netflix

July 31The eagerly-anticipated second season of this series about adopted siblings with their own unique special powers and major daddy issues launches soon. Last season, the siblings survived the apocalypse by time traveling, but, where and when have they gone? And how many needle-dropped fight scenes will be in this season?
Stars: Ellen Page, Tom Hopper, David Castañeda, Emmy Raver-Lampman, Robert Sheehan, Aidan Gallagher

HBO

August TBD From executive producers J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele, Lovecraft Country is based on the 2016 novel by Matt Ruff. A road trip through 1950s Jim Crow America turns into a nightmare for Atticus Freeman, his friend Letitia, and his Uncle George as they face racist terrors and terrifying, Lovecraft-style monsters while searching for Atticus’ missing father.
Stars: Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Courtney B. Vance, Michael Kenneth Williams

Amazon Prime Video

Summer TBDAmazon’s cynical superhero tale based on a comic book series returns this summer for more mayhem. Superhero league The Seven promise to be as out of control as ever now that Madelyn Stillwell is out of the picture. And anti-superhero vigilante Butcher has to square himself with that little revelation dropped on us the end of season 1. All bloody hell is about to break loose — and we can’t wait!
Stars: Jack Quaid, Karl Urban, Antony Starr, Erin Moriarty

Related: Everything We Know About The Boys Season 2

Epix

Summer TBDThe origin story of Alfred Pennyworth’s association with the Wayne family continues. Season 1 saw Batman’s future butler battling criminals throughout an alternate-universe London, while falling in love. James Purefoy joins as a series regular in season 2, playing Alfie’s former SAS Captain, Gulliver Troy, “a charismatic, cultured brute and a powerful man of appetites – whether that be drink, women or danger.” Edward Hogg, Jessye Romeo, Ramon Tikaram, and Harriet Slater also join the cast.
Stars: Jack Bannon, Ben Aldridge, Paloma Faith, Emma Paetz, Hainsley Lloyd Bennett, Ryan Fletcher, Dorothy Atkinson, Polly Walker, Jason Flemyng