Lexi Minetree in ‘Elle.’ Photo by Jessica Brooks/Prime
Summer television once meant reruns and low-effort filler, but not anymore. Between HBO’s dragon-fueled Sunday nights, a steady stream of book-to-screen romances, and a run of starry limited series, this season’s lineup offers plenty of reasons to enjoy staying home with your air conditioning. Anya Taylor-Joy comes back to TV for the first time since The Queen’s Gambit, Tina Fey and Colman Domingo pop over to Italy, and Reese Witherspoon’s Elle Woods is revisited a quarter-century later. Below, the shows worth tapping into this summer:
Widow’s Bay(April 29)
This critically acclaimed Apple TV horror-comedy came out at the end of April, but it’s still worth an addition to this list. Matthew Rhys stars as the mayor of a quirky, small New England town riddled with supernatural secrets and—to his dismay—a curse. With a directing team comprised of Hiro Murai, Sam Donovan, Ti West, and Andrew DeYoung, it’s a little bit Parks and Rec, a little bit Twin Peaks, and a lot of fun
Off-Campus(May 13)
Last year’s steamy Canadian drama Heated Rivalry felt like lightning in a bottle, but Off-Campus proved it can indeed strike twice (and that the thirst for hockey-related romances is apparently unquenchable). Adapted from Elle Kennedy’s bestselling book series, Off-Campus is a fake-relationship-to-lovers story starring newcomers Ella Bright and Belmont Cameli as Hannah Wells and Garrett Graham, students at the fictional Briar University. The eight-episode first season became Prime Video’s third-most-watched series debut ever. Season two is already in production.
The Four Seasons, Season 2(May 28)
With a cast comprised of comedy legends like Tina Fey, Steve Carell, Will Forte, Kerri Kenney-Silver, and Colman Domingo, The Four Seasons was always bound to be good. The second season of the loose adaptation of Alan Alda’s 1981 film of the same name returns this summer, this time sending the friend group of middle-age couples to Italy. But The White Lotus this is not—while The Four Seasons deals in the self-delusions, awkward interpersonal conflicts, and private crises of the privileged few, it’s more like a giggly, down-to-earth wine-and-cheese night with friends than anything too high-stakes.
Every Year After(June 10)
Sadie Soverall plays a 28-year-old writer who returns to her childhood summer town for a funeral and reconnects with her first love (Matt Cornett) in this adaptation of Carley Fortune’s best-selling novel. The Prime Video series is pure teen summer romance, with lots of scenes lying on the dock by the lake, working (and flirting) at the local grill, and enough yearning to land a second season (already renewed)
House of the Dragon,Season 3 (June 21)
The battle for the Iron Throne just won’t end—and why would we want it to? The third season of HBO’s Game of Thronesprequel, which tells the story of the Targaryen family line, returned with a bang this June and fills the streamer’s coveted Sunday night spot through late August. The wigs are on, the dragons are flying, and the budget is there
Elle(July 1)
Elle Woods may have achieved her dream of graduating from Harvard Law School in 2001, but what was the Legally Blonde protagonist’s life like before she made it Cambridge? That’s the question Elle answers, with 25-year-old Lexi Minetree reprising a teenage version of Reese Witherspoon’s iconic character. The Prime Video series finds Elle as a fish out of water once again, this time when her family decamps from preppy Southern California to the epicenter of grunge in 1990s Seattle. High school hijinks ensue in this very sweet show (season two has already been shot).
Lucky(July 15)
With Apple TV’s Lucky, Anya Taylor-Joy makes her return to television for the first time since The Queen’s Gambit, a pandemic-era sensation that earned her an Emmy nomination and made her a breakout star. Taylor-Joy plays the titular protagonist, an antiheroine raised in a family of con artists who frequently finds herself on the wrong side of both powerful criminals and the law. It’s a heart-thumping, fast-pace thriller, with Taylor-Joy dodging one harrowing situation after another as she tries to outrun her past (and the FBI).
The Five-Star Weekend(July 16)
Peacock’s Five-Star Weekend has a lot of things going for it. First, there’s the all-star ensemble cast, led by Jennifer Garner and including Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, D’Arcy Carden, and Gemma Chan. Then there’s the story, based on Elin Hilderbrand’s best-selling novel, which follows the group of women during a weekend in Nantucket. What’s supposed to be a relaxing few days spent supporting Garner’s character—a food influencer whose husband has suddenly died—turns into a dramatic weekend filled with old rivalries and explosive secrets.
Sterling Point(August 5)
Director Megan Park proved she can do coming-of-age stories better than anyone with 2024’s feature film My Old Ass. Now, she turns that discerning lens to television with Sterling Point. The Prime Video drama follows 17-year-old New York City resident Annie Jacobson (Ella Rubin), whose life is changed when she discovers that her estranged grandfather left her and her twin brother an island in Canada. Romance, mystery, and family secrets soon bubble to the surface; Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jay Duplass, and Bo Bragason round out the cast.
Adults, Season 2(August 27)
FX’s ensemble comedy about a friend group trying to make it in present-day New York City returns for its second season. The series is called Adults, but the five twentysomething roommates living in one’s childhood home in Queens are anything but. This season sees the friends navigating more career setbacks, romantic entanglements, and the fallout from Paul Baker (Jack Innanen) and Anton (Owen Thiele)’s finale-episode kiss. Fans of the show will remember Julia Fox’s guest-episode last season; this time around, cameos will include Raven-Symoné, Zosia Mamet, and Gaten Matarazzo.
