by The summer months are officially here, and while we want to spend as much time as possible enjoying the beautiful weather, sometimes all you feel like doing is curling up on the couch in front of the TV or your mobile device. And before you know it, you’ve binged your way through several episodes, maybe even an entire season. Each week, there are new shows to watch. This week, there’s new content in sketch comedy, true crime, CGI animation, sitcoms, and more. Bottom line: no matter your taste or mood, you’ll easily be able to find something worth watching this week.
When you’re done here, check out the best new movies to stream this week as well as the best shows on Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
Netflix
We the People
This animated short-form family series is executive produced in part by former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama, as well as Black-ish‘s Kenya Barris. It also featured a star-studded lineup of musical talent, including H.E.R., Adam Lambert, and Janelle Monae. The concept? Viewers get to learn about the basics of American rights and citizenship through song. With 10 episodes that cover everything from active citizenship to the bill of rights, taxes, and the First Amendment, it’s designed to be educational for both kids as well as adults who might want to learn more about the democratic process.
Watch on Netflix
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson
The second season of this comedy sketch series starring Tim Robinson, Andy Samberg, and Sam Richardson, is now streaming. The first season was lauded for being a “gloriously absurd journey into the mind of Tim Robinson,” with a “bazaar of surreal skits [that] breathe new life into the world of TV sketch-comedy.” Along with the main cast, the show features a long list of guest stars, including Saturday Night Live alums like Vanessa Bayer, Will Forte, and Cecily Strong, as well as actors like Steven Yeun, Sam Richardson, and, in season one, the late Fred Willard.
Watch on Netflix
Cat People
You’re either a dog person or a cat person. Until now, there has been an abundance of television content for dog lovers, from reality competition to grooming and animated shows, but not much for cat lovers. Friends of felines can rest easy with this new docuseries, which looks at all types of cat lovers as they excitedly share their tales of time with their furry friends.
Watch on Netflix
The Mire
Set in the ’80s, when a prostitute and a youth leader are both found dead, presumably murdered, the police become suspicious of a pair of journalists. Hailing from Poland, the first season of this crime drama was released in 2018 (on Netflix in 2020) and season 2 is now streaming as well.
Watch on Netflix
Elize Matsunaga: Once Upon a Crime
For true crime fans this week, this limited series chronicles the case of Elize Matsunaga, who shot and dismembered her wealthy businessman husband Marcos in Brazil in 2012. The case shook residents in Sao Paulo, from the time Marcos’ body parts were discovered along the road not far from the apartment where the couple lived, to Elize’s arrest and trial. The series also looks at her childhood and desperate attempts to cover up the murder. Interspersed with the timeline of events are interviews with Elize’s family, experts, journalists, lawyers, and others involved in the baffling and bone-chilling story.
Watch on Netflix
Resident Evil: Infinite Darkness
Starring the characters Leon S. Kennedy and Claire Redfield from the survival horror video game franchise Resident Evil, this Japanese CGI series is set between the events that occur in the Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil 5 games. A hacking incident is discovered at the White House in 2006, but when Kennedy arrives there to investigate, he discovers zombies, and an epic battle ensues.
Watch on Netflix
Atypical
Fans of this popular TV drama about a teen on the autism spectrum who sets out to find his independence, can check out the fourth and final season. Lauded for its unique spin on the typical coming-of-age story, the series tackles of the idea of what it really means to be “normal.” Season 3 has a perfect 100% critic aggregate rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and the series has an overall 87% rating and 95% audience score. While Atypical initially received criticism for not casting autistic actors, after adding autistic actors and writers to the mix from season 2 onward, the series has since been praised for its positive representation of the community.
Watch on Netflix
Biohackers
What happens when a medical student attending a top university in Germany gets caught up in biohacking, genetic experimentation, and an obsession with discovering more about what caused her brother’s death? That’s the premise behind this techno-thriller, which has debuted its second season. It’s also a story of loyalty and tough decisions: once Mia discovers that breakthrough research might have fallen into the wrong hands, she has to choose between avenging her brother or protecting her new friends.
Watch on Netflix
How to Become a Tyrant
Peter Dinklage narrates and produced this sardonic military docuseries, which is dubbed a “playbook for aspiring dictators.” Dinklage looks back in history at some of the most infamous dictators and their meteoric rises to power and often terror. From Adolf Hitler to Saddam Hussein, he discusses strategies tyrants in history have used to great success, like discovering the all-important message that “stirs people’s souls” and developing an expertise at manipulating the media. Experts, meanwhile, examine just how easy it is for seemingly strong-minded individuals to fall for the “seductive charms” of leaders who rule with an iron fist.
Watch on Netflix
Virgin River
In the mood for a sappy and predictable yet totally fulfilling romantic drama? The third season of Virgin River, based on the Robyn Carr novels of the same name, is now streaming. Alexandra Breckenridge stars as Melinda, a woman who wants to start life anew. She leaves her painful past behind her and answers a job ad to work as a midwife and nurse practitioner in a remote town in Northern California, but Mel quickly discovers that living in a small town isn’t as easy as she suspected.
Watch on Netflix
Hulu
My Wife and Kids
Arguably one of the most underrated sitcoms of the early 2000s, My Wife and Kids starred the hilarious Damon Wayans and Tisha Campbell-Martin as an upper-middle-class Black couple raising their three children. Having their first child at 16, they are young parents with their own signature style of parenting and a unique ability to relate to their kids in a way that older parents might not be able to do. The complete series, including five seasons and 123 episodes, is now available to stream.
Watch on Hulu
Murdoch Mysteries
This long-running Canadian drama, previously called The Artful Detective in the U.S., currently has 14 seasons under its belt, and you can now stream season 13 via Hulu. Based on the fictional William Murdoch, a police detective in Toronto who appears in the Maureen Jennings Detective Murdoch novels, it’s a period series that begins in the late 1800s. Detective Murdoch has a unique way of solving cases that involve methods that were not common for the time period. He might be ahead of his time, but he accomplishes things in a much more rudimentary way than would be possible with today’s advanced technology, finding interesting ways to lift fingerprints, test blood, and use sonar.
Watch on Hulu
This Way Up
The first season of this British comedy garnered rave reviews from critics and viewers alike, and it returns for a second season. Aisling Bea stars as Aine, a woman trying to cope with her life following a “small” nervous breakdown. Just released from a rehabilitation center, Aine resumes work teaching English as a second language while navigating her dating life and dealing with her over-protective sister Shona. Critics praise the series for its ability to capture “the complexities of mental health with an empathetic, if at times wandering, eye.”
Watch on Hulu
Grown-ish
While the sitcom on which this series is based, Black-ish, is preparing to come to an end, Grown-ish is going strong, now in its fourth season. Yara Shahidi resumes her role as the eldest Johnson child navigating life in college and all of the trials and tribulations of becoming an adult and preparing for, and entering, the worlding world. While at its core, the series is about college life and the shenanigans immature students, on their own for the first time, often get up to, it also delves into deep and political and social topics, from race relations to unexpected pregnancies, religion, and more.
Watch on Hulu
The Mighty Ones
An original from Dreamworks, this animated series is about a twig, pebble, leaf, and strawberry who all live together in the messy backyard of unkempt humans. While the family who resides in the house fails to take care of their property, the creatures still believe them to be gods. Through each episode, the garden litter creatures go on various adventures in the grass. Check out season two to accompany the critters on more wild and crazy journeys.
Watch on Hulu
RuPaul’s Drag Race
This multi-award-winning reality competition series now sees yet another season added to the Hulu library with season 7, which originally aired back in 2015. Now in its 13th season, RuPaul’s Drag Race delights viewers who watch singer and actor RuPaul search for the next great drag superstar. He mentors and critiques the contestants as they go through a series of challenges until the end when a winner is crowned.
Watch on Hulu
HBO
The Dog House: UK
An HBO Max original, dog lovers will delight in the second season of this observational docuseries. It follows the staff at Wood Green Animal Shelters in Godmanchester as they search for suitable owners and homes for homeless pups. It’s a feel-good series that looks at the beautiful “first date” experience between a dog and prospective owners, and the development of the human-dog relationship. You’ll run through a series of emotions as you start with the story of an abandoned dog in each episode, but there’s always a happy ending for each furry friend.
Watch on HBO Max
Gossip Girl
Anyone who watched the original series on which this show is based, or read the Cecily von Ziegesar book of the same name, will be at least curious about this teen drama. An HBO Max original, Kristen Bell returns as narrator for an unknown blogger referred to as the mysterious “Gossip Girl,” with the events taking place a decade after the end of the original series. At the heart of this version is a new group of private school students from Manhattan, but given the switch from The CW to HBO Max, expect more adult content than the series that came before it.
Watch on HBO Max
Looney Tunes Cartoons
This HBO Max original revival of the popular Saturday morning cartoons is back for a second season. Join your favorite classic characters Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the Cat, Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Elmer Fudd, and others as they get up to all kinds of trouble and go on plenty of adventures in their fictional animated world.
Watch on HBO Max
Nancy Drew
On Saturday, July 3, you can catch the second season of this supernatural mystery drama about the popular character from the Edward Stratemeyer novels. Nancy Drew is an 18-year-old amateur sleuth and former detective who serves as narrator and protagonist. Each episode sees Drew and her friends investigate mysteries. With 18 episodes in each season, it’s a great watch for families with teenagers.
Watch on HBO Max
Summer Camp Island
This animated series first appeared on Cartoon Network before moving to HBO Max for its second season. The fourth season is now available, continuing the story of a world where anthropomorphic animals live, including Oscar the elephant and his friend Hedgehog the, you guessed it, hedgehog. While residing at the camp, strange things happen involving popular girl witches who work as camp counselors, horses that can turn into unicorns, sharks that talk, and monsters that live under the bed. Each episode is only about 12 minutes long, but that’s just enough screen time to keep the attention of little ones.
Watch on HBO Max
Amazon Prime
Bosch
The popular police procedural returns for its seventh and final season, though the story will continue through a yet-to-be-titled spinoff series for IMDb TV. Titus Welliver stars as Harry Bosch, a dedicated though hot-headed detective who finds himself at the center of a controversy in a wrongful death lawsuit by the family of an alleged suspect he shot dead. Bosch’s wild ride continues through the seasons of the gripping and action-packed series. In season 7, Bosch is laser-focused on taking down a criminal who set a house on fire, killing a 10-year-old girl inside.
Watch on Amazon Prime
September Mornings (Manhas de Setembro)
Cassandra leaves her home and sets out on a journey to become who she knows she truly is: A trans woman. While her life seems to be on track with a steady boyfriend, a good job, and an apartment, her life is turned upside down when an old friend shows up with a child, claiming that Cassandra is the father. It’s a beautiful story about a woman trying to live a free and independent life and realizing that what truly makes her complete is not what she envisioned. Season 1 is now streaming.
Watch on Amazon Prime
Apple TV+
Central Park
With a star-studded voice cast that includes Kristen Bell, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs, Stanley Tucci, and Kathryn Hahn, the animated musical sitcom was co-created by Josh Gadd (who also lends his vocal talents). When a greedy, elderly heiress and land developer wants to take down Central Park in New York City to build commercial property, the Tillerman-Hunter family that lives there set out to do whatever they can to stop her. The story, told in a fourth-wall perspective by Birdie the busker (Gadd), continues through a second season. The series has already received an early renewal for a third season.
Watch on Apple TV+
Physical
Travel back in time to the ’80s in this dark comedy that stars Rose Byrne as Sheila Rubin, a typical housewife on the outside who harbors deep resentment and dark views of the world that she keeps secret from everyone around her, including her husband. While she struggles to accept her own self-image, she finds solace in an unlikely place: The world of aerobics. Complete with sweatbands, bodysuits, loud tights, and slouch socks, it’s the ’80s to the max. It’s Jane Fonda-esque in its premise as Sheila discovers the world of videotapes and follows a passion to start her own business as a fitness entrepreneur. The first three episodes are available this week, with additional episodes streaming weekly thereafter.
Watch on Apple TV+
Home Before Dark
Inspired by the young investigative journalist Hilde Lysiak, Brooklynn Prince stars as Hilde Lisko, a young girl who, after discovering details about an old cold case in a new town she recently moves to, decides to take it upon herself to find out the truth. The second season continues the story as Lisko investigates a mysterious explosion that targets a local farm. Still fierce and confident, Lisko might take on her biggest adversary yet when she prepares to lead the fight against a powerful corporation.
Watch on Apple TV+
Disney+
Monsters at Work
A spin-off within the Monsters, Inc. franchise and a direct sequel to the Monsters, Inc. movie, this animated series kicks off after the city of Monstropolis has made changes to fuel itself through the sound of laughter instead of screams. The story centers around Tylor Tuskmon, a recent graduate from Monsters University who dreams of one day working with his idols, Mike Wazowski and James P. “Sulley” Sullivan. Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprise their voice roles as Mike and Sulley, respectively, while Ben Feldman is Tylor, Mindy Kaling as Val Little, and Henry Winkler as Fritz.
Watch on Disney+
Breaking Bobby Bones
Yet another series that sees a celebrity go traveling to learn about culture, business, food, or occupations, Breaking Bobby Bones follows the radio and TV personality as he travels across America to learn about people with extraordinary jobs, hobbies, and abilities. But he doesn’t just discuss the unique skill set with the person, he actually gets hands-on, taking a crash course to try it himself. From dangling over the Grand Canyon (and conquering his fear of heights) to stunt performing in a movie, Bones aims to make personal connections with each person in this inspiring series. Season one is streaming now.
Watch on Disney+
Raven’s Home
Former child actor Raven Symone stars in this family comedy about two best friends, Raven and Chelsea, who live together with their respective kids, Raven’s 11-year-old twins and Chelsea’s 9-year-old son. The household, naturally, is filled with lots of chaos and fun as they deal with everyday family hijinks and challenges. But there’s more than meets the eye from this typical family show, since both Raven and her son Booker can occasionally see glimpses of the future, helping them more smoothly navigate situations. Season 4 is now available to watch.
Watch on Disney+
Bunk’d
A spinoff of the Disney Channel kids’ series Jessie, Bunk’d is a comedy about three siblings who depart from their homes in New York City to attend a summer camp in Moose Rump, Maine. While the trip is meant to be sentimental since this is where their parents met, the kids are instead met with everything from the oddball owner Jededian Swearengen to health code and safety violations. When a fire destroys the camp and it is never rebuilt, the kids plead with their parents to buy the property so they can revive Camp Kikiwaka and run it like the business it should be. With season 4 now streaming, a fifth season renewal has already been confirmed.
Watch on Disney+
PJ Masks
Sit back and relax with the little ones who adore the characters in this French-British animated superhero series. Connor, Amaya, and Greg have superhero alter-egos, Catboy, Owlette, and Gekko, respectively. The trio emerges nightly from slumber to fight evil enemies, including Romeo, Luna Girl, and Night Ninja. Aided by their robot friend PJ Robot, every night is an adventure that, in true superhero fashion, saves the day.
Watch on Disney+
Running Wild With Bear Grylls
Experience some serious wanderlust (or be happy you’re sitting safely on the couch, watching from afar!) as survivalist Bear Grylls travels into wild locations around the world, each time with a celebrity in tow, to embark on the crazy adventures. Returning for its sixth season, previous seasons have seen guests like Michael B. Jordan, Zac Efron, and President Barack Obama. Joining Grylls for season 6 will be eight new faces among the Hollywood, music, and sports elite, including Anthony Mackie, Danny Trejo, and Danica Patrick.
Watch on Disney+
The Mysterious Benedict Society
The first episode of this family action-adventure series starring Tony Hale, Ryan Hurst, and Kristen Schaal is now streaming. Mr. Benedict (Hale) recruits four gifted orphans to aid in his mission to save the world from The Emergency. When the kids discover that headmaster Dr. Curtain (also Hale) and the L.I.V.E. Institute are behind it all, they must work together to defeat the villain.
Watch on Disney+
Loki
Marvel fans have enjoyed WandaVision and The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. Now, they can fill the void with the latest in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Loki. The series tells the story of the villain Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and his antics as the God of Mischief. Like the others, the story takes place after the events in Avengers: Endgame, in the same fictional MCU as the film and television projects. As with the other Disney+ MCU series, a new episode will launch weekly through July 14, and they will be available on Wednesdays.
Watch on Disney+
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