Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
Scared you’re not going to find anything to watch on TV this summer? Still lamenting the end of Succession? Did you find yourself triggered by the uncertainty left by the Ted Lasso Season 3 finale? The good news is that Summer 2023 is going to be chock full of amazing new and returning TV shows for you to watch in the comfort of your air conditioned home. The even better news? The Summer TV season has already begun!
Maybe it’s the weather — or maybe it’s because networks are no longer scheduling shows to make the Emmys eligibility window — but Summer TV tends to be spicier, swoon-ier, and sillier than the more dignified Fall and Spring fare. HBO is kicking June off with a raunchy new Sam Levinson drama, The Idol, while Starz is finally bringing back its heady historical romance Outlander for Season 7. Teen love is in the air on Netflix and Prime Video, with the respective returns of Never Have I Ever, Heartstopper, and The Summer I Turned Pretty. While thrill seekers can look to Disney+’s Secret Invasion and Paramount+’s Star Trek: Strange New Worlds to get those heart rates racing.
Summer 2023 is also going to see the return of some of FX’s most popular shows and beloved franchises. Comedies The Bear, Reservation Dogs, and What We Do in the Shadows are coming back as is Justified hero Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) in a new limited series, Justified: City Primeval. Meanwhile, Aidan Shaw (John Corbett) and Samantha Jones (Kim Cattrall) are coming back to the Sex and the City universe in Max’s And Just Like That… Season 2.
From The Idol to Only Murders in the Building Season 3, here are the 20 shows you won’t want to miss over the summer this year.
The Idol
Release Date: June 4
Streaming Service: Max
Cast: Lily-Rose Depp, Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Rachel Sennott
Why We’re Hyped: Pop megastar The Weeknd teamed up with Euphoria showrunner Sam Levinson to create a series about the dark side of pop stardom. Lily-Rose Depp stars as Jocelyn, a pop star trying to bounce back from a breakdown who falls into the web of a shadowy club promoter. The chatter surrounding The Idol suggests the HBO show is either going to be a massive trainwreck or decadent delight. Either way, it’s bound to inspire the same kind of feverish watercooler chat as sister show Euphoria.
Never Have I Ever Season 4
Release Date: June 8
Streaming Service: Netflix
Cast: Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Poorna Jagannathan, Darren Barnet
Why We’re Hyped: The Mindy Kaling-produced coming-of-age comedy is returning for its fourth and final season. This year, Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and her pals are tackling senior year and all the drama that comes with that. Season 3 ended with Devi hooking up with Ben (Jaren Lewinson) after learning she was the last virgin left in her friend group. How will that complicate her love life this season? Probably a lot! Just guessing!
Black Mirror Season 6
Release Date: June 15
Streaming Service: Netflix
Cast: Aaron Paul, Annie Murphy, Salma Hayek, Josh Hartnett
Why We’re Hyped: Charlie Brooker’s twisted take on how technology perversely reflects the dark side of humanity is finally back with a new season of star-studded installments. Watch Annie Murphy stumble upon a show based on her own life on streaming! Journey with Aaron Paul and Josh Hartnett on a creepy sci-fi adventure! And find a whole new list of reasons to distrust your next iPhone software update. Black Mirror is back to mess us up all over again.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2
Release Date: June 15
Streaming Service: Paramount+
Cast: Anson Mount, Rebecca Romijn, Ethan Peck, Celia Rose Gooding
Why We’re Hyped: The first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was a spectacular triumph of sci-fi storytelling. The Star Trek: Discovery spin-off brought hard-core Trekkies back to the golden age of the Enterprise, under the command of the avuncular Captain Pike (Anson Mount). Season 2 promises to continue the crew’s iconic mission to explore the far reaches of the galaxy, all while being the most wholesome team in the universe.
Outlander Season 7
Release Date: June 17
Streaming Service: Starz
Cast: Sam Heughan, Caitriona Balfe, Sophie Skelton, Richard Rankin
Why We’re Hyped: For nearly a decade, one show has swept us away with its romance like no other. Outlander’s seventh season sees Claire (Caitriona Balfe) and her beloved Jamie (Sam Heughan) take on their most explosive battle yet: surviving the Revolutionary War. Will Jamie and Claire’s love persevere through this tumultuous time period? Of course. Will all our favorite Outlander characters make it to the eighth and final season alive? Maybe not?
The Righteous Gemstones Season 3
Release Date: June 18
Streaming Service: Max
Cast: Danny McBride, John Goodman, Edi Patterson, Adam DeVine
Why We’re Hyped: Need something to replace the hole in your succession drama-loving heart after last week’s Succession finale? HBO’s The Righteous Gemstones is on its way. Danny McBride’s darkly hilarious look at the hypocrisy of Christian megachurch culture centers on three ambitious siblings hungry to take over the family faith business. The series deftly balances absurd humor and scathing satire with a tender exploration of grief.
Secret Invasion
Release Date: June 21
Streaming Service: Disney+
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Emilia Clarke, Olivia Colman
Why We’re Hyped: Feeling Marvel fatigue? Disney+ is hoping their new thriller Secret Invasion will be just the thing to shake you out of that slump. Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury in a decidedly more dramatic-looking Marvel adventure. It turns out that the Skulls Nick partnered with in the 1990s-set Captain Marvel have splintered into competing cells, one of which wants to conquer all of humanity. With Oscar winner Olivia Colman and Game of Thrones alum Emilia Clarke on the call sheet, we have a feeling this Disney+ show might be the MCU’s answer to the critically-acclaimed Andor.
And Just Like That… Season 2
Release Date: June 22
Streaming Service: Max
Cast: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristen Davis
Why We’re Hyped: The only thing better than watching And Just Like That… Season 1 was arguing about it. The Sex and the City sequel series followed Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) and most of her long-time besties as they navigated the highs and lows of getting older. Trailers for the new season tease the return of the divisive Che Diaz (Sara Ramirez) and a reunion with Aidan Shaw (John Corbett). And if that’s not enough to light up the group chat, it was confirmed last week that Kim Cattrall *will* appear in a single solo scene in the Season 2 finale. We’re already stocking up on the Chablis.
The Bear Season 2
Release Date: June 22
Streaming Service: FX on Hulu
Cast: Jeremy Allen White, Aya Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach
Why We’re Hyped: The Bear was the breakout hit of last summer, fueling countless air conditioned binge-watches and inspiring folks all over to call each other “Chef.” In Season 2, Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and his crew will attempt to refashion their old school Chicago beef sandwich joint into an innovative restaurant called “The Bear.” Expect more stress, more drama, and more incredible performances as the team tries the impossible.
The Witcher Season 3
Release Dates: Part 1 on June 29, Part 2 on July 27
Streaming Service: Netflix
Cast: Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, Freya Allan
Why We’re Hyped: Sure we could tell you we’re excited to find out how Geralt (Henry Cavill), Yennefer (Anya Chalotra), and Ciri (Freya Allan) fare as a united front against the likes of elves, dark mages, and the Emperor of Nilfgard (who is weirdly somehow also the hedgehog knight who was Ciri’s dad??), but that’s not why we’ll be tuning into this season of The Witcher. Henry Cavill is leaving the Netflix hit at the end of the season and will be replaced by Liam Hemsworth. It’s Cavill’s last hurrah as Geralt! And we’ll be there for every last wordless grunt.
‘Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan’ Season 4
Release Date: June 30
Streaming Service: Prime Video
Cast: John Krasinski, Wendell Pierce, Abbie Cornish
Why We’re Hyped: Because we have dads and we love our dads and dads love Jack Ryan.
The Afterparty Season 2
Release Date: July 12
Streaming Service: Apple TV+
Cast: Tiffany Haddish, Sam Richardson, Zoë Chao, John Cho
Why We’re Hyped: Season 1 of The Afterparty was an inventive delight, imagining the events surrounding a murder through the very different POVs of all the suspects. Each episode retold the story from a new character’s perspective, with a distinct genre to match. Season 2 promises to push this format even further with a whole new mystery. Tiffany Haddish returns as Detective Danner and Sam Richardson and Zoë Chao return as the now boo-ed up Aniq and Zoë.
What We Do in the Shadows Season 5
Release Date: July 13
Streaming Service: FX on Hulu
Cast: Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Harvey Guillén
Why We’re Hyped: What We Do in the Shadows is consistently one of the most funny shows on television and Season 4 ended with quite the game-changing cliffhanger. After years of waiting for Nandor (Kayvan Novak) to turn him into a vampire, Guillermo (Harvey Guillén) has instead gone to another vampire — with a suitcase of cash — to be transformed. What We Do in the Shadows is the rare show that isn’t afraid to embrace wild swings and a power shift in the house would be just that.
The Summer I Turned Pretty Season 2
Release Date: July 14
Streaming Service: Prime Video
Cast: Lola Tung, Christopher Briney, Gavin Casalegno, Elsie Fisher
Why We’re Hyped: The first season of The Summer I Turned Pretty whisked us away to the idyllic Cousins Beach, where the biggest problems Belly (Lola Tung) has is deciding which hot brother she wants to kiss: Conrad (Christopher Briney) or Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno). Season 2 will continue the soap opera and introduce a brand new cast member in Elsie Fisher. Consider this your excuse to embrace some good old fashioned summer loving.
Justified: City Primeval
Release Date: July 18
Streaming Service: FX on Hulu
Cast: Timothy Olyphant, Boyd Holbrook, Aunjanue Ellis
Why We’re Hyped:Because Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) is back! Instead of following the Elmore Leonard hero in his native Kentucky, Justified: City Primeval will force the U.S. Marshall to hunt a deadly killer in Detroit. Complicating matters? Raylan’s teen daughter (played by Olyphant’s IRL daughter Vivian Olyphant) catches the murderer’s eye. Raylan finds himself locked in a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse in a city he doesn’t know.
Good Omens Season 2
Release Date: July 28
Streaming Service: Prime Video
Cast: David Tennant, Michael Sheen, Jon Hamm
Why We’re Hyped: Good Omens Season 2 will see the return of fastidious angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and debonair demon Crowley as they keep up their “Odd Couple” routine against a backdrop of cosmic drama. More importantly, though, Good Omens Season 2 will see the return of Michael Sheen and David Tennant. The two actors are always remarkable to watch, but have a knack for making each other better than ever.
Heels Season 2
Release Date: July 28
Streaming Service: Starz
Cast: Stephen Amell, Alexander Ludwig, Kelli Berglund, Alison Luff
Why We’re Hyped: Part soap opera, part love letter to the squared circle, Starz’s Heels is exactly the kind of scrappy cult hit we love to binge in the summer. Season 1 followed the rocky relationship between brothers Jack (Stephen Amell) and Ace (Alexander Ludwig) as they fought literally and figuratively for domination in the wrestling ring. While both brothers embraced their own dark sides in Season 1, the real hero who emerged was none other than Crystal (Kelli Berglund). Her passion for wrestling, despite the misogyny in the sport, was the great underdog storyline that had us hooting and hollering like we were in the stands.
Reservation Dogs Season 3
Release Date: August 2
Streaming Service: FX on Hulu
Cast: Devery Jacobs, D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai, Lane Factor, Paulina Alexis
Why We’re Hyped: Reservation Dogs has quietly emerged as one of FX’s most beloved hits, combining offbeat humor with real human heart. Season 2 ended with the gang finally able to give their deceased friend Daniel (Dalton Cramer) a fitting send off in Los Angeles. Will the teens stay in California for good or return to life on the Rez? Either way, expect profound storytelling mixed with deep belly laughs.
Heartstopper Season 2
Release Date: August 3
Streaming Service: Netflix
Cast: Kit Connor, Joe Locke, Yasmin Finney, William Gao
Why We’re Hyped: The sweetest show on Netflix, Heartstopper, is finally coming back for more wholesome teen romance. Nick (Joe Locke) finally came out to his doting mother (Olivia Colman) in the Season 1 finale which means Season 2 should be all about him and Charlie (Kit Connor) enjoying their fledgling romance. Get ready to squee and swoon as the boys take their love story on vacay in France.
Only Murders in the Building Season 3
Release Date: August 8
Streaming Service: Hulu
Cast: Steve Martin, Martin Short, Selena Gomez, Paul Rudd, Meryl Streep
Why We’re Hyped: When Only Murders in the Building premiered a few years back, it became an instant cozy classic. Season 2’s ending teased a bold new direction for the series, with the gang teaming up to solve a murder that happens outside their building. When movie star Ben Gilroy (Paul Rudd) drops dead on stage during the premiere of a Broadway play, the obvious suspect is his nemesis and costar, Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin). Can Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) prove he didn’t do it? Oh, and what’s Meryl Streep up to? What’s she doing in the show this year?
