Before the advent of streaming services, summer was a quiet time on the TV series front, but not anymore. Today, there are numerous new and returning series seeking viewers. These are the best of the bunch.
8
The Bear (Season 4)
Watch The Bear on Hulu and Disney+
Season three of The Bear wasn’t exactly its best to date, even though it still picked up a boatload of awards. Though still critically acclaimed, the former Emmy winner for Outstanding Comedy Series suffered from storylines that didn’t move forward quickly enough and characters that received excessive airtime. In contrast, other characters were pushed to the background.
The latest season of The Bear is among us, and although it hasn’t received the near-universal praise that seasons one and two did, viewers mostly like it. And honestly, what’s not to love when you have Emmy winners Jeremy Allen White, Ayo Edebiri, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, and Liza Colón-Zayas back, along with the rest of the brilliant supporting cast.
Season four of The Bear consists of 10 episodes. The story will continue in a fifth season, which has been approved and is expected to air sometime in 2026.
7
Squid Game (Season 3)
Watch Squid Game on Netflix
The final batch of episodes for Squid Game dropped earlier this year, and yes, be prepared for more blood. The third and final season picks up right after the second, when Player 456, played by Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae, plans to end the game early were foiled in horrible ways.
Watching Squid Game has never been easy, and the final six episodes of the series are equally difficult to digest. But, there is a resolution; it will be up to you to decide whether it’s good or bad.
In total, there were 22 episodes of Squid Game. All are available to stream.
6
The Gilded Age (Season 3)
Watch The Gilded Age on HBO Max
The current season of HBO’s The Gilded Age is still airing ahead of a planned fourth season. Set in New York City during the 1880s, the series once again stars Louisa Jacobson, Christine Baranski, and Cynthia Dixon, whose characters navigate a period of immense economic and social change.
Season four of The Gilded Age has been described as “transformative” by RogerEbert.com, with several broad themes once again explored. This includes the pursuit of power and ambition, the shift in social hierarchy, family dynamics, and a woman’s place within that family, among other factors.
The Gilded Age was created by Julian Fellowes, known for Downton Abbey. Besides its fascinating stories, the series has been noted for the lavish lifestyles it presents, complete with stunning costumes and opulent sets.
5
Dexter: Resurrection (New Series)
Watch Dexter: Resurrection on Paramount+ with Showtime
Twelve years after the original Dexter series ended, Michael C. Hall is back as the titular character in Dexter: Resurrection. The character’s return perhaps comes as a surprise given that he died in 2021’s Dexter: New Blood, but this is television, after all.
The new series picks up where the previous sequel left off. It finds Dexter waking up from a coma following his shooting and heading to New York City to find his missing son, Harrison, who Jack Alcott plays. In the Big Apple, Dexter meets up with a secret society of serial killers led by Leon Practer, played by Peter Dinklage (Game of Thrones).
Dexter: Resurrection consists of 10 episodes. There’s no word on whether there’ll be a second season.
4
Smoke (New Series)
Watch Smoke on Apple TV+
What happens when you take an arson investigator and put him together with a police detective? Smoke, perhaps even fire. Smoke is a nine-episode limited series that stars Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett, who are forced together to stop two serial arsonists from wreaking havoc in the Pacific Northwest. Along the way, they uncover secrets, even ones about themselves.
Smoke is an action-packed drama that reveals in episode one a huge twist that you don’t want to miss. Besides the main characters, the drama stars Greg Kinnear, Rafe Spall, John Leguizamo, and Anna Chlumsky, among others.
This series comes from Dennis Lehane, who is also the creator behind Apple TV+’s well-received Black Bird, which also starred Egerton in the lead role.
3
Ironheart (New Series)
Watch Ironheart on Disney+
Considered the conclusion of Phase Five of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), Ironheart follows the events of 2022’s Black Panther: Wakanda Forever. It follows Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), a brilliant student inventor, as she returns to her hometown of Chicago. There, she encounters Parker Robbins, also known as The Hood (played by Anthony Ramos).
A lot is going on in Ironheart’s six episodes. Although the story primarily focuses on the interplay between technology and magic, it also explores common themes, such as personal grief, moral ambiguities, and, being in the MCU, the complexities of being a young hero.
There’s no word on whether Ironheart will lead to a second season, but there are enough cliffhangers and mid-credit nuggets that suggest the story will continue either on Disney+ in the series or on the big screen in a future motion picture.
2
The Hunting Wives (New Series)
Watch The Hunting Wives on Netflix
One of the most talked-about psychological thriller books released in 2021, May Cobb’s The Hunting Wives, is now a series on Netflix. Told over eight episodes, the series stars Malin Akerman and Brittany Snow about envy, lust, and murder within a tight-knit Texas community.
Mainly garnishing mixed reviews, The Hunting Wives has been praised for staying close to the source material and its general themes. However, some reviewers have called the show polarizing and little more than a guilty pleasure, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially in the dog days of summer.
Netflix hasn’t announced whether The Hunting Wives will see a second season. The first season ended on a cliffhanger, so there’s a high likelihood that a second season could eventually arrive, but it might be too early to expect any news on a possible renewal.
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1
Untamed (New Series)
Watch Untamed on Netlfix
The breathtaking Yosemite National Park serves as the setting for Untamed, a crime thriller available on Netflix. The series follows Special Agent Kyle Turner (Eric Bana), who is investigating the mysterious death of a young woman who falls off El Capitan.
Told over just six episodes, Untamed does a great job of layering the fantastic beauty of Yosemite with a story that’s dark and sometimes unsettling. Though it’s not for everyone, this is the type of series for anyone who likes mystery stories set in magnificent locations.
Though originally advertised as a miniseries, Untamed has been renewed for a second season. That series will once again star Bana, but this time it will feature a different national park and a new mystery, according to Netflix.
