Summer used to just be for the movies. Blockbusters were a reprieve from the sweltering sunshine, and the biggest names in Hollywood always saved their best for June, July, and August. As movie theaters have become less prominent and at-home entertainment takes over during the digital age, streaming and television have become just as popular during the hottest time of the year.
2024 looks to be another loud reminder of the greatness that continues to kindle on Netflix, Hulu, Max, and the other prominent streamers. Debut seasons of historical dramas, superhero shows in their primes running on all cylinders, and comedies that should be deemed dramas are all up at bat in the season’s best new shows. Let’s look at the top eight you need to stream immediately upon release!
8. The Decameron (1970)
Ever since COVID-19, the entertainment industry has made a concerted effort to examine other pandemics throughout history. The Decameron is Netflix’s latest affiliation with illness in a darkly comedic look at the 14th-century plague. The European protagonists use unproductive vices like drinking and sex to cope with their impending deaths, often to shocking and often funny results. The show premieres sometime in July 2024.
7. Lady in the Lake (2024)
Lady in the Lake brings movie star Natalie Portman to streaming television in a murder mystery with political complications. Based on the novel by Laura Lippman, the series examines racial tension in Baltimore in the 1960s and the corruption of the police and government when it comes to injustices related to the Black community. It premieres on July 19 on Apple TV+.
6. Sunny (2024)
Rashida Jones returns to TV in a different type of show than she usually appears in. Sunny is Apple TV+’s newest quirky science fiction effort that places a woman in close proximity to artificial intelligence in a manner that is both eerie and reminiscent of where our own world is headed in the immediate future. The series premieres on July 10 and serves as a good companion to some of Apple’s other similar efforts, such as Severance and Silo.
5. Clipped (2024)
Fans of basketball movies and NBA diehards alike will absolutely not want to miss FX’s dramatic retelling of the racism scandal that rocked the Los Angeles Clippers in 2014. While Southern California is better known for the success of the Lakers, L.A.’s other team became infamous when Donald Sterling was recorded saying bigoted things about the legendary Magic Johnson behind the scenes. NBA commissioner Adam Silver eventually banned Sterling from the league and made him sell the team, but the fallout affected the players on and off the basketball court.
Laurence Fishburne gets star status here as Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers, the man who was tasked with keeping his players and city focused on winning a championship while hell rained down on the organization behind the curtain. TV icon Ed O’Neill looks primed and ready to portray the atrocities of Sterling. It will be nice to see him in his first big role since Modern Family. The miniseries debuts on June 4.
4. The Acolyte (2024)
The newest entry in the Star Wars television canon has garnered high expectations. After the incredible success of Andor and the mixed reaction to Ahsoka, it would be best for fans to temper their anticipation and presume the show will result in quality somewhere in between these two shows. The Acolyte focuses on an era of Star Wars that hasn’t often been touched upon. The High Republic period gives insight into what happened in the relatively immediate past before Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The series will premiere on Disney+ on June 4.
3. The Bear (2022)
TV audiences have utterly fallen in love with Hulu’s comedy-drama about an emotionally oppressed chef who overhauls his dead brother’s restaurant in his memory. The Bear is one of the best shows currently streaming because it cares about not talking down to its fans. Every line spoken by one of the boisterous Chicagoan chefs explodes into the ears of your living room with purpose and rhythm.
Carmy’s journey is the center of the exposition, but the supporting characters at the Bear restaurant equally take part in the humanistic and cartoonish elements of the series. The third season is sure to bring more of the same thought-provoking storytelling as Carmy manages the fallout of his relationship and the establishment’s maiden voyage. It will be available to stream on Hulu starting June 27.
2. The Boys (2019)
You never know what you’ll see when turning on The Boys. A man shrinking down to size so he can climb inside his boyfriend’s private parts? Yep. A supervillain who can explode people’s heads just by looking at them? You bet. The crown jewel in Prime Video’s catalog gives a fresh look at the immorality of superheroes, and it’s rolling into season four on June 13 with plenty of momentum. The battle between Billy Butcher and the Homelander should continue to provide plenty of excitement. The series has already been renewed for a fifth season before the fourth one even premieres!
1. House of the Dragon (2022)
Game of Thrones ended on such a sour note that it was hard to imagine fans wanting to revisit the world of Westeros again for quite some time. House of the Dragon helped heal some of the wounds of the parent show with a sharp script and solid acting in 2022’s first season. The second go around will happen starting on June 16 on HBO and streaming on Max. The series brings incredible fantasy action and special effects back to TV, even if it hasn’t garnered the fan base of Game of Thrones quite yet.
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