(NOTE: All premiere dates remain subject to change as the writers’ strike continues. Remember when all we had to worry about was George R.R. Martin being a drag-ass?)
Premieres Wednesday:
Back to 15 — In Season 2, Anita returns to her correct place in time as a 30-year-old, only to discover that her trip into the past has messed up her future catastrophically. Come on, like she couldn’t have learned that was a bad idea just by talking to Ezra Miller. Or better yet, Ezra Miller’s agent. (Netflix)
CMA Fest: 50 Years of Fan Fair — Interviews with the likes of Dolly Parton, Vince Gill and Trisha Yearwood trace the history of the humble gathering that became country music’s biggest statement of collective purpose. Well, except for that one year they lost a lot of business to Dave Chappelle’s block party. (Hulu)
Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire — Science fiction, fantasy and technology are the focus of 10 animated shorts by up-and-coming directors from across the African continent. Disney honchos are saying the project was spurred by the Afrofuturism aesthetic they believe was popularized by their own Black Panther. Then again, they also think “George Clinton” was the handyman on Living Single. (Disney+)
Shadow Detective — In Season 2, we’ll learn if embattled Detective Taek-rok is able to save the life of the young colleague who was blackmailing him, and also who might be taking over that campaign of harassment from now on. I dunno, man: When you’ve had two mortal enemies in as many seasons, I’m starting to think it might be a you problem. (Hulu)
Wham! — Scrapbooks kept by Andrew Ridgeley’s mother are the framing device of a documentary that chronicles his and George Michael’s four-year career as a hit-making team. Funny to think that they only lasted as long as the Confederacy. I expect the memes to be savage, if not quite philosophically coherent. (Netflix)
Premieres Thursday:
Gold Brick — The French show us their idea of sticking it to le homme with a heist comedy about a factory worker who tries to get ahead by stealing high-end perfumes on the job. Hey, if I remember right, that’s how Pepé Le Pew almost beat a molestation rap. (Netflix)
Heart to Heart Season 3 and Kevin Hart: Reality Check — To mark his 44th birthday, Hart drops the new season of his talk show (with guests including Will Ferrell, Dwayne Johnson and Will Smith) and a stand-up special recorded in Vegas, in which he tackles subjects like his feelings about Black Twitter. If he really wants us to sit up and take notice, he could tell us his feelings about black metal, but I guess he has to save something for his 45th. (Peacock)
The Lincoln Lawyer — In the first five episodes of Season 2, attorney Mickey Haller is enjoying the spoils of his newfound success in the legal profession, including having his pick of the very best clients. But pitfalls await. For example, for every great client you land, there’s some deadbeat who wants you to defend him on an espionage rap. (Netflix)
Shaun White: The Last Run — A four-episode docuseries recounts the achievements of the Olympic great in the fields of snowboarding and skateboarding. The narrative isn’t purely linear, bouncing back and forth between the present and key junctures in White’s life and career. Either that, or Warner Bros. Discovery has decided it’s gonna make you watch Tenet one way or another. (Max)
Premieres Friday:
Fatal Seduction — The Mexican telenovela Dark Desires was the template for this South African series that chronicles the fallout of a married professor’s indiscretions. Over 100 years later, we have finally achieved Woodrow Wilson’s goal of every nation having its own equivalent of a Cinemax movie from 1986. (Netflix)
Hack My Home — Three expert renovators show space-challenged homeowners how to make the most of their limited living area. Suggestions range from wild ideas like a bed that descends from the ceiling to simpler solutions, like eliminating one family member per year in a Shirley Jackson–inspired stoning. (Netflix)
The Horror of Dolores Roach — Blumhouse adapts the podcast of the same name into an eight-episode series, keeping the conceit of a Washington Heights masseuse and ex-con who takes drastic steps to remain solvent. It’s a story of cannibalism, empanadas and weed, yet unlike everything else that fits that description, it isn’t available on DoorDash. (Prime Video)
Los Iniciados — Prime Video has clarified that this thriller flick set in a water-deprived future is based on characters and concepts created by Colombian mystery writer Mario Mendoza, but not his actual writings per se. That seems like the kind of disclaimer that would have spared Alan Moore a lot of heartache. (OK, you’re right, probably not.) (Prime Video)
The Out-Laws — Adam Devine plays a bank manager who starts to suspect that his future in-laws (Ellen Barkin and Pierce Brosnan) are the crooks who just knocked over his bank. If I were him, I’d be upgrading my registry from Walmart to the Super Walmart. (Netflix)
Premieres Saturday:
Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War Part 2 — New episodes present fresh developments in the last stand of anime hero Ichigo Kurosaki, who goes by the title of Substitute Soul Reaper. It’s a tough job, sure, but the good thing about being a substitute is they only ask for a GED before they let you reap. (Hulu)
Premieres Sunday:
Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead — This anime comedy shows a corporate drone going on a journey of emancipation when a zombie apocalypse inspires him to quit his job and check off every item on his bucket list. Item No. 1: Do a lot of stuff that entails staying out of shopping malls. (Hulu)
Premieres Monday:
Storybots: Answer Time — The cartoon bots are back to answer any question your kids might have in Season 2. Bet you feel silly for having explained gender identity to your 5-year-old, when there was a talking trashcan that was perfectly willing to do it. (Netflix)
Unknown: Killer Robots — Episode 2 of the science-minded docuseries asks if artificial intelligence will be a boon to the military, or if it will lead to catastrophic, unforced errors. Oh, hooray: We can apparently still get worked up about widespread loss of life if it’s unintentional. (Netflix)
Premieres Tuesday:
The Ashley Madison Project — Fun fact: I used to date somebody who had once found a married boyfriend on AshleyMadison.com and made a tidy sum by blackmailing him. I doubt anything in this documentary will be that scandalous; it’ll probably just be the standard litany of lives ruined via boring, ordinary data breaches. As soon as the writers’ strike is over, the streaming services need to come to me for better material. (I’ve dated a lot, fellas!) (Hulu)
Myth of the Zodiac Killer — A two-episode documentary seeks to prove that the so-called Zodiac Killer didn’t really exist. So technically, it doesn’t count as a “true crime” show, does it? Huh? HUH? (Peacock)
Nineteen to Twenty — A bunch of Korean kids on the cusp of leaving their teenage years behind them experience all the rites of passage that entails. I was going to suggest we call the genre of this show “K-YA,” but that sounds like either a white female rapper or a personal lubricant. (Netflix)
This article appears in Jul 5-11, 2023.