This post was updated Aug. 3 at 5:29 p.m.
This summer’s upcoming television will add sunshine to your day.
Featuring a mix of highly anticipated returning seasons as well as brand new releases, TV this summer is nothing less than binge-worthy. From fresh comedy to fan favorites, viewers are bound to set aside the sunscreen and pick up the TV remote.
Continue reading to explore the Daily Bruin’s curated list of summer TV releases.
“The Summer I Turned Pretty” (Prime Video)
Summer will never be the same after the finale of “The Summer I Turned Pretty.”
The show’s third and final season premiered July 16 on Amazon Prime Video. In this installment, familiar stars Lola Tung, Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno returned to the set of Cousins Beach – the fictional East Coast town where the main characters spend their summers – for a wedding that may or may not go through.
Based on the trilogy by author Jenny Han, “The Summer I Turned Pretty” chronicles the evolving relationship between Isabel “Belly” Conklin and the two sons of her mother’s best friend: Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher. While Belly has always had a childhood crush on the elder Fisher brother, Conrad, she instead chooses to pursue a relationship with Jeremiah, whose affection for her is stable and straightforward, unlike his brother’s. While seasons one and two focused on Belly navigating her fluctuating attraction to the brothers and the mourning of the brothers’ mother Susannah Fisher’s tragic death, season three will center on Belly’s conflicting feelings when she ultimately has to choose one brother. When Conrad returns to Cousins Beach as Belly and Jeremiah are planning their wedding, Belly realizes that she will inevitably have to break one of their hearts.
Season three of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” will leave fans with one last love (or heartbreak) as Belly decides who will be endgame.
– Sydney Gaw
“Leanne” (Netflix)
A fresh sitcom is coming to Netflix by the end of this month.
The debut season of the new comedy series “Leanne” will hit the streaming platform July 31. The program’s titular star, comedian Leanne Morgan, is also its co-creator and executive producer. Prior to this show, Morgan’s 2023 stand-up special “Leanne Morgan: I’m Every Woman” ranked within Netflix’s top 10 comedy specials, and for “Leanne” she is joined by co-creators Susan McMartin and Chuck Lorre, the longtime sitcom writing veterans behind successes such as “Mom” and “The Big Bang Theory,” respectively.
[Related: ‘The Big Bang Theory’ creator’s $24.5M pledge expands universe for Bruins in STEM]
“Leanne” launches into the lackluster love life of its eponymous character, who turns to humor after her husband of 33 years deserts her for another woman. Upended and in her late 50s, Leanne is a mother and grandmother who must lean on friends, family and church as she navigates a new lifestyle and reenters the dating pool. Morgan’s co-stars are set to include Kristen Johnston as Leanne’s sister Carol, Ryan Stiles as adulterous husband Bill and Celia Weston as Leanne’s mother, “Mama Margaret.”
If the comedy chops of its cast and creators are any indication, “Leanne” is sure to bring laughter to the television screen this summer.
– Reid Sperisen
[Related: Music preview: Summer to bring span of anticipated new entries from indie, pop artists]
“Chief of War” (Apple TV+)
Apple TV+’s newest show is chiefly a tale of community and resilience.
Premiering Aug. 1, “Chief of War” will share the same birthday as its 45-year-old lead Jason Momoa who co-wrote and produced the TV mini drama with Thomas Pa’a Sibbett. Directed in part by Justin Chon and scheduled to launch on Apple TV+, the brand-new series follows the story of a Hawaiian war chief (Momoa) who must unify the bellicose islands to save them from impending colonization. The nine episodes of “Chief of War,” releasing on successive Fridays, will be told from an indigenous perspective and are based on the true events of Hawaii’s unification in the late 1700s.
American actor Momoa, who was born in Honolulu, is most known for his debut role in “Baywatch” and his internationally-acclaimed performance as Khal Drogo in HBO’s “Game of Thrones.” According to Apple TV+, “Chief of War” is a passion project for Momoa and Sibbett, whose shared Hawaiian heritage is reflected in the show’s predominantly Polynesian cast. In a trailer released July 10, Momoa is portrayed as a fierce protector of his people, rallying for unification with the resounding phrase, “If this island is divided, this kingdom will fall.”
From gorgeous island views to Momoa riding a shark underwater, “Chief of War” is set to thrill audiences.
– Eleanor Meyers
“Wednesday” (Netflix)
The new season of “Wednesday” may bring more questions than answers.
Left as a cliffhanger – with a stalker introduced at the last minute – “Wednesday” is back after a two-year wait. The second season is split into two parts, releasing Aug. 6 and Sept. 3, respectively. The Netflix hit show took over fall 2022 with its inclusion of goth culture and skillful plot twists that tricked both viewers and Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) herself, a trend that creator Miles Millar said will be key to Addams’ returning chapter. Returning a savior of Nevermore Academy, Wednesday will be confronted with her worst nightmare: popularity.
In the latest trailer released July 9, Wednesday is seen continuing to explore the limits of her psychic abilities when she unexpectedly sees a vision of the death of her friend Enid (Emma Myers), who blames the protagonist for this unexpected fate. Unlike the nature of Ortega’s character, the show’s new season will deal heavily with human connection and the complicated relationships between Wednesday and her family and friends. As for the cast, viewers can expect to see familiar faces, especially those belonging to the Addams family, as well as new characters, including the unrevealed role of Lady Gaga.
As fans prepare for the show’s return, one thing is certain: If Wednesday Addams is around, there’s a mystery to be solved.
– Ana Camila Burquez
[Related: Summer book preview: Page-turners full of myth, mystery and magic await readers]
“Long Story Short” (Netflix)
Netflix’s latest adult comedy is here to remind viewers just how chaotic families can be.
“Long Story Short,” premiering Aug. 22, jumps around the various stages of the Schwooper siblings’ lives, going between their childhood and adult lives and diving into inside jokes, crazy memories and even lifelong feuds. The show’s creator, Raphael Bob-Waksberg, who is best known for his work on “BoJack Horseman,” made the Schwooper siblings a Jewish family from Northern California so that he could draw on his own life experiences and enhance the authenticity of the family dynamic.
Bob-Waksberg is joined by several other “BoJack Horseman” alumni – Lisa Hanawalt returns as a supervising producer, and the show is also produced by The Tornante Company, the same studio that created “BoJack Horseman.” The show offers an exciting new animation that leans into an impressionist style, emphasizing the cartoonish nature of the characters and their relationships. “Long Story Short” is sure to continue in the footsteps of “BoJack Horseman” by combining comedic excellence with emotional depth as it explores complex sibling dynamics.
To make a long story short, Netflix’s upcoming comedy is sure to make viewers feel every emotion all at once.
– Vishnu Potharaju
Comments are closed.