16 must watch TV series of the summer – from Keeley Hawes spy thriller to Danny Dyer comedy and return of Netflix hits

The Irish Sun

4 hours ago

THE summer telly schedules are bringing the heat — with can't-miss premieres and buzzy returns.
Whether you want to escape with reality TV, like ITV's Shark!
Celebrity
Infested Waters, or get bingeing with red-hot dramas such as Netflix's Squid Game, there are plenty of shows to keep you glued to the couch.
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Olivia Rodrigo will be among the famous faces at Glastonbury, which will be screened on the BBC
Credit: Getty
There's also the live drama of the
And with the return of fan favourites such as The
Summer
I Turned Pretty, and Wednesday, you can settle in with some old friends.
Jess Lester rounds up the best of the upcoming TV . . .
Attack On London: Hunting The 7/7 Bombers -Netflix, July
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Former Prime Minister Tony Blair features in a documentary on the 7/7 bombings
NETFLIX is no stranger to a true-crime documentary, and this time it has turned its attentions to London's worst terrorist attack.
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Through
interviews
, archive footage and expert analysis, including with then PM Tony Blair, it celebrates the resilience of those who worked around the clock to put the guilty individuals behind bars.
There is a deeper dive into the broader issues of terrorism, too.
Destination X - BBC, July
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Rob Brydon is set to host a new competition show, Destination X
Credit:
THERE'S a
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The show takes contestants on a journey on a blacked-out bus, sending them on a mystery road trip across Europe not telling them where they are, or where they are heading.
Through a mix of clever challenges and red herrings, they must guess each destination or face elimination from the show, which is based on a popular Belgian format that launched last year.
Think
And with prize
money
likely up for grabs, it's all to play for.
The Summer I Turned Pretty - Prime Video, July 16
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Amazon Prime Video show The Summer I Turned Pretty is back for a third series
Credit: Erika Doss/Prime
IT'S set to be an emotional finale as The Summer I Turned Pretty returns for its third series, finishing up Jenny Han's much-loved trilogy of books.
This time, there's a two-year time jump as Belly (Lola Tung) is further into her college education.
Season two saw her end things with Conrad, and instead choose other love interest Jeremiah.
But as they plan their
future
together, possibly even a wedding, Conrad returns and reignites long-simmering feelings between him and Belly.
With the love triangle at the centre of the story, there's a mammoth 11 episodes for Belly to figure out what she really wants. But will she?
Squid Game - Netflix, June 27
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Surprise Netflix hit Squid Game is back for another new series at the end of June
Credit: Netflix
SQUID Game took the world by storm in 2021, and now its highly anticipated third and final series hopes to captivate audiences once again.
We see lead character Seong Gi-hun, below, regroup with Cho Sang-woo and Kang Sae-byeok after the failed armed uprising from the previous season.
The survivors are determined to bring down the cruel billionaires who orchestrate the deadly games.
However, to succeed, they must first continue playing the brutal
competitions
, all while secretly plotting their escape.
But the question remains: Will they survive
the games
this time and finally end the nightmare?
The Couple Next Door - Channel 4, July
FOLLOWING the success of the first series on Channel 4 – it was the broadcaster's biggest scripted series streaming launch ever – the drama is back with a fresh storyline and new cast.
In this
next
chapter, the plot centres around Charlotte Roberts (Annabel Scholey), a brilliant heart surgeon, and her husband Jacob (Sam Palladio), a consultant anaesthetist.
Things will be turned upside down when mysterious new hospital colleague Mia (Aggy K Adams, above) rents the house next door and becomes entangled in their personal and professional lives.
While Charlotte navigates the reappearance of her past flame, the hunky
Leo
(Sendhil Ramamurthy), only time will tell whether Mia will spell disaster for the formerly happily married pair.
The Assassin - Prime Video, July
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Keeley Hawes is set to star in new Prime Video drama The Assassin
Credit: THE ASSASSIN 2025 © Prime Video/Two Brothers Pictures/ Photographer: Robert Viglasky
Keeley plays Julie, a retired assassin who is enjoying a quiet life on a remote Greek island – until her estranged son Edward arrives, that is.
He has come to ask questions about his father, but it sets a whole chain of events in motion.
Julie and Edward, played by The Good Doctor's Freddie, go on to uncover a dark conspiracy and are forced to head off on the run.
Julie's complicated past then resurfaces and her fractured relationship with her son is put to the ultimate test.
The Bear - Disney+, June 26
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The Bear is back for a new series after the last ended on a cliffhanger
Credit: 2025, FX. All rights reserved.
IN what is likely to be the final series of Disney+'s much-loved drama, Jeremy Allen White is in a race against time to secure the restaurant's future.
At the end of the last series, the restaurant was ripped apart by a
review
in The
Chicago
Tribune.
Joined once again by Ayo Edebiri's
Sydney
, Ebon Moss-Bachrach's Richie and the rest of The Bear crew, Chef Carmy (White, above) will once again be chasing
Michelin
glory.
It's all under wraps, but the cast will likely be packed with even more guest appearances, after series three featured John Cena, Thomas Keller and Will Poulter.
Glastonbury - BBC, from June 27
THE BBC is showing more than 90 hours of the festival, with live streams from five main stages, and on-demand content for 30 days.
The likes of Clara Amgo, Jo Whiley, Lauren Laverne and Huw Stephens will be there to guide viewers through the action on the iPlayer Glastonbury Channel.
Neil Young The 1975, Olivia Rodrigo,
The channel will also have special recap montages from previous festivals, including Beyonce and Coldplay.
The Hostage - Netflix, August 21
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Suranne Jones returns to our screens playing a Prime Minister in a new Netflix drama
Credit: Des Willie/Netflix
SHE'S played some big characters and now
But her life is turned upside down when her husband is kidnapped and she is forced to work together with the French President, a long-time rival.
The two powerful women, who are also being blackmailed, have to navigate betrayal, danger and looming threats to their careers and personal lives in this twisting five-parter.
Also featuring are Queen Charlotte hunk Corey Mylchreest, Miss Scarlet's Sophie Robertson, Before Sunrise actress Julie Delpy and actor and musician Ashley 'Bashy' Thomas.
Dora And The Search For Sol Dorado - Paramount+, July 4
STARTING off as an animation series in 2000, Dora The Explorer had her first live action
film
in 2019's Lost City Of Gold. Now she is back for more adventuring.
This time, teenage Dora, played by Samantha
Lorraine
, is embarking on a new journey deep in the jungle on a quest to find the mythical treasure of Sol Dorado.
Along the way she will have to battle villains, with the help of her loyal cousin Diego, archaeologist Camila the Crusader and her trusty sidekick
Boots
the monkey.
After making its premiere on kids' channel Nickelodeon UK on July 2, it will be available to stream – for kids and adults – on Paramout+.
The Institute - MGM+, July 13
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Martin Freeman's son Joe features in Stephen King-based horror The Institute
Credit: Chris Reardon/MGM+
BASED on a 2019 novel by horror writer Stephen King, this eight-episode thriller follows 12-year-old genius Luke Ellis, who is kidnapped and wakes up in a mysterious facility where children with unusual abilities are being held against their will.
As Luke (played by Martin Freeman's son Joe) plots his escape, a former police officer, who has moved to the town for a quiet life, uncovers disturbing facts about the place, known as The Institute.
Expect Stranger Things-style superpowers and the same kind of simmering discomfort as Stephen's previous TV adaptations, Castle Rock and The Outsider.
Mr Bigstuff - Sky, July
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Danny Dyer is back for a new series of Bafta winning comedy Mr Bigstuff
Credit: ©Sky UK
AFTER winning a Bafta for its first series, Sky's hit comedy returns for a second run, reuniting Ryan Sampson and Danny Dyer as brothers Glen and Lee.
This time, the Essex duo navigate the Earth-shattering revelation that their dad might still be alive, sending the pair into a meltdown over how to locate him.
Meanwhile, secrets threaten to tear the family apart.
Expect a host of new characters, including Rula Lenska as the eccentric Rita, and Shaun Williamson playing a surprisingly angry children's entertainer.
Shark! Celebrity Infested Waters - ITV, July
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A brand new reality show will test the fears of celebrities when they dive with sharks
WHAT better way to mark the 50th anniversary of the film Jaws than to challenge a group of ocean-phobic celebrities to dive alongside sharks?
Filmed off the coast of Bimini in the Bahamas, this new reality format sees the group coming face to face with increasingly larger and more dangerous sharks.
The high-stakes, five-part show will feature Sir
From panic attacks to near-miss encounters with the apex predators, the celebrities will be pushed to their personal limits in what is sure to make fun viewing.
Wednesday - Netflix, August 6
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Addams Family inspired drama Wednesday is back for an eagerly awaited new series
Credit: JONATHAN HESSION/NETFLIX
HIT series Wednesday became Netflix's most-watched English-language series of all time, in large part thanks to Jenna Ortega's deadpan performance of the iconic Addams Family character.
And after solidifying itself in pop culture with the help of a viral dance, there's little surprise the series is back, this time with a darker mystery.
Wednesday returns to boarding school Nevermore only to discover there is a serial killer on the loose.
Series two brings back fan favourites Morticia, Gomez and Pugsley, while fresh faces on the cast list include Steve Buscemi and
Joanna Lumley
.
Uefa Women's Euros - ITV & BBC, from July 2
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There is live sport to get excited about when the Women's European Championships kick off
Credit: Getty
THE BBC and ITV are sharing coverage of the Women's Euros in
Switzerland
as the Lionesses, captained by
BBC Sport will air half of the group-stage matches, including both
England
and Wales' games against the
Netherlands
, as well as three of the tense quarter-finals.
Commentary and analysis will come from
The
England
v
Wales
clash on July 13 will be a big live draw for ITV.
Both channels will simultaneously broadcast the final on July 27.
Thursday Murder Club - Netflix, August 28
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Screen legends Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan are set to feature in Thursday Murder Club
Credit: Giles Keyte/Netflix
RICHARD Osman's best-selling first book is hitting the box with a star-studded cast.
The series follows sharp-witted retirees – ex-spy Elizabeth, former union activist Ron, retired psychiatrist Ibrahim and nurse Joyce – in a fancy village for old folks who meet to solve cold cases.
But then they find themselves caught up in a current murder that happens on their doorstep – and like the nosy old folk they are, they get to work trying to solve it.
With a cast list that includes Dame Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan, above, plus Sir Ben Kingsley, Celia Imrie,