10 new TV shows to watch this summer

Boston Globe

13-05-2025

Advertisement
MOUNTAINHEAD
'Succession' creator Jesse Armstrong is going less episodic for his new project, writing and directing a direct-to-streaming movie for MAX. 'Mountainhead' stars Mass. native Steve Carell alongside Jason Schwartzman ('Megalopolis,' 'Between the Temples'), Ramy Youssef ('Ramy'), and Cory Michael Smith ('Saturday Night'). But Armstrong's subject matter will look familiar: the group is a collection of billionaires, who have gathered together in a mountain retreat during a financial crisis. Let's take a wild guess and assume the title is a play on 'The Fountainhead,' by Ayn Rand, long a preferred author of committed capitalists.
(HBO, May 30)
DEPT. Q
The irascible detective canon gets another entry with this show, starring Matthew Goode ('A Discovery of Witches,' 'Downton Abbey'). After witnessing his partner getting shot and subsequently paralyzed, Carl Morck, a British DCI on the Edinburgh police force, gets shunted off to manage a new cold case department. No one expects him to accomplish anything there, but, as is the way of these things, Morck soon assembles a crew of misfits and begins untangling unsolved crimes. The show seems to be drawing comparisons to 'Slow Horses,' another series about law enforcement washouts, but presumably this one will feature less theatrical flatulence from its star than that one does. Also promising: It comes from Scott Frank, who launched Anya Taylor-Joy to stardom with 'The Queen's Gambit.'
(Netflix, May 29)
Advertisement
STICK
Owen Wilson follows a path trod by many a movie star before him, and lands in this Apple TV+ series. He stars as the eponymous Stick, a once-promising professional golfer who washed out after a meltdown on the course. Stick decides to make one last run at success in professional golf by mentoring an up-and-coming youngster. He's joined in his efforts by one-time Bostonian Marc Maron, with Judy Greer co-starring as Stick's presumably long-suffering ex-wife.
(Apple TV+, June 4)
THE WATERFRONT
'Dawson's Creek' creator Kevin Williamson returns to North Carolina, the setting for all of Joey's waffling about whether she wanted to be with Dawson or Pacey (girl, it's Pacey). This time, Williamson tells the story of the Buckley family, who run a fishing company in their small town, but face challenges keeping that enterprise alive amid encroaching changes. Maria Bello, Holt McCallany, Melissa Benoist, and Jake Weary star in this family saga, which is based on a true story, and will apparently feature the Buckleys going to extreme lengths to protect their family legacy.
(Netflix, June 19)
Advertisement
IRONHEART
The latest Disney+ Marvel show, created by poet and 'Snowpiercer' staff writer Chinaka Hodge, follows the travails of MIT student Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne), who's got the Tony Stark smarts to invent a whole series of impressive (and dangerous) devices. While audiences were introduced to the character when she was in Cambridge as an MIT student in 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,' the new show sees her returning to her Chicago roots, where she'll be building a new and very advanced Iron Man suit. Thorne stars alongside Anthony Ramos ('Hamilton,' 'In the Heights') and Alden Ehrenreich ('Solo'). (
Disney+, June 24)
Taron Egerton and Jurnee Smollett in "Smoke."
Apple TV+
SMOKE
'Mystic River' novelist and Mass. native Dennis Lehane adapts a podcast instead of one of his own books for this show. 'Smoke' follows an arson investigator (Taron Egerton, 'Kingsman,' 'Rocketman') and a troubled police investigator (Jurnee Smollett, 'Lovecraft Country,' 'Birds of Prey') as they chase down leads on a pair of serial arsonists. John Leguizamo, Rafe Spall, and Anna Chlumsky also star. The show is inspired by true events, and is based on the 'Firebug' podcast.
(Apple TV+, June 27)
"Chief of War," starring Jason Momoa.
Apple TV+
CHIEF OF WAR
Jason Momoa takes on the history of Hawai'i in this Apple TV+ historical epic. The show will delve into the unification and colonization of the islands that make up Hawai'i, with Momoa starring and executive producing, alongside a cast primarily made up of Polynesian actors, including Temuera Morrison ('Boba Fett,' 'Aquaman') and Cliff Curtis ('Whale Rider,' 'Avatar 2,″ 'Fear the Walking Dead'). Momoa previously starred in 'See' for the streamer, and most recently charmed in 'A Minecraft Movie.'
(Apple TV+, Aug. 1)
LONG STORY SHORT
'BoJack Horseman' creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg returns with a new animated comedy. This time around, he turns his focus from Hollywood to the Schwooper family, with a series that promises to jump back and forth in time to check in with the Schwooper parents and their kids throughout the years. He's bringing along artist Lisa Hanawalt, who worked with him to memorable effect on 'BoJack,' and subsequently went on herself to create the buddy comedy 'Tuca and Bertie,' starring Ali Wong and Tiffany Haddish. 'Long Story Short' stars Paul Reiser, Lisa Edelstein, Abbi Jacobson, Ben Feldman, and Max Greenfield.
(Netflix, Aug. 22)
Advertisement
THURSDAY MURDER CLUB
This direct-to-streaming movie is an adaptation of the beloved murder mystery series by Richard Osman, about a group of retirees who solve mysteries. Chris Columbus, who directed the first two 'Harry Potter' movies and the first two 'Home Alone' movies, here works with a slightly older cast, which includes Helen Mirren and Pierce Brosnan (both recently seen in '
(Netflix, Aug. 28)
RETURNING SERIES
'And Just Like That'(MAX, May 29), 'Grantchester' (PBS, June 15), 'The Buccaneers' (Apple TV+, June 18), 'The Gilded Age' (MAX, June 22), 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' (FX, July 9), 'Acapulco' (Apple TV+, July 23), 'Wednesday' (Netflix, Aug. 6)
Lisa Weidenfeld can be reached at