24 Most Exciting TV Shows of Summer 2024: ‘The Bear,’ ‘Industry,’ and More

There are some people who see summertime as an opportunity to spend more time outdoors. But there are other, more logical people who see it as the perfect chance to watch mountains of television. These people are in luck this season, with a veritable onslaught of content arriving from June to August. (Y’know, as if that isn’t also true of every other month of the year. But we digress.)

From a new Star Wars spinoff and more House of the Dragon to a third helping of The Bear, a historic season of The Bachelorette, and Natalie Portman’s first-ever leading role in a TV series, summer 2024 looks like it’ll have many reasons to keep us out of the sun for days on end. Below, we have a guide to 24 of the shows to have on your radar from now until Labor Day.

Star Wars: The Acolyte Season 1

June 4 on Disney+

Following the diminishing returns of The Mandalorian’s third season and last year’s Ahsoka, it’s time for Star Wars to play with a storyline that doesn’t involve characters we’ve already seen 100 times before for once. Set 100 years before Episode 1, The Acolyte looks like it could be the breath of fresh air the franchise needs. Amandla Stenberg plays an ex-Padawan that must be brought down by the Jedi—kind of like a Star Wars-y crime drama. Throw in Russian Doll’s Leslye Headland as showrunner, and maybe we could have another Andor-style success ahead of us. —Allegra Frank

Clipped

June 4 on Hulu

There’s a lot of reasons to be hyped for Clipped, the FX drama about ex-Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling and the wild 2014 scandal that ended his 30-year career. The show looks like it leans into Sterling’s absurdity, with Ed O’Neill in the role of the alleged racist whose private recordings led to multi-million-dollar fines and public outcry. Laurence Fishburne stars as Doc Rivers, the newly hired coach who gets caught in a power struggle with the maligned team owner. But best of all, it will heavily feature his assistant and self-proclaimed “silly rabbit” V. Stiviano, whose interview with Barbara Walters defending Sterling against the accusations of racism is seared into my brain forever. If this show is done right, it’ll be not just an incisive retelling of sports world drama; it’ll be one of the summer’s best comedies. —AF

Queenie Season 1

June 7 on Hulu

Based on the novel by Candice Carty-Williams, Queenie tells of a 25-year-old British woman (Dionne Brown) in the throes of a “quarter-life crisis” after a breakup. This leads her on a quest of “self-discovery,” which almost always means “Hot Girl Summer.” Expect some envy-inspiring views of London, hot guys for Queenie to hook up with, and a smart take on one of the most confusing times in a woman’s life. —AF

Fantasmas

June 7 on HBO

Since leaving SNL, Julio Torres’s visions have all proven to be “must watch” material. His multimedia comedy show My Favorite Shapes was as hilarious as it was peculiar; Los Espookys was a delightfully strange showcase for performers like Ana Fabrega, Bernardo Velasco, and Fred Armisen. And his inventive feature film Problemista managed to make the perils of the immigration system (and Craiglist gig work) side-splittingly funny. Now, he’s debuting Fantasmas—a six-episode series that takes place in an otherworldly version of New York and stars a fictionalized version of Torres himself. His character’s mission is as outlandish as ever—he’s looking for a lost earring in the shape of a golden oyster. Guest stars will reportedly include Julia Fox, Ziwe, Steve Buscemi, Alexa Demie, and Kim Petras. With a menagerie like that, how can anyone say no? —Laura Bradley

The Perfect Match Season 2

June 7 on Netflix

Netflix will not rest until it has created its own reality TV cinematic universe, and the centerpiece of that effort is this delightfully bonkers dating show. Alums from all your favorite Netflix are there—from Love Is Blind, to Dated & Related, to The Trust (wait, did anyone even watch The Trust?), and even The Circle. Ostensibly, the goal is to find your TV soulmate and prove you’re the most “compatible” couple. In reality, it’s mostly about forming strong alliances and making it through ridiculous challenges to make it to the end—both for the bragging rights and the paid vacation. Come for the cheeky humiliation, and stay for the chaotic D-list matchmaking. —LB

Presumed Innocent

June 12 on Apple TV+

Jake Gyllenhaal stars in this crime thriller, in which his mistress is found dead, and he’s called in as a suspect. This naturally makes things complicated for a whole slew of reasons, most notably that he was, y’know, cheating on his wife. Based on the trailer alone, Presumed Innocent might inspire a fun drinking game: Take a shot every time Jake anxiously tells someone that he “didn’t do it.” (No spoilers, especially since we haven’t even seen it, but he probably did.) —AF

Bridgerton Season 3, Part 2

June 13 on Netflix

Bridgerton fans have waited a long time to finally watch Penelope and Colin (affectionately known as “Polin”) fall in love on screen, and now, it’s finally time. We saw their frenetic courtship in Season 3 Part 1, including that hot and sexy carriage ride set to (LOL) Pitbull. Now, it’s time for the smut train to fully roll into the station. But how will Colin react once he discovers that his beloved Pen is actually the town gossip, Lady Whistledown? As always, the ton is full of intrigue, and we’ll be seated for every second of it. —LB

The Boys Season 4

June 13 on Prime Video

The raunchy, filthy, meme-loving superhero show returns for another go-around, after a hiatus made easier with last summer’s spinoff Gen V. This season has the team turning against its former leader, Butcher (Karl Urban), at the worst time possible. The end times are coming, and in-fighting won’t help save the world. Heavy as all that sounds, you can always expect the show to find time for gross-out gags and parodies to inject some levity into all that apocalyptic action. —AF

House of the Dragon Season 2

Sunday, June 16 on HBO

Going into House of the Dragon Season 2, we’ve got a lot of questions that need answering. Chief among them: Is Rhaenyra about to become a mad queen just like Daenerys did in Game of Thrones? Also, is anyone (literally, anyone) in control of these dragons?! In this world, alliances are fleeting and besties are liable to become adversaries at the drop of a hat—just ask Rhaenyra and her former BFF Alicent, whose friendship went south when Alicent… married Rhaenyra’s dad. All we can do is try to keep up. Strap in, grab your negroni sbagliato with prosecco, and prepare for a wild ride. —LB

Orphan Black: Echoes Season 1

June 23 on AMC

It’s been seven years since Orphan Black ended, freeing its award-winning breakout star Tatiana Maslany up to do things like … She-Hulk. Unfortunately—or maybe fortunately, for the sake of the tortured women Maslany played—this sequel to the memorable clone drama doesn’t focus on Sarah Manning and her many sisters. Set 37 years into the future, Krysten Ritter stars as a mysterious woman that crosses paths with Sarah’s daughter, Kira (Keeley Hawes). We slowly learn the complicated, true nature of Kira’s relationship to this woman, which turns the original series’ themes on their head. The show premiered in Canada last fall, and early reviews were mixed; that said, fans missing the unique world of Orphan Black won’t want to miss a chance to dive back in. (If nothing else, this may convince people to check out the original show.) —AF

Land of Women Season 1

June 26 on Apple TV+

Not to be confused with the 2007 Kristen Stewart/Adam Brody/Meg Ryan pic In the Land of Women, this series takes its inspiration from Sandra Barneda’s bestselling novel and stars Eva Longoria as Gala, whose husband’s “financial improprieties” imperil his family—Gala, her mother (Carmen Maura), and her daughter (Victoria Bazúa)—forcing them to flee from the scary guys to whom he owes money. The good news is that as far as hideouts go, theirs is at least scenic—a small town in Spain that Gala’s mother first fled 50 years ago. Naturally, however, it only takes a little while before the town starts buzzing about its new inhabitants’ sordid backstory. The series was shot in both English and Spanish and will debut in both languages. Here’s hoping these women manage to keep their good reputations long enough to maintain their cover! —LB

The Bear Season 3

June 27 on Hulu

There is probably no other show premiering this summer more anticipated than this one, for two reasons: First, Season 2 was incredible, near-perfect television. Second, we’ve been waiting almost a year for Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) to get out of that fridge and explain himself to Claire (Molly Gordon). Hurry up, time—and repairman! —AF

The Decameron

July on Netflix

The words “wine-soaked sex romp” will get me on board with pretty much any show very quickly, and Netflix’s upcoming comedy promises even more than just that. Based on Giovanni Boccaccio’s 14th century book, this comedy tells the story of a group of nobles and their servants sheltering in place during a little pandemic known as the Black Death. (Topical!) The cast includes Veep star Tony Hale, Zosia Mamet (aka the unforgettable Shoshanna Shapiro from Girls), Saoirse Monica-Jackson from Derry Girls, and Sex Education breakout Tanya Reynolds. While creator and showrunner Kathleen Jordan draws inspiration from Boccaccio’s work, the series will mainly focus on class disparity. Here’s hoping at least a few of our characters survive? —LB

The Bachelorette Season 21

July 8 on ABC

The Bachelor franchise is on a bit of a hot streak lately. Gerry Turner’s inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor was a ratings smash (even if it did end in a divorce just months after the Golden Wedding) and earlier this year, Joey Graziadei gave us the best Bachelor season we’ve had in years. Now, Jenn Tran is set to make history as our first-ever Asian American Bachelorette. In a break from series tradition, this season will not be filmed at the Bachelor Mansion; instead, Jenn and her boys will start out at the Hummingbird Nest Ranch in Santa Susana, California before jetting off to a number of international locations, which reportedly include Australia and New Zealand. We love a change of scenery! —LB

Sunny

July 10 on Apple TV+

Rashida Jones returns to TV (in a manner of speaking) with this oddball sci-fi comedy. Set in Kyoto, Jones plays Suzie, whose family has disappeared in a plane crash. To make up for the loss, she’s gifted a robot named Sunny, who quickly becomes her friend—and fellow detective, in the hunt to find her loved ones. This show sounds both wacky and depressing, but, strangely, also kind of fun. Knowing Jones, it should be pretty funny too. —AF

Those About to Die

July 18 on Peacock

Like all men, Roland Emmerich thinks a lot about the Roman Empire, apparently. He’s thinking about it so much, in fact, that he’s chosen this drama as his first serialized TV project. Anthony Hopkins stars in the story of the Flavian dynasty, which sees Emmerich beating Ridley Scott to the punch on 2024’s gladiator content. —AF

Cobra Kai Season 6, Part 1

July 18 on Netflix

When most shows hardly make it to a second season anymore, Cobra Kai has made it to Season 6—especially notable, considering it started on a streaming service that doesn’t even exist anymore. The one-time YouTube Red show found a rewarding home on Netflix, where this Karate Kid franchise sequel won over a broader audience; it even received an Emmy nom for Outstanding Comedy Series during its Netflix tenure. The first of three planned parts of Season 6 will help wind this story—which follows the renewed rivalry between Daniel (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny (William Zabka)—down. —AF

Lady in the Lake

July 19 on Apple TV+

Natalie Portman stars in and executive produces this series adaptation of Laura Lippman’s 2019 novel, which takes place in the 1960’s. Portman’s character—a housewife turned investigative journalist named Maggie Schwartz—becomes obsessed with the mysterious death of a woman named Cleo (Lupita Nyong’o) whose horrible fate in Baltimore seems to be of little concern to most others. According to director Alma Har’el, the series examines the intersectional relationship between Black people and Jewish people. “Jewish folks in Baltimore had to make some choices that came from survival,” she told Variety during a recent interview, and that affected both groups “in terms of civil rights movements and political goals.” —LB

The Umbrella Academy Season 4

Aug. 8 on Netflix

Two years ago, the popular superhero drama won widespread praise for its integration of star Elliot Page’s transition into the storyline. Its sensitive handling of his character’s own coming-out led to increased interest in the show… just as it was wrapping up. This final season of the comic book adaptation finds the Hargreeves family in a newly rebuilt universe, where some massive changes rocked the group—the biggest being that they’ve all lost their powers. With only six episodes to go, expect the show to maintain its high stakes all the way through. —AF

Bel-Air Season 3

Aug. 8 on Peacock

It’s still hard to believe that this show, based on a viral dramatic parody of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, exists. That it made it to Season 3 is even more surprising. But good on Bel-Air for somehow translating Will Smith’s breakout comedy hit into an hour-long show that can be taken seriously. Its incorporation of modern-day racial and class tensions helped transform the story into its own thing, to the point where the Fresh Prince DNA is more of a suggestion than an imposition. This season picks up with Will (Jabari Banks) reconsidering his place in his adopted hoity-toity society, following an explosive confrontation with his father. (This serves as an important reminder that Fresh Prince had its fair share of dramatic moments, too.) —AF

Industry Season 3

Aug. 11 on Max

Industry’s cultivated a tight-knit fanbase over the course of its run thus far, and the recent news of its long-awaited return sent them into a tizzy. With the addition of HBO stalwart Kit Harrington, this sexy workplace drama looks like it’s going to add more sexiness to the workplace. This is an extremely reductive description of this show, which follows a group of young, debaucherous British bankers—but if “sexy workplace drama” doesn’t do it for you, we have different priorities. —AF

Emily in Paris Season 4, Part 1

Aug. 15 on Netflix

Things are, shall we say, a little up in the air right now for our bestie Emily. Her friends Camille and Gabriel just broke up before her very eyes at their own wedding because Camille knows Gabriel is in love with Emily. This, in turn, prompted Emily’s beau, Alfie, to break up with her on the spot. One would think this sounds like unambiguously good news for Emily, given that she and Gabriel have been nursing that “will they, won’t they” energy since the series began, but unfortunately, Gabriel also revealed that Camille is pregnant with his baby—which might complicate his “happily ever after” with Emily just a wee, tiny bit. What’s the French translation for “conscious uncoupling,” again? I guess we’re about to find out! —LB

Only Murders in the Building Season 4

Aug. 27 on Hulu

Only Murders fans know how unbearable the wait is for TV’s funniest mystery. Who killed [redacted—although get on Season 3 already, dang!]?! All will be revealed…probably this fall, since Only Murders likes to take its sweet time solving its crime. Plus, with the trio in L.A. this season, they’re bound to be distracted by Hollywood’s glitz and glam. —AF

Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Season 2

Aug. 29 on Prime Video

Gorgeous scenery, cheap wigs, and lore galore—Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is back, my precious! Amazon’s most expensive show has a lot of dangling questions to answer, chief among them being, “What the hell is Sauron going to do next?” Also, “Is Galadriel ever going to reveal his identity to Elrond?” Alas, if there’s one thing LOTR fans know, it’s that Elrond is used to people disappointing him. Only time will tell if Galadriel is any different. —LB