10 TV shows we can’t wait to watch this summer, ranked

Summer hasn’t quite arrived yet, but when it gets here, there’s going to be plenty of new and returning shows to watch on your favorite streaming platforms. The great thing about the streaming era is that you don’t have to rush home to watch the latest series, and frankly, you don’t have to go home at all. Streaming lets you control when and where you watch. However, the streaming services still decide which shows are coming and when they’re going to premiere.

To help you make your viewing plans for the hottest months of the year, we’ve narrowed down our selections to the 10 TV shows that we can’t wait to watch this summer. And you’ll probably find some of your new favorite binge watches below.

10. Mayor of Kingstown season 3

Mike McLusky is back for the third season of Mayor of Kingstown, and that’s not something we were sure would ever happen after Jeremy Renner was nearly killed in a snowplow accident in January 2023. But now he’s back as the unofficial power broker of Kingstown, who can bridge both sides of the law.

Unfortunately for Mike, the Russian mafia has decided that Kingstown is going to be their territory now. And they’ve got the firepower to back up their claims. To win this war, Mike’s going to need more than just his wits and his fists.

Mayor of Kingstown season 3 will premiere on Paramount+ on June 2.

9. Sunny

This summer, Rashida Jones is making friends with a robot in Apple TV+‘s Sunny. Jones is Suzie Sakamoto, a woman who is bereft after learning her husband and son are missing and presumed dead after a plane crash. To lift Suzie’s spirits, her husband’s company gives her Sunny (Joanna Sotomura), who basically acts as her emotional support robot.

But the more that Suzie bonds with Sunny, the more she’s convinced that her family may have been the victims of foul play. And Sunny is going to help her prove it.

Sunny will premiere on July 10 on Apple TV+.

8. Clipped

There’s something amusing about the way that HBO and Max got to tell the Los Angeles Lakers in Winning Time, while FX gets the Los Angeles Clippers in Clipped. But there’s a very interesting story about the downfall of former Clippers owner Donald Sterling, as played by Modern Family and Married with Children icon Ed O’Neill.

Sterling was caught on tape making several racist statements by his mistress, V. Stiviano (Cleopatra Coleman), which set in motion the events that got him banned from the NBA for life … as well as a $1 billion dollar payout for the team. That’ll show him!

Clipped will premiere on Hulu on June 4.

7. Eric

After years of playing Doctor Strange and other roles on the big screen, Benedict Cumberbatch is back on TV this summer in Eric, a new Netflix original miniseries.

The series takes place in New York during the 1980s, with Cumberbatch in the leading role as Vincent, the father of a nine-year-old boy named Edgar (Ivan Morris Howe). When Edgar goes missing, Vincent has a bit of psychological break, and he becomes convinced that his seven-foot-tall puppet, Eric, can help him find his son.

Eric will be released on Netflix on May 30.

6. Those About to Die

Daniel P. Mannix’s book Those About To Die was the inspiration for Ridley Scott’s Gladiator. Now, it’s also the basis for a new Peacock original series set during the Roman Empire. And the early look at this show reminds us of the Starz series Spartacus.

In his first major TV role since Westworld, Anthony Hopkins has the leading part as Emperor Vespasian. We don’t know too much about the other characters on this show, but we’ll watch just to see Hopkins chew the scenery.

Those About To Die will premiere on Peacock on July 18. 

5. The Boys season 4

The Boys couldn’t have asked for a better gift than the current hush money trial for former President Trump. Prime Video’s marketing team has played off that for the trial of Homelander (Antony Starr), who openly murdered a man in the third season finale. Homelander used to hide his dark side from the public, but now his true self is actually earning him devoted followers.

Meanwhile, Butcher (Karl Urban) has been ousted as the leader of The Boys, and he only has a few months left to live. Butcher also doesn’t have much left to lose in his vendetta against Homelander and the other so-called superheroes, and he’ll be dragging his old team back into action sooner rather than later.

The Boys season 4 will premiere on June 13 on Prime Video.

4. The Bear season 3

It’s not overhyping things to say that The Bear is one of the best shows on TV. The Bear is both a great drama and a hilarious comedy that gets viewers invested in the story of Carmy Berzatto (The Iron Claw‘s Jeremy Allen White) and his employees, Sydney Adamu (Ayo Edebiri), Richie Jerimovich  (Ebon Moss-Bachrach), Marcus Brooks (Lionel Boyce), Tina Marrero (Liza Colón-Zayas), and others.

Together, they’re trying to transform the Berzatto family restaurant into something special. The show is heart-wrenching and life-affirming at the same time.

The Bear season 3 will premiere on FX and Hulu in June.

3. The Acolyte

Who is the Acolyte in the next Star Wars series? The safe money is on Mae (Amandla Stenberg), a former Padawan learner who is getting a bit stabby with the Jedi she encounters in The Acolyte. It takes some real skills to try to fight lightsaber-wielding Jedi with knives, but Mae seems to have enough hate to pull it off.

Jedi Masters Sol (Lee Jung-jae) and Indara (Carrie-Anne Moss) are at the top of Mae’s hit list. But if Mae’s targeting Jedi, then it’s only a matter of time before the Sith recruit her to their side. When that happens, she won’t have to use knives anymore.

Star Wars: The Acolyte will premiere on June 4 on Disney+.

2. Only Murders in the Building season 4

Death just seems to follow the core trio of Only Murders in the Building. Charles-Haden Savage (Steve Martin), Oliver Putnam (Martin Short), and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez) have been neck-deep in murders since the first season of the show. But in the third season finale, someone shot Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch) while she was dressed as Charles when she went inside his apartment.

This suggests that Charles himself was the intended victim. But who shot Sazz? And why? We’ll find out soon.

Only Murders in the Building season 4 will premiere this summer on Hulu.

1. House of the Dragon season 2

There’s a civil war brewing in Westeros, and blood has already been spilled in HBO’s House of the Dragon. Queen Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) has lost her son and her throne to her half-brothers, King Aegon II Targaryen (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell). Now, Rhaenyra is going to be out for blood.

Both sides of this war have dragons, which are the equivalent of weapons of mass destruction in this world. There are no winners when dragons fight and kill each other, and the Targaryens are only hastening their own downfall.

House of the Dragon season 2 will premiere on June 16.