24 Brand-New Shows Hitting TV Screens This Summer

Updated on 6/26/2018 at 7:45 PM

Summer is here, which means you should probably be outside grilling, swimming, traveling, having picnics in the park, and drinking Frosé (although I'd argue you can do that last thing all-year round). However, when you find yourself in dire need of some air conditioning and the comfort of your couch, there are quite a few brand-new TV shows that will keep you even more entertained than a giant unicorn pool float. In the mood for a mystery? Try a twisted Netflix thriller, or the upcoming Sharp Objects adaptation. Feeling more like an intriguing family drama? Or how about an action-adventure series starring John Krasinski? There's something for everyone, so read on to see which series are worth your time.

Vida

The scoop: Two Mexican-American sisters tackle gentrification, family discord, and their relationships with their own heritage when they return to their predominantly Latinx home in East LA to bury their mother, Vidalia.
Release date: May 6
Where to watch: Starz

Sweetbitter

The scoop: This six-episode series features British actress Ella Purnell as Tess, the complex heroine of Stephanie Danler's hit 2016 novel, who comes of age while working as a server in one of NYC's top restaurants. It's a charming drama that features a diverse cast of characters you won't soon forget.
Release date: May 6
Where to watch: Starz

Safe

The scoop: Dexter's Michael C. Hall stars in the mystery series as Tom, a harried British surgeon and widow who's struggling to create a sense of normalcy for his two daughters as they all cope with the death of their mother. When his oldest daughter disappears from a wild party in their gated community, he goes on a mission to find her. Naturally, his quest to discover Jenny's whereabouts involves unearthing a few secrets that the people closest to him would've preferred stay under wraps, forever changing the lives of everyone in the neighborhood.
Release date: May 10
Where to watch: Netflix

Little Women

The scoop: Louisa May Alcott's iconic novel has been revived yet again, this time on PBS. The miniseries traces the lives of the four March sisters during the American Civil War as they experience great love and tragic loss.
Release date: May 13
Where to watch: PBS

Citizen Rose

The scoop: This five-part docuseries tracks actress, director, and activist Rose McGowan's outspoken crusade against sexual assault in Hollywood, as well as her connection to the explosive Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations that broke in 2017. Citizen Rose will also explore her involvement in the Me Too movement.
Release date: May 17
Where to watch: E!

Picnic at Hanging Rock

The scoop: This chilling miniseries travels back to the 1900s to tell the story of a girls' boarding school in Australia. During a Valentine's Day picnic in the great outdoors, three schoolgirls and their governesses mysteriously disappear. The series stars Natalie Dormer and Lola Bessis.
Release date: May 25
Where to watch: Amazon

The Break With Michelle Wolf

The scoop: Comedian Michelle Wolf is following up her jaw-dropping set at the White House Correspondents Dinner with a weekly show on Netflix, during which you can expect some hilarious barbs about just about everything (and everyone). Thanks to her experience working on The Daily Show and Late Night With Seth Meyers, we have no doubt it'll quickly become must-watch TV.
Release date: May 27
Where to watch: Netflix

Reverie

The scoop: Sarah Shahi and Dennis Haysbert star in this sci-fi drama as agents in charge of rescuing people from a dangerous, advanced virtual reality program after the project doesn't go as planned.
Release date: May 30
Where to watch: NBC

Succession

The scoop: Succession follows the dramatic ups and downs of the various members of the Roy family when aging patriarch Logan Roy (Brian Cox), the leader of a global-media empire, begins to step back from the conglomerate he built. Before long, his three children go to war with one another for control of the company.
Release date: June 3
Where to watch: HBO

Pose

The scoop: Ryan Murphy's latest series looks absolutely mesmerizing. The FX drama is set in New York City in the late '80s, and dives into the underground ballroom scene with the help of talented trans actors like MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Dominique Jackson, Hailie Sahar, and Angelica Ross. Evan Peters and Kate Mara also star.
Release date: June 3
Where to watch: FX

Dietland

The scoop: Marti Noxon's upcoming comedy series is adapted from Sarai Walker's novel, and although it might give you Devil Wears Prada vibes at first, don't let that fool you into thinking it's a rip-off — the premise has an interesting twist. The show follows a ghostwriter (Joy Nash) for the editor (Julianna Margulies) of a fashion and beauty magazine as she struggles with her self-image. Meanwhile, men throughout the city who are accused of sexual abuse and assault start disappearing and enduring grisly deaths. Pretty damn timely, huh?
Release date: June 4
Where to watch: AMC

American Woman

The scoop: If you're a Real Housewives of Beverly Hills fan, American Woman should pique your interest. The Bravo reality show's very own Kyle Richards is serving as co-executive producer on the drama, which stars Alicia Silverstone as a single mom raising her daughter in the '70s (it's based on Richards' childhood).
Release date: June 7
Where to watch: Paramount

Cloak and Dagger

The scoop: Fans of Marvel's Cloak and Dagger comics are finally getting the TV adaptation they deserve, thanks to Freeform. The show stars Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph as the titular young superheroes, who fall in love while trying to figure out how to wield their new powers.
Release date: June 7
Where to watch: Freeform

The Staircase

The scoop: Are you ready to have your life taken over by another engrossing true crime documentary series? Because Netflix's The Staircase will do just that as it follows the gruesome case of crime novelist Mike Patterson, who was convicted of killing his wife by throwing her down — you guessed it — their home's staircase.
Release date: June 8
Where to watch: Netflix

Strange Angel

The scoop: Strange Angel follows the life of ambitious blue-collar rocket scientist Jack Parsons (Detroit's Jack Reynor) in the 1930s and 1940s and digs into his connections to British occultist Aleister Crowley.
Release date: June 14
Where to watch: CBS All Access

The Proposal

The scoop: While sadly this isn't a spinoff of the Ryan Reynolds and Sandra Bullock rom-com, it does sound interesting. The creator of The Bachelor is bringing yet another reality romance series to our TV screens with The Proposal, which will see what happens when 10 eligible daters compete in four pageant-style rounds to win the heart of a suitor, or "suitress," whose identity will remain a mystery until the end of each hour-long episode.
Release date: June 18
Where to watch: ABC

Yellowstone

The scoop: Director Tyler Sheridan — the mastermind behind Hell or High Water, Wind River, and Sicario — is bringing us this Western drama starring Kevin Costner, which will explore the trials and tribulations a ranching family in Montana.
Release date: June 20
Where to watch: Paramount

Take Two

The scoop: Need a show to fill the Castle-sized hole in your heart? Enter Take Two, which stars Rachel Bilson as a disgraced actress who decides to shadow a real-life cop (Eddie Cibrian) as research for an upcoming role. We can only assume that sparks will fly and hijinks will ensue.
Release date: June 21
Where to watch: ABC

Sharp Objects

The scoop: At long last, the adaptation of Gillian Flynn's Sharp Objects is on the way. The series stars Amy Adams as an emotionally unstable journalist gets an assignment to cover a string of murders in her hometown, which ends up triggering a number of events that threaten to change her life forever. It costars Patricia Clarkson as Camille's antagonistic mother, Adora.
Release date: July 8
Where to watch: HBO

Castle Rock

The scoop: The exact plot of this Stephen King project is still just a little murky, but here's what we've been able to gather so far: Henry Deaver (Moonlight's André Holland) arrives in town after getting "a call from Shawshank" prison and later meets an inmate there (It's Bill Skarsgard). While investigating whatever it is in the prison that needs his attention — it seems to involve a suicide — Henry bumps into other odd people in the town: Ruth Deaver (clearly related to Henry, played by Sissy Spacek), Molly Strand (Melanie Lynskey), Alan Pangborn (Scott Glenn), and more.
Release date: July 25
Where to watch: Hulu

Making It

The scoop: We could happily watch Parks and Rec costars Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman stare at a wall in silence and somehow still be entertained, but fortunately their new reality show sounds far livelier. The former costars and real-life BFFs will host Making It, a craft-making competition show that's already giving us The Great British Baking Show vibes. Expect Poehler's signature humor and optimism, as well as Offerman's tough-but-fair guidance and woodworking expertise.
Release date: July 31
Where to watch: NBC

Lodge 49

The scoop: Wyatt Russel stars in this lighthearted comedy about Dud, a former surfer living in Long Beach, who finds his life unraveling after the death of his father and the loss of their family business. Luckily he happens to meet a few middle-aged members of a fraternal lodge who welcome him to be a "Luminous Knight" of the order, which puts him on a path to putting his life back together.
Release date: Aug. 6
Where to watch: AMC

The Innocents

The scoop: This British series follows young Harry (Wizards vs. Aliens's Percelle Ascott) and June (Clique's Sorcha Groundsell) as they run away from their restrictive families so they can be together in London, but their new adventure quickly goes awry when it's revealed June is no ordinary teenager — she has the unique ability to shape-shift.
Release date: Aug. 24
Where to watch: Netflix

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan

The scoop: John Krasinski stars in this political action thriller about a CIA analyst who gets roped into a dangerous real-world assignment away from the safety of his desk, leading to brushes with an international terrorist cell and more than a few threats to his life.
Release date: Aug. 31
Where to watch: Amazon