Summer television heats up as “House of the Dragon” returns with another season of epic dark fantasy, while “The Bear” serves up its fifth and final season. Larry David is back with a new venture, and I’m hopeful that lightning will strike again. In the meantime, here are a few new shows worth watching, considering — or skipping.
WATCH
“Miss You, Love You”
Armed with sharp writing and powerful performances, this drama with Allison Janney and Andrew Rannells is a standout. An intimate movie that feels like watching a play (originally conceived as a play) it is about a grieving widow dealing with her husband’s death, while her estranged son sends his assistant instead of coming himself to help her carry out the husband’s final wishes.
In the week leading up to the funeral, the pair verbally spar over the absent son — her resentment and pain about being alone, his unrequited devotion in the son’s life. They recount profound experiences, reveal secrets, and expose their shared loneliness. Slowly, they connect. It’s bittersweet and deeply affecting. (TV-MA, 1hr 38mins, HBO Max)
“Rivals”
It’s easy to get hooked on this gleefully bawdy tongue-in-cheek streaming series adapted from Dame Jilly Cooper’s popular British “bonkbuster” novels. From naked tennis matches, hunky polo players, and 80s big hair, to massive English country estates and high-society snobbery, “Rivals” is a saucy, spirited watch.
In 1980s Cotswolds, England, a ruthless cigar-chomping media mogul, Lord Baddingham (played with relish by David Tennant) faces off against his chief rivals — an entitled aristocrat and a fierce journalist — in a battle for a regional TV license. There’s rollicking dark comedy and messy romantic entanglements, but all the melodrama is interwoven with vulnerable characters, admirable comebacks, and pointed commentary on power and class. (TV-MA, 2 seasons: Season 1, 8 episodes, Season 2, Part 1, 6 episodes, Hulu and Disney+)
“Star City”
From the creators of the hit “For All Mankind” comes a high-quality sci-fi spinoff based on an alternate-history space race where the Soviets are winning and KGB operatives are embedded with cosmonauts. It’s a tense Cold War-era spy thriller reminiscent of “The Americans,” where personal life behind the Iron Curtain is filled with paranoia, surveillance, and extreme stress for those serving the state. Shifting alliances and high-stakes sacrifices make for a slow-burning, edgy ride. (TV-MA, Season 1, 8 episodes, Apple TV+)
MAYBE
“The Boroughs”
The latest entry from the Duffer Brothers — the pair behind Netflix’s most-watched show ever, “Stranger Things,” and a genuine cultural phenomenon — ventures again into sci-fi territory with “The Boroughs.” Think “Stranger Things” with seniors. It features a watchable older generation of actors (Alfred Molina, Geena Davis, Alfre Woodard) who become unlikely heroes. Tune in if you’re a sci-fi fan and can get past the silly large spider-like monsters. (TV-MA, Season 1, 8 episodes, Netflix)
“Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed”
Check out this limited series if you want a chaotically comic thriller about a newly divorced mother struggling to manage a custody battle for her daughter while being investigated by the police. Trying to balance her life between work and soccer mom, she seeks no-strings intimacy through a sex site, only to find herself entangled in blackmail and murder. (TV-MA, 10 episodes, Apple TV+)
“Spider-Noir”
Nicolas Cage stars as an aging private investigator in this live-action adaptation of the noir-alternative-universe version of Spider-Man. The cynical, down-on-his-luck PI takes on low-stakes cases until the violent mobsters and crooked cops ruling the streets deploy superpowered muscle to gain ultimate control — forcing him to dust off his suit and mask and step back into crime fighting. Try it if you’re a Nicolas Cage or Spider-Man fan, and appreciate the distinct visual style of classic detective stories. (TV-MA, Season 1, 8 episodes, Prime Video)
SKIP
“Jack Ryan: Ghost War”
John Krasinski’s long-awaited return to the role of CIA operative Jack Ryan in “Jack Ryan: Ghost War” is an uninspired and disappointing $100 million feature film. Unlike the earlier Jack Ryan films, this movie — like the streaming series — is not adapted from Tom Clancy’s novels, and the further removed the material gets from the original source, the more popcorn-like it becomes.
The geopolitical thriller continues the series’ story after Season 4’s ending. Ryan, retired from the CIA and working on Wall Street, is yanked back into the field to help thwart a rogue covert black-ops unit that believes it should eliminate terrorists “by any means necessary,” and that sometimes good guys need to do bad things. A clichéd storyline and flat writing aren’t saved by the globe-trotting Dubai and U.K. locations, elaborate chase scenes, and blockbuster budget. Amazon’s hope of turning a popular streaming series into a winning feature film only proves that the reverse formula doesn’t guarantee success. (Rated R, 1hr 45 mins, Prime Video)
UNDER THE RADAR
“The Gold”
Inspired by the true story of one of the largest robberies in British history, “The Gold” Season 1 is a BAFTA-nominated series about the infamous 1983 Brink’s-Mat heist.
Six armed robbers planned to steal a few million pounds of cash at a warehouse near Heathrow, only to stumble upon 3 tons of gold bullion worth £26 million. What follows is a sprawling international operation involving gold smelting, money laundering, and murder. The first season of this true-crime thriller covers the crime and investigation as a police task force closes in through raids and informants, only to find out that the gold was split up and half is still missing. Stars Hugh Bonneville (“Downton Abbey”) and Jack Lowden (“Slow Horses”).
Watch Season 1 before Season 2, the final season arriving in 2026, as the hunt continues for the remainder of the stolen gold. (TV-14, Season 1, 6 episodes, PBS Masterpiece Passport)
