The Sandman
From Thursday, July 3rd, Netflix
Tom Sturridge returns as Dream in the second and final series of the mind-melting fantasy based on the classic comic books by Neil Gaiman. Dream is looking to the future of his kingdom, but there is still some unfinished supernatural business to take care of. He is going to have to pay a visit to hell to conduct a daring rescue. New cast members include Ruairi O’Connor as Orpheus, the only child of Dream and the muse Calliope; Freddy Fox as Loki, the charming god of chaos; and Laurence O’Fuarain as the rude and randy Thor.
All the Sharks
From Friday, July 4th, Netflix
In this aquatic challenge, four teams of marine explorers compete in a global race to find and photograph as many species of sharks as humanly possible. They’ll be diving into the waters of the Caribbean and plunging into the depths of the Pacific on a hunt for toothy predators to add to their photo albums and, with luck, spark better understanding of these much-maligned animals. Whoever can snap the most species will win $50,000 for the marine charity of their choice.
Ballard
From Wednesday, July 9th, Prime Video
Renée Ballard is a hardworking, hard-hitting homicide cop in the LAPD, but she’s a bit too hard-assed for the higher-ups in the force, so when a bust goes pear-shaped she’s banished to the cold-case division, that desolate place reserved for cops who don’t play by the rulebook. Maggie Q stars in this new series based on the crime novels by Michael Connelly, part of the author’s Bosch universe – and yes, retired detective Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) is on hand to give Ballard advice, guidance and the odd reality check.
Foundation
From Friday, July 11th, Apple TV+
You don’t have to be a mathematical genius to save the galaxy, but, in this epic sci-fi series based on the books by Isaac Asimov, doing your sums definitely helps. Foundation tells the story of Hari Seldon (Jared Harris), who has developed the science of psychohistory, which allows him to create an algorithm that predicts the fall of the galactic empire. This is not good news for the emperor Cleon (Lee Pace). Seldon sets up the Foundation on the remote planet of Terminus, with the aim of preserving humanity’s collective knowledge and wisdom in order to rebuild civilisation following the inevitable collapse of the empire. Series three features a new threat to the galaxy in the form of the Mule, a charismatic but merciless warlord. As the empire is now in an unstoppable decline, it looks as though it won’t be able to resist the military and mental might of the Mule, but the Foundation is growing ever stronger: could it join forces with its historic foe to repel this new threat to the galactic order?
Dexter: Resurrection
From Friday, July 11th, Paramount+
We’ve missed our favourite vigilante serial killer ever since he made what appeared to be his bloody bow in 2021. The last we saw of Dexter Morgan, he had apparently been shot dead by his son, Harrison (Jack Abbott), in the final episode of Dexter: New Blood. But Michael C Hall is back as the homicidal antihero in a brand new series, joined by big-name costars that include Uma Thurman and Peter Dinklage. Dexter’s latest adventures take him to New York, where he must hide in plain sight, and where he encounters a sort of secret serial-killer society.
The Wild Ones
from Friday, July 11th, Apple TV+
How’s this for an environmental challenge: travelling around the world to track down six endangered species and save them from extinction. Piece of cake. In this adventure-doc series, three wildlife experts are tasked with finding and filming these elusive animals and coming up with ways to help them thrive in an increasingly hostile world. Former Royal Marines commando Aldo Kane, wildlife camera-trap expert Declan Burley and conservationist and wildlife cinematographer Vianet Djenguet will be bringing some sophisticated equipment to Malaysia, Mongolia, Canada, Indonesia, Armenia and Gabon to capture rare and intimate footage of the Malaysian tiger, Gobi bear, Caucasian leopard, Javan rhino, North Atlantic right whale and western lowland gorilla.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
From Wednesday, July 16th, Prime Video
Get the sunblock, swimsuit and tissues ready for one last visit to Cousins Beach. Lola Tung returns as Isabel “Belly” Conklin, a teenager who just can’t seem to make up her mind. She’s locked in a puppy-love triangle with brothers Conrad and Jeremiah Fisher, but now it looks as if she’s decided that Conrad is her past and Jeremiah her future. As the third and final series of the romantic teen drama begins, Belly has finished her junior year in college and is looking forward to an idyllic summer with Jeremiah. The stakes are raised when he proposes marriage, sending their moms into a bit of a tailspin. And when Conrad unexpectedly comes back on the scene, all bets are off.
Untamed
From Thursday, July 17th, Netflix
Kyle Turner is a special agent for the National Park Service, and his beat is the vast and untamed wilderness of Yosemite National Park, in California, one of the most popular tourist attractions in the US. The thousands of visitors who come here every week see only “maybe 10 per cent of the park”, Turner tells rookie park ranger Naya Vasquez, adding ominously: “Things happen different out here.” When someone is murdered in the park, Turner and Vasquez – who knows about policing in the city – must pool their disparate talents to track down a killer whose knowledge of this wilderness seems almost as good as Turner’s. Eric Bana is the gimlet-eyed Turner, with Lily Santiago as Vasquez and Sam Neill as chief park ranger Paul Souter.
Leanne
From Thursday, July 31st, Netflix
There’s a grand tradition of sitcoms named after their stars – Roseanne, Seinfeld, Ellen, Miranda, Newhart – and here’s another one, this time starring the Tennesseean comedian Leanne Morgan as the kooky matriarch of a modern southern family. After 33 years of marriage, Leanne has been dumped by her husband for another woman, and now she must start all over again as a single, menopausal grandmother. “When I started comedy 25 years ago, my goal was to be a part of a sitcom,” says Morgan. “It just goes to show you it’s never too late, and dreams do come true. I’m a grandmama from Tennessee, and now I have a TV show with Chuck Lorre and Netflix. What in the world?”
The Assassin
Date to be announced, Prime Video
Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore head the cast of this thriller series created by the crime-writing duo of Harry and Jack Williams. Hawes plays retired assassin Julie, who is living quietly on an idyllic Greek island, and hoping to put her life as a hitwoman behind her. But her solitude is interrupted by the arrival of her estranged son, Edward (Highmore), who is looking for answers about who his father is. Julie will have to consider coming out of retirement as some unwelcome faces from her past show up on the island, forcing her and Edward to flee for their lives. In this globetrotting thriller series, Hawes and Highmore are joined by a superb supporting cast including Gina Gershon, Shalom Brune-Franklin, Jack Davenport and Richard Dormer.
