The 25 Most Anticipated TV Shows of Summer 2024
Our guide to all the returning favorites and must-see premieres of this upcoming Summer TV season
Photos Courtesy of FX, HBO, Disney+, and Prime Video TV Lists list
Over the years, the Summer TV season has slowly but surely eroded away. All TV seasons have, really. With broadcast networks putting less stock in the tried-and-true fall schedule and streamers taking advantage of any time-frame they please, it’s started to matter less and less when your show actually premieres. But still, we all eagerly await the Summer TV Guides and Previews to tell us exactly what incredible shows will be hitting our small screens when its too hot outside to think. We dug through all the upcoming premieres, from highly-anticipated hits to under-the-radar favorites to new hopefuls, all in an effort to help you lay out your summer plans with your favorite shows in mind.
In order to be eligible for this list, a show had to premiere from May 23rd, 2024 through August 31st, 2024.
My Adventures with Superman
Status: Returning
Network: Adult Swim (streaming on Max)
Premiere Date: May 26th
Picking up where last season left off, My Adventures with Superman continues to follow Clark (Jack Quaid), Lois (Alice Lee), and Jimmy (Ishmel Sahid), now fully-minted reporters at the Daily Planet, as they navigate their new positions, relationships, and family drama. Clark is plagued by dreams of the mysterious Kryptonian he saw on Zero Day; Lois searches for her father, who has been missing since the final battle; and Jimmy’s Flamebird empire has taken off, though not without a few new road bumps. Task Force X, led now by the perpetually-hateable Amanda Waller (Debra Wilson), is still making power moves, attempting to amass more weaponry to neutralize the person they deem an ongoing threat to humanity: Superman. As Clark and Lois settle into a comfortable romantic relationship, their bond is put to the test when it’s revealed that there is another Kryptonian still alive: Clark’s cousin Kara. As the team prepares to face the fight of their lives against Task Force X, Clark continues to question his place in humanity, his unknown origins, and his connection to those he loves—all while always making time to save the day. —Anna Govert
The Acolyte
Status: New
Network: Disney+
Premiere Date: June 4th
Considering the constant stream of Star Wars stuff on the small screen in the last few years, it’s hard to blame folks for getting a bit fatigued with laser swords and womp rats, but Acolyte’s relatively unique premise (for this franchise, anyway) seems like it could get people back on board. Set in the High Republic, hundreds of years before the Skywalkers took the limelight, it’s being billed as a murder mystery where a group of Jedi attempt to get to the bottom of who’s killing their own. It’s a fun setup, and the trailer indicates it may be able to follow through on the tense ambiance necessary for this kind of tale. In addition to this genre switch-up, the show’s distance from familiar faces gives it the potential to bring a fresh outlook to the franchise (maybe Tatooine won’t be front and center for once!). Created by director and screenwriter Leslye Headland, who was behind the hit Russian Doll, and boasting a big cast with faces we haven’t seen enough of in recent years, like Carrie-Anne Moss, this one has the potential to push the franchise out of its comfort zone. Best-case scenario, maybe it can encourage this series to more fully explore the far reaches of this galaxy. —Elijah Gonzalez
Clipped
Status: New
Network: FX (streaming on Hulu)
Premiere Date: June 4th
Following in the footsteps of HBO’s Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty, FX and Hulu’s Clipped details the tumultuous ownership of the Los Angeles Clippers. Based on the ESPN 30 for 30 podcast “The Sterling Affairs,” the series unpacks the racist, cheap, erratic former owner of the NBA team, Donald Sterling (Ed O’Neil), and how famed coach Doc Rivers (Laurence Fishburne) witnesses the downfall of this once-powerhouse due to the Internet age. FX bills this series as an “Obama-era story of racial reckoning delivered via meme,” which sounds like an incredible peg for a series that is sure to deliver must-see performances from its stacked cast. —Anna Govert
Criminal Minds: Evolution
Status: Returning
Network: Paramount+
Premiere Date: June 6th
Criminal Minds is back once more for the second season of this streamier, more serialized take on the long-running, fan-favorite procedural. After the events of the first season, which found the BAU finally taking down the terrifying Elias Voit (a serial killer who used the pandemic to build a network of other serial killers, played by Zach Gilford), the second season follows the team as they investigate the Gold Star mystery. As they track this potentially government-trained unsub who leaves a single bullet with a gold star carved at every single brutal crime scene, they must band together to solve their most complicated case yet, all while Voit lurks in the background. —Anna Govert
Queenie
Status: New
Network: Hulu
Premiere Date: June 7th
Based on the best-selling novel by Candice Carty-Williams, Hulu’s Queenie follows the titular Queenie, a Jamaican-British woman living in London and trying to find herself in her mid-20’s. Following a devastating break-up, Queenie realizes that it’s time to find herself outside of this long-term relationship that defined so much of her early adult life. Now, as she attempts to balance healing and comfort with her effort to rediscover herself, she realizes that she must face the past in order to embrace the future. Billed as a series perfect for fans of movies and books like Bridget Jones’s Diary, Queenie is sure to deliver on the romance, comedy, and coming-of-age vibes we all know and love. —Anna Govert
Presumed Innocent
Status: New Series
Network: Apple TV+
Premiere Date: June 12th
Starring and executive produced by Jake Gyllenhaal, Apple TV+’s Presumed Innocent follows Gyllenhaal as Rusty Sabich, a Chicago prosecutor accused of the murder of his mistress. Based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Scott Turow, the series promises twisty drama and court room intrigue, all anchored by Gyllenhaal as a man under a magnifying glass. The eight-episode series boasts David E. Kelley (of The Lincoln Lawyer fame, alongside a long list of writing credits including Love & Death and Big Little Lies) as creator and writer, alongside J.J. Abrams as an executive producer. —Anna Govert
The Boys
Status: Returning
Network: Prime Video
Premiere Date: June 13th
They’re baaaaack. Prime Video’s gnarly, horrible superheroes are returning for Season 4, just a little under a year after the first season of Gen V hit our screens. Picking up the baton from the end of both Season 3 of the flagship series and the first season of the spinoff, Homelander (Antony Starr) has presidential hopeful Victoria Newman (Claudia Doumit) in the palm of his hand, and with Billy Butcher (Karl Urban) only having a few months left to live, there’s no better time to put a stop to them than right now. Unfortunately for him, he’s been kicked out of The Boys—but he still is more ready than ever to save this world on the brink of collapse. This season is sure to be another hilarious and gruesome takedown of superhero tropes and our own shaky political sphere, while delivering even more heart-pounding fights and shocking gags (and be sure to look out for cameos from Gen V favorites Cate [Maddie Phillips] and Sam [Asa Germann]). —Anna Govert
House of the Dragon
Status: Returning
Network: HBO (streaming on Max)
Premiere Date: June 16th
HBO’s House of the Dragon was the summer’s big, breakout hit in 2022, and it’s finally returning for its highly-anticipated second season. In the aftermath of last season’s final battle, Green Council—led by Alicent (Olivia Cooke) in support of her son King Aegon (Tom Glynn-Carney)—and Black Council—led by Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) in support of Queen Rheanyra (Emma D’Arcy)—fight to gain control of Westeros in the power vacuum that was left by the death of King Viserys (Paddy Considine), Alicent’s husband and Rheanyra’s father. This series features all the best aspects of its predecessor Game of Thrones (unmatched melodrama, incredible performances, soapy, theatrical court drama), and its second season is sure to deliver even more awe-inducing fights, breathtaking performances, and, unfortunately, probably even more incest. —Anna Govert
Orphan Black: Echoes
Status: New
Network: AMC
Premiere Date: June 23rd
AMC’s Orphan Black was a truly unique series, and one that has remained in the hearts and minds of TV fans everywhere. Defined by the incredible outing from Tatiana Maslany as nearly every character that ever graced our screens during the series, Orphan Black was a triumph of performance and of female-focused, sci-fi storytelling. Thankfully, hardcore Orphan Black fans can rejoice, as Orphan Black: Echoes is finally hitting our screens in the States this summer. Starring Jessica Jones’ Kristen Ritter, the series takes place 37 years after the end of the original series, now following Sarah Manning’s (Maslany) daughter Kira (now played by Keeley Hawes) as she and her wife attempt to help a woman (Ritter) suffering from amnesia. This series will surely feature a plethora of fun call-backs for fans of the original series, while hopefully standing on its own as an engaging and slick sci-fi thriller. —Anna Govert
Land of Women
Status: New
Network: Apple TV+
Premiere Date: June 26th
Starring and executive produced by Eva Longoria, Apple TV+’s newest dramedy Land of Women is sure to be a summertime delight. The series follows Gala (Longoria), whose husband implicates the entire family in some shady financial dealings, forcing her, her aging mother (Carmen Maura), and her teenage daughter (Victoria Bazúa) to flee the country. They leave New York and head to a small wine town in northern Spain, and while this sounds like a charming getaway from the criminal empire after them, there’s one catch: Gala’s mother fled this very same town 50 years ago, and vowed to never return. So as the women attempt to maintain a low profile, hiding their identities from their new neighbors, the small-town rumor mill threatens to expose their secrets. —Anna Govert
The Bear
Status: Returning
Network: FX (streaming on Hulu)
Premiere Date: June 27th
As the continuation to Paste’s top TV series of 2023, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that we’re buzzing with excitement for the return of this high-intensity kitchen and its lovable cast of walking train-wrecks. For those out of the loop, this dramedy follows Carmine “Carmy” Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a former Michelin-star chef who returns to Chicago to take over his family’s sandwich shop after the death of his brother. But what should have theoretically been a lower-stress environment turns out to be anything but as Carmy navigates the anxieties of the brutal restaurant business. Coming off a second season that perfectly prepared rumination on obsession, familial trauma, and personal growth, there’s undeniably a lot of pressure for the latest run to meet these heightened expectations, but thankfully, the gang is back together, including series creator Christopher Storer, actors Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, and more. This upcoming June is stacked, but the show many of us are most excited to dig into is undoubtedly The Bear. —Elijah Gonzalez
My Lady Jane
Status: New
Network: Prime Video
Premiere Date: June 27th
Have you ever asked yourself the exceedingly specific historical question of what would happen if Lady Jane Grey (aka the Nine Days’ Queen) of Tudor England wasn’t executed after claiming the throne in 1553? My Lady Jane, an adaptation of the YA novel of the same name, promises to answer this question by delivering an alternate history where this would-be-monarch escapes an early death. And while the historical context tied to this premise is quite grave, the book it’s based on is frequently described as an irreverent comedy that’s drawn comparisons to The Princess Bride. Meredith Glynn (The Boys) and Gemma Burgess (Brooklyn Girls) will be handling showrunning duties, while Emily Bader (Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin, Fresh Kills) will be playing the titular heroine. The world can always use more farcical period pieces, and My Lady Jane may be able to fit the bill when it lands on Prime Video. —Elijah Gonzalez
Zombies: The Re-Animated Series
Status: New
Network: Disney Channel (streaming on Disney+)
Premiere Date: June 28th
Disney’s Zombies franchise is officially coming to the small screen, re-animated and ready for more musical fun. The series picks up in the aftermath of the third film, following Addison’s (Meg Donnelly) realization that she’s an alien alongside the graduation of our favorite Seabrook students from high school. But, of course, this is the Disney Channel, so they’re not moving on to college just yet. As a way to relive their senior year in a more connected and fun way, Zed (Milo Manheim), Addison, and the crew go back in time to the start of their final year of high school to do it all over again. The series features some classic Zombies hijinks, appearances from all our favorite characters, and even more ear-worm songs sure to be stuck in your head all summer long. For those looking for more Disney fun before Zombies 4 hits our screens next year, look no further than this Re-Animated delight. —Anna Govert
WondLa
Status: New
Network: Apple TV+
Premiere Date: June 28th
Based on a trilogy of best-selling sci-fi novels by Tony DiTerlizzi, WondLa is an upcoming 3D animated series that follows Eva (Jeanine Mason), a young girl who grows up in an underground bunker with only her robot caretaker, Muthr (Teri Hatcher), as a companion. After being forced to leave her home, she finds herself on the surface, a place inhabited by alien lifeforms, and sets off on a journey to find other humans. Between its intriguing premise and the positive buzz around this book trilogy, Wondla has quite a bit of promise. Bobs Gannaway (Monsters at Work, Lilo & Stitch The Series), a veteran of TV animation, will be handling showrunning duties. The series is being handled by Skydance Animation, who got off to a slow start with their cooly-received debut film, Luck, but if this one can emulate the beautiful illustrations from its source material, it could make for an out-of-this-world adaptation. —Elijah Gonzalez
Sunny
Status: New
Network: Apple TV+
Premiere Date: July 10th
Find someone who loves you as much as Apple TV+ loves creating adaptations of science fiction novels. While some come up short or are doomed for cancellation, the streamer has produced quite a few bangers like Severance, For All Mankind, Silo, and more over the last few years. Sunny is an adaptation of a, you guessed it, sci-fi novel that follows Suzie Sakamoto (Rashida Jones), a woman left grieving after the disappearance of her husband and son in an airplane accident. In exchange for this great loss, her spouse’s company gifts her a robot. In case you couldn’t tell, this one will apparently be a dark comedy. Jones will be joined by the excellent Hidetoshi Nishijima (Drive My Car, Shin Ultraman), who is playing her missing husband, alongside Joanna Sotomura (Emma Approved) as the robot Sunny, and more. We don’t have much to go off here, but between its star power and enticing setup, hopefully this one will end up on the right side of Apple TV+’s hefty sci-fi output. —Elijah Gonzalez
Cobra Kai
Status: Returning
Network: Netflix
Premiere Date: July 18th
In its sixth and final season, Netflix’s Cobra Kai is sure to go out with a bang. Following the Season 5 finale, the students and sensai alike will have to decide how to face their biggest challenge yet: Sekai Taikai, the world championship of karate. With the team putting in the work to face their toughest battle yet (and the looming threat of original Cobra Kai founder John Kreese [Martin Kove] on the loose after faking his death and escaping from prison), this final season is sure to feature all the kick-ass karate we love alongside the heartfelt dojo dynamics that have kept us coming back all these years. —Anna Govert
Those About to Die
Status: New
Network: Peacock
Premiere Date: July 18th
Based on the same non-fiction novel that inspired Ridley Scott’s Gladiator, Those About to Die is an upcoming Peacock series following ancient Roman blood sport that will drop all 10 episodes on July 18th. Look, do we maybe collectively overly fixate on gladiators relative to their historical importance while also exaggerating many of the details around how these fights actually worked? Maybe. But the moral stench of death games is so pungent that it makes sense why we’re still obsessed with them centuries later. Ideally, Those About to Die will either be able to dive into the nuances undergirding the rotten institutions that made them possible, or more likely, will at least be good at hamming up these exploitative battles. An exciting detail here is the big Hollywood names attached, such as Anthony Hopkins, who will be starring as Emperor Vespasian, director Roland Emmerich (Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow, and like every other disaster movie ever made), and screenwriter Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan, Falling Skies), among others. —Elijah Gonzalez
The Lady in the Lake
Status: New
Network: Apple TV+
Premiere Date: July 19th
This seven-episode limited series from star and executive producer Natalie Portman is not another sci-fi series from Apple TV+, this time offering up a twisty mystery with another star-studded cast. The series follows Portman as Maddie Schwartz, a Jewish housewife attempting to reinvent herself as an investigative journalist. She becomes fixated on the death of Cleo Sherwood (Moses Ingram), a mother also looking to reinvent herself in the political underbelly of Black Baltimore while struggling to provide for her family. As Maddie becomes more and more obsessed with the death of this woman with whom she feels a true connection, her investigation leads her down dangerous paths. Like most Apple originals, The Lady in the Lake is based on the novel of the same name by Laura Lippman. —Anna Govert
The Decameron
Status: New
Network: Netflix
Premiere Date: July
On its face, the bubonic plague doesn’t necessarily scream “funny,” but The Decameron is a black comedy that intends to prove otherwise. Loosely based on a collection of short stories of the same name, the series will follow a group of hedonistic aristocrats who attempt to party away the Black Death from the safety of their secluded estate in 1348 as they tell tales to pass the time. If you think a story about class disparity during a pandemic seems to have a lot in common with recent events, creator and showrunner Kathleen Jordan agrees with you and has described this COVID-19-adjacent dynamic as an essential element of this story. Beyond this, it apparently won’t shy away from the more salacious aspects of its source material (which makes sense because literature from the 14th century can be surprisingly horny at times). The series boasts an exciting ensemble cast, including Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education, Emma), Amar Chadha-Patel (Willow, The Wheel of Time), Jessica Plummer (The Girl Before), and more. —Elijah Gonzalez
Batman: Caped Crusader
Status: New
Network: Prime Video
Premiere Date: August 1st
The Dark Knight has a long and illustrious career in the world of animation, from reimaginings like Batman Beyond to the acclaimed Batman: The Animated Series, which is often heralded as one of the best cartoons of all time. Gotham’s detective will make his highly anticipated return to the format in the 10-episode show Batman: Caped Crusader, a “reimagining of the Batman mythology through the visionary lens of executive producers J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves, and Bruce Timm.” For those who aren’t in the know, Bruce Timm co-created The Animated Series, while Reeves recently directed the scorcher reboot, The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson. The project will be a collaboration between the iconic Warner Bros. Animation, Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Reeves’ 6th & Idaho. They’ve already teased some of the new versions of these characters, such as a remixed Dr. Harleen Quinzel, who flips the script on everyone’s favorite murderous court jester by having her act bubbly when she’s not wearing the mask and sinister when she transforms into Harley Quinn. Batman comes with a hefty legacy, cartoon or otherwise, but hopefully, the latest will take a cue from successful reboots like My Adventures with Superman and maintain the essence of what came before while doing new things with the material. —Elijah Gonzalez
The Umbrella Academy
Status: Returning (final season)
Network: Netflix
Premiere Date: August 8th
The Umbrella Academy is returning for one final mission, and this time, they must face it without their powers. In the aftermath of the Season 3 finale, which found the family in a new timeline where none of them have their abilities, they must band together to take down an entirely new villainous threat that wishes to see them wiped from existence. As they work to get their powers back and take down those that wish to destroy them, the siblings will don their rain gear and get back to work. The long awaited final season of the show is sure to be an earned send-off for one of Netflix’s most original and unique series, featuring a cast that has delivered incredible performances to bring this Gerard Way comic adaptation from the page to our TV screens. —Anna Govert
Emily in Paris
Status: Returning
Network: Netflix
Premiere Date: August 15th
Following that jaw-dropping finale of the third season of this uber-popular Netflix soap, Emily in Paris is back once again for the first of its two-season renewal. Season 4 continues to follow the titular Emily (Lily Collins) as she now navigates her feelings for both Gabriel (Lucas Bravo) and Alfie (Lucien Laviscount), who are each going through their own tumultuous life changes. With promises of Eurovision and Michelin stars looming in the background, it’ll be interesting to see how this series evolves from that rather scorched-Earth ending into the future. —Anna Govert
Only Murders in the Building
Status: Returning
Network: Hulu
Premiere Date: August 27th
It wouldn’t be summer without the return of everyone’s favorite mystery trio: Oliver (Martin Short), Mabel (Selena Gomez), and Charles (Steve Martin). This year, the podcasters are taking a trip to L.A., where they are sure to stumble into the same amount of murderous trouble they get up to in New York at The Arconia. It’ll be interesting to see how Only Murders handles the change of scenery (seriously, what are we supposed to do without the ambiance of The Arconia?!), but with so many returning favorites (including Meryl Streep) alongside exciting new quest stars (Eva Longoria! Molly Shannon! Melissa McCarthy! Zach Galifianakis!), it’s sure to be another delightful season from this incredible series. If only we didn’t have to lose Sazz (Jane Lynch) to get it… —Anna Govert
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Status: Returning
Network: Prime Video
Premiere Date: August 29th
Over two years since the release of the beautiful (and expensive) first season, Prime Video’s Lord of the Rings experiment The Rings of Power is returning for its grand second season, and this time around promises more danger than ever before. Following the shocking(-ish) reveal that Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) was actually the mythical Lord Sauron, it’s up to Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) to gather all the allies she can to bring a stop to him and his evil plans for Middle-earth. Sure to feature more sprawling landscapes, beautiful friendships, and even more references to events yet to come, this season is a must-watch when it hits our screens to close out the summer. —Anna Govert
Terminator: Zero
Status: New
Network: Netflix
Premiere Date: August 29th
The first two Terminator films are undisputed sci-fi classics, so much so that, despite an army of not-so-great follow-ups, it can be hard to avoid getting at least a little amped up about there being more unstoppable death robots on the way. Terminator: Zero is an upcoming animated project from the prolific anime studio Production I.G. (Ghost in the Shell, Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade), Skydance, and showrunner Mattson Tomlin (Power Project), which promises a new take on the forever war with Skynet. As is tradition, the story will center on a soldier sent back in time to protect a person of interest, in this case, a scientist named Malcolm Lee, who is pursued by “an assassin from the future.” I’ll admit that, at this point, thanks to the many time travel loops introduced in each sequel, grokking the full chain of events for this franchise is a lost cause. But despite this lingering confusion and the seemingly familiar setup with this latest rendition, Tomlin has said that this Terminator story “breaks conventions,” and I’m quite interested to see if that turns out to be the case. —Elijah Gonzalez
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