17 Summer TV Shows That Will Make Your Staycation Worth It

Javier Bardem, Amy Adams, and Patrick Wilson star in this limited series inspired by Martin Scorsese’s 1991 film of the same name (which was itself a remake of the 1962 original). Scorsese is back as an executive producer alongside Steven Spielberg, who produced the 1991 version, as this thriller follows killer Max Cady’s quest for revenge on the attorneys who locked him up.

On Apple TV June 5.

Based on Carley Fortune’s bestseller Every Summer After, this sun-kissed romance just might fill the Summer I Turned Pretty-shaped hole in your heart. Told over the course of six years, the series follows young couple Percy and Sam as their love story unfolds in the charming lake town of Barry’s Bay.

On Prime Video June 10.

Fans who have been waiting for the infamous Battle of the Gullet since the season 2 finale will be well rewarded when House of the Dragon returns this summer. This bloody sea conflict in the ongoing war between Targaryen heirs will appear right in the premiere episode, and showrunner Ryan Condal told Entertainment Weekly that it’s “arguably the craziest episode of television ever made.”

On HBO and HBO Max June 21.

Michael Fassbender returns as undercover CIA agent Martian, who’s trying to save his lover Samia (Jodie Turner-Smith) from a political prison in Sudan while fighting his own personal battles. Jeffrey Wright, Katherine Waterston, John Magaro, and Saura Lightfoot-Leon also star in this sleek spy thriller.

On Paramount+ June 21.

Long before Elle Woods strutted into the halls of Harvard (“What, like it’s hard?”), she was a fish-out-of-water teen trying to live her best Californian life in cloudy Seattle. This prequel series, produced by Reese Witherspoon herself, follows Elle during her high school years, with newcomer Lexi Minetree hand-selected to play the titular future lawyer. Prepare for lots of pink.

On Prime Video July 1.

Michelle Buteau’s hilarious and heartwarming comedy (based on her book of essays of the same name) is coming to a close in style. In our final chapter with Mavis (Buteau), a rising NYC stylist looking for love, expect to see a handful of guests—including Wanda Sykes, D.L. Hughley, Ronny Chieng, and Ice-T—plus stars from the fashion world, like Ashley Graham, Jenna Lyons, LaQuan Smith, and Charles Harbison of Harbison Studio.

On Netflix July 2.

This season of the Rebecca Ferguson-starring sci-fi thriller may finally give us some answers with the inclusion of an origin story. As Juliette (Ferguson) faces rebellion in her underground community in the present day, another storyline set centuries earlier follows a journalist and congressman who discover a conspiracy that could explain everything. There’s more to look forward to after this chapter—a fourth and final season is on the way.

On Apple TV July 3.

More than 40 years after Little House on the Prairie was last on TV screens, Netflix is bringing a new iteration to life. Based on Laura Ingalls Wilder’s famous semi-autobiographical books, this series will introduce a new audience to the Ingalls family as they build a life in the American West in the 1800s, seen through the eyes of young protagonist Laura Ingalls (Alice Halsey). Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Vampire Diaries) serves as showrunner.

On Netflix July 9.

Project Runway is in for its biggest edition yet as 22 designers—the most contestants in the show’s history—face off, one catwalk challenge at a time. With Heidi Klum, Law Roach, and ELLE’s very own Nina Garcia back as judges, and Christian Siriano returning as a mentor, get ready for another season of cutthroat fashion.

On Freeform, Disney+, and Hulu July 9.

Based on the book by beach-read queen Elin Hilderbrand, The Five-Star Weekend follows Hollis (Jennifer Garner), a food blogger mourning a tragic loss. To cope with her grief, she invites five best friends, each from different periods of her life, to stay with her in Nantucket for a life-changing weekend. D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, and Chloë Sevigny round out the star-studded friend group.

On Peacock July 9.

Anya Taylor-Joy acts in and produces this adaptation of Marissa Stapley’s eponymous book. Five years after the novel was named a Reese’s Book Club pick, Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine is producing the onscreen version with Apple TV. The drama follows the titular con artist (Taylor-Joy), who’s on the run after a heist goes awry. Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Drew Starkey, also star.

On Apple TV July 15.

Can you believe it? After seemingly saying goodbye with season 3, Ted Lasso is back for a fourth season, and this time Jason Sudeikis’s titular character is facing a new challenge: coaching a women’s soccer team. The gang is back together as Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, and Jeremy Swift return, but they’ll be joined by new faces like Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) and Jude Mack (Andor).

On Apple TV August 5.

Netflix’s ambitious adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s classic (the first on-screen version his estate allowed) will return with more larger-than-life episodes as the story of the Buendía family comes to a close. The grand finale will actually be film-like in length and feel. “We took the series to another level aesthetically, narratively, and through sound and music to build a much more cinematic and emotional ending,” director Laura Mora said.

On Netflix August 5, with the grand finale dropping on August 26.