Summer TV Preview 2026: The 15 Shows We Can’t Wait to Watch

Cape Fear (Apple TV)

Prestige TV doesn’t get more prestige than this series-length adaptation of the noirish thriller that’s yielded two big-screen classics. Oscar winner Javier Bardem, 57, stars as the tattooed murderer Max Cady (memorably played by Robert Mitchum in 1962 and Robert De Niro in 1991). Upon his release from prison, Max begins stalking the attorney who got him locked up — in this case, husband-wife prosecutors played by Patrick Wilson, 52, and Amy Adams, 51. Martin Scorsese, 83, who directed the 1991 remake, executive produces this version with Steven Spielberg, 79.

Coming June 5

Alice and Steve (Hulu on Disney+)

British actor Nicola Walker, 56, and Jemaine Clement, 52 (half of New Zealand's musical comedy duo Flight of the Conchords), play lifelong besties whose relationship is put to the test when he starts dating her 26-year-old daughter, Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith). This six-episode comedy is from the producers of the critically acclaimed Baby Reindeer, so expect some cringeworthy black humor between the punchlines.

Coming June 8

Masterpiece: Grantchester, Season 11 (PBS, pbs.org, PBS app)

For over a decade, PBS watchers have been captivated by the curious crime wave that’s befallen the genial village of Grantchester in Cambridgeshire, England, where the local detective inspector (Robson Green) has gotten an unusual assist from the sharp-eyed Anglican vicar (currently played by Rishi Nair). In the show’s 11th and final season, the pair find themselves at a crossroads: The Rev. Alphy is pondering his possible future with the bishop’s daughter, while Geordie Keating weighs an offer from his commanding officer that would take him out of the village for good.

Coming June 14

House of the Dragon, Season 3 (HBO, HBO Max)

It’s brother against brother — and dragon against dragon — as the Targaryen clan’s civil war heats up in the new season of the Game of Thrones prequel series. Last season ended just before the Blacks and the Greens faced off in the crucial Battle of the Gullet, one of the biggest and bloodiest naval conflicts in the Westeros legends of George R.R. Martin.

Coming June 21

Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness (HBO, HBO Max)

Just in time for America’s 250th birthday, Larry David, 78, brings us a new sketch comedy series that aims to chart an “almost history” of our nation. Barack and Michelle Obama produce the show, which boasts a who’s who of starry cameos like Curb Your Enthusiasm alum Susie Essman, 70, as Susan B. Anthony, Kathryn Hahn, 52, and Bill Hader as Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln, and Jon Hamm, 55, and Sean Hayes, 55, as the Wright brothers.

Coming June 26

Elle (Prime Video)

Oh my God, you guys! This Legally Blonde prequel series follows a teenage Elle Woods before she used her knowledge of fashion and social skills to finagle her place at Harvard Law School. Newcomer Lexi Minetree steps into the stylish pumps of the perky character that Reese Witherspoon made famous, with Tom Everett Scott, 55 (That Thing You Do!), and June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie) as her parents.

Coming July 1

Little House on the Prairie (Netflix)

Pack up the covered wagon! Netflix is rebooting Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved children’s books about a family settling in the American Midwest in the late 19th century. Wilder’s semi-autobiographical novels, published during the Great Depression, inspired a long-running TV series in the 1970s and ’80s, of course. But expect some nods to 21st-century sensibilities while respecting stories that combine family drama, survival adventure and a history lesson on the settling of the American frontier.

Coming July 9

The Five Star Weekend (Peacock)

Jennifer Garner, 54, plays a celebrity food influencer who invites a handful of old friends to her plush Nantucket vacation home while she’s coping with the sudden death of her husband. In eight episodes based on Elin Hilderbrand’s best-selling 2023 novel of the same name, we follow this sassy sisterhood as they come to terms with midlife issues (not to mention realizing they’re the same age as the cast of The Golden Girls was at the time). The supporting cast includes Regina Hall, 55, Chloë Sevigny, 51, D’Arcy Carden and Gemma Chan.

Coming July 9

Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (HBO Max)

First The Big Bang Theory spawned a prequel series, Young Sheldon. Now comes a spin-off that goes in a very sci-fi direction. After comic book store owner Stuart Bloom (Kevin Sussman, 55) accidentally breaks a device built by Big Bang geniuses Sheldon and Leonard, he creates a time-bending new reality featuring alternate-universe versions of characters from the show. He teams up with a couple of other nerds to restore order to the universe, one half-hour misadventure at a time.

Coming in July

Ted Lasso, Season 4 (Apple TV)

You knew Ted Lasso must have been fibbing when he packed up and left AFC Richmond after leading the also-ran team to a historic second place in the Premier League. Sure enough, just three years after what was billed as a series finale, Jason Sudeikis and the gang are back on the pitch. This time, the perpetually sunny Ted is coaching a second division women’s team and reconnecting with his soccer-loving preteen son. Fan favorites like Hannah Waddingham, 51, Brett Goldstein and Juno Temple are returning. Time to break out some celebratory shortbread biscuits!

Coming August 5