The heat is on this summer, both outside and inside as July’s entertainment season begins. Take advantage of the outdoor concerts and shows in your area, and then when you’ve tired of the heat for the day, come home to the plethora of new shows premiering this month. It’s a busy month, filled with new additions. Netflix in particular is going to have a very busy few weeks with three new shows premiering. Here’s what you can enjoy this July in the pleasure of your own air-conditioning.
-Snowfall (July 5-FX)
The first new series premiering in July is going to be one of the best of the summer. Snowfall will look closely at the rise of the cocaine epidemic in 1983 Los Angeles. The show will approach the subject from multiple perspectives; rich to poor, law-abiding to criminal, young to old. The point is to show how no one was untouchable when it came to the rise of the drug trade in L.A. After all, who would know better how to tell this story about this city than Boyz n the Hood director John Singleton?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_uf5hxmNfG4
-Castlevania (July 7-Netflix)
Stepping up its diversity in content, Netflix premieres Castlevania, the anime series based on the hit video game saga. In capable hands with executive producer Adi Shankar at the helm, the show will be based on the third video game installment, Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse. Trevor Belmont (The Hobbit‘s Richard Armitage) is the protagonist to Graham McTavish’s (Outlander) Dracula in the ultimate showdown. To show just how much faith the online network has in the show and its creators, Castlevania has already been approved for a second season, to premiere in 2018.
-Will (July 10-TNT)
The most recognizable name in literature and theater’s story is finally told, or a version of it at least. The man’s name may be attached to some of the most famous plays and sonnets of the last 500 years, but there isn’t as much verifiable about the man himself. Hollywood does what Hollywood does in cases like this-fill in the gaps. TNT tells a fictional version of the man before he was famous. This version of Will uses the power of words to combat the violence and oppression of his time. Whether or not you think he was successful, there is no doubt the world was forever changed by Shakespeare’s words.
-Salvation (July 12-CBS)
A Press Secretary, an MIT grad, a sci-fi writer, a tech billionaire, and a government official all together sounds like it should end with ‘walk into a bar’. Instead, this motley crew comes together to save the world. Led by the Deputy Secretary of Defense (Hawaii Five-0‘s Ian Anthony Dale), a team is put together to come up with a way to save Earth from an impending collision with an asteroid. The show plays on our worst sci-fi fears, but has the heart to keep us hoping that between these different, brilliant minds, there is hope for Earth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvJRTIRzW2E
-Friends From College (July 14-Netflix)
You couldn’t ask for a more star-studded, talented cast for a series. Truly, I tip my hat to the producer who was able to get all of these people in the same room. A group of college friends get together nearly 20 years later, but how much have they really changed from the post-adolescents they were?
-Loaded (July 17-AMC)
This British dramedy is about four video game creators who are thrust into a completely different world when they sell their company for millions of dollars. They can do anything they want, buy anything they want, and certainly behave how ever they want to now that they have endless amounts of money. However, they must contend with giving up control of their startup to their new boss Casey (Mary McCormick), who is all business and not into games, ironic for the business she is in. How much will Casey and money change the friends amidst all their shenanigans?
-Raven’s Home (July 21-Disney Channel)
The tween in me could not be more thrilled that Raven Baxter is coming back to Disney Channel! This series harkens back to the Golden Age of Disney Channel original series. We’re getting the best of the old and the new as Raven and Chelsea return to our screens, this time with their kids in tow. If that wasn’t enough to thrill you, Raven’s gift will be passed on to her son Booker. If you thought things were crazy with one psychic in the family, I can’t imagine what chaos will ensue with two!
-OZARK (July 21-Netflix)
If you have to get excited about just one series the entire month of July, this is the one. Jason Bateman may be great with comedy, but when he commits to a dramatic role, he is in top form. As a money launderer for a major drug cartel, Bateman’s character Marty Byrde moves his family to a resort in the Missouri Ozarks when it becomes too dangerous for them to be out in the open. However, as it is the 21st century, it’s almost impossible to disappear completely. Not only is he the starring lead, Bateman directs half of the episodes in the series. Furthermore, Laura Linney looks to be the perfect partner for Bateman as his wife Wendy. This may be one series you stay up all day and night to binge-watch.
-Midnight, Texas (July 24-NBC)
If you’re in need of a fantasy fix ala True Blood, Midnight, Texas is the right fit for you. Charlaine Harris’ next book-turned-series brings to life the town of Midnight, where the strangest of the strange find a home. When that peace is threatened by an unexpected murder, it takes the whole town working together to restore it. That includes wandering newcomer Manfred, a psychic who must to decide if he wants to stay and fight for something for the first time in his life. Those who were able to preview the pilot at this year’s Wondercon were blown away, so hopefully audiences at home will feel just as welcomed into Midnight.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztFsr4O0jF4
-Room 104 (July 28-HBO)
Now this is a very interesting take on the trending anthology series. When you spend a night in a motel, you don’t really think of anything but your own stay. What of the previous occupants? What did they talk about? What did they watch on the television? Did they have fights, or one-night stnads, or reunions, or just quiet nights? The answers to those questions for Room 104 will be surprising, scary, emotional, and entertaining. Each episode tells a different story, which brings to life the old saying “if walls could talk”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHvgGkXHLYA
-The Last Tycoon (July 28-Amazon Prime)
F. Scott Fitzgerald himself could not have handpicked a more perfect cast to depict his last novel. Matt Bomer, Kelsey Grammar, Lily Collins, Dominique McElligott and Rosemarie DeWitt bring 1930s Hollywood to life in this adaptation of Fitzgerald’s posthumously published work. As if it was possible to top that cast, Jennifer Beals is stunning as Hollywood royalty Margo Taft. Since Fitzgerald died before he himself could finish the work, what we know now as his last novel was put together by his friend from rough drafts. Given that, it is possible that Amazon could either stick to Fitzgerald’s vision, or re-imagine what the famed author would have created for a final draft.
Let us know which new show you’re most excited for this summer.
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