TV to watch in July

(Image credit: Illustrated / Gettyimages, YouTube)

published 26 June 2023

Next month will be a big one for long-awaited television returns. July sees two iconic shows that ended in the 2010s come back for new episodes, and the slate also includes a new miniseries from director Steven Soderbergh, an adaptation of a popular video game franchise, and more. Here's everything to watch on TV this coming month.

"The Horror of Dolores Roach" (July 7)

Meet the demon masseuse of Washington Heights. "One Day at a Time" star Justina Machado takes on the lead role in this Prime Video series based on the Spotify podcast. "A contemporary 'Sweeney Todd'-inspired urban legend of love, betrayal, weed, cannibalism and survival of the fittest," the show follows a woman, played by Machado, who returns to a gentrified Washington Heights after being released from prison but is soon "driven to shocking extremes to survive," per Prime Video. The story originates from a one-woman play by Aaron Mark, who then turned it into a podcast, and Mark serves as co-showrunner of this adaptation. K. Todd Freeman, Alejandro Hernandez and Kita Updike also star. Between this and "Yellowjackets," cannibalism TV is having a moment.

The party's not over. The Apple TV+ murder-mystery comedy "The Afterparty" is back for another season, which revolves around an all-new party and murder. This time, "a wedding is ruined when the groom is murdered and every guest is a suspect," per the streamer. Tiffany Haddish and Sam Richardson return from season one, as their characters seek to solve the mystery by "questioning family members, star-crossed lovers and business partners and hearing each suspect's retelling of the weekend, each with their own unique perspective and visual style." New cast members include John Cho, Paul Walter Hauser, Ken Jeong, Elizabeth Perkins and Zach Woods.

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Acclaimed, surprisingly prolific filmmaker Steven Soderbergh directs the star-studded new six-part Max miniseries "Full Circle," in which an "investigation into a botched kidnapping uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present-day New York City," per the streamer. Zazie Beetz, Claire Danes, Jim Gaffigan, Timothy Olyphant and Dennis Quaid star, and Ed Solomon wrote the show after previously collaborating with Soderbergh on his film "No Sudden Move." The series comes after Soderbergh cranked out a whopping six films since 2019, including this year's "Magic Mike's Last Dance." Might we suggest he follow this up with … a nap?

After years of supporting performances in films like "Marry Me" and hosting the reality show "The Circle," Michelle Buteau is stepping into the lead role. In this new Netflix comedy series, the comedian plays a stylist who, after a breakup, "seizes the opportunity to start over in life and love while finding happiness on her own terms," per the streamer. Buteau created the series, which is based on her book of essays, with Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, who has written for shows like "New Girl" and "My Name Is Earl." It was produced by A24, which already brought us Netflix's "Beef," one of the year's most acclaimed shows.

It took nearly a decade, but HBO's documentary series about the filmmaking process finally has the green light for a new season. "Project Greenlight" takes viewers behind the scenes of the making of a movie after a filmmaker is allowed to direct their first feature. The show, which premiered in 2001 but hasn't been on the air since 2015, was originally produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. But Max describes this season as a reinvention focused on the "next generation of talented female filmmakers," and this time, Gina Prince-Bythewood, Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae are producing. All 10 episodes premiere on July 13, and on that same day, viewers can watch "Gray Matter," the movie that was made during the season. Hopefully, it's better than the film that came out of last season, though that's not a high bar.

Indiana Jones isn't the only iconic man in a hat returning this summer. Timothy Olyphant is also back as Raylan Givens in this follow-up to "Justified," based on the Elmore Leonard novel "City Primeval." "Having left the hollers of Kentucky 15 years ago, Raylan Givens now lives in Miami, a walking anachronism balancing his life as a U.S. Marshal and part-time father of a 15-year-old girl," but in Detroit, he crosses paths with Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook), a "violent, sociopathic desperado who's already slipped through the fingers of Detroit's finest once and aims to do so again," per FX. Aunjanue Ellis also stars, and Olyphant's actual child, Vivian Olyphant, plays Raylan's daughter. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Good news, everyone! "Futurama" is getting a second life — or rather, a third life. The beloved animated series set 1,000 years in the future originally aired on Fox from 1999 to 2003 before being revived at Comedy Central and airing a finale in 2013. But Hulu is reviving the show yet again, with all the original cast members on board and Matt Groening and David X. Cohen returning as producers. Hulu said the 10 new episodes will cover topics like the pandemic, "the future of vaccines, bitcoin, cancel culture and streaming TV," and while new fans can start watching from here, longtime viewers should expect "payoffs to decades-long mysteries." Shut up and take our money!

"Twisted Metal" is joining the race to find the next great video game adaptation. Anthony Mackie stars in this Peacock series based on the popular vehicular combat games, which centers on a "motor-mouthed outsider offered a chance at a better life but only if he can successfully deliver a mysterious package across a post-apocalyptic wasteland," per the streamer. Will Arnett, Stephanie Beatriz, Neve Campbell and Thomas Haden Church also star, with Arnett providing the voice of Sweet Tooth, an iconic killer clown from the games. Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, the writers of "Deadpool," produce. In a year where a "Mario" movie is the top-grossing film, could "Twisted Metal" find similar success, or will this one crash and burn?

Hey, New York. One of the most unique shows of the past few years, HBO's "How To With John Wilson," is back for one last run of people-watching. Produced by Nathan Fielder, the docuseries mixes B-roll footage taken around New York City with monologues from host John Wilson that are ostensibly tutorials about how to do things like make small talk, put up scaffolding or cook risotto. But he inevitably gets sidetracked and ends up on bizarre adventures that have nothing to do with the original premise, encountering strange real-life characters along the way. The series returns in July for its third and final season, which will hopefully involve reconnecting with that "Avatar" support group to find out how many times they've seen "The Way of Water."

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Brendan worked as a culture writer at The Week from 2018 to 2023, covering the entertainment industry, including film reviews, television recaps, awards season, the box office, major movie franchises and Hollywood gossip. He has written about film and television for outlets including Bloody Disgusting, Showbiz Cheat Sheet, Heavy and The Celebrity Cafe.