The summer of 2018 hasn’t lacked for promising young TV shows.
Since the calendar clicked over from May to June (and, thus, into the earliest days of a new TV season), several shows in their first and second seasons have offered up twists on beloved old formulas, new takes on what it means to be alive in 2018, and assorted takes on TV’s beloved crime thriller. (Hey, some old habits die hard.)
Whether you want to watch a comedy or a drama, a reality show or a hardcore documentary, there was something for you in the 2018 summer schedule. So here are 14 shows that debuted this summer — and they’re all in their first or second seasons, which means catching up should be easy enough over a long weekend. Summer may be waning, but summer TV can be forever.
America to Me (Starz)
The great documentary filmmaker Steve James brings his latest project, a 10-hour dissection of a Chicago-area high school, to television. The result is electrifying, one of the best shows of the year and a stunning examination of the ways that America’s racial and class divides perpetuate themselves — even in a diverse high school that prides itself on its progressive legacy. But there’s more to America to Me than an examination of these inequities. It’s also a lovely portrayal of being a teenager in the 2010s, with all the attendant pressures therein.
How many episodes: There will be 10 hour-long episodes in total, but only one has aired on TV, while just two are available on demand. New episodes air Sundays at 10 pm on Starz.
Where to watch: Two episodes of America to Me are currently available on Starz’s streaming platforms.
The Bold Type (Freeform)
The Bold Type is the kind of frothy, glossy fun that summer TV dreams are made of. Centering on three young women working at a kind of woke Cosmo analogue of a magazine, The Bold Type follows its characters through the pitfalls of work and dating in your early 20s. That’s not exactly a new formula, and at no point does The Bold Type reinvent the wheel, but it romps its way through its old stories with an endlessly compelling glee. It’s perfect for when you just want to sit on the couch and watch beautiful people be charming at each other while wearing aspirational clothes.
How many episodes: Two seasons of 10 hour-long episodes each, for 20 episodes total.
Where to watch: You can watch all 20 episodes of The Bold Type on Freeform’s streaming platforms or on Hulu.
Castle Rock (Hulu)
Though you may more commonly associate scares and shocks with fall and Halloween, Castle Rock has held down the genre fort through the thick of summer — and there are plenty of straightforward terror tricks scattered throughout the series, which takes Stephen King’s works and throws them into a melting pot. But the show is more remarkable for the way it taps into both the good and bad in the day-to-day. Anchored by powerhouse performances from Sissy Spacek and André Holland, among others, it’s likely to inspire just as many tears — in sorrow and in joy — as it is gasps of fright.
How many episodes: There will be 10 hour-long episodes in total; seven are available on Hulu so far.
Where to watch: New episodes of Castle Rock premiere Wednesdays on Hulu, with all previous episodes currently streaming.
Claws (TNT)
Like its protagonists, Claws is not to be underestimated. It may be candy-colored, and manic in how deftly it bounces from scene to scene — or, rather, from shootout to musical sequence to water ballet — but it coheres. And more than that, it’s devilishly fun. Centered on a group of women running a nail salon in Florida and entrenched in the affairs of the Dixie Mafia, Claws is one of the most boldly experimental shows on the air. It’s unafraid to depict women (middle-aged women, no less!) who dominate in their community, and have a damn good time doing it. It’s also surprisingly incisive about the dynamics between women, in terms of friendships as well as professional relationships, and utterly unafraid of the female gaze.
How many episodes: Two seasons of 10 hour-long episodes each, for 20 episodes total.
Where to watch: Both seasons of Claws are available on TNT’s streaming platforms. Season one is also streaming on Hulu.
Dietland (AMC)
Dietland is a sleek and stylish revenge fantasy for the post-#MeToo age, set in a world where an extremist group called Jennifer begins to don witch masks and target predatory men. The first season begins to sag toward the end of its run as the voiceovers get ever preachier, but Julianna Margulies is always a joy to watch as the avaricious magazine editor who both hates the system she lives in and knows exactly how to take advantage of it. Plus, Dietland is consistently smart and thoughtful about how the world teaches women to hate their bodies, and in this summer of Insatiable, isn’t that something we all deserve?
How many episodes: 10 hour-long episodes in the first season. A second season has not yet been ordered.
Where to watch: All 10 episodes of Dietland are available on AMC’s streaming platforms.
GLOW (Netflix)
Netflix’s energetic comedy about the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling, loosely inspired by the eponymous real-life group of ’80s wrestlers, hit a new level in its second season. The show dug deeper into its large ensemble cast to tell stories about the sorts of characters who might be extreme background players on other shows — stories that center on how women navigate spaces built by men, usually for men, to achieve their dreams. The second season’s eighth episode, which depicts an installment of the ’80s show within a show, is a sheer delight.
How many episodes: Two seasons of 10 episodes each, for 20 episode total. Most episodes are around a half-hour long.
Where to watch: GLOW is streaming on Netflix.
Lodge 49 (AMC)
AMC’s new slacker drama feels like it arrived from some other era. Whether said era is the early ’90s indie film boom or the early 2010s scuzzy drama boom is hard to say — but the show’s commitment to depicting people on the fringes of society makes it feel like a spiritual companion to the movies of Richard Linklater or the late, lamented FX drama Terriers. (Or maybe it’s Twin Peaks by way of an NBC workplace sitcom?) Explaining what Lodge 49 is about is a little tricky; it involves a surfer dude discovering a ring that leads him to an ancient fraternal order along the lines of the Masons or Elks, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. And at its core is a longing for some bygone American era that’s rapidly fading away.
How many episodes: There will be 10 hour-long episodes in total; four have aired on AMC so far.
Where to watch: New episodes of Lodge 49 air Mondays at 10 pm on AMC. Previous episodes are available on the network’s streaming platforms, and if you subscribe to AMC Premiere, its ad-free streaming service, you can watch the entire first season.
Making It (NBC)
Look, Making It is just The Great British Baking Show but with crafting, and hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman. But don’t you want to watch The Great British Baking Show but with crafting, and hosted by Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman? You know you do, and this good-natured reality show will only reaffirm that your instincts are correct.
How many episodes: Five hour-long episodes have aired so far, with one to go. Season two will arrive in 2019.
Where to watch: The final episode of Making It airs Tuesday, September 4, at 10 pm on NBC. Previous episodes are available on Hulu.
Pose (FX)
The summer’s warmest new drama was this series set in late-’80s New York, among a group of trans women and gay men building a found family at the height of the AIDS crisis. Does that sound depressing on its face? Maybe. But the experience of watching Pose is far different, thanks to its brilliant use of ballroom performances, in which the characters dance, pose, and vogue in elaborate costumes, set around a new theme with every new gathering. There are also love stories and beautiful musical numbers and ... geez, just watch it already, will ya?
How many episodes: Eight hour-long episodes in season one. Season two arrives in 2019.
Where to watch: Pose is available on FX’s streaming platforms.
Sacred Games (Netflix)
This pulpy crime thriller is the first production from Netflix India and a handy fictional introduction to the sprawling city of Mumbai — though we’re guessing the actual Mumbai features fewer criminal masterminds threatening to destroy the city in 25 days’ time. Based on the 2006 novel of the same name by Vikram Chandra, Sacred Games follows one troubled cop as he journeys deeper and deeper into the city’s underworld in an attempt to stop a criminal with what would seem to be apocalyptic designs on the city. Yeah, you’ve heard that story before, but Sacred Games weds it to a fresh, intoxicating setting.
How many episodes: There are eight hour-long episodes, which tell a complete story.
Where to watch: Sacred Games is streaming on Netflix.
Sharp Objects (HBO)
HBO’s unofficial follow-up to Big Little Lies was another dark mystery, centered on the lives of American women, set in an exclusive enclave. But where Big Little Lies tackled the not-so-idle rich of Monterey, California, Big Little Lies is all Southern gothic, set in a tiny Missouri town with a legacy of trauma and a seeming serial killer haunting its present. Tremendous work from a triumvirate of great actresses (Amy Adams, Patricia Clarkson, and Eliza Scanlen), beautiful scripts by Marti Noxon and Gillian Flynn (among others), and hypnotic direction and editing from Jean-Marc Vallée make sure the focus is as much on the layers of sorrow in this town’s past as it is on the mystery’s solution.
How many episodes: Eight hour-long episodes.
Where to watch: The entire miniseries is available on HBO’s streaming platforms.
The Sinner (USA)
Mystery shows are a dime a dozen; any such show that wants to stand out must add something unique. The Sinner delivers by switching up the usual murder mystery formula, so that each season begins with the identity of the murderer in hand. The question that remains is why they committed the crime.
The show also boasts such a keen focus on the inner thoughts and feelings of its characters that it occasionally takes a turn into the surreal, evoking a more West Elm-y version of Twin Peaks as characters’ recollections dissolve and twist in front of our very eyes. Featuring a touching Bill Pullman as the hardboiled (but soft-hearted) detective holding the two seasons together, The Sinner is well worth watching.
How many episodes: Both seasons one and two feature eight hour-long episodes; only five episodes of season two have aired so far.
Where to watch: New episodes of The Sinner air Wednesdays at 10 pm on USA. Previous episodes of season two are available on the network’s streaming platforms. Season one is available on Netflix.
Succession (HBO)
Though Succession initially feels like something of a sugar rush — it’s ostensibly a story about bad people behaving badly — it quickly reveals itself to be a much more complicated creature. It’s Shakespeare mixed with Greek tragedy, plus a healthy dose of acerbic humor that disguises the high stakes until long after you’ve gotten hooked. Over the course of its first season, it went from drawing comparisons to Arrested Development (for its focus on a rich, dysfunctional family) to becoming one of the most talked-about shows of the year. It’s also a showcase for Jeremy Strong, who proves himself an actor to watch with how skillfully he carries the story’s main thread. If anything, Succession’s only flaw is that there isn’t more to watch right now.
How many episodes: Ten hour-long episodes in the first season. The show has already been renewed for season two.
Where to watch: Succession is available on HBO’s streaming platforms.
A Very English Scandal (Amazon)
Despite ringing in at just three episodes long, A Very English Scandal is a remarkable achievement. Based on John Preston’s book about the 1976-’79 Jeremy Thorpe scandal, it takes a story that’s long been a subject of ridicule and turns it around, examining the prejudice that meant the discovery of a politician’s homosexuality spawned a litany of jokes rather than a look at the social climate that would drive him to attempt murder in order to keep it a secret. As Thorpe, Hugh Grant is devastating to watch, as is Ben Whishaw as his former lover, Norman Scott.
How many episodes: There are only three, each an hour long.
Where to watch: The entire miniseries is available on Amazon Prime.