What Are The Must-See TV Shows For July 2021?
Theres a few relentlessly cheery comedies on Apple TV+ and a fresh take on Masters of the Universe on Netflix, which is also giving us a dating series unlike any youve ever seen. Disney+ is bringing us the latest effort from a Pixar mainstay, and speaking of franchises, theres a What We Do In The Shadows spinoff on the way. HBO Max is hustling back a confection of a series that launched several O.G. careers, and Martha Stewart is getting (literally) dirty for her audience. Discovery+, AMC, Paramount, Peacock, and the CW also represent here. Summertime is here, and the TV viewing is easy and breezy. In other words, theres feel-good comedies on the way along with supernatural shenanigans, a revival of a classic animated series, deliciously soapy drama, and more. The schedules still chock-full of goodness amid an even larger sea of mediocrity while movie theaters play only the biggest of blockbusters during these sweltering months. In other words, your home theater is still where things are at, so were here to sift through the new July TV shows for the must-see selections. Martha Gets Down and Dirty: Season 1 (Discovery+ series streaming on 7/1)  Martha Gets Down and Dirty: Season 1 (Discovery+)  The frequent onscreen and business partner of Snoop Dogg goes solo while traveling home to her 150-acre farm where, as the title suggests, she gets her hands seriously dirty. Martha Stewart might be 79 years young and a total perfectionist, but shes entirely engaged in prepping her farm for summertime, and that means some serious digging in the dirt alongside her gardener, Ryan McCallister. Thats only part of the dirty work on this show, for Stewart will also welcome celebrity guests, including Seth Meyers, Kim Kardashian, Tiffany Haddish, Al Roker, Alyson Hannigan, Tamron Hall, and more. Cmon, Martha. The Beast Must Die: Season 1 (AMC+ series streaming on 7/5)  Jared Harris stars in this revenge-thriller series (which originally aired on BritBox UK and achieved a viewing record) that has already been renewed for a second season. The storys based on Nicholas Blakes 1938 novel and revolves around a mother whos hell-bent upon avenging her sons death, all while a detectives working the case and hoping to solve matters before mom takes justice into her own hands. Meanwhile, the detectives suffering from PTSD, and yes, this sounds like an enormously chaotic show, but its so crushingly executed that youd be gripping your seat arms if you watched it in a theater. (Note: Although AMC+ will stream the first two episodes of the series on July 6, AMC will wait a week for a traditional premiere on July 12.) I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson: Season 2 (Netflix series streaming 7/6)  Get ready for more insanely absurdist (and almost therapeutically refreshing) sketch comedy from creator and writer Tim Robinson. Hes back with partner Zach Kanin for more of turning the most mundane and bizarre life moments into shouty hilarity, and guest stars this season include Bob Odenkirk, Sam Richardson, Paul Walter Hauser, Tim Heidecker, and many more. If you havent had the pleasure of digging into Robinsons work, and you love Adam Sandler and Chris Farleys exaggerated humor, yet crowned with an especially self-aware twist, you must plop this show into your queue. Gossip Girl: Season 1 (HBO Max series streaming on 7/7)  The original CW series helped to launch the careers of Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Sebastian Stan, and Penn Badgley (and the latter is now portraying an amped-up version of the same character on Netflixs You). HBO Max is now ready to welcome another crop of mostly unknown faces playing wealthy, privileged teens who find themselves socially surveilled and at the mercy of the Gossip Girl narrator, whos still voiced by Kristen Bell. Showrunner Josh Safran has promised that this reboot series will be much more socially conscious than the original, and that the teens will take Ubers, not limos. If youre wondering how well this premise will update for 2021, thats one of the reasons why this shows worth a whirl. Monsters at Work: Season 1 (Disney+ series streaming on 7/7)  Twenty freaking years ago when Monsters Inc. came out in theaters, Pixar films very existence still felt like a revelation, given that adults could straight-up dig these kid-geared movies, too. These days, thats no longer a novel concept, but this franchise has persisted with a prequel and a few shorts, and now, John Goodman and Billy Crystal return as James P. Sulley Sullivan and Mike Wazowski. They have both been promoted, and a new crop of monsters (voiced by Mindy Kaling, Henry Winkler, Ben Feldman, and Alana Ubach) are doing the harvesting. The twist here, of course, is that although the franchise is going back to basics, the franchise is trading scares for laughter after realizing that  surprise  laughter generates so much more energy for Monstropolis than screams can produce. Wellington Paranormal: Season 1 (The CW series streaming on 7/11)  What We Do In The Shadows fans rejoice because youre receiving a spinoff mockumentary series with the same comedy-horror tone from creators and executive producers Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement. For this franchise installment, the action goes down in New Zealand, where two officers of the Wellington paranormal unit investigate apparent possessions and sightings of ghosts, aliens, and matters of cryptozoology with the most straight-faced, deadpan humor that one could possibly expect. Given the ridiculously ambiguous nature of the recent U.S. government-issued report on UFOs, the mood is already set for people to dive into this show with abandon. If one considers that Waititi and Clement always swing and never miss, consider yourself sold and surrender to the inarguably funny vibes. Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes (HBO limited series streaming on 7/12)  Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ronan Farrows podcast undergoes this miniseries treatment here while expanding upon existing interviews with whistleblowers, private investigators, and more. Of course, the podcast itself was inspired by Farrows book about the systemic protection of predators, both in Hollywood and beyond. Since Ronans the son of Mia Farrow, who was married to Woody Allen (with the whole paternity issue looking awfully odd), the subject of alleged predatory behavior hits particularly hard. The minseries will dig into the powers that be, beginning with the Harvey Weinstein case, for which Ronans groundbreaking New Yorker investigative report really got the #MeToo ball rolling. Its heavy subject matter, of course, but the series promises some new and surprising revelations. Never Have I Ever: Season 2 (Netflix series streaming 7/15)  Mindy Kalings brainchild (one of them, at least there are so many) returns with more coming-of-age comedy. Devis making more questionable decisions along the way (thats obligatory) while fumbling around through the finer points within new relationships. She does, however, face an out-of-her-control dilemma at school when another Indian girl who is prettier, cooler arrives on the scene. Expect more drama at home, too, as this beloved series continues to celebrate the awkwardness of adolescence.