Summer 2018: The ultimate TV guide to new and returning shows and movies
Summer stretches out like an invitation for TV fans who already know the best way to ride out the heat. A cold drink, a shady room, and a queue of new and returning shows beats the beach every time. The 2018 slate delivered exactly that mix: prestige dramas, genre experiments, and comedies that felt tailor-made for long afternoons indoors.
Networks and streamers rolled out titles that kept conversations going from Memorial Day straight through Labor Day. Some arrived with red-carpet buzz, others slipped in quietly and built cult followings later. Either way, the season rewarded anyone willing to stay glued to the couch.
Fahrenheit 451
After inspiring sexual awakenings around the globe with his role in Black Panther, Michael B. Jordan is headed to the small screen for Ramin Bahrani’s Fahrenheit 451, alongside Michael Shannon (The Shape of Water). Based on the electrifying Ray Bradbury science fiction novel, the television film will broadcast on HBO on May 19. It premiered May 19, 2018 on HBO after a Cannes debut, and reviews split between praise for the lead performances and criticism of the screenplay’s pacing.
GLOW: S2
The Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling make their big, sweaty Netflix comeback on Friday, June 29. We can’t wait to put on our best spandex and hairspray and watch the entire thing in one afternoon. The ten-episode season landed on Netflix exactly on that date and kept the neon-soaked energy of the first round intact.
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: S4P1
From the genius comic mind of Tina Fey (30 Rock), Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt has proven itself as one of the freshest and most wholesome shows Netflix currently has to offer. Sadly, the upcoming six episodes will be the first half of the show’s final season, but there are rumors that a film is in the works to wrap up Kimmy’s story. Part 1 arrived May 30, 2018, and the full series concluded after Part 2 aired later that year.
The Tale
Another TV movie, The Tale has already received rave reviews after premiering at Sundance back in January. Starring current obsession Laura Dern (Jurassic Park), it promises to be a harrowing tale of repressed memory and sexual assault, and definitely one to watch (albeit with a hot drink and a pile of comfort food). HBO aired the film on May 26, 2018, giving Dern another showcase for her unflinching range.
Harlots: S2
The period piece accompaniment to A Handmaid’s Tale, Harlots is lush, steamy, and sexy, but just as empowering. With Liv Tyler (Armageddon) joining the already stellar cast of Samantha Morton (Minority Report) & Lesley Manville (Phantom Thread), don’t let the second season of the underrated show slip through your radar. Hulu dropped the new season in the US on July 11, 2018, keeping the brothel intrigue and sharp class commentary rolling.
Pose: S1
Ryan Murphy’s musical drama has amassed the largest ever transgender cast for a scripted TV show, and it’s shaping up as one of this summer’s freshest series. Set during the Trump and Wall Street-dominated New York during the 80s, Pose arrives on June 3 and might just change TV forever. FX premiered the season that same day, and the ballroom world immediately carved out space in the cultural conversation.
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan: S1
A Quiet Place was B-movie schlock, but it certainly proved that John Krasinski has more talents than turning to a camera and looking bemused. His starring role in Michael Bay’s equally trashy 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi also showed off his freshly sculpted abs, so there’s every chance his surprising casting as CIA agent Jack Ryan – previously played by Alec Baldwin (The Departed), Harrison Ford (Raiders of the Lost Ark), Ben Affleck (Argo), and Chris Pine (Wonder Woman) – could be another star-making turn for Jim from The Office. Amazon Prime Video launched the series on August 31, 2018, giving Krasinski a full summer to build momentum before the fall awards circuit.
Picnic at Hanging Rock: S1
Peter Weir’s original adaptation of the serene and surreal Australian novel is magnificent, but it’s over forty years old so (like all things) it was surely due a reboot. The miniseries based on the Valentine’s Day disappearance of four teenage girls (which may or may not have actually happened) stars Natalie Dormer (Game of Thrones) and is currently airing on Showcase. Australia saw the six-episode run begin May 6, 2018, with the US following around May 25.
Succession: S1
The last time Adam McKay & Will Ferrell worked together it involved the crude, slapstick adventures of an egotistical news anchor (Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy), but after The Big Short, McKay has moved onto bigger and more serious projects. Produced by Ferrell, the fictional story of a dysfunctional media family is premiering on HBO in early June and should be a winner. The network delivered the first episode on June 3, 2018, and the Roy family’s power games quickly became appointment viewing.
Castle Rock: S1
We can’t get enough of Stephen King. Well, we barely have a choice nowadays, with adaptations from the works of America’s speediest writer being announced every other day. Here’s one that actually makes sense: a semi-anthology series based on his most iconic works and finally tackling his crazy, interconnected universe. The casting of Bill Skarsgard (It) already has us suspicious. Hulu dropped the first season on July 25, 2018, letting the Maine town’s overlapping myths breathe across ten episodes.
Marvel’s Luke Cage: S2
Our last hope for Marvel’s Netflix catalogue. After each of its most recent series seemed to start strong then lose interest with itself halfway through (with the exception of Iron Fist, which was crap all the way through), we’re praying that Luke Cage can deliver on the promises it made during its first season and hopefully bring a spark back to Marvel’s R-rated television experiment. The ten episodes landed on Netflix June 22, 2018; the series was later canceled in October.
Cloak & Dagger: S1
Another Marvel property, Cloak & Dagger doesn’t have the baggage of a dingy Netflix series trailing behind it, and we’re interested to see how it’ll handle one of comic books’ most unconventional dynamic duos. Freeform premiered the season on June 7, 2018, pairing teenage heroes with New Orleans grit and a lighter tone than the Netflix slate.
Humans: S3
Well, this was a long time coming. After a year-long hiatus, Humans is back for thirds and it has a lot to prove this year now that Westworld and Blade Runner 2049 have both upped the game for Artificial Intelligence high-jinks. The UK run began May 17, 2018, and AMC brought the season to American viewers on June 5.
The Innocents: S1
In this Netflix Originals show cloaked in mystery, two British teens run away together True Romance style, but discover they have dangerous supernatural abilities. The eight-episode season arrived on Netflix August 24, 2018, letting the young couple’s powers unfold across a moody road-trip structure.
Sense8: Finale
Unceremoniously cancelled, despite having already been negotiated for a third season, the Wachowski’s characteristically bonkers Sense8 is finally back this year with a two and a half hour finale special. Netflix released the special on June 8, 2018, giving the cluster one last globe-spanning sendoff.
Strange Angel: S1
Rocket scientist and occultist Jack Parsons is the subject of what could be the strangest new series this year, which promises to combine a period setting with science, sex and magic. Hopefully it proves Jack Reynor is more than the creepy guy with a thing for teenage girls from the fourth Transformers movie. CBS All Access launched the season on June 14, 2018, letting the 1930s rocket world collide with ritual and ambition.
Westworld Season 2
Westworld returned with ten new episodes on HBO starting April 22, 2018. The season expanded the park’s mythology while keeping TV fans guessing about host rebellions and corporate intrigue through the height of summer.
The Handmaid’s Tale Season 2
The Handmaid’s Tale picked up right where its first season left off, premiering April 25, 2018 on Hulu. The red cloaks stayed front and center as the series deepened its portrait of resistance and control across the warmer months.
Sharp Objects
Amy Adams anchored the eight-episode HBO miniseries that premiered July 8, 2018. Southern Gothic atmosphere and a slow-burn mystery gave TV fans a weekly appointment that felt both literary and addictive.
Dietland
AMC introduced the ten-episode dark comedy on June 4, 2018. The satire on beauty standards and revenge fantasies found an audience among viewers looking for something sharper than standard summer fare.
Condor
The Audience Network remake of Three Days of the Condor debuted June 6, 2018. Ten episodes of espionage and paranoia gave TV fans a sleek thriller option that ran through the dog days without requiring a subscription to every major streamer.
By September the season had delivered more than enough hours to keep TV fans occupied. Some shows wrapped with tidy bows, others left threads dangling for future returns. The real winners were the viewers who carved out time between barbecues and beach days to stay inside and press play.
