July TV Preview: 12 New Shows to Watch (2024)

1. “Simone Biles Rising” (Netflix)

After her headline-making change of heart at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Simone Biles’ journey as an athlete became evenmore engrossing, even after years of record-breaking gymnastics performance on the world stage. Biles set an example in her field and beyond by prioritizing her mental health, and then returning to gymnastics to cement herself even further as the greatest of all time, and this docuseries chronicles that intense internal journey.

2. “Sprint” (July 2, Netflix)

Just in time for the Olympics, “Spring” dives into the mentality and training of the world’s top sprinters on the road to and during the 2023 World Championships. Sha’Carri Richardson, Noah Lyles, Shericka Jackson, and more will be highlighted in the high-stakes (and speed) docuseries.

3. “Sunny” (July 10, Apple TV+)

After a plane crash ostensibly kills her husband and son, Suzie (Rashida Jones) is given a consolation “homebot” Sunny (voiced by Joanna Sotomura) — a robot designed from her husband’s lab that’s intended to emulate his mannerisms. But all is not right with Sunny, and soon Suzie finds herself trying to learn more about the robot in order to get answers about her husband’s life, work — and perhaps even his whereabouts. Created by Katie Robbins and based on the novel “The Dark Manual” by Colin O’Sullivan.

4. “Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer” (July 11, Hulu)

Mastermind: To Think Like a Killer — From Dakota and Elle Fanning and director Abby Fuller comes unprecedented access to Dr. Ann Burgess, the mastermind behind the development of modern serial-killer profiling. Dr. Ann Burgess, shown. (Courtesy of Hulu)

5. “The Hungry Games: Alaska’s Big Bear Challenge” (July 11, Peaco*ck)

The season’s most formidable athletes? The bears of Alaska’s Katmai National Park, training to bulk up for winter hibernation. As the bears set out to consume as much food as possible to keep them sustained throughout winter, they face off with the elements and each other throughout the process, in the docuseries narrated by Rhys Darby.

6. “Exploding Kittens” (July 12, Netflix)

Humanity is a trash fire, and there’s only one being who can save it: God (Tom Ellis). Fired from his job as the all-seeing, all-knowing protector, God returns to Earth in the body of a kitten so he can actually help people — except that the cat next door (Sasheer Zamata) is the Antichrist.

The animated series comes from showrunners Shane Kosakowski and card game co-creator Matthew Inman, executive produced by Mike Judge, Greg Daniels and Dustin Davis of Bandera Entertainment; Peter Chernin and Jenno Topping for the Chernin Entertainment Group; and executive producers and creators of the Exploding Kittens franchise, Elan Lee and The Oatmeal’s Inman. Suzy Nakamura, Mark Proksch, Ally Maki, and Kenny Yates also star.

7. “Mafia Spies” (July 17, Paramount+)

Based on Thomas Maier’s “Mafia Spies: The Inside Story of the CIA, Gangsters, JFK, and Castro,” this immersive docuseries unfolds during the Cold War among the spies, gangsters, and other figures involved in a conspiracy to kill Fidel Castro. Many who were part of it share firsthand accounts, while other parts of the story come from declassified material or are filled in with dramatic recreation. Paramount’s press materials say that “the series charts a Cold War game of cat and mouse from Vegas to Miami to Havana that pitted Washington’s strongest players against the 20th century’s most notorious gangsters.” Co-written by Ron Marasco and Tom Donahue, who directs the series and serves as co-showrunner with Ilan Arboleda.

8. “Kite Man: Hell Yeah!” (July 18, Max)

From the world of “Harley Quinn” comes a new animated adult series, in which Kite Man and Golden Glider team up to a bar. The business attracts a parade of questionable figures (“the most dangerous rogues outside of Arkham Asylum”), but which bar doesn’t? Executive produced by Dean Lorey, Justin Halpern, Patrick Shumacker, Kaley Cuoco, and Sam Register.

9. “Those About To Die” (July 18, Peaco*ck)

On-theme with ancient sports is this Peaco*ck series directed Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner, developed by Robert Rodat. Based on Daniel P. Mannix’s book of the same name, the series enters the world of Roman gladiators, starring Anthony Hopkins as Vespasian. Instead of a weekly rollout, all 10 episodes will premiere at once.

10. “Lady In The Lake” (July 19, Apple TV+)

Natalie Portman and Moses Ingram star in this adaptation of the eponymous novel by Laura Lippman. Maddie (Portman) and Cleo (Ingram) are two women occupying very different parts of 1966 Baltimore, but they become forever intertwined after Cleo’s death, which challenges Maddie to play detective despite the dangers. Created and directed byAlma Har’el.

11. “The Decameron” (July 25, Netflix)

Showrunner Kathleen Jordan teams up with Jenji Kohan’s production company for this dark comedy romp set in medieval Europe. As the Black Plague makes its way to Italy, a group of disparate nobles and their servants seek refuge in the countryside, hoping to find more than safety during what’s meant to be a brief sojourn. But with not-so-noble intentions, their idyllic quarantine bubble quickly becomes a hotbed of lies, tension, and potential infection. Starring Tony Hale, Zosia Mamet, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Tanya Reynolds, Amar Chadha-Patel, Leila Farzad, and more. Jordan and Kohan executive produce along with director Michael Uppendahl, and Tilted’s Blake McCormick and Tara Herrmann.

12. The 2024 Paris Olympics (July 26, Peaco*ck)

The games of the thirty-third Olympiad unfold on Peaco*ck, with 24/7 coverage of trials, individual events, and curated highlights throughout the two weeks of games. Some competitions begin on July 24, but the official opening ceremony will take place on July 26, with events taking place in Paris and across France (also, Tahiti).