Welcome to my Monday newsletter! This week, I am looking at my Top 12 Most Anticipated Summer Shows plus the most recent episodes of Hacks and Margo's Got Money Troubles. I am also counting down my Top 10 TV Shows starting with the letter N and taking a look at the Emmy races for Comedy and Drama Series.
This will be my last weekly newsletter until September as I am taking the summer off from the newsletter. However, you can still check out my Benjamonster Awards throughout the month of July in this space and I'll continue to be contributing to The TV Ratings Guide on Tuesdays and Wednesdays!
WHAT'S NEW
TOP 12 MOST ANTICIPATED SUMMER SERIES
With this being my final newsletter until September, I wanted to take a look at my most anticipated summer shows. Last year was a barren wasteland for summer programming as far as I was concerned but on paper, this summer looks better. Here are the ones that seem most interesting to me!
This comes in at the bottom of the list because it's definitely the one I am most leery about. I am not really a fan of superhero shows but maybe being on HBO will make it the Last of Us of this genre. It has Kyle Chandler so I couldn't leave it off the list completely!
11. Ride or Die (Prime Video, July 15)
This show is about two women going on the run from an enemy with one of them being a secret assassin. That sounds mildly interesting to me but it piqued my interest much more once I read that Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer are the stars. The presence of those two acclaimed actresses definitely gives it a leg up for me.
10. The Five-Star Weekend (Peacock, July 9)
There's quite a few shows coming this summer that would fit under the "beach reads" genre. This series has a great cast: Jennifer Garner, Chloe Sevigny, Regina Hall, D'Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan and Timothy Olyphant. Whether it's a breezy enjoyable summer series or a more boring show like Imperfect Women remains to be seen.
9. Little House on the Prairie (Netflix, July 9)
I used to watch reruns of the original Little House on the Prairie series way back in the day but my tastes have evolved and I haven't seen it in a very, very long time. Still, seeing the trailer for this reboot made me a bit nostalgic and curious to check it out even if I'm a bit skeptical that it'll be my type of show.
Will Ferrell makes a rare foray into scripted TV with the second golf-themed summer comedy in as many years (joining last year's Apple TV Owen Wilson comedy Stick). I sometimes find Ferrell really funny and sometimes he annoys me. The trailer was not clear enough to me which version we're getting here but I will definitely give it a shot.
7. The Four Seasons Season 2 (Netflix, May 28)
I really enjoyed the first season of The Four Seasons, more than a lot of critics. I thought the distinct seasons (two episodes of each) gave a real nice framing to the show and I enjoyed the cast. I'm curious to see if the second season will level up, even without the always welcome presence of Steve Carell.
6. Elle (Prime Video, July 1)
While this feels a bit like scraping the barrel for IP, I thought the trailer for this Legally Blonde prequel looked promising. I like the idea of sunny and pink Elle Woods in grungy 90s-era Seattle and the performances seem strong too. I'm cautiously optimistic about this show.
We have had a slew of comedies about twenty-somethings in the last couple years and each one makes me feel older than the last. I have been mixed on them but I liked the trailer for this one which seems to focus a bit more on the professional lives of that age rather than just being stereotypical Gen Z-ers who don't want to work. I'm excited to check it out.
4. Ted Lasso Season 4 (Apple TV, August 5)
Did Ted Lasso really need to come back for a fourth season three years after the supposedly final season (with a finale that definitely felt like a series finale)? Of course not. But it makes money so it is back. I loved the first two seasons and am hopeful they feel they have a reason to come back for a fourth other than the aforementioned money. Also, I hope the episodes are not as bloated!
3. The Bear Season 5 (FX/Hulu, June 25)
This is another show I'm approaching with a lot of hesitation. I loved the first two seasons of The Bear like everyone and then I actually quite liked the divisive third season. But I found the fourth season last year to be a slog. I'm not convinced they'll be able to land the plane but I definitely am curious to see this one through.
2. Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed (Apple TV, May 20)
The earliest premiere on this list (it arrives on Wednesday!) seems like a thrill ride. Tatiana Maslany looks really good in this and although reviews aren't out yet, I feel like people who have seen it are feeling positive. I hope it can find the right mix between comedy and thriller. The trailer certainly seems like it does.
1. Lucky (Apple TV, July 15)
Anya Taylor-Joy was a revelation in The Queen's Gambit several years ago and has done some films yet but she returns to TV with Lucky. While the details are a bit murky and the teaser doesn't give away much, I have high hopes that this will be the most exciting show of the summer and that Taylor-Joy has found material worthy of her again.
LAST WEEK ON...
With two episodes to go, I think Hacks is making it easier for me to say goodbye. I still love all the performances and love the show but I do think this fifth and final season has been my least favorite. I just feel like they have way too much they want to do in this final season so everything feels a bit short-changed. In a previous season, the Kayla and Jimmy story from this week would spread across a couple episodes. In a previous season, Deborah would need more than one episode to sell out Madison Square Garden. This final season is in no way sullying the overall show. It's still good but it's just maybe showing me that it's time for one of my favorite shows of the 2020s to leave the arena.
Margo's Got Money Troubles
Something I've discovered about Margo's Got Money Troubles is I like the serious scenes and plots much more than the comedic ones. While I like levity within each episode, I find stories like the pregnancy in the first episode, the child support fight, the CPS call, the drug overdose and more much more interesting than the lighter things like the settings for the OnlyFans videos or the wrestling things with Jinx. I think this week's episode felt very real with both the drug overdose for Jinx and the CPS call and it was very well acted by all involved. It doesn't feel heavy-handed, there are still good moment of comic relief. But this show just does better when it's about something and not just messing around.
THE BEST TV ALPHABETICALLY: LETTER N
In honor of 2026, I am looking at the 26 letters of the alphabet and listing my Top 10 TV Shows of All Time that start with that letter (no "The" or "A" don't count as the first letter of a show). This week, I am looking at letter N.
N starts a bit rough with a couple shows that aren't all that strong. I really liked the first season of The Night Agent, it was a guilty pleasure. But then I checked out halfway through the second season and didn't come back for the third. The first season was a thrill ride though.
9. The Neighborhood (CBS, 2018-2026)
I watched The Neighborhood as a background show for several years before finally bailing (it was hard for me to do that because I tend to be a completist when I get that deep into a show). It really isn't a bad show but it's the definition of "fine."
8. The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (The Disney Channel/ABC, 1988-1991)
A classic from my childhood that my son has enjoyed in more recent years. When I think of Winnie the Pooh, this is the definitive version for me. And yes, it is definitely on this list in part because of its killer theme song. "Gotta get up, I've gotta get goin'."
7. NYPD Blue (ABC, 1993-2005)
A classic cop show, I only watched the first season of NYPD Blue (a decade or so ago, on DVD). I really enjoyed it, especially Dennis Franz's performance, but never finished the series. It feels very daunting to embark on 11 more seasons even though I think I would enjoy it.
6. Nobody Wants This (Netflix, 2024-Present)
The newest show on the list, this romcom has delivered two pretty satisfying seasons thanks in large part to crackling chemistry between Kristen Bell and Adam Brody but also a fun ensemble. It's not perfect but it's nice relaxing watch.
5. 9-1-1 (FOX/ABC, 2018-Present)
9-1-1 gets real wild at times with outrageous plots masked in a network TV procedural but that's what makes it so fun. It's a procedural with some extra spice that is now closing in on a decade of solid performances and stories. I'll take outlandish over boring any day.
4. NewsRadio (NBC, 1995-1999)
I'm not as big a fan of this show as some, but I do get why it's become such a cult hit over the years. It was a misfit in the 90s NBC lineup, but managed to hold on for five years with some really sharp writing and really funny characters.
3. Never Have I Ever (Netflix, 2020-2023)
Among the glut of coming-of-age streaming comedies in the late 2010s and early 2020s, this was the best one as far as I'm concerned. The show had a very distinct voice (and I'm not just talking about John McEnroe) and was an underrated gem from recent years.
2. Newhart (CBS, 1982-1990)
Bob Newhart's second long-running CBS sitcom is less of a classic than the first aside from its iconic finale. But it was definitely a great show in its own right, surrounding TV's best straight man with a bunch of wacky Vermont characters.
1. New Girl (FOX, 2011-2018)
When I watched New Girl on a week-to-week basis, I found it wildly inconsistent - really incredible highs but also frustrating lows. But now it has settled in as one of those nostalgia watches like The Office and it's a snapshot in time from TV and my life that I really love to revisit. With incredible performances from the entire lead cast, it's an all-time great hangout comedy.
AWARDS CORNER
Finally, we have the races for Drama and Comedy, which seem like pretty easy wins for The Pitt and Hacks at the moment, but we'll see what the next couple months of campaigning. I'm doing more detailed Emmy prediction posts on The TV Ratings Guide on Wednesday evenings so check those out each week! Here are my forecasts for the two biggest categories:
Outstanding Drama Series
1. The Pitt
2. Paradise
3. The Diplomat
4. Pluribus
5. Slow Horses
6. Euphoria
7. The Gilded Age
8. Task
Just Missing: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms
Also in the Mix:
Stranger Things
The Morning Show
The Morning Show
Industry
Fallout
The Boys
Outstanding Comedy Series
1. Hacks
2. Shrinking
3. Only Murders in the Building
4. Abbott Elementary
5. The Comeback
6. Margo's Got Money Troubles
7. The Bear
8. Nobody Wants This
Just Missing: Rooster
Also in the Mix:
The Chair Company
Wednesday
Jury Duty Presents: Company Retreat
Widow's Bay
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins
COMING UP
As mentioned above, this is the last newsletter until the fall. However, check back to this page in July for my 7th Annual Benjamonster Awards! Plus, I am now a contributor to The TV Ratings Guide and posting them there on Tuesdays (Pilots Revisited) and Wednesdays (Emmy Preview)!
Happy Summer!
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