The shows to stream this week include two major returns and a prequel for a beloved character.
The week of a holiday typically does not lead to a bunch of top-tier releases in the TV space, but for the Fourth of July we’re being given a bounty of strong streaming options.
Two great returning sci-fi series – “X-Men ’97” and “Silo” – are back for anticipated new seasons while “Legally Blonde” is getting a prequel series on Prime Video that focuses on Elle Woods’ high school life before Harvard.
All that and more in our roundup below of the four shows to stream this holiday week.
X-Men ’97
“X-Men ’97” returns from an acclaimed debut season for a sophomore outing on Wednesday. The animated send-up to the beloved Fox series from the ’90s looks to continue the emotional storytelling that made the first season stand out so much compared to the other Marvel shows Disney+ had been putting out at the time.
Apocalypse has arrived, and it’s going to take some hopping through time for the mutant team to take on the threat. With movies like “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” and “Avengers: Doomsday” on the horizon for the MCU this year, there are still plenty marking “X-Men ’97” as their most anticipated Marvel release in 2026.
Elle
“Elle” is taking things back to high school for the iconic “Legally Blonde” character Elle Woods. The Prime Video series premieres on Wednesday and stars Lexi Minetree as the title character previously made famous by Reese Witherspoon. Long before her time attending Harvard Law, Elle was navigating the equally terrifying waters of high school.
The story begins with Elle navigating a major move from Bel-Air to Seattle, where she enters a new high school and finds herself an outsider among a very different social scene. Along the way, she deals with complicated friendships, romance, family dynamics and the challenge of staying true to herself while figuring out who she wants to become. Witherspoon produces via her Hello Sunshine banner.
Survival of the Thickest
Michelle Buteau’s delightful Netflix comedy debuts its third and final season on Thursday. The “First Wives Club” star and “The Circle” host stars as Mavis Beaumont, an up-and-coming stylist who’s out to make a name for herself in high fashion while feeling her way through life, love, frienships and viral podcast clips. Mavis continues her mission to lift up everybody and every body with her fashion in the final season, which, based on the trailer, is also setting her up for her own “Emily in Paris” moment.
Silo
Apple TV’s reign of top-tier sci-fi shows continues with “Silo” returning for its third season on Friday. The penultimate entry in the series finds Rebecca Ferguson’s Juliette returning to Silo 18 after managing to survive outside and visit other Silos — the series’ central, enormous subterranean structures where humanity lives after an unknown catastrophe has made the outside world seemingly uninhabitable.
For those who wanted a deeper look at the history of the structures that both saved humanity and became humanity’s prisons, Season 3 has the answers you seek. Ferguson continues to be a highlight.
Independence Eve Live With Anderson and Andy: Celebrating 250
Trump might have his Freedom 250 in Washington, D.C., but leave New York City for Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen. The twosome are getting the holiday band back together for an Independence Day special to help celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday.
The special will air Friday, July 3, on CNN and take place in Times Square just like the New Year’s Eve bash and will also enjoy a ball drop of its own to celebrate the Big 250 at midnight.
