It’s the sweltering thick of summer, and while that often means a slowdown in TV releases, this week’s lineup of new shows on streaming is actually pretty packed.
Arguably the biggest title of the week is the much-anticipated return of Apple TV’s “Ted Lasso,” which sees Jason Sudeikis’ title character head back to England to coach a new team of Richmond underdogs. The previous series finale at the end of Season 3 sent him back home to the States to be with his son, so we’ll have to tune in to see what prompts him to get on a plane and get back in the game.
Elsewhere, this week also brings the finale for a family-friendly Disney+ revival, Ryan Murphy’s latest freaked-out thriller series and a charming new YA series from “My Old Ass” filmmaker Megan Park.
Check out five of the must-watch new shows to stream this week below, and head over to our guide to everything new on streaming in August for more tune-in options.
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place
It’s time for one last go-around with the Russo family, as “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place” releases its final episodes this week. After discovering at the end of last season that Alex (Selena Gomez) is actually her mom, Billie (Janice LeAnn Brown) learns that the only way to rescue her is to reunite with her long-lost father. That will probably go perfectly fine, right? The 4-episode event will mark the end of “Wizards Beyond Waverly Place,” but don’t worry, some familiar faces are returning before things wrap up. Jennifer Stone is set to appear as Alex’s best friend Harper Finkle, and Gregg Sulkin will reprise his role of Mason from the original series. Plus, Gomez will make her directorial debut this season. All in all, lots of nostalgia to look forward to.
Ted Lasso
Ready to believe again? Three years after the series dropped its finale, “Ted Lasso” is back in Richmond with a new team to coach. Jason Sudeikis returns as the title character, who heads back across the pond, meaning there are plenty of familiar faces returning along with him – Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt and Jeremy Smith are all back. But this time, he’s coaching Richmond AFC’s Lady Greyhounds, and the women’s team brings a roster of new characters into the mix. If you’ve needed a dose of optimism, Season 4 premieres on Wednesday on Apple TV, with new episodes rolling out weekly.
The Shards
Ryan Murphy brings his signature blend of sex, murder and Hollywood to his latest series, “The Shards,” which premieres Wednesday with two episodes on FX and Hulu. Adapted from “American Psycho” and “Less Than Zero” author Bret Easton Ellis’ 2023 semi-autobiographical horror novel, “The Shards” stars Igby Rigney as a 17-year-old Ellis and transports viewers into the lavish lives of 1980s L.A.’s prep school elite, while a serial killer dubbed “The Trawler” targets teens across the city.
Sterling Point
Prime Video keeps delivering on the YA this summer, but “Sterling Point” tones down the melodrama and amps up the lakeside nostalgia found in showrunner Megan Park’s “My Old Ass” to craft a new type of coming-of-age drama altogether. Ella Rubin (“The Idea of You,” “Until Dawn”) leads “Sterling Point” as New York City-bred Annie Jacobson, whose life turns upside down when she inherits an island in Canada from her mysterious grandfather. What follows is a summer full of self-discovery, friendship, romance and family with plenty of growing pains along the way. Featuring performances from impressive newcomers like Amélie Hoeferle, Bo Bragason and Keen Ruffalo as well as pros Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Jay Duplass, “Sterling Point” is the perfect watch to grasp onto the summer before it disappears. All eight episodes drop Wednesday.
One Hundred Years of Solitude Part Two
It’s been a long wait for the second half of Netflix’s acclaimed “One Hundred Years of Solitude” – and that wait isn’t quite over. In an unusual bit of streaming scheduling, Netflix will drop the first seven episodes of Part 2 this Wednesday, and the feature-length finale will debut in a few weeks, on Aug. 26. The ambitious series adapts Gabriel García Márquez’s 1967 magical realism masterpiece of the same name, following the saga of Macondo and the Buendía family across seven generations. It’s one of those adaptations that seems an impossible task, but the first half, which debuted all the way back in 2024, beat the odds. Let’s see if they can do it again.
