The Lincoln Lawyer
From Wednesday July 6th, Netflix
With Better Call Saul finishing up after its sixth series, folks will be looking for a new legal iconoclast to follow, and it looks like Mickey Haller aka the Lincoln Lawyer is ready to fill the Saul Goodman-sized gap in the streaming schedules. Manuel Garcia-Rulfo returns as Mickey in season two of the series based on the series of novels by Michael Connelly. And of course his trusty Lincoln automobile, out of which he runs his legal practice, also makes a welcome return. Season two is based on Connelly’s novel The Fifth Witness, in which Mickey defends respected chef and community advocate Lisa Trammel (Regina Mills), who is accused of murdering a rich, ruthless real-estate developer. Now there’s a moral dilemma.
WHAM!
From Wednesday July 6th, Netflix
Once upon a time in England (1982, around teatime), two teenage best mates decided they were going to conquer the world and become huge pop stars. And lo and behold, it came to pass, and George Michael and Andrew Ridgeley embarked on a four-year adventure in pop superstardom, as the whole world fell at their dancing feet. The smiley duo scored effervescent hit after hit, with such tunes as Club Tropicana, I’m Your Man and Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go. This documentary film delves into the personal archives of Ridgeley and Michael, and dusts off some rare footage to bring us deep into Wham! world just as they went stratospheric.
The Horror of Dolores Roach
From Friday July 7th, Prime Video
Welcome to the little massage parlour of horrors in this gory comic blend of Sweeney Todd and Santa Clarita Diet. The series is based on the hit podcast, and stars Justina Machado as the titular Dolores, who has just got out of prison after serving 16 years and now finds herself looking for work in her much-changed neighbourhood of Washington Heights in New York. Luckily, Luis, who runs a beef empanada store, lets her use his basement to run her Magic Hands massage parlour, but when one of her clients expects a more personal touch, he gets a very unhappy ending. But how is Dolores going to dispose of the body and avoid going back to jail? A solution is soon handed to her on a paper plate.
Hack My Home
From July 7th, Netflix
They try, but they just can’t improve on Room to Improve, starring Dermot Bannon as the fairy godfather of home renovation. Still, Hack My Home makes a good fist of it, bringing in a crack design team to help homeowners create more space in their home, and make better use of the existing space. Each member of the design panel has their own unique skill set and speciality, from design to innovation to construction and engineering, so it won’t be just a lick of paint and stick up a couple of shelves. We’re promised jaw-dropping transformations, but still, it’s not Dermot Bannon, is it? And it’s not our house that’s getting transformed, either.
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The Afterparty
From July 12th, Apple TV+
You’re going to need a PhD in on-screen detective fiction to follow what’s going on in season two of Apple TV’s murder mystery series. Tiffany Haddish returns as Detective Danner, and she’s got another morning-after crime scene on her hands. In season one it was a murder at a high school reunion; this time it’s a wedding. The groom has been murdered, and the list of suspects includes pretty much every guest at the wedding. In each episode, the events of the evening are replayed through the eyes of a different character through the medium of a different movie genre, so you better keep a notebook by the couch. Sam Richardson returns as escape room designer Aniq, with Zoë Chao reprising her role as Zoë.
The Summer I Turned Pretty
From July 14th, Prime Video
Lola Tung returns as Isobel “Belly” Conklin in season two of the teen romantic drama based on the novel trilogy by Jenny Han. Every year, Belly looks forward to spending summer vacation at her family friend Susannah’s house at Cousins Beach, but when she gets caught up in a love triangle with childhood friends-turned-hunks Conrad and Jeremiah, summer doesn’t seem so easy-going any more. In season two, Belly is back at Cousins Beach for another summer vacation, only to find Conrad and Jeremiah still locked in battle for her heart. She’s going to have to make a choice before things get out of hand. Worse still, Susannah’s cancer has returned, and the future of her beach house is threatened, so Belly is going to have to get everyone on board to help save the day.
Foundation
From Friday July 14th, Apple TV+
For fans who want their sci-fi on an epic, galaxy-building scale, Apple’s adaptation of Isaac Asimov’s award-winning novels might just do the job. Jared Harris and Lee Pace lead the huge ensemble cast in the second season, which promises to leave you even more baffled and bewildered than you were at the end of season one. You know the story: visionary Hari Seldon (Harris), using a new algorithm called psychohistory, has predicted the fall of the Empire, and for his trouble is forced into exile where he forms the Foundation with the goal of preserving civilisation over the next millennium. Talk about thinking ahead. In season two, the Foundation faces a new crisis: all-out war with the Empire.
The Bear
From Wednesday July 19th, Disney+
When Disney+ launched this drama series about a young chef trying to turn his late brother’s grimy sandwich shop into a gourmet joint, it proved a big hit with viewers, but will the crew at the newly renamed The Bear be able to keep up the quality for season two? Jeremy Allen White returns as chef “Carmy” Berzatto, with Ayo Edebiri as sous chef Sydney and Ebon Moss-Bacharach as restaurant manager Richie. Season two follows Carmy and the crew as construction on the new restaurant gets under way, with plans to open in six months. But they need money to get The Bear off the ground, and Cicero agrees to front them half a million on the understanding that if he’s not paid back within 18 months, he gets full ownership. While season two will focus on Carmy’s quest to make his new restaurant the talk of Chicago, we’re promised wider storylines revolving around the ensemble cast.
Sweet Magnolias
From Thursday July 20th, Netflix
Y’all ready for another helping of southern discomfort and down-home drama? Welcome back to Serenity, South Carolina, where best friends Maddie, Helen and Dana Sue are helping each other through the ups and downs of love, work and family life. It’s not an easy job, ‘specially in such a small town, where everyone knows everyone else’s business, and folk are always dropping by with a home-made apple pie. But could this light romantic drama be taking a darker turn? There’s a slasher on the loose – a tyre slasher, actually – and when their identity is revealed, Margaritas are spilt in shock all across Serenity. Maddie has to work out what to do about Cal after his anger issues resulted in a brawl in Sullivan’s, while Dana Sue has to work out the best way to help the community with the cheque left by Miss Frances before she died.
Good Omens
From July 28th, Prime Video
If you said you weren’t waiting with childlike anticipation for the return of Michael Sheen and David Tennant as dynamic angel-and-demon duo Aziraphale and Crowley, then we just wouldn’t believe you. The pair are back in full flight for season two of the fantasy series based on the original novel by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman. With brand new storylines that go beyond the original source material, we’re expecting things to get even more biblical and apocalyptic, as the pair’s idyllic life among the mortals is threatened by the unexpected arrival of the archangel Gabriel (played by Jon Hamm) at Aziraphale’s antique bookshop. He’s got a bad dose of angel amnesia, leaving Aziraphale and Crowley to hide him from the all-seeing eyes of Heaven and Hell while they get to the bottom of this bottomless mystery.
