There’s good news for fans who want something new to watch at the end of July. The streamers have not let us down. The Time Bandits reboot has landed on Apple TV+, while Peacock is streaming Syfy’s The Ark season 2. And just to keep the unintentional genre theme going, we’re also focusing on Hulu’s lone Marvel series, Hit-Monkey.
Next month, DC counters Hit-Monkey with a brand new Batman animated series on Prime Video. But for now, these are the best new shows to stream.
Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, Max, Disney+, Paramount+, Peacock, and Apple TV+ all have one thing in common: They’re more expensive than they used to be! We can live with higher rates as long as new shows keep coming, but it’s always a good idea to consider signing up for the ad-supported tiers, which are worth it if you can sit through a few commercials.
When you’re done here, check out the best new movies to stream this week, as well as the best shows on Netflix, best shows on Hulu, best shows on Amazon Prime Video, and best shows on Disney+.
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Time Bandits2024 -
Marvel's Hit-Monkey2021
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The Ark2023
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Those About to Die2024
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Cobra Kai2018
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Kite Man: Hell Yeah!2024
Apple TV+
Time Bandits (2024)
65%
5.8/10The reboot of Time Bandits has a lot to live up to, because Terry Gilliam’s 1981 film of the same name is a cult classic. What We Do In Shadows’ Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi — both of whom appear in guest roles — co-created the new series with Iain Morris.
In this new retelling, Friends veteran Lisa Kudrow stars as Penelope, the leader of a small gang of thieves that moves throughout time and space. Their latest recruit is Kevin (Kal-El Tuck), an 11-year-old kid from the present who’s a history lover. But even Kevin may not have enough knowledge to see the group through to the end of their quest.
Presumed Innocent (2024)
65%
7.6/10It’s been 34 years since Harrison Ford starred in the previous adaptation of Scott Turow’s legal thriller Presumed Innocent, so it was probably overdue for a remake. Road House‘s Jake Gyllenhaal steps into Ford’s former role as Rusty Sabich, a prosecutor who gets romantically involved with one of his colleagues, Carolyn Polhemus (Renate Reinsve).
When Carolyn is found murdered, Rusty is considered a prime suspect and arrested. Even worse, the news about his affair with Carolyn threatens Rusty’s marriage and family. There’s more to Carolyn’s death than just a sordid affair. But who else had the motive to kill her and frame Rusty for the crime?
Hulu
Marvel's Hit-Monkey (2021)
57%
7.8/10Hit-Monkey is a relic of an old deal between Marvel and Hulu to create adult-oriented animated series. The title character doesn’t really speak, so Ted Lasso’s Jason Sudeikis gets most of the lines as Bryce Fowler, a deceased hitman whose ghost is the closest thing that Hit-Monkey has to a friend and mentor.
Season 2 picks up with the duo in New York, as Bryce tries to reconnect with his daughter, Iris (Cristin Milioti), even as a rift develops between himself and Hit-Monkey. And just when they start getting things together, the new Lady Bullseye, Akiko Yokohama (Olivia Munn), shows up to get her revenge on Hit-Monkey.
The Toys That Built America (2021)
Peacock
The Ark (2023)
50%
5.4/10There aren’t many sci-fi originals left on Syfy, or original shows in general. But The Ark is one of the most prominent series still on the network, and streaming on Peacock. The story follows the crew of the Ark One, a generation spaceship that is meant to help humanity find a new home in the stars.
After disaster strikes, Lt. Sharon Garnet (Christie Burke) is forced to take command. Season 2 picks up with Ark One getting new crew members from a rival Ark ship. Can Garnet and her crew trust the newcomers? Or is a Trojan horse operation in play so the new crew can seize the ship for themselves? Time will tell.
Those About to Die (2024)
Why wait to see Gladiator 2 in theaters when you’ve got Those About To Die at home? Peacock’s new original series will probably remind Spartacus fans of the bloody gladiatorial show that came before it. Anthony Hopkins leads the cast as Emperor Vespasian, and there’s certainly madness in his eyes as he unleashes the proverbial bread and circuses for the masses.
There’s a very large group of cast members to keep track of, but all of their stories revolve around the arena in some way. A few characters see the gladiatorial contests as their ticket to glory, while for others, it’s a question of life or death.
Netflix
Cobra Kai (2018)
71%
8.5/10Peace has come to the valley as Cobra Kai season 6 kicks off, but old rivalries dating back to The Karate Kid die hard. Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) and Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) may have defeated Cobra Kai and combined their dojos, but they’re far from being on the same page. And Johnny feels like Daniel is trying to dominate their partnership.
Even the students of their dojo still have some very significant personal issues with each other. But the world championships of karate are coming up fast, and only the very best students will make the final cut.
Exploding Kittens (2024)
6.2/10If you’ve ever owned a cat, you may have noticed that some of them act as if they are divine beings who are above you. In Exploding Kittens, Godcat (Tom Ellis) really is above everyone else because he is the Almighty who has manifested on Earth in the form of a fat cat. Similarly, the Devil has taken on the form of a Devilcat (Sasheer Zamata), and she’s always down to make trouble for Godcat … or just to hang around.
Godcat adopts his own dysfunctional family of humans, the Higgins, while Devilcat moves next door. Just because Godcat and Devilcat are felines now, it doesn’t mean they don’t play some games with the humans in their lives. And getting those people to do what they want is a real challenge in their current forms.
Supacell (2024)
71%
5.5/10There are plenty of superhero stories about ordinary people who are given extraordinary powers… even if they have no intention of being heroes. Supacell doesn’t reinvent the wheel, but it does flip the script by making all five of its main characters Black men and women who live in South London.
On the surface, Michael (Tosin Cole), Sabrina (Nadine Mills), Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa), Andre (Eric Kofi Abrefa), and Tazer (Josh Tedeku) practically exist in different worlds despite their close proximity to each other. Yet it’s on Michael to bring this disparate souls together for the common good, because the life of his fiancée, Dionne (Adelayo Adedayo), depends on it. And Michael is quickly running out of time to change a dark future.
Max (formerly HBO and HBO Max)
Kite Man: Hell Yeah! (2024)
71%
7.5/10Among Batman villains, Kite Man (Matt Oberg) is about as far from the A-list as it gets. But he’s a loveable loser from the Harley Quinn animated series who lost the love of his life, Poison Ivy (Lake Bell), to Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) herself. Now, Kite Man: Hell Yeah! is giving this beleaguered semi-villain a fresh start with a new girlfriend, Golden Glider (The Fall Guy‘s Stephanie Hsu).
Since Kite Man’s not particularly good at villany, he and Golden Glider have taken over the local dive bar for Gotham City’s bad guys. James Adomian’s hilarious version of Bane carries over to this series, which has the same black comedy style that made Harley Quinn so much fun to watch.
Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants (2024)
8.3/10For the first time, HBO’s NFL docuseries Hard Knocks is chronicling the offseason of one the league’s teams. Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants finds the storied franchise heading into their historic 100th season. But after a dismal 6-11 finish in 2023, the team’s success is far from assured.
One of the storylines in this five-part series is whether quarterback Daniel Jones can fully recover from his ACL injury that prematurely ended his season in 2023. Liev Schrieber will provide the narration as the series offers football fans a behind-the-scenes look at the Giants’ decisions at the NFL Scouting Combine, the free agency rush, and the NFL draft before heading into the team’s annual minicamp.
Amazon Prime Video
Sausage Party: Foodtopia (2024)
53%
6.1/10In the 2016 R-rated animated comedy Sausage Party, Seth Rogen voiced Frank, an anthropomorphized hot dog, who learned that he and the rest of the food were meant to be eaten. Sausage Party: Foodtopia picks up after the movie as the food has won the war against humanity. Now meat products, breads, fruits, and other foods shall inherit the Earth.
But in their efforts to create a Foodtopia for all food, Fred, Brenda Bunson (Kristen Wiig), Barry (Michael Cera), and Sammy Bagel Jr. (Edward Norton) aren’t necessarily up to the task. They’re going to need help rebuilding their world. And much to their surprise, not all of the humans are gone.
My Lady Jane (2024)
70%
6.0/10If you’ve never heard of Lady Jane Grey, the former queen of England in the 16th century, it’s probably because she only sat on the throne for nine days before she was eventually unjustly executed for treason. Don’t worry about spoilers, because My Lady Jane quickly divorces itself from the actual history by making Lady Jane (Emily Bader) an assertive young woman who won’t go down without a fight.
Although Jane is forced to wed Lord Guildford Dudley (Edward Bluemel), the two share an attraction that may lead to some genuine romantic feelings. Guildford is also hiding a secret that shakes this series out of the historical realm and shifts it into something more like a fantasy. Jane may like her new husband, but if she wants to avoid a date with the executioner, then she’ll have to save herself.
Paramount+
Criminal Minds: Evolution (2005)
64%
8.1/10Unlike the current season of Doctor Who, Criminal Minds: Evolution fully embraces that it is the 17th season of a police procedural drama that goes back to 2005. Last season, David Rossi (Joe Mantegna), Jennifer “JJ” Jareau (AJ Cook), and the rest of the Behavioral Analysis Unit team uncovered a network of serial killers that was formed in the wake of the pandemic.
While the BAU identified and captured Elias Voit (Zach Gilford), the man behind the serial killer network, he still finds ways to be a thorn in their side in the new season. There’s also a new mystery on the horizon that may push the BAU team to their limits.
