With summer in full swing, we’re only adding a few new shows to the roster in the final months of summer.
Will you watch with us?
As always we’ll begin with our regular, ongoing coverage:
- Sundays:
- Humans S1 (9pm, AMC) – Finale airs Aug 16
- Penny Dreadful S2 (10pm, Showtime) – Finale airs July 5
- Mondays: The Bachelorette (8pm, ABC) – Finale airs July 27
- Tuesdays:
- Zoo S1 (9pm, CBS)
- Scream S1 (10pm, MTV)
- Thursdays: Hannibal S3 (10pm EST, NBC) – Finale airs Aug 27
- Other:
- Sense8 S1 (Netflix, Tuesdays & Thursdays) – Coverage wraps up July 21
- Orange Is The New Black S3 (Netflix, 3 ep blocks every other Thursday) – Coverage wraps up July 16
And now for a breakdown of our new additions for July – August:
Rectify S3
- Where did we leave off? Last season Daniel Holden (Aden Young), the recently paroled protagonist of the show, came under greater scrutiny by the police as the series began to prioritize the details of the murder investigation in the narrative. S2 ended on an ambiguous note when Daniel agreed to a plea deal to stay out of prison that requires him to leave the State…something his family has yet to learn. His decision is sure to rip the Holden family apart, which is presumably what S3 will explore.
- Why should you care? Rectify is the most absorbing drama on TV. As presented from Daniel’s fish-out-of-water perspective, the show’s cinematography reflects his acclimatization back to the modern world in a dream-like, even surreal fashion that’s magnetic to watch. The performances from the cast are uniformly great, especially Young in the lead role, and the drama, while slow (alright sometimes aggravatingly slow) is suitably arresting and emotionally resonant. For those who get into, it is one of the best shows on TV.
- Who’s reviewing it? cinephilactic rejoins the Holden clan with new reviews late each Friday night (or early Saturday morning depending on availability)
- Debuts: Thursday, July 9 at 10pm EST on SundanceTV
Strike Back: Legacy S4
- What’s it about? If you’re a fan of the show, you know that it is basically the most bad-ass action series not called Banshee. Strike Back tells the stories of a secret military organization called Section 20 and their top two field agents – Damian Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) and Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester). The boys are called in to resolve political, social and militaristic conflicts with their trademark brand of quips and over-the-top violence. Over its five year run*, the series has become notorious for its ridiculous action sequences and death defying stunts. This season, subtitled Legacy, is the series’ last hurrah.
- *For some reason the original season, featuring The Hobbit & Hannibal‘s Richard Armitage and The Walking Dead‘s Andrew Lincoln, is labeled a prequel in the US. So this is technically the fifth season, but in the States it is considered the fourth. Confused yet?
- Why should you care? In addition to being Stapleton and Winchester’s last stint as the characters (both have their own action shows debuting on NBC in the fall), Michelle Yeoh joins the cast, presumably because the series needs even more ass-kickery in its wrap up.
- Who’s reviewing it? cinephilactic will offer quick takes for Scott & Stonebridge’s final ten episode ride
- Debuts: Friday, July 31 at 10pm EST on Cinemax
Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp S1
- What’s it about? This prequel to the 2001 cult film takes us back to the first day of camp as the counselors and campers get ready for summer. Expect a great deal of lewd, silly humour and appearances by nearly all of the original cast, including Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Jeaneane Garafalo, David Hyde Pierce, Jason Schwartzman, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, and Elizabeth Banks – all of whom will play younger versions of their already-too-old-to-be-playing-these-characters from the film. The vets will be joined by newcomers Kristen Wiig, John Slattery, Jon Hamm and Weird Al Yankovic (?!) among others.
- Why should you care? The eight episode run is likely one of the main reasons that the series was able to bring back its high calibre cast, many of whom have exploded in popularity since the original film. Whether or not the series can retain the charm of the original (or semi-implode like S4 of Arrested Development) remains to be seen. Regardless, it has some late summer potential in a month offering very little else.
- Who’s reviewing it? Despite never having been to camp, cinephilactic will journey into the past with double reviews every Tuesday starting Aug 4
- Debuts: Like all Netflix series, WHAS drops all 12 episodes on Friday, July 31st
Narcos S1
- What’s it about? Narcos is based on the true story of real-life agents Peña and Murphy (Gone Girl’s Boyd Holbrook), who worked together to chase down the notorious drug lord during the height of his cocaine-dealing career in 1980s Medellín.
- Why should you care? Not only has Netflix been on a roll lately, this series is helmed by director Jose Padilha (Elite Squad) and is the first contemporary historical series that the online streaming giant has debuted. Plus: who doesn’t love a series chock full of mustaches?!
- Who’s covering it? cinephilactic will debut double reviews every Saturday
- Debuts: Like all Netflix series, Narcos will debut all 10 episodes on Friday, August 28
That’s it for us. What are you watching? Will you watch with us? Sound off below!