Couch? Check. Snacks? Check. Time to binge-watch, folks.
GLOW
Netflix
Release: July
Orange Is The New Black’s Jenji Kohan teams up with Alison Brie to put together a crazy comedy-drama about professional women wrestlers, who participate in a fledgling wrestling promotion called the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling (GLOW). After how brutal OITNB got in the last two seasons, Kohan might just be finding new avenues to explore her freaky side in more detail.
The Defenders
Netflix
Release: August
Okay boys, here’s some more superhero dope for your daily consumption (as if there isn’t enough already). Set a few months after the events of the second season of Daredevil (a cracking season, to be sure), and a month after the events of Iron Fist (you can easily ignore this one), the vigilantes Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage and Iron Fist come together to fight a common enemy: The Hand. What if I haven’t watched the prequel shows, you ask? Not to worry – The Defenders is pretty self-sufficient. But you do have a month, so maybe catch up?
Riviera Sky
Atlantic/HBO/Hotstar
Release: July
This glamourous crime thriller is the brainchild of former U2 manager, Paul McGuiness. Starring Julia Stiles as the lead and Iwan Rheon (GOT’s cock-chopping Ramsay Bolton) as her seductive stepson, Riviera is the story of Georgina, a wealthy second wife and art collector whose world is rocked when the super-yacht her husband is partying on is blown up. She soon unearths underworld connections and drug cartels (as one does, after a super rich husband is murdered).
You Me Her (Season 3)
Audience Network/Netflix
Release: Late 2017
This is a great sitcom, about a couple who bring in a college student to amp up their sex life and then, naturally, fall in love with each other and for a “throuple”. Smart writing and a fresh take on modern relationships – what’s not to like?
Game Of Thrones (Season 7)
HBO
Release: July
Everyone has seen the trailers and teasers and read the fan theories, the what-ifs and the are-you-seriouses. Everybody is looking forward to this. No one will miss an episode. Why even bother putting GOT on the list? You probably have the premiere date tattooed on your forehead.
Top Of The Lake: China Girl
Hulu
Release: September
Although the makers said that season one would be the end of the show, thankfully, Top Of The Lake is back this September. The show, which will have Nicole Kidman joining Elizabeth Moss, received the Cannes treatment when the complete second season was screened at the film festival last month, to rave reviews. Jane Campion’s new work bristles with the same kind of sexual, psychological and sociopolitical frankness that the first installment served up – sexual politics is at the core of the show, with Kidman playing a recently-gone-lesbian intellectual wife-and-mother.
Friends From College
Netflix
Release: July
Want to talk about a comedy casting coup? Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors, Storks) brings Keegan Michael-Key, Cobie Smulders, Kate McKinnon and Seth Rogen together for a drug-and-immaturity laced Hangoverstyle show which, from the trailers, is outrageously funny. Trust the actors to strike this one out of the park.
Difficult People (Season 3)
Hulu
Release: August
Politically incorrect, dark and outrageously inappropriate, this sitcom by Tina Fey, Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner is TV gold. If you have seen the first season, you know that the JulieBilly combination of jaded stand-up comedians desperate to become famous while hating on everything and everybody is funny and addictive AF. And then, to top it all, the glorious Queen Fey is the EP. Enough said.
Sneaky Pete (Season 2)
Amazon
Release: Late 2017
Bryan Cranston’s smashing crime drama is back this year, with Giovanni Ribisi’s shenanigans forming the core of the show. The series follows Marius Josipovic (Ribisi), an ex-convict who assumes the identity of his cellmate Pete on his release from prison, adopts his family and finds work as a “skip tracer” – someone who catches people who skip bail. Believe it or not, Cranston got the idea during an Emmy speech, where he referred to himself as a “sneaky Pete”. Go figure.
Curb Your Enthusiasm (Season 9)
HBO
Release: October
Larry David is back on TV. Let me say that again: Larry David is back on TV! The critically acclaimed sitcom about David and a semi-fictional take on his personal and social life ceased production after 8 seasons in 2011, and is finally coming back this year. The episode plots generally revolve around Larry David’s many faux pas and his problems with certain social conventions and expectations, as well as his annoyance with other people’s behaviour. Starring a bunch of celebrities playing themselves, it will be fun to see what he cooks up this time. The show has 38 Emmy nominations to date. Just saying.
Image source: Screengrabs/Posters of the show
