7 TV shows in summer 2023 we’re most excited for, from The Idol on HBO to Ahsoka on Disney+ and Never Have I Ever on Netflix

While writers are still striking in Hollywood, there are still a bunch of new shows to look forward to watching over the summer from Apple TV+, Netflix and more
Lily-Rose Depp and the Weeknd lead the much-anticipated The Idol, Rosario Dawson stars in Star War’s Ahsoka, and Never Have I Ever returns for the last time

TV shows and streaming video

Tribune News Service

Published: 4:15am, 18 May 2023

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Thanks in part to streaming services, we are no longer confined to a bunch of reruns during the summer, and this year is no different, with several new series and new seasons set to air.

However, television audiences will also have to bid adieu to some beloved shows, not long after seeing a string of series – Succession, Barry and Ted Lasso – air their final episodes.

If the writers strike in Hollywood does, in fact, go on through the summer, viewers might not notice much of a disruption in what they can watch, for now anyway, because of the glut of shows produced beforehand.

We are hoping that at least the current roster of shows we are looking forward to watching – especially as the temperatures rise – stay on schedule.

1. High Desert (Apple TV+, May 17)

A brilliant Patricia Arquette dives headfirst into a comedy thriller as Peggy, a somewhat recovering drug addict and convicted felon attempting in a determined – if scattershot way – to improve her life in a California desert town.

As an optimistic hot mess, misunderstood and too well understood, the actress gets an unusual wealth of attitudes to play, from wildly comic to subtly heartbreaking, anchoring this antic series with naturalism.

The series stars Rupert Friend as an anchorman-turned-guru, Brad Garrett as the down-at-his-heels private eye into whose flailing business Peggy inserts herself, Bernadette Peters as her mother – and her mother’s doppelgänger – and a goofball Matt Dillon as her ex-con ex-husband.

2. XO, Kitty (Netflix, May 18)

Gia Kim as Yuri Han in XO, Kitty. Yuri is the daughter of two extremely successful parents and is a paparazzi magnet. Photo: Netflix

Get ready for another obsessive summer of romance, courtesy of bestselling author Jenny Han, who is set to return to streaming with the second season of her highly addictive Prime Video series The Summer I Turned Pretty. But first, we will get XO, Kitty, the series spin-off from Han’s other smash-hit romance franchise, To All the Boys.

This time, it is self-anointed romance expert Kitty (Anna Cathcart) whose time it is to shine when the youngest Song-Covey sister impulsively transfers to a Seoul boarding school for her junior year, anchoring a K-drama-inspired ensemble of inclusive new characters all navigating first loves, family dramas, friendship and young adulthood.

Cathcart carries Kitty’s journey of self-discovery with unsinkable charm, making for a breezy binge-worthy watch that feels as comforting as snuggling up with your favourite young adult novel.

3. Platonic (Apple TV+, May 24)

Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne in a still from Platonic. Photo: Apple TV+

If you are a fan of Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne in the Neighbors films, Platonic is going to be right up your alley. The pair are teaming up again, this time as best friends who reconnect after a falling out.

Sylvia (Byrne) is a former lawyer and stay-at-home mother of three, who reaches out to Will (Rogen) after she learns he recently divorced. Their lives could not be at more different stages, but despite that, they find that their friendship and banter still comes easily.

It is a look at midlife – which millennials are beginning to enter, believe it or not, so it is likely to resonate for that cohort. It is also set in Los Angeles, and you will see plenty of recognisable neighbourhoods and issues – gentrification, overpriced homes and abandoned scooters, anyone?

4. The Idol (HBO, June 4)

Lily-Rose Depp and the Weeknd in The Idol. Photo: HBO

On occasion, a film or television series comes down the pike that piques my interest not for the story depicted on-screen, but for the story behind it. And boy, does The Idol fit the bill.

The series, set to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival this month, has reportedly been plagued by problems: the departure of original director Amy Seimetz; rewrites and reshoots led by co-creator and controversial Euphoria auteur Sam Levinson; and allegations in Rolling Stone that the project devolved into “sexual torture porn” and a rape fantasy.

Lurid curiosity about the backstage drama will have to sustain us. At this point, it is not even clear what the series – featuring Lily-Rose Depp as a pop star and co-creator the Weeknd as her culty new… guru? Love interest? Tormentor? All of the above? – will be, except talked about, that is.

5. Never Have I Ever (Netflix, June 8)

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan (right) and Jaren Lewison in Never Have I Ever. Photo: Netflix

It is senior year at Sherman Oaks High School and sadly, it means our time with Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and her best friends, Eleanor (Ramona Young) and Fabiola (Lee Rodriguez), is coming to a close.

Netflix announced in 2022 that the fourth season of the coming-of-age comedy would be its last. As an elder millennial, a show about Gen Z has never made me feel older. But as someone who, like Devi, was an ambitious nerd whose dating life was nominal in high school, I connected with the character.

It would have been such a confidence boost to see a show like this growing up, especially with a lead actor of colour like Ramakrishnan. Gen Z is so lucky. Plus, the show is wickedly funny. God, I am going to relish this last season of tennis star John McEnroe’s narration.

6. And Just Like That (HBO/Max, June TBD)

(From left) Cynthia Nixon, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kristin Davis in And Just Like That. Photo: HBO

Fans of And Just Like That have a lot of unanswered questions going into season two: is Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker) really getting back together with Aidan Shaw, her jilted ex, or is the return of John Corbett a massive fake-out? Will Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Che’s relationship survive the move to California? And will Charlotte (Kristin Davis) ever get a storyline anyone cares about?

The slapdash first season of this Sex and the City reboot got dragged by the critics but also introduced the phrase “Che Diaz comedy concert” to the lexicon and featured one of the most memorable stationary-bike-related fatalities in pop culture history.

I am giddily anticipating more of this glorious messiness in season two, which arrives on Max – the streaming service formerly known as HBO Max – in June.

7. Ahsoka (Disney+, August TBD)

Ahsoka stars Rosario Dawson as an exiled Jedi who was once Anakin Skywalker’s apprentice. Photo: Disney+

Originally introduced in the animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), Ahsoka Tano has grown from a spunky young padawan that kept her master Anakin Skywalker on his toes to a formidable and insightful warrior with a strong moral compass over the course of a couple of animated series.

After making her live-action debut in The Mandalorian, Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) is set to revisit some loose ends from her days on Star Wars Rebels and reunite with other beloved characters from that animated series – including Mandalorian explosives expert Sabine Wren (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) and Rebel Alliance general and ace pilot Hera Syndulla (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) – in Ahsoka.

I have been hoping to see the next chapter of their story for years.

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