Once a time for little but repeats, reality, and game shows, the summer months are now filled with original scripted series – several on cable networks, but many you may never have heard of on streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, and CBS All Access, as well.
I’ve been analyzing programming for more than 30 years and continue to keep on top of the television and video landscape. The fact that I am just now discovering some excellent shows that have already been on for two or three seasons should tell you something about how many gems are out there in the era of Peak TV.
Here are some of the best series you may not have heard about, but should check out over the summer. Each has at least two seasons worth of episodes you can binge. I’ll try my best not to provide spoilers.
Bosch (Amazon Prime Video): I’ve said it before and I stand by it - this is not only the best procedural drama currently on television, it might be the best procedural drama ever on television.
Titus Willever is perfect as the brilliant, tough as nails, flawed, and haunted detective Harry Bosch. He melts into the role with a smoothness that is simply delicious. The ensemble cast of regulars are spot on – Jamie Hector as his partner, Madison Lintz as his daughter, Amy Aquino as his friend and boss, Lance Reddick as police chief, and Troy Evans and Gregory Scott Cummins as fellow detectives, nicknamed Crate and Barrel.
The guest stars have been a string of superb character actors who you will immediately recognize (if you’re over 40) and wonder where you’ve seen them before.
Each season focuses on one main crime that Bosch and crew need to solve, along with one or two secondary crimes. The murder of Bosch’s prostitute mom when he was 12, how it impacted who he is today, and his relentless efforts to solve the crime, is a thread that has sewn its way through the first four 10-episode seasons.
Season 5 hasn’t lost a step. It continues to be tight, straightforward, and unhurried as it gradually unravels clues to solve each crime. It remains as addictive as ever. If you haven’t discovered Bosch yet, you’ll have the joy of being able to binge 50 episodes.
Goliath (Amazon Prime Video): Billy McBride (Billy Bob Thornton), once a high-powered lawyer ln Los Angeles, has be become a burned out and washed-up ambulance chaser, who spends more time in bars than in a courtroom. But he’s still got the skills.
In season 1 he reluctantly agrees to take on a wrongful death lawsuit against the biggest (and
extremely dangerous) client of the giant law firm he helped create (William Hurt plays his former
A Sternberg Report sponsored message
Does it matter that NBCU outbid Netflix for The Office? Find out in an upcoming issue of The Sternberg Report.
partner, now biggest adversary). Maria Bello is his ex-wife, also a partner in his former firm. He puts
together a ragtag team that helps him uncover a big and deadly conspiracy (Nina Arianda and Tany Raymonde are both solid here).
He returns in season 2 to defend his friend’s 16-year-old son who is wrongly accused of a grisly double murder. He and his team uncover another conspiracy, which leads to the highest levels of the city politics and corruption. This season has a harder edge than season 1, as it becomes more difficult for David to slay all the Goliaths.
Created and written by David E. Kelley and Jonathan Shapiro, Billy Bob Thornton’s naturalistic, laid back style is well suited as a former Goliath, now a David, beaten down but still confident in his ability to take down new Goliaths each season. Randy Quaid, Amy Brenneman, Beau Bridges, Griffin Dunne, and Sherilyn Finn have signed on for season 3 (scheduled for sometime in 2019).
Sneaky Pete (Amazon Prime Video): Giovanni Ribisi is Marius, a con man who assumes the identity of his prison cell mate, Pete, to escape a vicious mobster. He moves in with Pete’s family (who haven’t seen him for twenty years), including his grandma (Marge Martindale), Grampa (Peter Gerety), and cousin (Marin Ireland), who run a bail-bonds business. They have their own secrets and lies (and world of shady characters) that make “Pete’s” new life as dangerous as the one he is trying to escape. He uses his well-honed skills to help them out of one jam after another. His past, however, is never far behind, constantly threatening to expose him to his new extended family.
Bryan Cranston is executive producer, and has a role as a gangster who is after Pete in season 1. Intelligent, gritty, and a good mix of drama and humor. Season 3 (its last) dropped in May.
The Good Fight (CBS All Access): The great Christine Baransky stars, along with Cush Jumbo and Rose Leslie (both also great) in this female-driven legal drama (and spinoff of CBS’s The Good Wife). They make a diverse team that is as much in (or out of) control professionally as they are in their relationships. Audra McDonald and Delroy Lindo also star.
Sexual harassment, racism, and income inequality have been dealt with here in a more thought-provoking way than is typically seen on television (or anywhere, for that matter). Having Christine Baransky’s character, Diane Lockhart take a partner position at a majority black-owned and staffed Chicago law firm lends itself to a number of race-related storylines, which the writers have handled well, without getting heavy-handed.
There remains a clear anti-Trump tone, particularly with the animated shorts that appear in each episode during the third season, but this is also perhaps the only show on TV showing its few Trump supporters, and conservatives in general in a somewhat positive light. Just the right mix of drama and humor, along with the excellent cast and superb writing, make this great television.
Season 1 is being aired on CBS this summer (something I suggested the network do when CBS All Access debuted in 2017). If you don’t subscribe to CBS All Access, watch this cleaned up version. Then subscribe and binge all three seasons of what is one of the very best series on television.
Star Trek Discovery (CBS All Access): Taking place a decade before Captain Kirk’s original five-year mission, the series follows the exploits of the U.S.S. Discovery as it seeks out new worlds and new civilizations (and battles Klingons and other alien forces along the way).
Star Trek TV series are not known for strong starts – the original series was continually on the verge of cancellation during its three-season run, while both Next Generation and Deep Space Nine didn’t hit their strides until their third seasons. Discovery’s first season was no exception – it was good but uneven. Season 2, however, found its way, revved up the action, and gave this series real potential to become a classic and revitalize the Star Trek franchise.
Sonequa Martin-Green is excellent as science officer Michael Burnham, a human who was raised on Vulcan by Spock’s father, Sarek. Michelle Yeoh is also excellent as Captain Philippa Georgiou. Season 2 has several nods to the original series, introducing us to a young Spock and Captain Christopher Pike (James T. Kirk’s predecessor on the U.S.S. Enterprise), but you need not be familiar with Star Trek canon to like this series.
Season 2’s ending propels Star Trek Discovery into new terrain to make Season 3 a completely new entity with endless possibilities. After season 3, CBS should air this series on its broadcast network during the summer as it is doing with The Good Fight.
GLOW (Netflix): This surprise Netflix hit from the summer of 2017 provides a behind-the-scenes look at the 1980s syndicated TV show, the low-budget Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling.
Alison Brie, as an unemployed actress who becomes a GLOW star, and Marc Maron as a washed up “B” movie director who leads the ladies to fame, are standouts. Along with an excellent, diverse ensemble cast of misfits, they make this way more fun than I expected. It took three or four episodes to get rolling, but then my wife and I were hooked. Season 2 is a blast from start to finish.
Geena Davis will appear in 5 of the 10 episodes in season 3, which will be released in August. She’ll portray the wrestlers’ new boss, when the women of GLOW move to Las Vegas as the headliner at her hotel and casino.
Ozark (Netflix): Jason Bateman (in his best and most nuanced performance) is Marty Byrde, a Chicago financial advisor who is forced to move to a summer resort community in the Missouri Ozarks with his wife Wendy (Laura Linney, who is also great here) and their two kids. After Marty’s business partener steals money from a cartel and is subsequently killed, he is forced to pay back the debt by laundering money for a drug lord. When they get there they also have to deal with some vicious local gangsters.
Quirky and gritty, dangerous characters and situations abound. An unusual but very effective mix of humor and violence (which can be sudden and jarring). Season 3 probably won’t be ready until sometime in 2020.
Daredevil (Netflix): When Daredevil debuted on Netflix in 2015, it raised the bar for superhero storytelling on television. As the best known of the Netflix Marvel street-level heroes (which also include Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and The Punisher), Charlie Cox gives a strong performance as Matt Murdoch/Daredevil – blind lawyer by day, vigilante crimefighter by night.
While he has no actual superpowers, Daredevil has ninja-like fighting skills, and heightened senses to make up for his lack of sight. As with most Marvel vigilantes, he is haunted by events in his past, and struggles with the violence he is forced to inflict on the bad guys – at what point do you become what you are fighting?
The fight choreography (check out the hallway fight sequence from season 1 and the prison gym fight in season 3) goes well beyond anything I’ve seen on TV.
Great heroes are often defined and elevated by great villains, and Vincent D’Onofrio is larger than life as Wilson Fisk/The Kingpin. In the comic books, he’s one of Daredevil’s and Spiderman’s greatest foes. Living up to one of the most iconic bad guys in comicdom is no easy task, but he pulls it off.
Unfortunately, the stellar third season was its last, unless Disney decides to eventually resurrect it on Disney+ or Hulu.
The Punisher (Netflix): Marvel’s most violent anti-hero, Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, is perfectly embodied by Jon Bernthal. He’s a former special forces soldier seeking vengeance on those who murdered his family. His internal struggle is more straightforward than other Marvel vigilantes – he has no qualms or remorse about the high body counts he leaves in his lurch, but his dilemma is simply after you kill everyone who has wronged you, can you once again become a normal human being? The answer seems to be maybe, at least until he sees some innocent person in danger – then he’s compelled to come to the rescue and again mercilessly put down the bad guys (as he does in season 2).
The fight scenes are fantastic, and virtually every episode is exhilarating (if you like this sort of thing). The Punisher was canceled with the rest of Netflix’s Marvel series after two high-octane seasons.
Jessica Jones (Netflix): Krysten Ritter shines as Jessica Jones, a reluctant hero, brooding and haunted by her past (given super strength in a medical experiment that saved her life after a car crash killed her family). More noir, and at times darker than other Marvel TV series, she turns the standard genre elements of the show upside down. More hard-boiled detective than femme fatale, she swears, drinks too much, has meaningless sex, and thinks nothing of breaking the rules if it suits her idea of the greater good – the type of woman you virtually never see on television (or in the Marvel universe). Traditional female roles – sidekicks and “the girlfriend” – are the male characters in this world.
The first two seasons were surprisingly strong social commentaries on male/female relationships and the abuse of privilege and power, focusing on topics such as addiction, sexual harassment, rape, retaliation, and redemption – subjects seldom dealt with on television, and never in the Marvel universe at large. Season 1 also had one of the great supervillains of all time in the mind-controlling Kilgrave (David Tennant). Season 2 is more personal, as Jessica searches for those responsible for her powers, and discovers some shocking details.
Season 3 dropped in June, and is a fitting end to Jessica’s journey as she fights a serial killer and struggles with what it means to be a hero. This is the last of Netflix’s Marvel series to be officially canceled (as Disney ramps up its own streaming service and takes full control of Hulu).
Big Little Lies (HBO): Starring Nicole Kidman, Reese Witherspoon, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoe Kravitz. What else do you need to know? How about Meryl Streep joining the cast in season 2? Lies and secrets (and murder) in the beachfront town of Monterey, California – successful parents, doting moms, precocious kids, stunning homes, all masking the dysfunctional relationships among family, friends, and neighbors in this seemingly tranquil community. A master class in acting. Season 2 started in June.
Queen of the South (USA): The USA crime drama’s uneven first season got better and hit overdrive in seasons 2, and 3, as Camila Vargas (Veronica Falcon) and her former protégé, Teresa Mendoza (Alice Braga), battle for supremacy of a drug cartel. Both are seductive and conniving, occasionally vicious, and always captivating.
From the looks of early season 4 episodes, which premiered in June, it’s not slowing down one bit, as Teresa Mendoza strikes out on her own, making dangerous allies and facing down powerful adversaries, both new and old.
Claws (TNT): This dark TNT comedy centers on five manicurists who own a nail salon in Central Florida and are trying to get out of their life of crime (laundering money for the “Dixie Mafia” in season 1, the Russian mob in season 2, and new adversaries as they become casino owners in season 3).
Claws is much funnier than it has any right to be, which makes some of the violence more unexpected and jarring. Niecy Nash, Dean Norris, and Carrie Preston stand out among a fine ensemble cast.
Rick and Morty (Adult Swim): My 20-year-old son got me hooked on this Adult Swim animated piece of brilliance a few years ago. It follows super-genius (and boozy) scientist, Rick, as he drags his not-so-bright grandson, Morty, on wild adventures through other worlds and alternate dimensions. Walks the line between sublime and ridiculous. You’ll either love it or say “huh?”
The long-awaited fourth season starts in November, but seasons 1-3 are available on Hulu.
Killing Eve (BBCA/AMC): Sandra Oh received a Golden Globe win and Emmy nomination for her role as the title character, a bored, but very smart and ambitious MI5 security officer. She is excellent as always, but Jodie Comer is the real revelation as her adversary, Villanelle, a brutal and sociopathic assassin.
Eve is tasked with hunting down the talented killer. As they become equally obsessed with one another, a fierce game of cat and mouse ensues. Men are the peripheral characters here (and most of the victims). Each of the two seasons has eight episodes, which are available on demand. Season 1 is also available on Hulu. It’s as good as everyone says it is.
There are also several shows with only one season so far that are worth bingeing. They include:
Bodyguard (Netflix): British television hit centering around a special forces war veteran with PTSD (Richard Madden), who is now a police sergeant in London. After thwarting a terrorist attack, he is assigned to protect the home secretary, a controversial politician and major proponent of the conflict he fought in.
You’ll be hooked after the first 15 minutes or so as the intensity of the opening continues unabated for the entire six-episode run. Complicated, taut, absorbing, violent, and perfectly paced. It will hold you and keep you guessing from start to finish.
They’re still discussing a potential season 2, but it probably won’t be until 2020-21 at the earliest. According to its star, Richard Madden, “We’re going to give it a breath and do it justice…and not just repeat the cycle, repeat the formula.”
Mindhunter (Netflix): In the late 1970s, FBI hostage negotiator Holden Ford (Jonathan Groff) and veteran agent Bill Tench (Holt McCallany) pioneer behavioral profiling of a new type of murderer – the serial killer. Anna Torv also stars as a psychology professor who helps them categorize the killers and predict future behavior.
Rises way above a typical procedural. Smart, compelling, and cinematic. You won’t want to wait for the next episode – and if you have enough time, you don’t need to. If you enjoy series such as Dexter, Criminal Minds and Hannibal, you’ll probably like this too – but keep in mind there’s no murder of the week that conveniently get solved by the end of each hour. This aims much higher, and, for the first season at least, hits the mark. Season 2 is scheduled for this August.
The Kominsky Method (Netflix): Created by comedy master, Chuck Lorre, and starring Michael Douglas and Alan Arkin as an iconic aging acting coach, Sandy Kominnsky and his long-time agent and friend. Life is constantly throwing them curveballs as they navigate their later years in Los Angeles, a city that values youth and beauty.
The inspired pairing of Douglas and Arkin, combined with brilliant writing, make for a hilarious and often poignant eight episode first season. Danny DeVito has an extremely funny recurring role as Kominsky’s urologist. If you’re over 50, this will resonate, if you’re under 50, this is what you can look forward to (or not).
This was the first Netflix series to win a Golden Globe for best comedy (and lead actor in a comedy for Michael Douglas). It has been renewed for season 2, but no date has yet been announced.
Altered Carbon (Netflix): Science fiction cyber punk. In a dystopian future 300 years from now, new technology has transformed society by making human bodies interchangeable (if you can afford it), and death no longer necessarily permanent. Joel Kinnaman portrays the lone survivor of a group of elite warriors who were defeated in an uprising. His mind was imprisoned for years until a wealthy businessman gives him a chance to live if he solves his murder.
The second half of the first season is better than the first, but the entire series is gripping, and touches a surprising number of topical issues (income inequality being just the most obvious). Visually stunning production values, action-packed (and violent), it’s reminiscent of Blade Runner. It’s not for everyone (particularly the squeamish), but it’s great on many levels.
Hanna (Amazon Prime Video): Based on the 2011 film of the same name, 15-year-old Hanna (Esme Creed-Miles) has been raised in the forest by her ex-spy “father” (Joel Kinnaman) to be a hunter and killer, as they evade the relentless pursuit of off-the-book CIA agents (one of whom is played by Mirielle Enos, who teamed with Kinnaman in AMC’s The Killing).
Part thriller, part coming-of-age drama, Creed-Miles and Kinnaman give performances over eight episodes that elevate this beyond just another action series. Season 2 will air sometime in 2020.
These just scratch the surface. If you have Netflix, check out House of Cards (great up until the disappointing Kevin Spacey-less final season), Narcos, Stranger Things, The Crown, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Dark, Russian Doll, Black Mirror, and Designated Survivor (formerly on ABC). For those with Hulu, check out The Handmaids Tale, Marvel’s Runaways, Shrill, Castle Rock, Catch 22, Pen15, and The Looming Tower. Amazon Prime Video viewers should check out Mozart in the Jungle, The Man in the High Castle, Fleabag, Absentia, Jack Ryan, Good Omens, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. On premium cable, you can watch HBO’s Barry and Euphoria, Cinemax’s Jett, Showtime’s City on a Hill, Starz’s Vida and The Rook. Traditional cable viewers can check out AMC’s Fear the Walking Dead, Lodge 49, and NOS4A2, FX’s Pose, Snowfall, and Legion, TNT’s Animal Kingdom, USA’s Suits, and Paramount’s Yellowstone, among others. And let’s not forget you can always live-binge repeats of network favorites on TBS (The Big Bang Theory, Family Guy, Friends, Seinfeld,), TNT (Law & Order, Bones, Castle, Charmed, Supernatural, NCIS New Orleans), ION (Criminal Minds, Blue Bloods, CSI, NCIS: L.A., Law & Order: SVU, Chicago PD), Nick-at-Nite (Full House, Friends, George Lopez, Mom, The Goldbergs), TV Land (Everybody Loves Raymond, King of Queens, Two-and-a-Half Men, The Golden Girls), Oxygen (NCIS, NCIS: L.A., Chicago P.D., CSI), and several other cable networks.