The streaming gods have outdone themselves—summer 2025 is filled with new shows, premieres, and hot finales. Ditch the outdated notion that summer TV is reruns and fluff; this year, the small screen is taking over. From gothic returns to sci-fi frights, here are the 10 shows everyone will be discussing (counting down to the one with the most hype).
10. The Pitt (Max)
Noah Wyle is back in scrubs, but this isn’t a warm ER reboot. The Pitt takes us behind the pandemonium of a Pittsburgh hospital, with NCIS: Los Angeles alum R. Scott Gemmill in charge. Tracy Ifeachor, Patrick Ball, and Supriya Ganesh join the cast, and it’s a hard-hitting medical drama with some serious adrenaline. Legal drama off-camera aside, the program is guaranteed to breathe new life into the hospital-TV genre.
9. XO, Kitty Season 2 (Netflix)
Kitty Song Covey is back in Seoul, and her chaotic love life is only becoming more complicated. Following on from the knotty romances of season one, expect new classmates, more twists, and even a cameo by Noah Centineo’s Peter Kavinsky. Sweet, humorous, and full of K-drama feels, teen romance doesn’t get much better than this.
8. The Traitors Season 3 (Peacock)
Alan Cumming is back in plaid and panache to host another installment of reality TV’s most cunning social experiment. The contestants are a collection of reality all-stars—translates to Real Housewives, Big Brother alums, and even Britney Spears’ ex Sam Asghari. The objective? Eliminate the traitors before they bring everyone down. The backstabbing? Wicked.
7. Percy Jackson and the Olympians Season 2 (Disney+)
The adventure continues with The Sea of Monsters. Walker Scobell reprises Percy, with Daniel Diemer as Tyson, Tamara Smart as Thalia, and Andra Day as Athena. Courtney B. Vance takes over Zeus, and the quest to save Grover and fight a Cyclops looks like it’s going to be epic. Book fans are going to love this.
6. Only Murders in the Building Season 5 (Hulu)
Our go-to true-crime podcasters—Mabel, Charles, and Oliver—are returning with another Arconia murder. The victim this time is Lester, the well-liked doorman. Guest stars such as Keegan-Michael Key, Renée Zellweger, and Christoph Waltz, along with Tea Leoni in a more prominent role, will get season five ready to dish out laughs, turns, and all sorts of Arconia mayhem.
5. Long Story Short (Netflix)
From the creator of BoJack Horseman, Raphael Bob-Waksal, comes a new animated comedy series following one family’s life over the years—leaping between childhood, adulthood, and all the moments in between. Featuring voice acting from Abbi Jacobson, Max Greenfield, Nicole Byer, Dave Franco, and Ben Feldman, it offers humor, heart, and the kind of existential gut-punch Bob-Waksberg fans are accustomed to.
4. Alien: Earth (FX/Hulu)
The Xenomorphs are coming… and they’re on Earth this time. Noah Hawley (Fargo, Legion) gives the Alien franchise a new twist with Sydney Chandler, Alex Lawther, and Timothy Olyphant at its forefront. Seeing these legendary creatures bring terror to terrestrial realms guarantees thrills that last long after the credits have faded.
3. The Last of Us Season 2 (HBO)
Five years after the original, Ellie and Joel are back for the next installment of this emotional, vicious saga. New talent includes Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, and Jeffrey Wright as Isaac. The world is more deadly, the emotional stakes are greater, and the clickers? Yeah, still nightmares.
2. The Handmaid’s Tale Final Season (Hulu)
June Osbourne’s long fight is reaching its conclusion. The sixth and last season is set to wrap up decades of defiance, with June estranged from Luke, Nick being forced into impossible decisions, and Serena Waterford returning to the battlefield. Gilead’s endgame has arrived, and you can guarantee the series finale will be everybody’s watercooler topic.
1. Wednesday Season 2 (Netflix)
She’s creepy, kooky, and back for more. Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams returns to Nevermore Academy, with Tim Burton directing select episodes and new cast additions including Steve Buscemi, Billie Piper, and even Lady Gaga (arriving in Part 2). Expect more Addams family lore, darker mysteries, and Wednesday’s trademark deadpan. The internet is already preparing its memes.
Snacks available? Couch prepared? With lineups this loaded, summer 2025 could be the hottest summer TV has ever experienced.