The sprawling sci-fi epic “Foundation” (July 11), based on Isaac Asimov’s series of novels, returns for its third season. Starring Lee Pace in multiple roles as versions of a cloned galactic emperor, Jared Harris and Lou Llobell as geniuses tasked with preserving humanity from looming extinction, and Pilou Asbæk as an agent of chaos known as “The Mule,” it’s a heady, complex series that pays off for patient viewers.
Apple (AAPL) also has the fourth and final season of “Acapulco” (July 23), the feel-good, bilingual comedy set at a Mexican resort hotel; “The Wild Ones” (July 11), a nature series about endangered species; and “Snoopy Presents: A Summer Musical” (July 18), an animated summer-camp musical from the “Peanuts” gang.
There are also weekly episodes of the sci-fi action comedy “Murderbot” (season finale July 11), the Owen Wilson-led golf comedy “Stick” (season finale July 23), the Victorian-era romantic drama “The Buccaneers,” and Dennis Lehane’s arson drama “Smoke,” which has its moments – including a game-changing twist early on – but mostly fizzles out. Meanwhile, Apple has its first real box-office hit with the Brad Pitt racing drama “F1 The Movie,” but don’t expect it to stream for another few months.
Read more: Will ‘F1’ help Apple finally win one in the movie and streaming race?
Play, pause or stop? Stop. There’s nothing that’s a must-watch. Though you could always catch up with stuff like “The Studio,” “Your Friends and Neighbors,” “Severance,” “Mythic Quest,” “Carême” or “Berlin ER.”
Max ($9.99 a month with ads, $16.99 with no ads, or $20.99 ‘Ultimate’ with no ads)
Max – which Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) will soon return to its former moniker, HBO Max, amid a pending corporate split – has a light lineup in July, but it’s topped by one of the biggest movies of the year, with the streaming premiere of Ryan Coogler’s blockbuster horror thriller “Sinners” (July 4). There’s also the thriller movie “Opus” (July 11), starring Ayo Edebiri as a writer invited to the remote compound of a reclusive pop artist (John Malkovich) and his sychophantic cult; the Zambian family drama “On Becoming a Guinea Fowl” (July 4); the subversive rom-com “I Love You Forever” (July 18), about a woman in a toxic relationship; and the horror comedy “Death of a Unicorn” (July 25), starring Paul Rudd and Jenna Ortega as a father and daughter whose weekend getaway goes awry after he accidentally hits and kills a unicorn.
There are also the documentaries “Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print” (July 2), about the groundbreaking feminist magazine, and “Billy Joel: And So It Goes” (July 25), about the Piano Man’s life and musical career. On the sports front, Max has Major League Baseball games (July 1 and 8), NASCAR every Sunday, and the U.S. women’s soccer team playing Canada (July 2).
The pulpy ’70s crime drama “Duster” (season finale July 3), is a fun throwback, with Josh Holloway playing a veteran getaway driver for the mob and Rachel Hilson as a stylish FBI agent intent on taking down his boss. It’s a bit distracting that Holloway is much older than his character should be, but one could argue that cigarettes and a lack of sunscreen made 35 in 1972 look more like 55 in 2025. “Duster” also has, hands-down, the best title sequence currently on TV. And then there are new weekly episodes of the upper-crust period drama “The Gilded Age,” which has really stepped up its game for Season 3; the “Sex and the City” sequel “And Just Like That…”; and the essential news satire “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver.”
Play, pause or stop? Stop. “Sinners” aside, there’s not a lot coming in July.
Disney+ ($9.99 a month with ads, $15.99 with no ads)
Marvel’s “Black Panther” spinoff “Ironheart” concludes its first (and likely only) season July 1, with the release of its last three episodes. While fun at times, it’s often clunky to a frustrating degree – which can be said of most of Marvel’s recent releases. But for all its flaws, it obviously doesn’t deserve the hateful review-bombing it has received.
Disney (DIS) also has “Jaws@50: The Definitive Inside Story” (July 15), a documentary about Steven Spielberg’s first blockbuster, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this summer; the YA movie “Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires” (July 11), set at a supernatural summer camp; Season 21 of “Project Runway” (July 31, see more details under Hulu); and a selection of Hulu and ESPN+ programming, including “High Potential,” “Shogun,” “Paradise” and “English Teacher,” movies including “28 Weeks Later,” “Independence Day” and “Ford v Ferrari,” WNBA games (including the WNBA All-Star Game July 19), golf and Savannah Bananas baseball.
Play, pause or stop? Stop, if your kids will let you. Wait for another month to get more value for your buck.
Amazon’s Prime Video ($14.99 a month with ads, $8.99 without Prime membership, both +$2.99 to avoid ads)
The hit YA romantic drama “The Summer I Turned Pretty” (July 16) returns for its third and final season of summertime love triangles and teen angst. This might not be the end of the story, though, as Amazon execs have floated the possibility of a spinoff.
Amazon (AMZN) also has “Heads of State” (July 2), an explosion-o-rama action movie starring John Cena and Idris Elba as a U.S. president and British prime minister, respectively, who don’t get along but have to rely on each other when they’re targeted by a global conspiracy; “Ballard” (July 9), a “Bosch” spinoff starring Maggie Q as an LAPD detective tackling cold cases; the true-crime docuseries “One Night in Idaho: The College Murders” (July 11); a new season of the sports docuseries “Surf Girls: International” (July 17); and Judge Judy is back with “Justice on Trial” (July 21), featuring reenactments of real controversial trials and appeals.
There are also WNBA games every Thursday, and boxer Manny Pacquiao returns to the ring to fight current welterweight champ Mario “El Azteca” Barrios in a pay-per-view event (July 19).
Play, pause or stop? Stop. Prime Video has a bigger selection than in recent months, but nothing that screams to be watched.
Peacock ($7.99 a month with ads, or $13.99 with no ads)
The throwback mystery-of-the-week series “Poker Face” wraps up its second season July 10, and while it’s not the breath of fresh air that it was in Season 1, it’s still a fun, breezy watch – thanks largely to Natasha Lyonne’s performance as a constantly quipping human lie detector – and perfect for a summer binge.
Comcast’s (CMCSA) Peacock also has Season 2 of the post-apocalyptic demolition-derby series “Twisted Metal” (July 31), the season finale of “Love Island USA” (July 13) and the premiere of its spinoff, “Love Island: Beyond the Villa” (July 13).
The Tour de France is one of the more underrated big sporting events to watch, but Peacock’s daily coverage, which includes easily digestible recaps, is excellent. Pick a rider and follow all the action from July 5-27. There’s also British Open golf (July 16-20), motorsports, Premier League Summer Series (July 26 and 30) and preseason NFL with the Hall of Fame Game (July 31), as the Detroit Lions play the Los Angeles Chargers.
Play, pause or stop? Pause. While “Poker Face” is fun and the Tour de France can be spectacular, it’s not enough to warrant a subscription at the moment.
Need more? Catch up on previous months’ picks at What’s Worth Streaming.
-Mike Murphy
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06-30-25 1201ET
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