Helen Sloan/HBO
We’re in the thick of the most magical, elusive season of all: summer. While being outdoors should be a priority, it doesn’t mean we shouldn’t carve out a few hours a week to survey the television landscape. HBO seems to be dominating the month of July, with great returning shows like the sports dramedy Ballers and the wonderful comedy Insecure. Still, let’s not pretend this month is about anything other than the exhilarating return of Game of Thrones. Let’s get to it!
Game of Thrones (HBO, returning July 16)
Even though the season seven premiere of Game of Thrones was pushed back from April to July, the audience’s appetite seems to be growing exponentially. Thrones is HBO’s most watched show ever (25.1 million viewers watched season 6, according to Deadline Hollywood. And that’s just through legal means!) season 7 charges ahead of the (yet-to-be-written) last installments of George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy A Song of Ice and Fire. Rife with violence, love, bravery and deceit, the show offers picturesque views from filming in Ireland, Spain, and Morocco. And the dramatic events of last season seem to be leading the characters toward monumental ends — the violence between warring houses has exploded into a battle between the living and the dead. Although it’s graphic and dense, the show offers a glimpse into the psychology of politics and presents a textured tableau of human emotion. I’m eagerly awaiting the convergence of characters and the unearthing of secrets buried deep below the Weirwood roots. Dany comes home. The Starks go to war. Winter is coming. And there will be fire and blood.
Ballers (HBO, returning July 23)
Ballers is the perfect show for the summer. The HBO comedy (with dramatic elements) stars the incomparable Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, and features fast cars, beautiful weather, lavish parties and quite a few good looking people. But Ballers is more than looks — it backs it up with substance. The show is about a retired football player (The Rock) who becomes a financial (and life) advisor to current players. The third season is all about The Rock’s character bringing a football team to Las Vegas. This means a new goal and also new scenery. Ballers is packed full with quick dialogue and a great cast, but also flexes its dramatic muscles when it deals with real situations professional athletes face — physical, mental and otherwise.
Insecure (HBO, returning July 23)
I’ll stop previewing HBO shows when they stop being great, and Insecure is no exception. The show comes from comedian Issa Rae, and is somewhat based off her brilliant web series Awkward Black Girl. The series, co-created by The Daily Show’s Larry Wilmore, focuses on two best friends, Issa (played by Rae) and Molly (Yvonne Orji.) Both are black millennial women trying to figure out their professional and personal lives. I love this show because it’s a show about young women of color and what their lives look like. This series has a fresh, hilarious perspective, exactly the cure for a summertime lull. If you miss the intricate friendships of Girls and the witty banter of Master of None, try Insecure!
The Last Tycoon (Amazon, premiering July 26)
Based on the novel of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Last Tycoon looks lavish, fun and fascinating. If you’re like me and are deeply fascinated by Old Hollywood, than this 1930s drama is for you. The show stars Matt Bomer (White Collar) as a young movie producer working under studio bigwig Kelsey Grammer (Frasier). There’s friction between the two when Bomer brings Grammer’s daughter (played by The Blind Side’s Lily Collins) into the fold by making her a producer on the film he’s working on. Also Bomer’s character angles for power by creating a megastar out of a waitress, played by House of Cards’ Dominique McElligott. All in all, this sounds like a fascinating trip through the exciting landscape of Old Hollywood.
The Incredible Jessica James (Netflix, premiering July 28)
Cap off the month of July with the Netflix film The Incredible Jessica James. James premiered at Sundance earlier this year and stars The Daily Show’s Jessica Williams as a young woman living in New York and moving on from a recent breakup. Aside from Williams’ talents, the film also features talented supporting cast members like Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) Noёl Wells (Master of None) and Lakeith Stanfield (Get Out). Overall, it looks like a strong comedy starring half of the podcast 2 Dope Queens, and that’s enough to get me hooked.
