Not to shock anyone, but 2023 is halfway through, but its influx of new TV is as energetic as ever.
While the IndieWire TV team has rounded up the best of the year so far — the best shows, the best new shows, and the best episodes — we’ve also scoured the July calendar for new series sure to be the next big binge. Every month in 2023 (January, February, March, April, May, and June), we compile a list of upcoming TV premieres across networks, genres, and even languages. It may be the last you hear of some of these programs from us, but the first taste of a shared viewing experience. If you want to look ahead, our most anticipated TV 2023 has a little bit of everything through the end of the year, but those dates aren’t set in stone, given a little thing called the writers’ strike.
So what’s on the agenda for July? First, the welcome return of Justina Machado, who sheds her sitcom smile for “The Horrors of Dolores Roach.” You can watch an animated Superman and Lois fall in love with Adult Swim (and hope it stays in the Max library), or fall in love with Michelle Buteau (again) in “Survival of the Thickest.” It’s a big month for documentaries, with topics like the history of black television, Wilt Chamberlain, Ashley Madison, Oscar De La Hoya, and the Miss America pageant. Zoe Saldaña leads a star-studded cast of Taylor Sheridan in ‘Special Ops: Lioness’, while Anthony Mackie leads one in the comedy adaptation of ‘Twisted Metal’ for Playstation. This won’t be the last time our team hears of ‘Full Circle’ or ‘Justified: City Primeval’, so put them on your calendar ASAP.
Here are 16 new shows to try in July 2023.
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1. Season 1 “The Horrors of Dolores Roach” (July 7, Prime Video)
Image credit: Courtesy of Prime
Life is tough for an ex-con, just ask Dolores Roach (Justina Machado). When it’s time to come back to society after 16 years in prison, life doesn’t immediately take off for Dolores, so she finds her own way to survive. Aaron Mark created the series, created the Spotify podcast that preceded it, and created the original one-woman show ‘Empanada Loca’ that would become ‘Dolores Roach’. Also starring Alejandro Hernandez, Kita Updike and K. Todd Freeman.
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2. “The Ashley Madison Affair (July 7, Hulu)
Image credit: Courtesy of Hulu
At the crossroads of true crime, data protection, and classic scandal lies “The Ashley Madison Affair,” a docuseries about the website where married people look for affairs. The series traces Ashley Madison’s rise to the fateful 2015 hack that leaked user information, including testimonials from former users and their partners. The ABC Studios-produced docuseries will air in three parts.
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3. “My Adventures with Superman” (July 6, Adult Swim)
Image credit: MAX
Jack Quaid, Alice Lee and Ishmel Sahid star in the latest film from DC and Warner Bros. Animation. Clark, Lois and Jimmy Olsen (respectively) are budding reporters at the Daily Planet, Clark and Lois develop feelings for each other, and Clark is hiding a secret (can you guess what it is?). The series is produced by Sam Register, with co-executive producers Jake Wyatt and Brendan Clogher, and co-producer Josie Campbell.
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4. “Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York” (July 9, HBO)
Image Credit: HBO
As the title suggests, this investigative series chronicles the terror inspired by a 1990s serial killer who targeted gay men. The series dives into various factors at play in tracking down the killer, including that queerness wasn’t as accepted as many would like to think it was in the ’90s, and the story of violence and mistrust between police officers and gay civilians. “Pride” director Anthony Caronna directs, with interviews and investigations based on Elon Green’s book “Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust and Murder in Queer New York.”
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5. “Watch It Loud: The History of Black Television” (CNN)
Image credit: Courtesy of CNN
From executive producers Lebron James and Maverick Carter comes a five-part series about the indelible impact of black creatives and artists on American television after nearly 80 years. The retrospective includes interviews with Desus & Mero, Gabrielle Union, Vivica A. Fox, Ruben Studdard and many others who witnessed and joined this television revolution.
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6. “Miss America’s Secrets” (July 10, A&E)
Image credit: A&E
Opinions on the pageant that once captivated a nation have shifted dramatically in recent years, and this docuseries explores the changing cultural landscape around Miss America and how it remains relevant, if indeed it does. The pageant has been accused of racism and sexism, and over 20 former Miss Americas, their contestants, executives and others are now speaking out.
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7. “Full Circle” (July 13, max)
Image Credit: Max
A kidnapping investigation with overlapping characters and plots AND personal secrets that will come to light? It doesn’t sound as unusual as it gets on TV, but with Ed Solomon and Steven Soderbergh (and executive producer Casey Silver) at the helm, “Full Circle” is essential summer viewing. What’s life like without a weekly HBO mystery anyway? We don’t want to know.
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8. “Survival of the Thickest” (July 13, Netflix)
Image Credit: Vanessa Clifton/Netflix
Michelle Buteau plays Mavis, a fashion designer challenged to rebuild her life after a breakup. Based on Buteau’s book of the same name, the A24 series stars Tone Bell, Tasha Smith and Christine Horn. Executive producer Danielle Sanchez Witzel helped develop the series, which was directed by Linda Mendoza.
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9. “Project Greenlight: A New Generation” (July 13, MAX)
Image credit: MAX
Issa’s verse continues to grow with this series about finding and promoting female filmmakers, “starring” Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, and Gina Prince-Blythewood as celebrity mentors. Over the 10-episode run, they mentor up-and-coming filmmaker Meko Winbush as she directs her first feature film, the sci-fi thriller “Gray Matter” (also debuting July 13 on Max).
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10. “Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge” (July 14, HGTV)
Image Credit: HGTV
Barbie’s media blitz continues with this competition series in which eight teams compete to design a life-size Barbie dream home in California. Ashley Graham hosts the series, with Barbie contributor Jonathan Adler and Dreamhouse expert Tiffany Brooks judging with a rotation of celebrities Nischelle Turner, Marsai Martin and Christian Siriano.
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11. “Goliath” (July 16, Showtime)
Image credit: Showtime
This three-part docuseries about Wilt Chamberlain might seem like a retrospective of any historical figure in sports – with the exception of the AI sports series The Showtime which recreated Chamberlain’s voice (he died in 1999) to have him narrate his story over live footage. archive, focusing on themes of “money, race, gender, politics and celebrity”.
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12. “Justified: City Primeval” (July 18, FX)
Image credit: Marian Wyse
July brings a double dose of Timothy Olyphant, this time reprising his role as US Marshal Raylan Givens 15 years after the events of the original series. This time, he’s following someone called the Oklahoma Wildman who is loose on the streets of Detroit, but he’s not just any criminal who can outrun or outsmart Raylan Givens, even if he’s out of practice.
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13. “The Golden Boy” (July 14, HBO)
Image Credit: HBO
Fernando Villena’s two-part documentary dives into the life and career of Oscar De La Hoya, Olympic gold medalist and world-renowned boxing champion. Villena uses rare footage and interviews with De La Hoya to tell the boxer’s story in his own words.
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14. “Special Ops: Lioness” (July 23, Paramount+)
Image credit: Lynsey Addario/Paramount+
Zoe Saldaña stars in this Taylor Sheridan not ‘Yellowstone’ drama based on a real-life Special Branch of the Army. His CIA agent Joe works undercover until the mission takes a catastrophic turn, but he risks everything to prevent a major terrorist attack. Laysla De Oliveira, Michael Kelly, Nicole Kidman and Morgan Freeman costar.
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15. “Twisted Metal” (July 27, Peacock)
Image credit: Skip Bolen/Peacock
Michael Jonathan Smith writes this action comedy based on the PlayStation of the same name, starring Anthony Mackie as John Doe, a man tasked with delivering a package through a dangerous land. “Deadpool” writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick lend their skills (Peacock’s series description describes John as “jaw-dropping”) to the 10-episode guest-star Stephanie Beatriz, Tahj A. Vaughans, Thomas Haden Church, Neve Campbell and Will Arnett.
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16. “A Perfect Story” (July 28, Netflix)
Image Credit: FELIPE HERNANDEZ/NETFLIX
Margot (Anna Castillo) and David (Álvaro Mel) live life on opposite sides of the tracks, in this limited series from Spain based on Elísabet Benavent’s bestseller. Fate brings them together to seize the lives they crave, to create a perfect story, even if it’s not the one they expected. Marina Pérez adapted the script while Chloe Wallace directs.
