‘Matlock,’ ‘Paradise’ & More Shows to Catch Up on This Summer
The warmer weather and longer days are no excuse to stop watching! When you need a break from the heat and want to sit back and relax with a new (to you) show, we’ve compiled a list of recommendations for your 2026 summer binge-watch.
This past year delivered some great onscreen entertainment from new seasons and new series alike. There’s the Jack Ryan movie for Tom Clancy fans to enjoy, as well as the second season of Matlock that delivered a twist-filled conclusion to the Wellbrexa storyline that kicked off series.
The Pitt Season 2 is also a fitting summer watch because it’s set on one hectic summer day in Pittsburgh on 4th of July weekend. Fair warning, though: it comes with some graphic medical scenes. If you’re looking for an intense medical drama, The Pitt is there for your viewing pleasure.
For fans of more high-concept TV ideas, there’s Pluribus, a fascinating new sci-fi show from the mind of Vince Gilligan, the creator of Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul. It stars Better Call Saul‘s Rhea Seehorn, who delivers one of her best performances to date in the Apple TV series.
Scroll through the gallery below for our list of current shows that make for a fun summer watch.
Jack Ryan
“Jumping off a boat at about 20 knots was really thrilling and genuinely scary. I probably should not be doing all my own stunts. That’s just too much fun,” John Krasinski has admitted of filming a high-octane speedboat chase as Tom Clancy‘s hero Jack Ryan for the feature film Jack Ryan: Ghost War (available now, Prime). Though the fourth and final season of the TV series only recently concluded, “We wanted to tell more Jack Ryan stories, but more kinetic and frenetic and combustible.”
Fireballs and foot chases weren’t what the character, a CIA intelligence analyst/field agent, had planned. Ryan retired after stopping a terrorist bombing at the U.S.–Mexico border and exposing high-level government and CIA corruption. But when his country needs him again, he answers the call from his old boss, CIA Deputy Director James Greer (Wendell Pierce), recruiting him for a new gig to clean up an old mess. Dodging very, very bad guys and bullets are Jack and an old buddy, former CIA field operative Mike November (Michael Kelly), and a new face, MI6’s Emma Marlow (Sienna Miller). Somehow the enemy always seems one step ahead as the team hops around the world.
We’re not lying when we say you’ll watch this new movie, and the original series, on repeat.
Stream it: Prime Video, 4 seasons
Matlock
Kathy Bates was Emmy-nominated for her CBS drama role as Matty Matlock, a sly septuagenarian lawyer who gets a white-shoe law firm job to investigate which attorney there hid a pharmaceutical study that could have prevented her daughter’s overdose death. Bates by day is a steel magnolia crushing cases of the week; by night, she’s a tough former San Francisco attorney strategizing sleuthing missions with her hubs and grandson. Suspenseful, smart and packed with genuine emotion, each hour ends with a twist.
Stream it: Paramount+; 2 seasons so far
The Pitt
Warning: HBO’s medical drama is so addictive, it should be considered a controlled substance. Gritty, gripping and dosed with gallows humor, this top-notch trip to a Pittsburgh hospital’s emergency room is superbly led by ER alum Noah Wyle, whose Dr. Michael “Robby” Robinavitch oversees a staff as complicated as the cases they face. And because each episode is a single hour in a season-long shift, it’s impossible not to hit that “next episode” button. Take both seasons (not with food!) and call us in the morning.
Stream it: HBO Max; 2 seasons so far
Pluribus
Inspired by The Twilight Zone and Invasion of the Body Snatchers, this deliciously eerie slow-burn sci-fi thriller from Vince Gilligan follows the plight of cynical romance novelist Carol Sturka (Rhea Seehorn, from Gilligan hit Better Call Saul). She is one of the few folks on the planet not susceptible to a virus from outer space that has erased individuality and created a human hive mind. Sure, there’s finally peace on Earth, but Carol’s lonely investigation reveals the gruesome secrets needed to keep that peace.
Stream it: Apple TV, 1 season so far
Paradise
If you think a show from This Is Us creator Dan Fogelman and starring his TIU Emmy-winning breakout Sterling K. Brown would be another family-drama weepfest, strap in! By the shocking end of the first episode of Hulu’s thriller, the “WTF” levels are off the charts as Brown’s Secret Service agent Xavier Collins is caught up in the craziest political conspiracy imaginable. Try to avoid all spoilers going in, but just know that the second season is holding a ton of answers and even more twists.
Stream it: Hulu, Disney+; 2 seasons so far
Ted Lasso
As the World Cup commences, it’s not only right to rewatch the best soccer show ever created (we said it), but it’s also good to catch up before the highly anticipated Season 4 arrives on August 5. American college football coach turned English Premier League “football” coach Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis, below right, with Brett Goldstein and Nick Mohammed) is a lovable goofball who charms an entire country. Throughout, viewers see his and the team’s biggest wins and losses, both on and off the pitch.
Stream it: Apple TV+, 3 seasons so far
Big Mistakes
Not catching this hilarious comedy from Schitt’s Creek‘s Dan Levy is a…well, big mistake! You can quickly rectify it by bingeing the series’ eight half-hour episodes to see Levy’s high-strung pastor Nicky, alongside his sister Morgan (Taylor Ortega), get ridiculously mixed up in organized crime. While they wind up working with mobsters, their overbearing mom Linda (Laurie Metcalf) is running for mayor of their fictional town, Glenview. It’s messy, it’s chaotic, and it’s been renewed for a second season.
Stream it: Netflix; 1 season so far
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Consider the second season of Pluribus isn’t coming out for at least 3 years, I’ll wait.
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