15 TV Shows To Binge This Summer Season
It's finally summertime. Let's all just breathe a massive sigh of relief. After a super long winter (depending on where you live, but you probably had some winter), we're all pretty happy to have long lazy afternoons, a super blue sky with pretty fluffy clouds, time to meet our best friends for sangria on a bar patio, and a general feeling of total freedom and happiness. But summer is also a great time for another reason that's just as important as the warm weather and time spent in nature and all those fun summer activities: TV. Back in the day, summer was pretty much the absolute worst time for new television shows… as in, there weren't a ton. You basically agreed to stop watching television except for re-runs of old sitcoms from June until August. But that's not the case anymore -- not at all. There are so many new shows to watch this summer, the only question is, are you super committed to getting through them all? Here are 15 TV shows to binge this summer season.
15 Dead Of Summer
Does summer camp freak you out? Probably not, right? It's hard to think of something that is honestly less scary than a summer camp. You might have attended one as a kid and you had tons of fun, and the memories are super sweet. You even get nostalgic when you just hear the term "summer camp." Well, you're going to have nightmares with this show, and you might not look back quite so fondly on your camp memories… or you might at least start to wonder if there was something more supernatural or sinister going on. Dead Of Summer premieres on Freeform on June 28th (aka ABC Family's new name) and features a bunch of teenagers at a summer camp… that is totally haunted. Yup, you knew there was a twist. Set your PVR if you have one or make sure you don't miss it when it's available online to catch up on.
14 Stranger Things
It seems like Netflix has done it again: on July 15th, a new show will be available to stream (aka binge-watch until you've seen the whole thing in an entire weekend). It's called Stranger Things and stars Winona Ryder. Everyone is chatting about her comeback and there's a ton of hype around this series, which is pretty supernatural and sounds awesome. This series is also about the 1980s (there must be something in the air this summer) and basically starts when a kid totally disappears. We love nothing more than a good mystery, and couple that with a Netflix show that is totally binge-worthy, and we're in summer TV heaven. We honestly are counting down the days until its premiere… although we wish that a Netflix show would be available at 5 p.m. on Fridays instead of midnight on Thursday because it is such a tease when we're still trying to work and get stuff done on Friday before we can head home and binge.
13 Orange Is The New Black
An oldie but a goodie. You've probably seen every single episode of Orange Is The New Black and you probably binge it every summer, so this show probably isn't a super surprise to you. But we just couldn't possibly not include this one on our list. Season 4 is currently streaming on Netflix (aka our favorite thing in the world) and if you haven't seen it yet, well, don't blame your friends, co-workers or the people you're following on Twitter for spoiling it, because the rule is that you're supposed to binge it the weekend that it happens. So if you haven't seen it yet, honestly, what are you possibly waiting for? You don't want to be spoiled, do you? If you watch it super slow because you want to savor it and not run out of episodes, we've all definitely been there, but you can't complain if people tell you what happens. You just can't.
12 Scream
Calling all horror movie fans: you're going to want to watch this TV show. If you're super into that genre of films, you probably think that Scream is the be all, end all. You really should check out the MTV version because it's definitely worth watching. It follows the traditional story of a young girl living in a small town and being terrorized by a mysterious guy in a mask. What's interesting is it's not the exact same mask since they weren't able to use that one, but it still looks pretty cool and recognizable. The second season is now on MTV if you live in the U.S. and if you're in Canada, it's available one episode at a time every week on Netflix. So if you want to binge it, definitely don't watch them all at once and save some of the episodes so you can create your own binge so to speak.
11 Cheer Squad
This reality series premieres on Freeform on July 6th and if you were a fan of Bring It On (and you probably were, right? How could you not be?) you're going to want to check this one out. It's pretty fascinating to go behind-the-scenes when it comes to the world of cheerleading. We have this idea that cheerleaders are completely perfect, but honestly, they're dealing with so much more pressure than the rest of us, when you really think about it. So check this one out and see how cheerleaders really live and think and compete. Reality shows that are focused on careers or specific lifestyles rather than just a bunch of people fighting all the time are pretty much like watching a weekly documentary, so they're super fun, especially in the summertime.
10 The Real Housewives Of New Jersey
You definitely want to watch this one, because this season features Teresa's return home after spending time in jail. Season 7 kicks off on July 10th and you pretty much want to get yourself to a television set so you can watch the season premiere in real-time because it's going to be good, we can already tell. Even if you haven't seen a single episode, you might want to consider starting because that's the thing with the Real Housewives: you might not think that you're going to like it or be a regular viewer, but then you try one episode and you're completely hooked. You can start with any season of any city, really, because they're all pretty fun and worthwhile. But you might want to start with this season of NJ because it's going to be a wild ride.
9 The Real Housewives Of Orange County
So you're already going to watch NJ but you definitely want to watch O.C. too. The season 11 premiere was recent, so you can catch up with a mini-binge, and then save a bunch for a real binge when you're home alone one weekend, totally bored and in need of some entertainment. The housewives are the most fun humans on the planet, and that's the honest truth. They're funny, charming,
8 American Gothic
Yup, like the famous painting. This show features a wealthy, pretty famous Boston family and in the season premiere, the dad/husband dies. But that's not all… because that would be a pretty tragic, sad show with basically nothing going on. Nope, the dad apparently was involved in a series of murders in that city. Now his kids are trying to solve the mystery, and so whenever someone goes all Nancy Drew, you just know that's a show that is worth watching and that is definitely on your to-binge list. Make sure you watch this one on a pretty timely basis, though, because you definitely don't want spoilers when it comes to mysteries. So maybe create some mini-binges by watching two episodes at a time, so you stay pretty current and don't wait too long before viewing them.
7 The Fosters
Season four of this family drama just kicked off, and honestly, it really seems like the show's best season yet. It started with a crazy scary, well-crafted and powerful season premiere that we won't spoil because you should definitely see it for yourself. The acting is just as amazing as ever this season, and the storylines are even more interesting and juicy than normal, so you definitely want to keep watching if you've been a fan of this sweet show. If you've never seen a single episode, you definitely should start watching because you're going to be obsessed and addicted within the first five minutes. It's rare that a show is both educational and entertaining… without being a reality or doc series, that is. This show will definitely remind you of the good old days of teen-centric shows.
6 Greenleaf
Are you an Oprah fan? Of course, right? She's the best. She's starring in this new show that, naturally, is on the OWN channel. It premiered recently and features a wealthy, important family that is going through issues… so it's got a super familiar plot, but that's exactly why it made our list. Wealthy families who are struggling and fighting is such a great background for a TV show. It's such a classic idea and that's what makes this kind of show so comforting. You definitely want a new take on an old idea in the summer, when you want something light and fun and enjoyable to watch, and Greenleaf is exactly that. If you want to truly binge this one, wait a few more weeks, then dig in. You're definitely not going to regret tuning in.
5 Roadies
When Cameron Crowe makes a TV show, you really want to watch it. So that's exactly what's going down here. Roadies features, well, a bunch of roadies, which you could probably tell from the title. The cast is amazing and features Luke Wilson, who is so charming and adorable and always brings some magic to whatever project he's a part of. But the reason you really want to tune in? That would be the music. Naturally, right? Cameron Crowe is pretty much known for his musical moments, thanks to movies like Elizabethtown and Almost Famous, and this show is no different. The songs are gorgeous and inspiring and will really make you glad you're watching.
4 Grace And Frankie
If you're not watching this fun and funny Netflix dramedy, you probably know at least one person who is. They have the right idea. Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda are absolutely incredible in this show about two older women who become friends when their husbands leave them for, well, each other. Yup. It's so funny and tragic at the same time, you're going to want to have some junk food nearby to drown your sorrows in, and don't forget the tissues. But you're also going to be tweeting and texting your BFF with every hilarious, witty and clever line of dialogue. It's definitely a special show. Season two is now available, so if you're starting from the beginning, you've got two seasons of 13 episodes each to catch up on. Now that's a proper binge watch.
3 Friends
You're probably asking, um, what? Haven't I already seen Friends about a million times? Yes, and that's exactly why it's totally worthy of your summer binging time. It's such a hilarious show but it's also so much more intelligent and intellectual than you might remember. Chances are, you've seen all the reruns and you might not have actually seen every single episode from start to finish. So the summer is definitely a great time to catch up on old TV shows along with new shows. If anything, you'll be reminded of all the awesome and funny quotes that you can now get a ton of use out of it, although your friends and boyfriend might get pretty sick of you speaking like Rachel or Joey all the time. Oh well. That's a small price to pay for re-watching such a great show.
2 OJ: Made In America
You've probably heard about this documentary series, and if you haven't, well, now you know. It's five parts long and essentially tells the untold story of OJ Simpson's rise to fame against the background of racism and racial tensions in the city of L.A. You may think that you know the story, and you do know the main facts and points so to speak, but there's honestly so much more to learn. No sense spoiling it here, so do yourself a favor and check this show out. You also want to watch it with someone, whether that's your mom or boyfriend or best friend or sister, or least convince them to watch it on their own time because this is one series that you want to talk about.
1 Pretty Little Liars
Yeah, this isn't a new summer show, but that doesn't mean it's not completely binge-worthy. It made our number one spot on this list because season seven of Pretty Little Liars has pretty much been described by the producers and cast and crew as the best season yet. They are really excited about it and make you super excited to watch it, too. Things are definitely different this season: the liars look even more grown-up than they did last season, as if that was even possible, since they were already looking crazy adult and drinking tons of red wine. The season kicks off with Hanna being kidnapped and it's just so fascinating and mysterious and still fashionable and juicy. Just the way that we love this show. So bask in the glory of this amazing TV season and don't go outside this summer. There's way too much good TV to watch instead.