July 2022 Television Preview

As networks and streamers return to nearly pre-pandemic levels of content, July offers a broad variety of summer popcorn dramas and light-hearted comedies, plus a few spin-offs and prequels to round out blockbuster franchises.

Among the most-anticipated new series are Phoebe Robinson’s “Everything’s Trash” (July 13) and Issa Rae’s “Rap Sh!t” (July 21). In the former, a Freeform series based on her book of the same name, creator Robinson stars as a curmudgeonly 30-something podcast star who’s challenged to finally grow up when her brother decides to run for public office. Multi-hyphenate Rae takes a step behind the camera with HBO Max’s “Rap Sh!t,” a comedy following two estranged high school friends who reunite to form a rap group.

In Hulu’s “Maggie” (July 6), a young woman discovers a newfound ability to see snapshots of her own destiny, and must somehow navigate her life without impacting her future. “Moonhaven” (July 7) may just be the sci-fi TV premiere of the summer for AMC+, starring Emma McDonald as Bella Sway, a lunar cargo pilot and smuggler from 100 years in the future who is accused of a crime she didn’t commit.

The documentary series “America ReFramed” returns to WORLD Channel with “Any Given Day” (July 7), directed by Margaret Byrne, and featuring the unique trials and victories of three participants in a Chicago-based mental health court probation program.

On the lighter side, Netflix megastar Lana Condor returns for “Boo, Bitch” (July 8), a peppy, supernatural comedy. Peacock’s British thriller “Trigger Point” (July 8) follows bomb disposal experts as their team investigates terrorist attacks throughout London. Not to be outdone, Paramount+ releases its own international high-stakes drama, “SkyMed” (July 10), which follows isolated nurses and pilots tasked with making death-defying medical rescues in remote Canadian locations. The long-awaited “Resident Evil” series drops July 14 on Netflix, with a diverse ensemble of mostly women leads and a complex new conspiracy driving the next wave of chaos.

Everyone’s favorite birdwomen will be back July 10, which marks the third-season premiere of Lisa Hanawalt’s “Tuca & Bertie” on Adult Swim. Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong voice, respectively, the titular toucan and songbird. Also returning this month are Freeform’s “Good Trouble” (July 7), co-created by Joanna Johnson, and TBS’ “Chad” (July 11), starring and created by Nasim Pedrad.

Here are July’s premiering and returning women-driven and women-created TV projects. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.

TV and Episodic Premieres

“Funny Girls” (Premieres July 1 on Crackle)

This New Zealand-based sketch comedy show has an ensemble cast made up of a who’s who of rising stars in the comedy world including Rose Matafeo (“Starstruck”), Jackie van Beek (“What We Do in the Shadows”), Kimberly Crossman (“Golden Boy”), Zara Cormack (“The Brokenwood Mysteries”), and Laura Daniel (“My Life Is Murder”). This original series featuring these rising stars delivers the laughs as a great showcase for cutting-edge young female talent.

“Maggie” – Created by Maggie Mull and Justin Adler (Premieres July 6 on Hulu)

Dating is hard enough — it’s even harder when you also happen to be a psychic. Maggie’s (Rebecca Rittenhouse) gift allows her to see into the future of her friends, parents, clients, and random people on the street. But when she begins to see glimpses of her own destiny after meeting an unexpected stranger, her romantic life suddenly gets a lot more complicated. Can you let yourself fall in love when you think you know how it ends? She probably should have seen this coming.

“Any Given Day” (Documentary) – Directed by Margaret Byrne (Premieres July 7 on WORLD Channel)

In the midst of widespread defunding of community mental health care programs across the country, the Cook County Jail in Chicago has become a default treatment center for people living with mental illness, a trend playing out nationwide. In “Any Given Day,” while investigating the treatment of detainees, filmmaker Margaret Byrne befriends Angela, a preschool teacher and single mother of four; Dimitar, an author and anthropologist who emigrated from Bulgaria with his family at age 10; and Daniel, who studied fashion design and once dreamed of being a shoe designer — participants in a mental health court probation program. Filmed over five years, their stories expose a system designed for punishment, yet used as a replacement for mental health care. The resulting stigma and isolation keep them caught in cycles of victory and defeat.

“Moonhaven” (Premieres July 7 on AMC+)

A skeptic in Paradise, Earth pilot Bella Sway (Emma McDonald) is sucked into a conspiracy to gain control of Moonhaven, a utopian colony on the Moon 100 years in the future. She must team up with a local detective to stop forces that want to destroy Earth’s last hope.

“Boo, Bitch” – Created by Erin Ehrlich, Lauren Iungerich, Tim Schauer, and Kuba Soltysiak (Premieres July 8 on Netflix)

Over the course of one night, a high school senior (Lana Condor), who’s lived her life safely under the radar, seizes the opportunity to change her narrative and start living an epic life, only to find out the next morning… she’s a motherf*%king ghost.

“Trigger Point” – Directed by Jennie Darnell and Gilles Bannier (Premieres July 8 on Peacock)

Experienced bomb disposal operative Lana Washington (Vicky McClure) is pushed to her breaking point dealing with a series of improvised explosive devices that threaten London during a summer terror campaign. Under extreme pressure and in search of answers, Lana suspects that the targets on her team are premeditated and must race to discover the bomber’s real identity.

“Flowers in the Attic: The Origin” (Miniseries) (Premieres July 9 on Lifetime)

Headstrong and determined, Olivia Winfield (Jemima Rooper) is working alongside her beloved father when she finds herself unexpectedly wooed by one of the nation’s most eligible bachelors, Mal Foxworth (Buck Braithwaite). After a whirlwind romance, Olivia finds herself as the mistress of the imposing Foxworth Hall, where she soon discovers that the fairytale life she expected has quickly become a nightmare.

“Women Who Rock” (Docuseries) – Directed by Jessica Hopper (Premieres July 10 on EPIX)

“Women Who Rock” pays homage to the legion of women pioneers in music who have stormed the stage, wielded their instruments, amplified their voices, and sung the soundtrack of our lives. Celebrating women artists, in their own words, on power, fame, truth, defiance, artistic expression, hard-won success, and most importantly, the insights and tales behind their anthemic music.

“SkyMed” – Created by Julie Puckrin (Premieres July 10 on Paramount+)

With life, death, and drama at 20,000 feet, “SkyMed” weaves together intense character journeys and high-stakes medical rescues, as we follow the triumphs, heartbreaks, and tribulations of budding nurses and pilots flying air ambulances in remote Northern Canada. They’re all in over their heads, and on their own, with no one to rely on but each other.

“How to Change Your Mind” (Docuseries) – Directed by Alison Ellwood and Lucy Walker (Premieres July 12 on Netflix)

Author Michael Pollan leads the way in this docuseries exploring the history and uses of psychedelics, including LSD, psilocybin, MDMA, and mescaline.

“D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!” (Docuseries) – Directed by Marina Zenovich (Premieres July 13 on Netflix)

In 1971, a skyjacker parachutes off a plane with a bag of stolen cash — and gets away with it. Decades later, his identity remains a compelling mystery.

“Everything’s Trash” – Created by Phoebe Robinson (Premieres July 13 on Freeform)

“Everything’s Trash” follows Phoebe (Phoebe Robinson), a 30-something outspoken podcast star making her professional mark while living a broke and delightfully messy life in Brooklyn. When her “perfect” older brother launches a political campaign, she’s forced to start her own adulting journey.

“Resident Evil” (Premieres July 14 on Netflix)

Years after a viral outbreak caused a global apocalypse, Jade Wesker (Ella Balinska) vows to bring down those responsible while fighting to survive against the Infected.

“Mom, Don’t Do That!” – Created by Chen Wei-ling and Lee Chun-hong (Premieres July 15 on Netflix)

After her husband’s death, a 60-year-old mom decides to find love again — to the joy and annoyance of her two daughters. Based on a true story.

“Alba” (Premieres July 15 on Netflix)

Alba (Elena Rivera) awakens on a beach, bearing evidence of a rape but with no memory of the night before. Then she learns her rapists are her boyfriend’s buddies.

“Country Queen” (Premieres July 15 on Netflix)

A Nairobi event planner returns to her village after 10 years, where she confronts her past — and a mining company that threatens to destroy her home.

“Remarriage & Desires” (Premieres July 15 on Netflix)

Through an exclusive matchmaking agency that caters to the ultrarich, a divorcee plots revenge against her ex-husband’s scheming mistress.

“Rap Sh!t” – Created by Issa Rae (Premieres July 21 on HBO Max)

“Rap Sh!t” follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), who reunite to form a rap group.

“Showtrial” – Directed by Zara Hayes (Premieres July 21 on Sundance Now)

A high-profile murder case captures the attention of the world’s media and the general public alike — throwing Cleo Roberts (Tracy Ifeachor), a once high-flying solicitor defending the chief suspect, back into the spotlight.

“Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” – Written by Lindsay Calhoon Bring and Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Premieres July 28 on HBO Max)

“Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin” takes viewers to Millwood, a blue-collar town still healing from tragic events that took place 20 years ago. An unknown assailant has begun tormenting a disparate group of teen girls — a new generation of “Little Liars” — to make them pay for their parents’ secret sin… as well as their own.

“Amber Brown” – Created by Bonnie Hunt (Premieres July 29 on Apple TV+)

Between her parents’ divorce and best friend moving away, Amber Brown (Carsyn Rose) is having a tough time. But her art, video diary, and new friend Brandi (Liliana Inouye) provide outlets for Amber to express her feelings and find gratitude in the love that surrounds her.

“Paper Girls” – Developed by Stephany Folsom; Directed by Mairzee Almas, Georgi Banks-Davies, Destiny Ekaragha, and Karen Gaviola (Premieres July 29 on Prime Video)

In the early morning hours after Halloween 1988, four paper girls — Erin (Riley Lai Nelet), Mac (Sofia Rosinsky), Tiffany (Camryn Jones), and KJ (Fina Strazza) — are out on their delivery route when they become caught in the crossfire between warring time-travelers, changing the course of their lives forever. Transported into the future, these girls must figure out a way to get back home to the past, a journey that will bring them face-to-face with the grown-up versions of themselves. While reconciling that their futures are far different than their 12-year-old selves imagined, they are being hunted by a militant faction of time-travelers known as the Old Watch, who have outlawed time travel so that they can stay in power. In order to survive, the girls will need to overcome their differences and learn to trust each other, and themselves.

“Surface” – Created by Veronica West (Premieres July 29 on Apple TV+)

Set in high-end San Francisco, “Surface,” stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Sophie, a woman who has suffered a traumatic head injury that has left her with extreme memory loss, believed to be a result of a suicide attempt. As Sophie embarks on a quest to put the pieces of her life back together with the help of her husband and friends, she begins to question whether or not the truth she is told is in fact the truth she has lived. Through twists and turns and a shocking love triangle, this sexy, elevated thriller asks: What if you woke up one day and didn’t know your own secrets? “Surface” is a story of self-discovery which contemplates if we are pre-programmed to become who we are, or if we choose our own identity.

Returning Series

“Good Trouble” – Created by Joanna Johnson, Peter Paige, and Bradley Bredeweg (Freeform, July 7)

“Tuca & Bertie” – Created by Lisa Hanawalt (Adult Swim, July 10)

“Grantchester” – Created by Daisy Coulam (PBS, July 10)

“Chad” – Created by Nasim Pedrad (TBS, July 11)

“All the Queen’s Men” (BET+, July 14)

“The Other One” – Created by Holly Walsh (Acorn TV, July 18)

“Harley Quinn” (HBO Max, July 28)