Neon’s Full Circle, Disney+’s The Bear, TVNZ’s Creamerie among July’s must-see TV

The wintry weather got you down? July offers plenty of reasons to stay indoors and snuggle up on the couch.

For sports fans, there will be live, free-to-air coverage and highlights from the Fifa Women’s World Cup (from July 20), the Netball World Cup (from July 28) and Wimbledon (from July 3) on Prime, while TVNZ’s Duke will feature cricket’s Ashes series between England and Australia throughout the month.

TVNZ+’s line-up includes German drama Then You Run (July 8), British sitcom Significant Other (July 10) and UK crime-thriller Chemistry of Death (July 18), as well as new episodes of controversial documentary series Secrets of Playboy (July 11), while AMC+ boasts the return of the critically acclaimed Dark Winds (July 27).

Elsewhere, Sky TV’s BBC UKTV has new Father Brown adventures (July 18), SoHo sees The Lazarus Project (July 31) reignited, while Prime Video features more of The Summer I Turned Pretty (July 14) and Apple TV+ brings back the big-budgeted sci-fi series Foundation (July 14) and returns to the scene of another crime in The Afterparty (July 12).

Finally, Netflix’s usually eclectic line-up includes more of The Lincoln Lawyer (July 6) and The Witcher (July 27), allegedly steamy Spanish reality series Deepfake Love (July 6), NFL docu-series Quarterback (July 12), cooking competition Five Star Chef (July 14).

However, after looking through the schedules, Stuff to Watch has come up with our picks of the dozen shows we believe are well worth checking out over the next few weeks.

The Bear (July 19, Disney+)

One of the hottest shows of last year is back for an extended 10-part second season.

Bringing in older sister Natalie (Abby Elliott) as a renovations project manager, chef Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) and his sous chef Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) work on developing a menu for their new restaurant, The Bear. To help get them off the ground, Carmy also strikes a deal with his Uncle Cicero (Oliver Platt) for an 18-month loan.

“Tackles everything from menu development to renovation woes with an appealing mix of warmth, dark humour and chaos,” wrote Time magazine’s Judy Berman.

Captain Fall (July 28, Netflix)

Jason Ritter, Lesley-Ann Brandt, Christopher Meloni, Adam Devine and Christopher McDonald headline the vocal cast for this 10-part adult animated comedy about a naive, but good-hearted sea captain who unwitting finds himself at the helm of a smuggling ship for a nefarious international cartel.

Worse still, he’s going to be the fall guy if the authorities ever catch up to them.

Creamiere (July 14, TVNZ+)

Created by the Kiwi quartet of JJ Fong, Perlina Lau, Ally Xue and Roseanne Liang, this female-driven dystopian dramedy was one of the breakout out hits of 2021.

Focused around three New Zealand dairy farmers – Alex (Xue), Jamie (Fong) and Pip (Lau) – who accidentally run into possibly the only survivor of a virus that destroyed the world’s male population (Jay Ryan), this second sextet of episodes will pick up the action from the original run’s cliffhanger ending, with our quartet headed off on the road trip to bring Wellness cult leader Lane (Pearl’s Tandi Wright) to justice and to try and discover the real truth about the “mandemic”.

Everyone Else Burns (July 5, Neon)

Billed as a “biting coming-of-age comedy”, this six-part British sitcom hones in on the Lewises – your average, everyday British family who just happens to belong to an ultra-religious order. They attempt to balance family, faith and identity in a world they believe could end tomorrow.

The cast includes The Inbetweeners’ Simon Bird, Landscapers’ Kate O’Flynn and Taskmaster UK duo Morgana Robinson and Lolly Adefope.

“It’s simply very, very funny, all the way. I’m a convert,” wrote The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan.

Full Circle (July 14, Neon)

Created by Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure and Now You See Me screenwriter Ed Solomon, and directed by Steven Soderbergh (Lucky Logan, The Girlfriend Experience), this six-part drama follows an investigation into a botched kidnapping as it uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters across New York.

The impressive ensemble assembled includes Claire Danes, Timothy Olyphant, Dennis Quaid, Zazie Beetz and Jim Gaffigan.

Futurama (July 24, Disney+)

Winner of six Emmy Awards, this sci-fi animated series from The Simpsons’ creator Matt Groening returns to our screens for the first time in a decade.

This is one of two 10-episode runs which will once again revolve around the 31st Century Planet Express interplanetary delivery company and its employees. Pun-tastic pop-culture-inspired instalment titles include The Impossible Stream, Children of a Lesser Bog and I Know What You Did Next Xmas.

The Horror of Dolores Roach (July 7, Prime Video)

Based on the hit 2018 Spotify podcast of the same name, this eight-part horror-comedy is billed as a contemporary, Sweeney Todd-inspired “urban legend” of love, betrayal, weed and cannibalism.

Having emerged from 16 years in prison, the eponymous Dolores (Justina Machado) is given refuge and a home by her old stoner friend Luis (Alejandro Hernandez), who also lets her conduct her massage business in the basement under his empanada shop. However, when her newfound stability is threatened, she feels forced to resort to extreme measures.

Good Omens (July 28, Prime Video)

Four years after the original adaptation of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman’s international best-selling 1990 novel earned rave reviews, David Tennant and Michael Sheen are back to explore more of the unlikely relationship between fussy angel and rare book dealer Aziraphale (Sheen) and fast-living demon Crowley (Tennant).

Having been on Earth since The Beginning – and with the Apocalypse thwarted – the duo are getting back to easy living amongst mortals in London’s Soho. That is, until the archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) turns up unexpectedly at the door of Aziraphale’s bookshop with no memory of who he is, or how he got there.

Safe Home (July 12, ThreeNow)

Four-part Australian drama that follows the adventures of Phoebe Rook (The Bold Type’s Aisha Dee), a young communications specialist who leaves her job at a prominent Melbourne law firm to work at a community legal centre, specialising in family violence, that is facing the devastating prospect of having its funding withdrawn.

The series is loosely based on acclaimed playwright Anna Barnes’ own experiences working at such a centre.

“Safe Home isn’t comfortable or safe entertainment. With subject matter like this, it shouldn’t be,” wrote Screen Hub’s Anthony Morris.

Totally Completely Fine (July 20, TVNZ+)

New Zealand’s own Thomasin McKenzie headlines this six-part black comedy about a young woman who inherits her grandfather’s coastal home, only to discover that it resides on a clifftop that is regularly used by people attempting to take their own lives.

Using her own chaotic brand of off-the-cuff psychology, McKenzie’s Vivian develops an unexpected knack for bringing people back from the brink.

“McKenzie paves over many cracks with edge-of-the-abyss candour,” wrote The Age’s Craig Mathieson.

Twisted Metal (July 27, TVNZ+)

The Falcon and The Winter Soldier’s Anthony Mackie plays a talkative milkman with amnesia, John Doe, in this 10-part post-apocalyptic wasteland-set action-comedy inspired by the classic PlayStation game series.

Offered the chance to secure a better future, he now must deliver a mysterious package with the help of car thief Quiet (Stephanie Beatriz). In their way are a series of open road dangers, including savage marauders.

The eclectic cast also includes Scream’s Neve Campbell and Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Thomas Haden Church.

What We Do in the Shadows (July 16, Neon)

Now in its fifth season (and with a sixth already greenlit), this US spin-off of the 2014 cult Kiwi mockumentary keeps going from strength to strength.

Early footage from this latest round teases the vampires visiting basketball games, diners and malls, as they attempt to blend in with the living, while all eyes will be on whether familiar Guillermo’s (Harvey Guillen) plan to join the ranks of the Staten Island bloodsuckers has actually succeeded and what energy vampire Colin Robinson (Mark Proksch) will do now he has seemingly been fully restored to his old self.