I almost cancelled my Apple TV+ subscription last month. Genuinely, my thumb was hovering over the cancel button because I felt like I was paying nine dollars a month for a service I opened maybe twice in six weeks. Then a friend texted me “have you started Silo season 3 yet” and that was it. I binged four episodes that night and quietly closed the cancellation tab.
That’s kind of how streaming works these days, right? You forget a platform even exists until one show drags you back in. And with so many services now, so many algorithms pushing whatever’s “trending,” it’s genuinely hard to know what’s actually good versus what’s just loud.
So I spent the last few weeks actually watching things. Not skimming trailers, not reading a hundred headlines and copying them into a list. I sat down, watched episodes, sometimes fell asleep halfway through one and had to rewatch it the next day, and took notes on what’s actually worth your time this July.
Here’s the honest rundown.
Why “New” Doesn’t Always Mean “Good” (A Quick Reality Check)
Before I get into the list, let me say something that took me way too long to learn: new episodes dropping doesn’t automatically mean the show earned your evening.
I used to fall for this constantly. A platform would push a “series premiere” banner at me, I’d click play out of curiosity, and twenty minutes in I’d realize the writing was thin or the pacing dragged. Meanwhile a genuinely great show would sit two rows down in my recommendations because the algorithm decided I wasn’t the target audience.
Lesson learned: don’t trust the homepage. Trust word of mouth, trust actual reviews, and honestly, trust your gut after the first two episodes. If a show hasn’t hooked you by episode two, it’s probably not going to.
With that out of the way, here’s what’s genuinely worth your remote clicks right now.
Silo Season 3 (Apple TV+)
Okay, I need to talk about this one first because it caught me completely off guard.
I’d watched the first season of Silo years ago and thought it was decent but a little slow. I didn’t rush back for season two. Big mistake. This show has quietly become one of the smartest science fiction series on TV, and season three somehow keeps getting better rather than running out of ideas.
Rebecca Ferguson plays an engineer living in an underground bunker, one of ten thousand residents who have no idea what’s really happening on the surface or why they’re all trapped down there. What sounds like a familiar dystopian setup turns into something much tighter and more paranoid than you expect.
What actually pulled me in was the production design. The bunker feels lived-in, claustrophobic in a way that makes you understand why characters make desperate decisions. Tim Robbins and Common are both in the cast too, and the writing gives everyone room to actually act instead of just delivering exposition.
If you’re new to it: start from season one. Don’t skip ahead. The show rewards patience and the mystery unravels slowly on purpose.
Little House on the Prairie (Netflix)
I’ll admit my first reaction to hearing about this one was skepticism. A modern adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s books? I pictured something overly polished and sanitized, the kind of remake that strips out everything that made the original material interesting.
I was wrong, at least based on what I’ve seen so far.
The new series leans into the hardship of frontier life rather than glossing over it. There’s real tension around survival, family dynamics feel more textured than the old TV version, and it doesn’t talk down to its audience the way some family dramas do.
If you grew up watching reruns of the original show with a parent or grandparent, this one hits a nostalgic nerve while still feeling like its own thing. It’s not perfect, some episodes pace slower than they need to, but it’s a genuinely comforting watch if you want something less cynical than most prestige TV right now.
Elle (Prime Video)
This one surprised me the most, honestly.
Elle is a prequel to Legally Blonde, following a teenage version of Elle Woods before she ever set foot in law school. I went in expecting a cash grab riding on nostalgia. Instead I got something with genuine heart.
The show follows Elle navigating a 1990s Seattle high school where being unapologetically girly gets you underestimated constantly. There’s a specific joy in watching someone smart get written off because of how she dresses or talks, only to prove everyone wrong episode after episode. It’s funny without being mean, and it never mocks its own protagonist the way lesser teen comedies sometimes do.
If you loved the original movie, or even if you’ve never seen it, this stands on its own well enough that you don’t need the homework beforehand.
The Hawk (Netflix)
Will Ferrell doing a scripted comedy series instead of a movie is a strange sentence to type, but here we are, and it mostly works.
He plays a washed-up professional golfer trying to complete a Grand Slam despite his body, his family, and basically everyone around him telling him it’s not happening. It’s exactly the kind of premise Ferrell thrives in: a delusional, sincere man refusing to accept reality.
I laughed out loud more times than I expected watching the first three episodes. It’s not going to change your life, but if you want something light after a long day, this is a solid pick. Golf fans especially will catch a lot of small details other viewers might miss.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 (Paramount+)
If you’ve never gotten into Star Trek because the older shows felt too dense or continuity-heavy, Strange New Worlds is genuinely the easiest entry point I’ve seen in years.
Each episode mostly stands alone, so you’re not required to have watched forty seasons of prior shows to understand what’s happening. The crew dynamics feel warm rather than sterile, and the show balances lighter episodes with genuinely tense ones without the tone feeling inconsistent.
Season four keeps that same rhythm. It’s comfort TV with just enough stakes to keep you paying attention.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (HBO Max)
This is a Big Bang Theory spin-off centered on Kevin Sussman’s comic book store owner character, and I went in with zero expectations, mostly out of curiosity.
It’s a multiverse comedy, which is a premise that’s been done to death lately, but the show leans into its own weirdness instead of taking itself too seriously. If you liked Stuart as a side character in the original series, this gives him actual depth without losing the humor that made him likeable in the first place.
It’s not essential viewing, but it’s a fun watch if you grew up with the original show playing in the background of your evenings.
Common Mistakes People Make When Picking What to Watch
After talking to a bunch of friends about their own streaming habits, I noticed the same handful of mistakes coming up again and again.
Mistake one: judging a show by its trailer alone. Trailers are cut to sell you something, not to represent tone accurately. Silo’s trailers make it look like a generic dystopian thriller. The actual show is far more character-driven than that.
Mistake two: quitting after one episode. Some shows front-load their weakest writing because they’re establishing the world. Give at least two episodes before deciding.
Mistake three: ignoring the “returning series” tags. People assume only brand new shows are worth watching, but a show entering its third or fourth season, like Silo or Strange New Worlds, is often at its creative peak because the writers finally know their characters well.
Mistake four: subscribing to five services at once out of FOMO. I did this for about four months and realized I was paying for content I never had time to actually watch. Pick one or two platforms per month based on what’s premiering, then rotate. Your wallet will thank you.
A Simple Way to Actually Decide What to Watch Tonight
If you’re standing in front of your TV scrolling endlessly and getting nowhere, here’s the process I’ve started using myself.
Step one: Ask what mood you’re actually in. Comfort watch or something that demands attention? Silo requires focus. The Hawk does not.
Step two: Check how many episodes are already out. Nothing worse than getting hooked on a show with only two episodes released and then waiting weekly for months.
Step three: Read one or two actual reviews, not just star ratings. A quick scan of Rotten Tomatoes critic consensus or a couple of Reddit threads usually tells you more than a number out of five.
Step four: Commit to two episodes minimum before quitting. This has saved me from abandoning shows that turned out to be genuinely great once they found their footing.
Step five: If you’re watching with a partner or roommate, agree on the pick beforehand. Nothing kills a show faster than half-hearted viewing from someone who didn’t actually want to watch it.
What Platform Should You Actually Prioritize This Month
I get asked this constantly, so here’s my honest breakdown based on what’s currently strong.
Apple TV+ is worth it right now almost entirely because of Silo. If you don’t have another reason to keep the subscription, that show alone justifies a month or two.
Netflix has range this month, from the golf comedy to the prairie drama, so it’s a safer bet if your household has different tastes.
Prime Video’s Elle is a pleasant surprise, and if you’re already paying for Prime shipping anyway, there’s no reason not to use the video side of it too.
Paramount+ remains the go-to if you’re a Star Trek fan or want to become one, though outside of that it’s a thinner month for new content.
HBO Max is leaning into spin-offs and returning dramas rather than flashy new premieres, so it’s more of a “if you already subscribe” situation than a “subscribe just for this” one.
A Note on Trusting Recommendations (Including This One)
Here’s something I think people forget. Taste is personal, and no list, including mine, is going to be a perfect match for everyone reading it.
I have a friend who thinks Silo is boring and slow. I think it’s one of the best sci-fi shows currently airing. Neither of us is wrong exactly, we just want different things from television. So take everything here as a starting point rather than gospel.
What I’d actually suggest is picking one show from this list that sounds even slightly interesting to you, watching the first two episodes with genuinely no distractions, phone away, and deciding from there. Half the reason shows feel “bad” these days is that we’re watching them with one eye on our phone and wondering why we’re not absorbed.
Final Thoughts
Streaming has gotten overwhelming, there’s no way around that. New shows drop every single week across a dozen platforms, and most of us don’t have time to sift through all of it.
But there’s genuinely good stuff out there right now if you know where to look. Silo continues to be the biggest surprise of the year for me personally. The Hawk is a solid comfort watch when you don’t want to think too hard. Elle proved a nostalgia prequel can actually have something to say.
Whatever you end up choosing, give it a real chance before writing it off. And maybe don’t cancel your subscription the moment things go quiet. Sometimes the best show of the year is just one text message away from pulling you back in.
