From HBO's controversial 'The Idol' to Marvel's 'Secret Invasion,' here are 25 shows aiming to be summer's biggest binge watches

Hollywood may be facing a work slowdown in the fall courtesy of the yet-to-be resolved Writer's Guild of America strike, but the summer television season is bursting at the seams with new shows and returning favorites. That gives you plenty of options for those summer days and nights when you're looking to escape from the heat indoors and need some good stories to pass the time. Yahoo Entertainment has combed through the listings and put together a list of the 25 streaming, cable and network shows that are aiming to satisfy your binge-watching needs.

American Ninja Warrior (May 29, NBC)

Gear up for a 15th season of running, leaping and climbing as ANW competitors demonstrate feats of strength and agility for a chance to win $1 million. The qualifying and semifinal rounds will take place in Los Angeles before the top placers move to the national finals in Las Vegas. New challenges and changes this season include a Mega Wall that's taller than ever before (18.5 feet) and head-to-head races, a first in the long-running show's history. — Emily Mitnick

I Think You Should Leave (May 30, Netflix)

Since its 2019 debut, Tim Robinson's hilarious sketch series has become its own love language among fans while also exemplifying modern American culture better than any other piece of art. To celebrate the third season (triples are best), put on your Dan Flashes and Calico Cut Pants and head to Truffoni's for some sloppy steaks with the Dangerous Nights crew. Heck, invite the Turbo Team and Little Buff Boys while you're at it! And if someone wants to dress down with their TC Tugger shirts, let them, because we don't want anyone to have their worst day at their job... whether they have good car ideas or not. Even if you're just like the tiredest you've ever been in your life, it's worth tuning into Corncob TV to see if we can finally find out what Chunky does. If you haven't watched yet, there's time, because not everybody knows how to do everything and people can change. — Christopher Wilson

The Eric Andre Show (June 4, Adult Swim)

The comedian returns for a sixth volume of his bizarre antics, including — but not limited to — pulling pranks on the people unfortunate enough to pass him on the street, as well as the celebrities who agree to appear on his fun house masquerading as a talk show. This season's star-powered guest list includes Lil Nas X, Blac Chyna, Jon Hamm, Chet Hanks, Natasha Lyonne, Donald Glover all of whom are in for a serious ride... just like those of us watching at home. Expect more sketch madness as well, like this summary snippet from the season's fourth episode teasing: "Confusion ensues when a tow truck tows another tow truck." — Raechal Shewfelt

The Idol (June 4, HBO and Max)

It can't possibly be that bad... can it? Admit it: You're beyond curious to see how Sam Levinson's already-controversial series about a pop superstar (Lily-Rose Depp) who looks to rescue her flailing career with the help of a guru/cult leader (Abel Tesfaye, aka The Weeknd) lives up — or lives down — to the toxic buzz out of the Cannes Film Festival. One thing is for sure: Love it or hate it, The Idol is guaranteed to be one of the summer's most talked-about series. — Ethan Alter

Cruel Summer (June 5, Freeform)

Cruel Summer's first season was one of 2021's most pleasant surprises and Freeform's most-watched debut ever, offering a twisty mystery about a missing (and found) teenage girl that was packed with plenty of '90s nostalgia and a shocking final moment. Season 2 of the anthology series has a new setting, moving from the Texas suburbs to the Pacific Northwest; a new cast, including Little Fires Everywhere's Lexi Underwood; and a new showrunner, who previously oversaw the Freeform series Siren. But you can almost certainly expect the same unconventional storytelling approach that hooked fans the first time. — C.W.

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (June 7, FXX)

Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlin Olson, Rob McElhenney and Danny DeVito are back for a 16th (!!) season and are thankfully just as crass and clueless as ever. This fresh batch of episodes features such sights as Charlie filling his belly up with nickels, to the point that he sets off a metal detector; Dee yelling about the condition of another woman’s vagina; and Dennis and Mac unconvincingly pretending that they understand what inflation means. And the quintet has an extra reason to be sunny this year: They can boast to being TV's longest-running live-action sitcom. — R.S.

Based on a True Story (June 8, Peacock)

Kaley Cuoco leaves the flight attendant game behind for a new role as a... true-crime podcaster? That's the high concept premise behind Peacock's new mystery comedy series, which stars Cuoco and Chris Messina as a married couple in desperate need of a cash infusion before their first baby arrives. That financial opportunity arrives when they cross paths with a possible serial killer and decide to make them the star of a Serial-style podcast. Bet their show is brought to you by Bazinga! — E.A.

Never Have I Ever (June 8, Netflix)

There are so many hallmarks of high school life to look forward to as Mindy Kaling's hit teen series enters its final season. Who will ask Devi (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) to the big dance? How will a new love interest — in the form of cast addition Michael Cimino — upend the already-volatile love triangle involving Devi, Paxton (Darren Barnet) and Ben (Jaren Lewison)? Over three seasons, our heroine has worked through her grief, selfishness and stubbornness to reach a truce between her base instincts and enlightened kindness. Watching her grow up has been almost as fun as the face-palm moments we're all destined to endure. — Janine Schaults

Project Runway (June 15, Bravo)

Celebrate 20 years of couture as judges Nina Garcia, Brandon Maxwell and Elaine Welteroth invite 14 of the most beloved designers from the reality staple's previous seasons to compete for $250,000. Christian Siriano returns as the designers' mentor, alongside guest judges like Alicia Silverstone, Billy Porter, Zac Posen and Lena Waithe. This anniversary season will feature some classic challenges (think denim) as well a uniform refresh. Make sure to tune in for the two-part premiere of this All-Stars season as contestants re-live the pressures of whipping up bold, inspirational designs under extreme time pressures. — E.M.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (June 15, Paramount+)

Talk about strange: Season 2 of the Star Trek prequel series features the franchise's first animated-to-live action crossover as Lower Decks main characters Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) and Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) go from cartoons to corporeal humans. That's just another example of how Strange New Worlds is consistently delighting longtime Trekkers with deft episodic storytelling, plenty of Easter eggs and the same bold spirit of adventure that has steered the best Trek starships, from Kirk's Enterprise to Burnham's Discovery. Climb aboard and get ready to... engage. — E.A.

Outlander (June 16, Starz)

The Revolution will be televised. Outlander's penultimate season brings the American Revolution directly to the front door of Claire and Jamie Fraser (Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan), and the conflict puts their entire extended family at risk. With the end of the show approaching in Season 8, one assumes that Claire is also going to have to decide whether she and her clan need to make another trip back through those time-traveling stones to safer shores. — E.A.

The Righteous Gemstones (June 18, HBO and Max)

Everyone's favorite spoiled adult children are back! Danny McBride's megachurch comedy returns for a third season, and this time the Gemstone kids finally get their wish to take over their dad's church. The trailer promises plenty of laughs and action, featuring monster trucks, race cars and a new character played by Steve Zahn. — Gabby Sorto

Secret Invasion (June 21, Disney+)

When you're a Skrull, you're a Skrull all the way. As Captain Marvel revealed, Marvel's resident alien shapeshifters have been on Earth for ages... and their invasion is about to get a lot less secret as they seek to solidify their power over our terrestrial governments. There's just one person standing in their way: Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury — finally getting his big showcase series 15 years after introducing Tony Stark to the wider Marvel Cinematic Universe in Iron Man. And if you're worried about whether the aging spy is up for the fight, we're betting that Jackson will dispatch Skrulls from Earth as easily as he gets rid of snakes from planes. — E.A.

And Just Like That... (June 22, Max)

And just like that, Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw is back for more tales of sex and the city. Heading into Season 2, the sequel series will bring back some familiar faces — most notably John Corbett as Aidan Shaw — and introduce some new cast members, including singer Sam Smith and Alias's own Spy Daddy, Victor Garber. And there's even going to be a Samantha Jones sighting, as Kim Cattrall filmed a cameo that didn't require her to be in the same room with her former friends. — E.A.

The Bear (June 22, FX on Hulu)

Here are two reasons to get excited for The Bear Season 2: Bob. Odenkirk. But you'll have to tune in to see if the Better Call Saul alum is going to be a friend or foe to Jeremy Allen White's ongoing efforts to transform his family's cramped Chicago Italian beef joint into something truly worthy of his award-winning culinary expertise. If any show can make cutting through the red tape of permitting and inspections in a city run on machine politics feel like edge-of-your-seat entertainment, it’s this one. Cue up the homegrown needle drops, bewildering shots of Chicago's architecture and in unison bellows of "Yes, chef!" — J.S.

The Afterparty (July 12, Apple TV+)

Tiffany Haddish is back for Season 2 of the Apple TV+ anthology, once again in the role of Det. Danner, who is now attempting to solve a wedding-night crime. Each episode of the mystery comedy focuses on one of the guests as they (creatively) explain where they were when all the drama went down. Sam Richardson and Zo? Chao will be back, too, while Jon Cho, Ken Jeong, Elizabeth Perkins and Zach Woods are just some of the new cast members sure to keep the mystery interesting and the laughs flowing. — R.S.

The Summer I Turned Pretty (July 14, Prime Video)

You're not the only one thinking about hitting the beach this summer. Belly (Lola Tung) is returning to Cousins Beach for Season 2 of the Prime Video hit. Based on Jenny Han's second novel, It's Not Summer Without You, the upcoming season takes place one year after the events of the previous season and finds brothers Conrad and Jeremiah (Christopher Briney and Gavin Casalegno) — the two points in Belly's love triangle — grappling with their mom's cancer battle as they try to enjoy a "normal" summer at the beach house. — G.S.

Justified: City Primeval (July 18, FX on Hulu)

America's favorite short-tempered deputy U.S. Marshal returns for the first time since the celebrated series' finale eight years ago. When we meet Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) again, he's shifting his work from the hollers of Kentucky to the streets of Detroit — hometown of the late, great Elmore Leonard, whose novels provided the source material for FX's crime saga. The absence of Walton Goggins's iconic Boyd Crowder will certainly leave a hole at the heart of the series, but fans can still expect the usual crackling dialogue, villains who are as clever as those pursuing them and a Stetson hat tilted just the right way. — C.W.

Minx (July 21, Starz)

Max's trash is another premium cable channel's treasure. After being unceremoniously dumped by Warner Bros. Discovery, the blatantly ballsy '70s-era workplace comedy returns to reveal whether Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond) can stick to her feminist ideals — and steer clear of protestors and lawmakers — while delivering full-on male nudity to a generation of female magazine readers starved for some titillation. With the erotic publication now a legit success, will low-rent publisher Doug (Jake Johnson) be able to stop scheming and put a limit on his backdoor deals? Not a chance. Distancing Doug from porn’s underbelly would be like telling Joyce pussy bows have been outlawed from the office. — J.S.

Twisted Metal (July 27, Peacock)

At long last, the vehicular mayhem of the popular PlayStation video game franchises leaps off your console and onto your TV screen. Anthony Mackie heads up an ensemble cast of post-apocalyptic road warriors that includes Stephanie Beatriz, Thomas Haden Church and Neve Campbell. The teaser trailer promises plenty of shoutouts to the many, many games as well as Mackie proving that his driving skills are up there with his shield-throwing skills. — E.A.

Good Omens (July 28, Prime Video)

They're baaack. Michael Sheen's angel and David Tennent's devilish demon join forces again for the follow-up to the 2019 series based on Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett's bestselling book. Season 2 draws on unpublished material that Gaiman says that he and Pratchett dreamed up prior to his collaborator's death in 2015. The six-episode storyline will take viewers back to both heaven and hell, and the world in between. — E.A.

Ahsoka (August TBD, Disney+)

Ahsoka to Anakin Skywalker: Don't hold my lightsaber. Darth Vader's former Padawan gets her own live action show, with Rosario Dawson playing the role originated in animated form by Ashley Eckstein. And you'd better believe that Ahsoka Tano's creator, Dave Filoni, is calling the shots behind the camera. Spinning out of the events of The Mandalorian, the eight-episode series finds Ahsoka going head-to-head with Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen), who is looking to make a major power play in the post-Palpatine far, far away galaxy. — E.A.

Reservation Dogs (Aug. 2, FX on Hulu)

Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi's acclaimed coming-of-age comedy-drama returns for a third season that depicts the perils and pleasures of Rez Life. The previous seasons told stories that captured indelible moments of friendship and community between a quartet of teens in rural Oklahoma navigating generational trauma and systemic inequities, all with a touch of humor. Expect the series to continue capturing voices and vignettes of a community long underrepresented and often caricatured in entertainment. — E.M.

Only Murders in the Building (Aug. 8, Hulu)

The third season of Hulu's hit comedy series takes fans outside the Arconia, as Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) solve a mystery set in the theater industry. The trio comes back together to sleuth out yet another homicide after a leading actor, played by Paul Rudd, collapses on stage during a Broadway performance directed by Oliver. The most exciting reveal of the season thus far is the addition of Meryl Streep. You know what they say: The devil wears Prada... and listens to true-crime podcasts. — E.M.

Painkiller (Aug. 10, Netflix)

On the heels of Hulu's Emmy-winning Dopesick, Netflix offers up its own dramatization of the origins behind America's opioid crisis. Matthew Broderick plays Richard Sackler — one of the heads of the family behind Purdue Pharma, which developed the powerful OxyContin drug that helped spark the epidemic. Taylor Kitsch, Uzo Aduba and West Duchovny round out the high-profile cast of the six-episode limited series. — E.A.

Also premiering

Build the life-sized Hot Wheels of your dreams with Hot Wheels: Ultimate Challenge (May 30, NBC), hosted by Floor Is Lava mastermind Rutledge Wood. Neil Patrick Harris and drag superstars Bianca Del Rio and Haneefah Wood want you to be their guest for the reality competition series, Drag Me to Dinner (May 31, Hulu). Phil Lord and Chris Miller revive their beloved 2002 cartoon, Clone High (June 1, Max), for a new generation of teens. Learn what really happened to Montego Air Flight 828 as Manifest (June 2, Netflix) prepares to land its series finale.

Pump those legs, and the brakes, along with the world's best pro bikers on Tour de France: Unchained (June 8, Netflix). Spider-Man alter ego Tom Holland tries to escape from The Crowded Room (June 9, Apple TV+) with his mind and not his webs. Return to the sights and sounds of the '60s with Season 2 of ABC's reboot of The Wonder Years (June 14, ABC). Go The Full Monty (June 14, FX on Hulu) as the 1997 Best Picture nominee begets a modern-day TV series. Six divorced couples take another run at romance in the JoJo Fletcher-hosted reality series, The Big D (June 14, TBS). Walking Dead fan favorites Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and Maggie (Lauren Cohen) have to stay alive in The Walking Dead: Dead City (June 18, AMC).

Sorry to Bother You auteur, Boots Riley, tells the world I'm a Virgo (June 23, Prime Video). Idris Elba puts his negotiation skills to the test in the terrorists-on-a-plane thriller Hijack (June 28, Apple TV+). John Krasinski saves the world for the last time in the final season of Jack Ryan (June 30, Prime Video). You'll want to learn all about The Horror of Dolores Roach (July 7, Prime Video) when the podcast-based series premieres. It's a vampire party as What We Do in the Shadows (July 13, FX on Hulu) readies for its fifth season. Season 2 of Foundation (July 14, Apple TV+) seeks to build upon the far-future universe created by Isaac Asimov.

He was a hero, but now he's a heel — former Arrow star Stephen Amell climbs back into the ring for Season 2 of his wrestling drama, Heels (July 28, Starz). The internet's favorite LGBTQ romance is back on again with Season 2 of Heartstopper (Aug. 3, Netflix). The curtain comes down on Archer (Aug. 30, FX on Hulu) after 14 hilarious seasons.