Watch List: 30 Shows and Movies to Stream in July 2021
By Stacy Lee Kong
Image: Netflix
I know I can’t be the only one who’s both truly psyched to be double vaxxed and re-entering the world (Restaurants! Haircuts! Even, maybe, indoor hangs?!) and also a tiny bit apprehensive about… well, re-entering the world again. If you’re feeling the same, I think the best solution is probably self-care. (Yes, this is a reminder to make an appointment with your therapist.) But the second-best solution is saving time for streaming, duh, and I can definitely help with that. Here are my top picks for new shows, movies and documentaries to stream on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, CBC Gem, Crave, Disney+ and Netflix Canada this month.
Jason Sudeikis as the titular character in Ted Lasso. (Image: Apply TV+)
Apple TV+
Schmigadoon! (Premieres July 16)
A parody of iconic musicals, Schmigadoon! is a new musical comedy series executive produced by Lorne Michaels and starring Emmy Award nominee Cecily Strong and Emmy Award winner Keegan-Michael Key as a couple on a backpacking trip designed to reinvigorate their relationship when they discover a magical town in which everyone is living in a studio musical from the 1940s. They then discover that they can’t leave until they find “true love.”
Ted Lasso, Season 2 (Premieres July 23)
Jason Sudeikis is Ted Lasso, an American football coach hired to manage a British soccer team—despite having no experience. But what he lacks in knowledge, he makes up for with optimism, underdog determination… and biscuits.
Amazon Prime Video
A Quiet Place II (Premieres July 13)
Following the deadly events at home, the Abbott family must now face the terrors of the outside world as they continue their fight for survival in silence. Forced to venture into the unknown, they quickly realize that the creatures that hunt by sound are not the only threats that lurk beyond the sand path. Cast includes Emily Blunt, Cillian Murphy, Djimon Hounsou, Millicent Simmond and Noah Jupe.
Making the Cut, Season 2 (Premieres July 16)
New city. New designers. Same great style. Making the Cut is once again on a mission to find the next great global fashion brand. In the second season, hosts Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn will be joined by judges Winnie Harlow, world-famous Canadian supermodel, and fashion pop icon and Moschino Creative Director Jeremy Scott. Plus, additional judges will make cameos throughout the season, including Prabal Gurung and Shiona Turini.
Stargirl (Premieres July 23)
Based on the DC Comics and created by Johns and Lee Moder, this series follows high school student Courtney Whitmore, portrayed by Brec Bassinger, who discovers the cosmic staff and becomes the inspiration for a new generation of superheroes who become the Justice Society of America.
The Pursuit of Love (Premieres July 30)
Set in Europe between the two World Wars, The Pursuit of Love follows the adventures and misadventures of the charismatic and fearless Linda Radlett, played by Lily James (Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, Rebecca, Cinderella, Baby Driver) and her best friend and cousin Fanny Logan, played by Emily Beecham (Little Joe, Cruella). Consumed by a desire for love and marriage, the two women are on the hunt for the ideal husband. Their friendship is put to the test as Fanny settles for a steady life and Linda decides to follow her heart, to increasingly wild and outrageous places.
Yuji Oda and Yuto Nakajima in the Japanese remake of Suits. (Image: CBC Gem)
CBC Gem
The Stand: How One Gesture Shook the World (Premieres July 9)
It is one of the most iconic images of our time: two African American medal winners at the 1968 Olympic Games standing in silent protest with heads bowed and fists raised as “The Star Spangled Banner” is played. Fifty years later, that singular event remains deeply inspiring, controversial and even misunderstood as one of the most overtly political statements in the annals of sport. The Stand: How One Gesture Shook the World is a revealing exploration into the circumstances that led runners Tommie Smith and John Carlos to that historic moment at the Mexico City Games, mining the great personal risks they took and the subsequent fallout they endured. Through intimate interviews with the participants and witnesses involved in that moment, along with compelling images and archive, the film explores the 1968 Olympic Games human rights stand in the context of a critically important and volatile time for the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
Suits (Premieres July 9)
Shogo Ka (Yūji Oda, Bayside Shakedown) is a competent lawyer who works for Yukimura Uesugi Law Firm, one of the four major law firms in Japan. While he is generally recognized as a highly capable individual with a sharp mind, he is also quite arrogant and at times resorts to methods that push the limits of legality in order to get the win. Although Shogo is the biggest earner for the firm, his extreme win-at-all-cost mentality worries his boss, who suggests that he hire an associate as a condition for his promotion. The person who coincidentally comes along is Daiki Suzuki (Yuto Nakajima, Nobuta wo Produce). While he has a sharp mind and a photographic memory, influenced by bad company, he scrapes a living day by day working part-time as a substitute exam taker for various industries.
Blackstone, Season 5 (Premieres July 16)
There is hope in the midst of adversity as the Blackstone First Nation strives toward a better life by building a stronger community. Panicked and grief-stricken, the Stoneys fight for the authorities to expand the search effort for Wendy (Miika Bryce Whiskeyjack, Indian Road Trip). Meanwhile, Chief Victor (Nathaniel Arcand, Pathfinder) is MIA and the lack of leadership has left the Blackstone community struggling. Andy (Eric Schweig, The Last of the Moheicans) tries to work his usual channels to stay out of jail while attempting to reestablish himself as Chief. Meanwhile Leona (Carmen Moore, Rustic Oracle) gets close to a girl in the foster care system, but is left seeking justice when tragedy strikes.
The Walrus and the Whistleblower (Premieres July 16)
Phil Demers is a 40-something part-time mailman who lives in a bungalow across the creek from MarineLand, the iconic amusement park in Niagara Falls, where he had his dream job as an animal trainer for over a decade. He swam with killer whales and ran the show, until he quit and blew the whistle, making claims of animal abuse and calling for an end to the near 60-year-old practice of keeping marine mammals in pools. Known in the media as the @walruswhisperer, Demers has amassed 27,000 followers on Twitter, has appeared four times on the Joe Rogan show, has testified before the Canadian Senate, and is being sued for $1.5 million for plotting to steal Smooshi, the walrus.
Zión Moreno, Evan Mock, Emily Alyn Lind, Tavi Gevinson, Thomas Doherty, Jordan Alexander, Whitney Peak, and Eli Brown in HBO Max’s Gossip Girl reboot. (Image: Crave Canada)
Crave Canada
Judas & The Black Messiah (Premieres July 2)
Based on real events, the film tells the story of FBI informant William O'Neal (LaKeith Stanfield, Atlanta) who infiltrates the Illinois Black Panther Party and is tasked with keeping tabs on their charismatic leader, Chairman Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya, Black Panther). A career thief, O'Neal revels in the danger of manipulating both his comrades and his handler, Special Agent Roy Mitchell (Jesse Plemons, Fargo). Hampton's political prowess grows just as he's falling in love with fellow revolutionary Deborah Johnson (Dominique Fishback, The Deuce). Meanwhile, a battle wages for O'Neal's soul; will he align with the forces of good? Or, will he subdue Hampton and The Panthers by any means, as FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover commands?
Intergalactic (Premieres July 2)
Written by award-winning showrunner, Julie Gearey (Prisoners’ Wives), Intergalactic tells the story of a fearless young cop and galactic pilot, Ash Harper (Savannah Steyn, A Discovery of Witches), who has her glittering career ripped away from her after being wrongly convicted of a treasonous crime, and exiled to a distant prison colony. But on the way there, Ash's fellow convicts stage a mutiny and seize control of their prison transfer ship.
Gossip Girl (Premieres July 8)
Developed by showrunner Joshua Safran, a writer and executive producer on the original series, the reboot goes back to the Upper East Side, finding a new generation of New York private school teens being introduced to social surveillance, nine years after the original blogger’s website went dark. Gossip Girl explores just how much social media, and the landscape of New York itself, has changed in the intervening years. The series stars Jordan Alexander (SACRED LIES), Eli Brown (Run, Hide, Fight), Thomas Doherty (Descendants), Tavi Gevinson (Enough Said), Emily Alyn Lind (Revenge), Evan Mock, Zion Moreno (Control Z), Whitney Peak (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), and Savannah Lee Smith.
The White Lotus (Premieres July 11)
This social satire is set at an exclusive Hawaiian resort, The White Lotus, and follows the vacations of various hotel guests over the span of a week as they relax and rejuvenate in paradise. With each passing day, a darker complexity emerges in these picture-perfect travelers, the hotel's cheerful employees and the idyllic locale itself. The White Lotus stars Murray Bartlett (Looking), Connie Britton (Nashville), Jennifer Coolidge (2 Broke Girls), Alexandra Daddario (True Detective), Fred Hechinger (Eighth Grade), Jae Lacy (Girls), Brittany O'Grady (Little Voice), Natasha Rothwell (Insecure), Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria), and Steve Zahn (Treme).
Catch and Kill: The Podcast Tapes (Premieres July 12)
The series brings to life Ronan Farrow’s intimate, revealing interviews with whistleblowers, journalists, private investigators, and other sources, conducted for the Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist’s podcast and bestselling book Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies and A Conspiracy to Protect Predators. The series expands on the podcast and the book, with never-before-seen footage, and new insights into this culture-shaking story, including additional sound and imagery from documents, audio tapes, photos, archive footage, and illustrations.
The End (Premieres July 18)
This new half-hour dark comedy series follows three generations of a family who live with separate but intersecting obsessions—trying to figure out how to die with dignity, live with none, and make it all count. The series centres on Dr. Kate Brennan (Frances O’Connor, The Missing), an Australia-based specialist in palliative care. Euthanasia is a hot-button topic in Kate’s field of work, and she is passionate in her opposition. On the other side of the world, Kate’s mother Edie Henley (Harriet Walter, Succession) feels just as strongly about her right to die. Kate has little choice but to ship Edie out from England and deposit her in Australia’s Gold Coast in a nearby retirement community. While Kate struggles with her own problems, her children, one of whom is a teenage trans boy, are trying to work out who they are and who they want to be.
Disney+
Summer of Soul (Premieres July 2)
In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary—part music film, part historical record created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture and fashion. Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Marcus Garvey Park. The footage was never seen and largely forgotten–until now. Summer of Soul shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past and present. The feature includes never-before-seen concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight & the Pips, Ray Baretto, Abbey Lincoln & Max Roach and more.
Playing With Sharks (Premieres July 23)
From National Geographic Documentary Films, two-time Emmy®-nominated director Sally Aitken and WildBear Entertainment, “Playing with Sharks” captures the life of Valerie Taylor—a woman ahead of her time whose life’s work has become the basis for much of what we know about sharks today. A fearless diver, cinematographer and pioneering conservationist, Valerie is a living legend and icon. Through remarkable underwater archival footage, along with interviews with Valerie herself, “Playing with Sharks” follows this daring ocean explorer’s trajectory from champion spearfisher to passionate shark protector.
Turning the Tables with Robin Roberts (Premieres July 28)
Get personal with Robin Roberts and some of Hollywood’s groundbreaking women as they bear witness to their incredible journeys on their path to purpose. Each episode is a profound conversation filled with emotion and inspiration. Listen to never-before-heard stories of how these groundbreakers came face-to-face with their vulnerability, authenticity and intuition. Discover their commonalities and learn how their stories and experiences created room for expansion and evolution.
Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, Jaren Lewison and Darren Barnet in Never Have I Ever. (Image: Netflix)
Netflix Canada
Audible (Premieres July 1)
Amaree Mckenstry-Hall and his teammates at Maryland School for the Deaf pursue success in football while coping with personal struggles and tragedy.
Fear Street Part One: 1994 (Premieres July 2)
After a series of brutal slayings, a teen and her friends take on an evil force that's plagued their notorious town for centuries. Welcome to Shadyside. (Parts two and three of the trilogy premiere on July 9 and 16.)
I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson (Premieres July 6)
In this critically acclaimed and hilariously absurdist sketch comedy series, creators and writers Tim Robinson and Zach Kanin bring their distinct comedy style and observational humor to the forefront, continuing to poke fun at life's most bizarre and mundane situations.
The War Next Door (Premieres July 7)
After winning a house in a raffle, the humble but loving López family moves to a posh neighborhood, where the snobby Espinozas give them a cold welcome.
Atypical, Season 4 (Premieres July 9)
With Casey and Sam both on the cusp of leaving the nest, each member of the Gardner family faces big decisions about where life will go next.
Gunpowder Milkshake (Premieres July 14)
Three generations of women fight back against those who could take everything from them in the mother of all action movies.
Heist (Premieres July 14)
This new documentary series chronicles three of the biggest heists in modern American history, as explained by the people who pulled them off.
Never Have I Ever, Season 2 (Premieres July 15)
A new love life, a new classmate and new reasons to bicker with mom give Devi plenty more ways to make courageous moves... and questionable decisions.
Deep (Premieres July 16)
Four insomniac med school students are lured into a neuroscience experiment that spirals out of control - and must find a way out before it’s too late.
The Last Letter from Your Lover (Premieres July 23)
After finding a trove of love letters from the 1960s, a journalist sets out to solve the mystery of a secret affair. Based on the novel by Jojo Moyes.
Resort to Love (Premieres July 29)
A romantic comedy about aspiring pop star Erica (Christina Milian) who ends up as the entertainment at her ex-fiancé’s wedding after reluctantly taking a gig at a luxurious Mauritius island resort while in the wake of a music career meltdown. She tries to keep their past relationship a secret from his bride-to-be Beverly, but Erica rediscovers her feelings for her ex, Jason (Jay Pharoah), despite his brother Caleb's (Sinqua Walls) attempts to keep them from falling back in love. In this warm and funny romantic story that explores the bonds of love and family, the question soon becomes will Erica sing at Beverly's wedding—or her own?