The Hollywood Reporter’s critics describe summer television as visually glossy but uneven, with several beach- and youth-oriented dramas proving easy to watch yet quickly forgettable. They single out Hulu’s Furious as an especially sharp new thriller and Amazon’s Sterling Point as a notably funny and sensitive standout.

– Furious — praised as a searing female-rage thriller and a leading new show of the season.
– Sterling Point — commended for its humour, sensitivity and lake-set coming-of-age story.
– Ride or Die — described as a likeable Amazon action comedy pairing Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer.
– The Shards — stylish and excessive, but uneven.
– Five-Star Weekend, Every Year After and The Season — viewed as underwhelming, mopey or insubstantial.
– Elle and The Hawk — criticised as respectively canon-damaging and lifeless.
– House of the Dragon — said to fluctuate between strong palace intrigue and too many dragons.