Two streaming series centred on 50-something female friendships, Peacock's "Five Star Weekend" and Prime Video's "Ride Or Die", have become surprise summer hits, debuting just six days apart in July 2026. Their success is notable because television and streaming have historically underserved this demographic, with advertisers favouring the 18-49 age bracket and all-female, non-procedural casts long considered a hard sell; instead of splitting audiences, the two shows appear to have grown the overall market and won over critics, making both strong candidates for renewal.

"Five Star Weekend", starring Jennifer Garner, Chloe Sevigny and Regina Hall and based on Elin Hilderbrand's novel, follows a widow reuniting old friends for a fraught weekend; it launched on 9 July as Peacock's most-watched scripted title ever, drawing over a billion minutes viewed in its first week and 1.8 billion to date. "Ride Or Die", led by Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer and created by Tessa Coates, is a spy-comedy about an assassin whose case entangles her politician's-wife best friend; it debuted on 15 July and has topped Prime Video's global rankings since. Both shows have scored highly with critics (97% and 91% respectively on Rotten Tomatoes) and pay tribute to earlier female-friendship classics, "The Golden Girls" and "Thelma & Louise".