Summer preview: 'Little House' reboot, new 'Ted Lasso,' 24 more

This time a year ago, a bountiful TV summer loomed, with dozens of new shows, specials and limited series on the way. This bounty included everything your TV heart desired, from horror ("Alien Earth"), to extensions ("Ironheart"), to ducks ("Duck Dynasty: The Revival").

This summer, there is less. What you are about to witness is an industry taking stock — of its future, its finances and its resources. Linear TV (ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, The CW) remains under siege, but the major streaming services have now joined them. TV production is down significantly, and — for an industry growing without restraint two or three years ago — restraint is now the order of the day.

So sit back, settle in, and expect a little less. That's not bad, just sobering.

JUNE

JUNE 2

NOT SUITABLE FOR WORK (Hulu)

Mindy Kaling has another familiar comedy about young adults, this time work-and-romance-obsessed twentysomethings, AJ (Ella Hunt), Josh (Jack Martin), Kel (Nicholas Duvernay) and Davis (Will Angus). Kaling, who does not star, wrote and created.

JUNE 5

CAPE FEAR (Apple TV)

Married power couple Tom (Patrick Wilson) and Anna Bowden (Amy Adams) are stalked by an ex-con (Javier Bardem) they put in jail, and you may be reasonably certain all hell will still break loose aboard a nice yacht in the middle of a hurricane off Cape Fear. The other two adaptations (1962, 1991) of the John D. MacDonald thriller "The Executioners" (published in 1957) were movies, but there are 10 episodes to stretch out the story here.

JUNE 7

EARTH, WIND & FIRE (TO BE CELESTIAL VS. THAT’S THE WEIGHT OF THE WORLD) (HBO, 9 p.m.)

This exhaustive two-hour rock doc comes from Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson ("Summer of Soul"). This takes a look back at the band's resident genius, Maurice White, who died in 2016, while band members Philip Bailey, Verdine White and Ralph Johnson are also interviewed.

THIS LAND (CNN, 9)

The network calls this six-parter a look at "the history of America’s expansion through six defining frontiers," from the Louisiana Purchase to "the rise of New York [as] a global powerhouse."

JUNE 8

ALICE AND STEVE (Hulu)

Alice and Steve are close friends, but Alice wonders why he has no romantic ties (he's already 50). So he starts dating Alice's daughter, Izzy (Yali Topol Margalith). Watch this six-parter for the talent: Steve is played by Jemaine Clement of "What We Do in the Shadows" and Alice is Nicola Walker, the acclaimed British actor of stage and TV.

JUNE 10

EVERY YEAR AFTER (Prime)

Based on Carley Fortune's 2022 bestseller, this series leans heavily into both romance and drama, while adding a third irresistible element: nostalgia. Sam (Matt Cornett, "High School Musical: The Series") and Percy (Sadie Soverall, "Saltburn") fall in love as kids after spending six summers together at a bucolic lake when something drives them apart. Eight episodes.

JUNE 12

THE LISTENERS (Starz, 10)

Claire (Rebecca Hall) is an English high school teacher who suddenly begins to hear a hum. Where is this hum coming from and why can't anyone else hear it? (At first, anyway.) This psychological thriller, based on a novel by Jordan Tannahill, got critical raves after first airing in the U.K. in 2024.
JUNE 21

HOUSE OF THE DRAGON (HBO Max, 9)

This third and next-to-last installment goes total war, and — according to press accounts — will also feature one of the biggest battle sequences in "Game of Thrones" history, a naval one called Battle of the Gullet, that was featured in George R.R. Martin's "Fire & Blood."

JUNE 24

THE AMERICAN EXPERIMENT (Netflix)

This five-part deep dive into the history and evolution of American democracy promises lots of talking heads who know something about the subject, including a couple of former vice presidents. Brian Knappenberger, showrunner of Netflix's "Turning Point" series on recent historic events, directs.

JUNE 25

THE BEAR (Hulu, FX, 9)

As fans recall, Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White) quit the restaurant in the fourth season finale. Here's the logline for this fifth and final one: "With no money, the threat of a sale and a torrential storm in their way, the new partners must band together with the rest of the team to achieve one last service." All eight episodes drop on Hulu.

JUNE 26

LIFE, LARRY AND THE PURSUIT OF UNHAPPINESS (HBO, 9)

Larry David is back in this seven-part sketch comedy about turning points in American history and culture, as viewed from the alt-universe occupied by the one-and-only LD. The trailer-tease is a riff on the famed Alfred Eisenstaedt photo of the sailor and woman- n white, "V-J Day in Times Square." LD tries a version of the kiss (it does not turn out as intended). Expect lots of cameos, including Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Hamm, Kathryn Hahn and Bill Hader.

JULY

JULY 1

ELLE (Prime)

You need to remember what 2001's "Legally Blonde" was all about before diving in, so as a quick reminder — Elle Woods, played by Reese Witherspoon, was dumped by jerk boyfriend because he thinks she's a dumb blonde, but she shows him! This prequel series finds Elle (Lexi Minetree) back in high school. James Van Der Beek, who died in February, has a recurring role here as a politician.

JULY 9

THE FIVE STAR WEEKEND (Peacock)

Popular food influencer Hollis Shaw (Jennifer Garner) plunges into grief after the sudden death of her husband, then hosts a "five-star weekend" in Nantucket with some old friends (Chloë Sevigny, Regina Hall, Gemma Chan, D'Arcy Carden) to get past the sadness. This eight-parter is based on the Elin Hilderbrand 2023 bestseller.

LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE (Netflix)

Besides tugging at some hearts, this eight-episode event aims to redress some injustices from NBC's 1974-83 series with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert. Notably, the key character of Dr. George Tann, who was Black in the Laura Ingalls Wilder book series, but white in NBC's. He's played here by Jocko Sims, probably best-known for "New Amsterdam" (where he also played a doctor). An Osage family is part of this new series too. It all begins with the Ingalls family in Wisconsin circa 1870, as they pull up stakes for a better life in Kansas. Soon enough, Pa (Luke Bracey), Ma (Crosby Fitzgerald), older sister Mary (Skywalker Hughes) and kid sister Laura (Alice Halsey) learn they're not in Wisconsin anymore. 

JULY 12

THE WESTIES (MGM+)

Reagan-era Hell's Kitchen crime crew get their close-up in this eight-episode drama that brings together J.K. Simmons as head of the syndicate and Titus Welliver ("Bosch") as the cop who grew up with him.

JULY 13

DANCING WITH THE STARS, THE NEXT PRO (ABC/7, 8)

This "DWTS" extension, in the words of ABC, "features 12 exceptional up-and-coming dancers who move into one house and compete in a grueling audition process, all vying for a coveted spot as a pro dancer on Season 35 of 'Dancing with the Stars.' " Former Mirrorball champ Robert Irwin hosts.  

JULY 15

LUCKY (Apple TV)

Anya Taylor-Joy — who had a breakout year in 2020 with "Emma" and "The Queen's Gambit" — stars in this heist thriller predicated on the trusty line from "The Godfather," "Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in." A former con artist named Lucky Anderson (Taylor-Joy) is lured back for one final job, which goes sideways in the seven-episode series.

NATION'S DUMBEST (Fox/5, 9)

Twelve celebrities actively try to lose because the last person standing — um, the winner? — is crowned Nation's Dumbest. Twelve celebrities vie for the honor, including Steve-O, Andrew Yang, Carmen Electra, Anthony Michael Hall and Dr. Drew Pinsky.

RIDE OR DIE (Prime)

Debbie (Octavia Spencer) and Judith (Hannah Waddingham, "Ted Lasso") are besties who know everything about each other — or do they? Judith is an international assassin, which comes as a surprise to Debbie. After that little reveal, both are pulled into a wild cross-Europe road trip with guns a-blazing. (Eight episodes.)

JULY 16

THE HAWK (Netflix)

Lonnie Hawkins (Will Ferrell) was once the world's greatest golfer, but now he's a duffer, struggling to recapture the glory days. His wife, Stacy (Molly Shannon), wants him to call it quits, but Lonnie refuses. (Luke Wilson stars as his long-running rival.) This comedy took years to develop (because the original producers walked) — rarely a propitious sign.

JULY 23

STUART FAILS TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE (HBO Max, 9)

This third spinoff from "The Big Bang Theory" reunites comic book store proprietor nerd Stuart (Kevin Sussman) with fellow nerds Denise (Lauren Lapkus), Bert (Brian Posehn) and Barry (John Ross Bowie) who are fretting about the collapse of the multiverse, and must engage in a little time travel (via wormholes and other quantum what-have-yous). Ten episodes.

JULY 31

FIGHTLAND (Starz, 8)

This Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson-produced eight-parter is about a heavyweight champ, Duke Kilroy (British actor Howard Charles), who is jailed for eight years on false charges. When he gets out, it's vengeance time. Nicholas Pinnock ("Long Bright River") also stars as his rival and former promoter. 

AUGUST

AUG. 5

STERLING POINT (Prime)

Two New York teens are bequeathed an unusual inheritance after the death of their grandfather — a remote, wild island in Canada. Annie (Ella Rubin, "Anora," "Until Dawn") and her brother, Connor (Keen Ruffalo, son of Mark), head north to investigate. Eight episodes.

TED LASSO (Apple TV)

"Lasso" returns with a fourth (and likely not last) season. Ted (Jason Sudeikis) went home to Kansas, but the siren song of AFC Richmond is too strong, and he's back in the U.K. to coach the newly formed second division women's team. The old gang is back too: Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Roy (Brett Goldstein), Keeley (Juno Temple) and Coach Beard (Brendan Hunt).

AUG. 7

ANNA PIGEON (USA, 10)

This rare USA original is an adaptation of the Nevada Barr detective series about a woman (Tracy Spiridakos of "Chicago P.D.") who leaves the big city to become a National Park Service enforcer. Surprise! There are a lot of bad guys to collar out there in the back country.

AUG. 16

LANTERNS (HBO Max, 9)

This mostly traditional buddy-cop thriller unfolds in DC Comics' Green Lantern universe — from the 1940s comics, about a railroad engineer who saved himself by grabbing onto a green lantern that he later forged into a magic ring, giving him special powers. Soon there are lots of Green Lantern "Guardians" — intergalactic cops, if you will — while in this eight-episode series, Lanterns Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and John Stewart (Aaron Pierre of "The Morning Show") come to Earth to solve a crime. Soon they meet up with another Lantern — the annoying Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion).