The must-watch title on every major streamer this July
The must-watch title on every major streamer this July
These July releases are the easiest way to decide what to watch next on every service.
July’s streaming lineup is a weird little buffet in the best way. “X-Men ’97” is throwing mutants across time, Will Ferrell is chasing one last golf comeback in “The Hawk,” Anya Taylor-Joy is going full con artist on the run in “Lucky,” and Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham are turning a best-friend comedy into an assassin chase across Europe. So if your watchlist is already overstuffed, here’s the one title on each major streamer I’m most excited about this July.
Top title on each streamer for the month of July 2026:
(buy-block; netflix)
‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2 | Series | Disney+
There are nostalgia revivals, and then there’s “X-Men ’97,” which somehow came back feeling exactly like the show you remembered and way better than you expected. Season 1 took the old-school Saturday morning cartoon energy, added bigger emotions, messier politics, and a whole lot of mutant trauma, and turned it into one of the best superhero shows on TV. So yeah, Season 2 dropping Wednesday, July 1 on Disney+ is a pretty big deal.
This time, the X-Men are split up and thrown across different points in time. While they’re trying to find their way back home, things are getting worse in the 1990s, where new enemies and fresh mutant hatred are starting to rise while the team is gone. Basically, the X-Men are scattered, the world is getting uglier, Apocalypse is looming, and I’m already stressed in the best possible way.
X-Men ‘97
The X-Men, a band of mutants who use their uncanny gifts to protect a world that hates and fears them, are challenged like never before, forced to face a dangerous and unexpected new future.
‘Stuart Fails to Save the Universe’ | Series | HBO Max
I’m honestly very curious to see how weird “Stuart Fails to Save the Universe” gets when it debuts Thursday, July 23, on HBO Max, because this is easily the strangest “The Big Bang Theory” spinoff idea yet. Instead of just hanging out at the comic book store, Stuart accidentally helps blow up reality after breaking a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, which means he now has to try to fix the multiverse before everything falls apart. Good luck, buddy.
The 10-episode comedy brings back Kevin Sussman as Stuart, with Lauren Lapkus as Denise, Brian Posehn as Bert, and John Ross Bowie as Barry Kripke, which is already a very funny little chaos squad. The show also brings in alternate-universe versions of characters from “The Big Bang Theory,” so expect a lot of nerd panic, reality-breaking nonsense, and Stuart somehow being the person responsible for saving existence. As the title makes pretty clear, this probably isn’t going to go smoothly.
Stuart Fails to Save the Universe
After accidentally creating a new multiverse, comic book store owner Stuart Bloom must locate a quantum-interference device to restore reality.
‘Over Your Dead Body’ | Movie | AMC+
Tara and I have been very into this exact kind of bloody relationship-chaos movie since watching “Ready or Not” and then seeing “Ready or Not 2: Here I Come” in theaters, so I’m honestly kind of annoyed we missed “Over Your Dead Body” when it first came around. Thankfully, it premieres Friday, July 31, on AMC+ via Sundance Now, and this sounds like a very easy yes. Jason Segel and Samara Weaving play a dysfunctional couple who head to a remote cabin pretending they’re there to reconnect, except each of them is secretly planning to kill the other. Great marriage retreat.
The cast also includes Timothy Olyphant, Juliette Lewis, Paul Guilfoyle, and Keith Jardine, which makes this feel like it could get loud, ugly, and very funny very fast. Murderous spouses, cabin madness, Samara Weaving screaming, Jason Segel spiraling, probably way too much blood — perfect Friday night movie.
Over Your Dead Body
A dysfunctional couple head to a remote cabin to “reconnect”, but each has secret intentions to kill the other.
‘The Five Star Weekend’ | Series | Peacock
It’s summer, so honestly, this feels like the perfect time to get away to Nantucket… from the comfort of your couch, with snacks, air conditioning, and zero travel stress. “The Five Star Weekend” premieres Thursday, July 9, on Peacock, with all eight episodes dropping at once, and it sounds like exactly the kind of glossy beach-house drama that makes for an easy binge. Jennifer Garner stars as Hollis Shaw, a celebrity chef who invites a group of friends away for a weekend that’s supposed to help everyone reconnect, which obviously means old secrets, weird tension, and unexpected guests are about to ruin the whole itinerary.
The cast is stacked too, with D’Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, Harlow Jane, and Timothy Olyphant all in the mix. Give me the coastal house, the messy friendships, the pretty scenery, the awkward dinners, and Jennifer Garner trying to keep the weekend from fully falling apart.
The Five Star Weekend
After her husband’s unexpected death and a very public breakdown, famed cook Hollis hosts her best friends for an elaborate weekend on Nantucket.
‘Lucky’ | Series | Apple TV
Anya Taylor-Joy playing a con artist on the run is one of those setups where I don’t really need much convincing, so “Lucky” feels like a very easy yes when it premieres Wednesday, July 15, on Apple TV. The limited crime drama stars Taylor-Joy as Lucky, a grifter whose life blows up after a multimillion-dollar heist goes sideways, forcing her to run from the FBI and a very dangerous crime boss at the same time. Horrible for her, great for us.
The first two episodes drop at launch, with new episodes weekly after that, and the cast is stacked with Annette Bening, Timothy Olyphant, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Drew Starkey, Clifton Collins Jr., and William Fichtner. It’s based on Marissa Stapley’s bestselling novel, which was also a Reese’s Book Club pick, so I’m expecting more than just chases and crime boss chaos. Give me scams, bad decisions, family baggage, double-crosses, and Anya Taylor-Joy trying to talk her way out of absolutely everything.
Lucky
When a multi-million-dollar heist goes sideways, con artist Lucky is forced to go on the run. Pursued by both the FBI and a ruthless crime boss, Lucky must fight for her life—and a way out.
‘Furious’ | Series | Hulu
Elizabeth Meriwether going from “New Girl” to a dark FBI serial-killer thriller is such a wild left turn that I kind of have to see what this looks like. “Furious” premieres Monday, July 27 on Hulu with the first three episodes, then drops new episodes weekly, and it stars Emmy Rossum as Alice Black, an FBI agent chasing a mysterious female serial killer played by Lola Petticrew.
The hook here sounds less like a standard catch-the-killer procedural and more like one of those morally messy cat-and-mouse shows where the hunter and the hunted start feeling a little too connected (getting “Killing Eve” vibes?). Both women think they’re chasing their own version of justice, which is always a great sign that things are about to get extremely uncomfortable. Add Scoot McNairy, Quincy Tyler Bernstine, and Jake Lacy to the cast, plus Meriwether behind the whole thing, and I’m very curious to see how this one plays.
Furious
FBI agent Alice Black is on the hunt for a mysterious and calculating female serial killer. Both walk their own paths toward justice, and as their lives start to intertwine, the line between right and wrong begins to blur.
‘The Hawk’ | Series | Netflix
This might be the July show I’m most excited about overall, partly because “Stick” warmed me up for more golf comedy last year, and partly because I really miss the big, dumb, fully committed slapstick comedies of the early 2000s. You know, the era where Will Ferrell could yell nonsense in any context, and it was funny. “The Hawk” premieres Thursday, July 16, on Netflix, with Ferrell starring as Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins, a former No. 1 golfer who peaked back in 2004 and has spent the last two decades trying to claw his way back to the top. His body is falling apart; his family thinks he should probably stop humiliating himself, and his own prodigy son is now standing in the way of the comeback he’s been chasing forever.
So naturally, Lonnie decides the only reasonable move is to go after one final major, complete the Grand Slam, and maybe destroy every relationship in his life along the way. Add Jimmy Tatro and Molly Shannon to the cast, and yeah, this sounds exactly like the kind of unhinged sports comedy I want from Ferrell.
The Hawk
On the back nine of his career, golf legend Lonnie “The Hawk” Hawkins chases one final major — and drags everyone he loves into the chaos.
‘The Real Wolf of Wall Street’ | Documentary | Paramount+
Everybody knows “The Wolf of Wall Street” as the Martin Scorsese movie where Leonardo DiCaprio turns Jordan Belfort’s whole greed-fueled collapse into three hours of chaos, yelling, fraud, drugs, and hilarity. But “The Real Wolf of Wall Street” sounds like it’s here to show us that the real story was a lot uglier. The three-part documentary premieres Tuesday, July 14, on Paramount+, with all episodes dropping at once, and it digs into Belfort’s rise at Stratton Oakmont, the damage left behind, and the people who got pulled into his orbit.
The big hook here is that the doc includes never-before-seen footage, thousands of internal FBI documents, archival interviews, and insight from Belfort’s former wife, Nadine Macaluso, whose version of the story seems very different from the party-monster legend most people know. I’m very in for this because the original movie is endlessly watchable, but this feels like the hangover version where the bill finally comes due.
The Real Wolf of Wall Street
A three-part docuseries, revealing the true story of Jordan Belfort and his boiler room brokers at Stratton Oakmont, which is even darker and more debauched than previously known.
‘Ride or Die’ | Series | Prime Video
Tara and I love action comedies, so “Ride or Die” is basically walking straight into our house and grabbing the remote when it premieres Wednesday, July 15, on Prime Video. Octavia Spencer and Hannah Waddingham star as longtime best friends Debbie Claybourne and Judith Burton, which sounds sweet and normal until Debbie finds out Judith has secretly been an international assassin this whole time. Not exactly the kind of thing you forget to mention over brunch.
When someone dangerous from Judith’s past shows up and a hit goes very badly, the two friends end up on the run across Europe with law enforcement, trained killers, and actual criminals chasing them down. That’s exactly the action-comedy lane I want: big set pieces, two funny leads, genuine danger, and one regular person realizing her best friend’s life is way more insane than she thought. Add the fact that all eight episodes drop at once, and this feels like the kind of ridiculous, fast-moving summer binge I want.
Ride or Die
Best friends Debbie and Judith are forced on the run when Debbie discovers Judith isn’t a forensic accountant, she’s an international assassin! With a mysterious figure chasing them, and Debbie’s husband involved in something deeply corrupt, it’s a race against time and a road trip across Europe to untangle the truth and stay alive.
‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ | Movie | Plex
Free streaming can be a weird grab bag, but every so often a movie like “Everything Everywhere All at Once” shows up and suddenly Plex looks like it’s showing off. The Oscar-winning sci-fi comedy starts streaming free on Plex on Wednesday, July 1, which is a pretty great excuse to either watch it again or finally figure out why everyone was crying about taxes, hot dog fingers, bagels, and rocks a few years ago. Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn Wang, a stressed-out laundromat owner who gets pulled into a multiverse crisis right when her actual life is already falling apart.
So yes, there are wild action scenes, alternate realities, martial arts fights, and some of the strangest visual jokes you’ll ever see, but the reason the movie works is that underneath all the madness, it’s really about a family trying very hard to understand each other. Also, Ke Huy Quan is incredible in this. Free movie, huge swing, emotional damage, no subscription required — that’s a strong July win.
Everything Everywhere All at Once
An aging Chinese immigrant is swept up in an insane adventure, where she alone can save what’s important to her by connecting with the lives she could have led in other universes.
This wild fusion of sci-fi and kung-fu is one of the most original films in years. It’s silly and sweet and moving and funny. Michelle Yeoh leads a stellar cast including Stephanie Hsu, Ke Huy Quan, James Hong, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
The movie dominated the 2023 Academy Awards, winning seven Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert), Best Actress (Yeoh), Best Supporting Actor (Quan), Best Supporting Actress (Curtis), and Best Original Screenplay.