Credit: Lucas Gouveia/How-To GeekFirst of all, happy long weekend! If you’re not celebrating with family or watching any number of classic holiday-centric blockbusters (Independence Day, Jaws, The Sandlot), maybe you prefer digging into a good series instead. And while the end of June delivered some great options for Netflix U.S. subscribers, like I Will Find You and Avatar: The Last Airbender’s second season, as we head into July, there are already some great new options.
This long weekend brings three picks I’ve ranked from good to best. One is a cult-hit mid-2000s ensemble series making a long-awaited return to the platform, another sends a beloved, big-hearted comedy off in style, and the third arrives right on cue for a rather significant national birthday. Fire up the AC, load up a plate, and settle in.
3
Heroes (seasons 1-4)
The mid-2000s superhero phenomenon finally returns
In 2006, when this NBC phenomenon hit the airwaves, me and the whole country, it seemed, were running around yelling “Save the cheerleader, save the world!” In this groundbreaking supernatural sci-fi series, Heroes, the hook is irresistible—after a global solar eclipse, ordinary people scattered across the globe wake up to discover they have extraordinary abilities and slowly realize that their fates are tied to averting a nuclear catastrophe as prophesied by a comic book artist. Intrigued?
Created by Tim Kring, the show featured an ensemble cast of would-be stars, including the cheerleader in question (who happens to be invincible), Claire Bennet (Hayden Panettiere, Scream VI), nurse Peter Petrelli (a wide-eyed, pre-This Is Us Milo Ventimiglia), and fan-favorite Hiro Nakamura (Masi Oka, Hawaii Five-0), with Zachary Quinto (Star Trek’s Spock) chilling as hell as the power-stealing villain Sylar.
Heroes earned 14 Emmy nominations, winning one for visual effects, and while its critical reception dropped off after season one (Rotten Tomatoes has it at 52% overall), it’s poised to get a much-deserved Netflix bump. All four seasons (77 episodes) arrived on Netflix on July 1.
Network
NBC
Cast
Hayden Panettiere, Santiago Cabrera, Jack Coleman, Tawny Cypress, Noah Gray-Cabey, Greg Grunberg, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar, Milo Ventimiglia, Zachary Quinto
Showrunner
Tim Kring
Directors
Allan Arkush, Jeannot Szwarc, Adam Kane, Greg Yaitanes, Sergio Mimica-Gezzan, Roxann Dawson, Paul A. Edwards, John Badham, Donna Deitch, Kevin Dowling, Seith Mann, Ron Underwood, Paul Shapiro, Lesli Linka Glatter, S.J. Clarkson, Daniel Attias, David Straiton, Kevin Bray, David Semel, Holly Dale, Ed Bianchi, Nathaniel Goodman, Christopher Misiano, Ernest R. Dickerson
Writers
Tim Kring
Producers
Tim Kring, Dennis Hammer, Jeph Loeb, Jesse Alexander, Lori Motyer, Michael Green, Bryan Fuller, Greg Beeman, Adam Armus, Jim Chory, Juan Carlos Coto, Nora Kay Foster, Aron Eli Coleite
Seasons
4
Streaming Service(s)
2
Survival of the Thickest (the final season)
Mavis takes her final, fabulous bow
If you’re a fan of fast-paced, cleverly written workplace dramedies that mix fashion, female friendships, and a strong message of body positivity (think Emily in Paris meets Shrill), then the critically acclaimed Netflix series Survival of the Thickest will be spot on. Heading into its third and final season, it follows newly single plus-size Black stylist Mavis Beaumont (creator and star Michelle Buteau), who, after catching her boyfriend cheating, sets out to rebuild her life and career as a fashion designer in New York City.
Adapted from Buteau’s 2020 essay collection and co-created with Danielle Sanchez-Witzel (Like a Boss), the A24 comedy orbits around the lives, friendships, and careers of Mavis (Buteau), her best friend and art teacher Khalil (Trigger Warning’s Tone Bell), and Mavis’s Italian love interest Luca (Bodkin’s Marouane Zotti).
This third and final season—eight episodes that landed on Netflix July 2—picks up as Mavis makes the leap from stylist to full-fledged designer and even contemplates motherhood. The season even wraps up with guest turns from Wanda Sykes, Ice-T, and Ashley Graham. The show’s second season holds a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, and there are high hopes for the last hurrah.
Network
Netflix
Cast
Michelle Buteau, Tone Bell, Liza Treyger, Anissa Felix, Marouane Zotti, Taylor Selé, Tasha Smith, NaTonia Monét, Annie Pisapia, Shannon Destiny Ryan, Jordan Carlos, Monnae Michaell, Ambre Anderson, Donovan Louis Bazemore, Anna George, Peppermint, Sarah Cooper, Allan K. Washington, Christina Brown, Sagan Chen, Garcelle Beauvais, Becca Blackwell, Princess Adenike, Usama Siddiquee, Matteo Lane
Showrunner
Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Amy Aniobi
Directors
Linda Mendoza, Kimmy Gatewood, Amy Aniobi, Kim O. Nguyen
Writers
Michelle Buteau, Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Ian Edwards, E. R. Fightmaster
Main Genre
Comedy
Creator(s)
Michelle Buteau, Danielle Sanchez-Witzel
Producers
Willy Friedman, Manny Jaquez
Seasons
3
Executive Producer(s)
Michelle Buteau, Danielle Sanchez-Witzel, Ravi Nandan, Alli Reich, Grace Edwards, Anne Hong, Amy Aniobi, Linda Mendoza
1
The American Experiment
A fascinating look at America’s founding gamble
Arriving just in time for the United States to mark 250 years of independence on July 4, The American Experiment is a sweeping five-part docuseries that reframes the nation’s founding not as a boring history lesson but examines it as the risky bet that it was, driven by a bold question: could a country run by its people, without a king, actually govern itself?
In the beautifully produced and directed series, director Brian Knappenberger (the Turning Point docs) takes viewers from The American Revolution through the drafting of the Constitution and follows through to the end of George Washington’s presidency, while also not avoiding some of the challenges and dark moments along the way.
Blending archival footage, vivid reenactments—Martin Sheen even voices George Washington—and strikingly bipartisan interviews with figures including Hillary Clinton, Mike Pence, Kamala Harris, Al Gore, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and former Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer, the series favors substance over fluff. Executive produced by Tom Hanks, The American Experiment premiered June 24 with a perfect 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Roku Ultra
$99
Save $14.01
Operating System
RkuOS
Connectivity
luetooth, Ethernet, HDMI, USB, Wi-Fi
Summer shows
The new Netflix titles are starting to trickle in, and it’s heating up to be another good summer month, whether you’re into drama, thrillers, old classics looking for a bump, or documentaries. I’ll keep throwing out weekly suggestions till the cows come home, but if you ever aren’t piqued by anything here, just head on over to How-To Geek’s streaming section and our team of entertainment-obsessed writers will take it from there.
Subscription with ads
Yes, $8/month
Simultaneous streams
Two or four
Live TV
No
Price
Starting at $8/month
