Between box sets? We’ve got your back with the best new and upcoming binges for summer

2: LOOT APPLE TV+ COMEDY queen Maya Rudolph is billionaire Molly Novak, who becomes the “most famous cheated-on woman on the planet” in this Apple TV+ original. Amid a global cost of living crisis, the show about someone trying to reinvent themselves with a mere $87bn divorce settlement could have been a tone-deaf mess. But with the Emmy winner in a long-overdue lead role, it’s got bags of heart, as well as cash. The fifth of ten new weekly episodes lands on Friday.

3: RESIDENT EVIL NETFLIX A HORROR about a global apocalypse sparked by a viral outbreak may sound like the last thing anyone wants to watch right now. But the latest live-action take on the cult 1996 video game could be just the jab in the arm the franchise needs. Split between the present day and a zombie-ravaged 2036, the eight-part series, out July 14, most notably sees the return of the shady Albert Wesker (Lance Reddick). But it’s his daughter Jade (Ella Balinska) who must face up to the Infected — and dark family secrets — in New Raccoon City

4: ONLY MURDERS IN THE BUILDING

DISNEY+ JUST a year after the runaway success of the original, TV’s least-likely super sleuths are back to crack another crime in the Arconia. Dreamt up by Steve Martin, the hilarious murder mystery previously saw his true-crime nut Charles join forces with neighbours Oliver (Martin Short) and Mabel (Selena Gomez) to try to solve a murder in their bougie New York apartment building. As per season one’s bloody cliffhanger, this time it’s building manager Bunny who ends up the unwitting star of the trio’s burgeoning podcast, Only Murders in the Building. And when incriminating evidence keeps turning up

5: THE SUMMER I TURNED PRETTY

PRIME VIDEO BASED on Jenny Han’s young adult novel, this Amazon Original is the perfect post-exam binge for teens — and stressed parents too. Out now, it follows teenager Isabel Conklin, who finds herself torn between two brothers, Jeremiah and Conrad, who are both vying for her affections during a summer getaway. And there’s good news for fans of the book trilogy with a second season already on the way.

6: THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE RINGS OF POWER PRIME VIDEO ONE drama promises to rule them all this summer. Premiering in multiple languages in over 240 countries on September 2, Rings of Power draws on Tolkien’s iconic works to bring the Second Age of Middle-earth to life. Set millennia before the movies, expect new folklore and faces, like Ismael Cruz Córdova (right) as silvan elf, Arondir.

7: HOUSE OF THE DRAGON

NOW

Can this Game of Thrones prequel help to atone for the disappointment of season eight? Featuring bloody horseback duels and fire-breathing dragons, the latest teaser trailer has given Thronies everywhere plenty of hope.

Set 200 years before the events of GOT, HBO’s hotly-anticipated prequel — coming on August 22 — tells the story of House Targaryen as it descends into the civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons.

Available here on streaming service NOW, as well as Sky Atlantic, it stars Emma D’Arcy as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen and Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen — rival heirs to the Iron Throne. While the starry cast also includes Paddy Considine as King Viserys I.

Co-created by George R.R.Martin, the series is based on his 2018 book Fire & Blood — so has an ending at least.

8: THE OFFER PARAMOUNT+ JUST launched in Ireland, Paramount+ is making audiences an offer they can’t refuse with this ten-part saga about the struggle to get The Godfather from the page to the big screen. Inspired by Al Ruddy’s memories of making the 1972 masterpiece, it stars on-the-up Miles Teller (Top Gun: Maverick) as the Hollywood producer tasked with turning Mario Puzo’s novel into a film amid bust-ups over everything from the casting to the budget, not to mention death threats from the Mafia. Available now, also watch for Dan Fogler as Francis Ford Coppola and Justin Chambers as Marlon Brando in this love letter to old Hollywood moviemaking.

9: THE PATIENT DISNEY+ Star Wars baddie Domhnall Gleeson returns to the dark side in this ten-part limited series made by FX. The Dublin actor plays the serial killer who kidnaps a recently widowed psychotherapist (Steve Carrell — pictured in Apple TV+’s The Morning Show) for help with his murderous urges. The psychological thriller from the team behind The Americans arrives to the streaming service on August 30.

10: UNCOUPLED

NETFLIX HERE’S something to scratch that Emily in Paris itch this summer. Created by Darren Star, who was also behind Sex and the City, Uncoupled stars Neil Patrick Harris as forty-something Michael, whose life is upended when his husband of 17 years suddenly walks out the door. Still reeling from the loss of his supposed soulmate, the New Yorker must ‘Carrie’ on, dipping a toe (and sometimes more) back into the choppy waters of middle-aged dating with the help of his real estate agent bestie (played by Tisha Campbell). The eight-part series drops on Netflix on July 29.