Summer may be the off-season for network television, but streaming services thrived in these past few months. As students moved out of their dorms and returned to their hometowns, many new seasons of their favorite shows were waiting for them.
- “Overcompensating”
Summer was paved with the mid-May release of a new, eight episode series on Netflix, “Overcompensating.” With a soundtrack reviving the greatest hits of the 2010s and even some guest appearances from celebrities like Charlie XCX, viewers are taken through Benny (Benito Skinner) and Carmen’s (Wally Baram) problematic starts to college.
The slogan, “come as you aren’t” encapsulates the show. In hopes of being socially accepted, the characters navigate college by attempting to adopt ungenuine personas. While often dramatized for comedic value, it’s relatable for anyone who is new to college or fresh into the next chapter of their lives. The final product is entertaining and far too easy to binge in one day.
Pearl Amromin, a sophomore at the University of Miami and fan of “Overcompensating” says the series “shows that everyone is in the same boat when they first go to college, so there is really no need to be someone you’re not.” She gathered that it’s best to, “just be you, and everything else will work itself out.”
- “Adults”
Five friends. One house. Essentially grown-up children, the tight-knit group finds themselves in outrageous situations in this eight episode Hulu series.
Much like the set-ups of hit sitcoms “Friends,” “How I Met Your Mother” and ‘New Girl,” the May-release “Adults” follows an ensemble cast, including Samir (Malik Elassal), Billie (Lucy Freyer), Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), Issa (Amira Rao) and Anton (Owen Thiele). “Adults” isn’t quite at their level. Given that it’s only their first season, however, they have time to improve – if they’re renewed for another season as rumors insinuate.
- “Love Island”
At the beginning of June until mid-July, reality TV faced its rise. Season seven of “Love Island” had viewers on a tight grip, tuning into Peacock almost everyday at 9 p.m. sharp. Typical, cheap drama often ensued at the villa, but it was couples like Nic and Olandria who had, and still have, fans making video edits of their moments together and coining the name “Nicolandria” for their relationship.
Although the two weren’t the winners of this season, they are still together off-screen. Meanwhile, the winners of the total $100,000 prize, Amaya Espinal and Bryan Arenales, are rumored to be broken up.
Much of the love for the show stems from the hype of talking about it with other viewers. Since the season ended, if you missed it, it may be best to just tune in for the next one in summer 2026.
- “Squid Game”
It all comes down to red ex’s, blue o’s and a couple of children’s games. The stakes: life or death. A complete 180 from the fun chaos of “Overcompensating” and “Adults,” the third and final season of “Squid Game” is not to be watched for comfort or laughs.
“Squid Game” is a South Korean drama that stars Lee Jung-Jae as Gi-hun. Making its Netflix debut at the end of June, the final six episodes of the series are haunting and often a hard-watch. If you are able to get past the gore and utter insanity of the show, however, it’s an impressive metaphor for human greed, society’s illusion of choice and raw human emotions overall.
UM sophomore Daniella Vega views the show as a depiction of “how people handle stress so differently.” While the circumstances are drastically unlike reality, she believes “a lot of us can see ourselves in it.”
- “The Bear”
While lives aren’t on the line as in “Squid Game,” “The Bear” remains notorious for its stressful encapsulation of the world of cooking. Viewers piece this family of co-workers’ story together through their grieving eyes and broken memories. Carmy (Jeremy Allen White), Syd (Ayo Edebiri) and Richie (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) are among the stars of the intense series.
Incomplete explanations and toxic communication make it all compelling and so personal it feels almost intrusive — with the help of intimate close-up shots highlighting every pore, blemish and micro-expression that encapsulates raw human emotion.
Also in late June, “The Bear” returned to Hulu with season four, following a disconnected-feeling during the prior season.
- “The Summer I Turned Pretty”
Feelings are complicated. They’re even more complicated in Belly’s (Lola Tung) case, as she has fallen for two brothers, Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno).
In the third and final season of the show, a Jenny Han book adaptation, Belly’s decision seems final until it doesn’t. Taking place four years after the preceding season, these episodes portray both character growth and regression that occurred in the years off-screen.
This love-triangle trope, though immature and unrealistic, is still a good watch. Give it a few episodes, and you’re invested. You’ll find yourself declaring which team you’re on in no time.
Eight out of the eleven episodes have made their way to Amazon Prime Video so far, with one new installment releasing every Wednesday from July to September.
- “Wednesday”
A dark-comedy enjoyable for children and adults alike, “Wednesday” returns for season two after three years since the first season’s release. As the titular character, Jenna Ortega’s apathetic performance carries the show, with the help of returning characters Enid (Emma Myers) and Bianca (Joy Sunday), in addition to more screen-time of the rest of the Addams family.
Part one of “Wednesday” debuted on Netflix at the beginning of August. Only four episodes are currently available to stream, but the remaining half is set to release on Sep. 3rd.
It’s been an eclectic few months of television, with new shows ranging from cliché rom-coms to dystopian thrillers to appeal to just about anyone. While these shows were all the hype over the summer, it’s not too late to start watching now if you’re looking for your next binge-worthy series.