From new reality show ridding vacant homes of squatters to an action-comedy starring John Cena and Idris Elba, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week
1. A Machu Picchu Proposal – Saturday, June 28, W Network
Hallmark’s latest heartwarmer centres on Katie (Rhiannon Fish), who heads to Peru with her brother to help him propose to his girlfriend on the peaks of Machu Picchu. But when a surprise guest scuttles those plans, Katie must keep love alive . . . while finding her own happily ever after. Click here to watch trailer.
2. Shark Whisperer – Monday, June 30, Netflix
Sharks have captivated TV and film viewers for decades, thanks to films ranging from Jaws to Sharknado, to say nothing of the ongoing popularity of Discovery’s Shark Week. The depiction of sharks as ferocious, bloodthirsty predators, however, is one that marine conservationist and free diver Ocean Ramsey is trying to change, and this doc follows her on her ongoing mission of spreading awareness of the mistreatment of this misunderstood creature. As she points out, more than 100 million sharks are killed each year, imperiling the survival of a species that is integral to a balanced marine ecosystem and critical to a healthy Earth, given that 70 per cent of the air we breathe comes from ocean activity.
Ramsey, however, has become a polarizing figure due to the photos and videos she frequently posts on social media, documenting her unprotected swims alongside various shark species — including tiger sharks and great whites. In addition to showcasing her activism, the film also tracks the way Ramsey’s approach has drawn criticism by the scientific community and the public at large. Accordiing to Ramsey’s detractors, she is putting herself, other humans and sharks at risk by her quest for media attention. “Ramsey’s approach, and her intent behind it, raises thought-provoking questions in this urgent race to save sharks,” notes the synopsis. Click here to watch trailer.
3. Yes, Chef! – Monday, June 30, CTV & NBC | Season Finale
The dishes have been served and the tantrums have been thrown. Now, it’s time for Martha Stewart and José Andrés to decide who among their talented-yet-volatile array of chefs have not only upped their kitchen game, but conquered their personal demons. On the line: a US$250,000 prize.
4. The McBee Dynasty: Real American Cowboys – Monday, June 30, Hayu | Season Premiere
Combining the lurid thrills of Bravo fare like Real Housewives with the addictive melodrama of Yellowstone, The McBee Dynasty galloped onto the TV landscape last year and immediately lassoed itself a massive audience.
The show is set in the rural expanses of Missouri, at McBee Farm & Cattle, a ranch teetering on the cusp of either a billion-dollar boom or a complete financial collapse. That said, the real drama stems from the fraught sibling dynamics, as power-rancher Steven McBee spars with his three sons — Jesse, Cole and Steven Jr. — over who will take control of the family fortune and, indeed, the family legacy.
As season two opens, Steven Jr. has seized the reins, and must pull off a successful harvest season to avoid foreclosure. But Cole has his own ideas for the business’ future. On the homefront, Cole struggles with fatherhood; Jesse can’t quite wrap his mind around marriage; and Steve Jr.’s relationship with his gal Calah is “on the rocks,” making the latter feel like an outsider in this tight-knit clan. That intoxicating swirl of personal and professional calamity reaches a new level when the FBI shows up, forcing mama bear Kristi to step in and keep both the family and the business together. Click here to watch trailer.
5. Attack on London: Hunting the 7/7 Bombers – Monday, June 30, Netflix | Series Premiere
Twenty years ago, four bombs exploded in London that killed 52 people and injured more than 700. This multi-perspective docuseries presents the untold story of one of the most devastating terror attacks on British soil — and the three weeks of panic, paranoia and manhunts that changed Britain. Tracking the frenzied weeks that followed and the hunt to find those responsible, the further series features previously unseen footage and exclusive interviews with survivors, family members, investigators, intelligence services reveal the shockwaves that followed.
6. Kevin Costner’s The West – Monday, June 30, History | Season Finale
The season finale of Yellowstone alum Kevin Costner’s documentary series about the American West examines a grim chapter in Wyoming history. In 1892, 52 men — including some of Wyoming’s most powerful cattle barons, their top employees and 23 hired guns — embarked on a mission to take over the land of homesteaders and claim it as their own. The homesteaders fought back to protect their grazing rights against the powerful invaders. The bloody conflict coming to be known as the Johnson County War, which Wyoming historian T.A. Larson has described as “the most notorious event in the history of Wyoming.” Click here to watch trailer.
7. Squatters – Tuesday, July 1, A&E | Series Premiere
When squatters invade a home, it often requires a lengthy and expensive legal process to get them out. Enter Flash Shelton, the self-proclaimed “squatter hunter” whose unorthodox methods have successfully evicted squatters while saving homeowners thousands upon thousands of dollars. Shelton’s videos have attracted millions of views on social media, and he’s now at the centre of this new series about his squatter-busting exploits.
8. My Big Fat Fabulous Life – Tuesday, July 1, TLC | Season Premiere
Whitney Thore has come a long way since January of 2015, when she first decided to allow the whole wide world into her weight-loss journey. Braving the bullies with a smile, Thore has spent these past 12 seasons growing as a person, even as she shrank physically by over 100 pounds.
Never one to disappoint her fans, season 13 features plenty of major life milestones and irresistible drama.
More specifically, the leading lady is “putting herself first and making bold moves toward the life she wants.” That includes revisiting the love for dance that was such a large part of her original rise to fame, contemplating a fresh start in Salem, Massachusetts, and making a mommy power move by signing up for artificial insemination. Click here to watch trailer.
9. Dora – Wednesday, July 2, Paramount+
Back in August of 2000, a li’l lady by the name of Dora “The Explorer” Márquez arrived on our screens, taking kids on fun and informative excursions with the help of her sentient Backpack, her monkey Boots and various other adorable sidekicks.
It was a watershed moment for Latinx representation that’s proven to have a lasting impact, with multiple versions — both cartoon and live-action — delighting youngsters for several generations now.
The latest reboot presides on streamer Paramount+, and it debuts season three on Wednesday.
The new episodes will find Dora (voiced by Diana Zermeño) helping Ratoncito Pérez fix his magical toothbrush wand so she can get a gift for her missing tooth, helping a caterpillar named Carlos who can’t quite transform into a butterfly, and more. Plus, in an instalment tied to the franchise’s 25th anniversary, Dora et al. will be on the hunt for a lost birthday cake, before the whole family throws her a surprise party.
“She was such an important character for the Latin community,” said Kathleen Herles, who grew up voicing Dora on the original show, in a chat with Hola! “That representation was and is so important for us. I will always be proud to be part of something groundbreaking in children’s programming and the industry.”
10. Heads of State – Wednesday, July 2, Prime Video
In the tradition of Air Force One and Olympus Has Fallen, as well as classic odd-couple action comedies like Midnight Run and 48 Hours, this star-studded romp comes straight to Prime Video on Wednesday. Idris Elba plays Sam Clarke, a strait-laced U.K. prime minister, while John Cena is Will Derringer, a Hollywood action star turned U.S. president. These two world leaders have anything but a “special relationship.” In fact, they flat-out despise each other. But when they’re attacked by a common enemy and forced on the run together, they must put their differences (not to mention their egos) aside. Teaming up with an MI6 agent (Priyanka Chopra Jonas, dipping back into spy mode between seasons of Prime’s Citadel), it falls to this mismatched duo to save not just themselves, but the entire world.
This is, of course, not the first time Cena and Elba have sparred comedically onscreen, with the two A-listers having co-starred in goofy, gory superhero flick The Suicide Squad back in 2021.
“It was fun doing that whole tit-for-tat that he and I did in Suicide Squad, but with different characters,” Elba told Entertainment Weekly. “John’s very funny. He’s a big improvisational guy, so there was lots of that. When we left Suicide Squad, we wanted to work together again, and this was the perfect storm — we got to do a lot together, and it’s an old-school two-hander — he’s playing a funny guy and I’m playing the straight man.” Added Cena: “That makes a great juxtaposition with Idris’ character, who is a master of bureaucracy. [My character] legitimately thinks he’s a badass . . . Movies have made him drink his own Kool-Aid to think that he’s a badass. He finds out very quickly he’s not.”
Overseeing the hijinks is a man who’s proven he can mix action and comedy in just the right proportions: Ilya Naishuller, the director behind Bob Odenkirk vehicle Nobody. Click here to watch trailer.