From the arrival of Discovery’s Shark Week to Adam Sandler’s long-awaited Happy Gilmore 2, we round up our top 10 shows to watch this week
1. Shark Week – Sunday, July 20, Discovery
Ever since the first Shark Week back in 1988, Discovery’s annual summertime programming event has continued the tradition of paying homage to the ocean’s deadliest predator. This year’s edition ups the ante with nearly two-dozen new specials.
Here are some highlights:
» DANCING WITH SHARKS: Tom Bergeron hosts this underwater dance competition in which five divers battle to put together an amazing aquatic routine with actual sharks as their partners. From hammerheads to tigers, each shark demonstrates its own signature moves. At the end of the show, a winner is crowned — if all the competitors survive, that is. (Sunday at 5 p.m., 8 p.m. & Midnight)
» JAWS VS MEGA CROC: Using data gathered in new experiments, Tristan Guttridge, Rosie Moore and Dr. Sora Kim construct a CGI fight to the death between two of the biggest and baddest apex predators in the water — the great white shark and the ferocious Nile crocodile. (Monday at 6 p.m., 9 p.m. & Midnight)
» HOW TO SURVIVE A SHARK ATTACK: Shark attack survivor Paul de Gelder attempts the unthinkable — getting attacked by a shark for a second time. Under the supervision of experts, he provokes sharks to chomp on him in multiple scenarios, ripping off prosthetic limbs to teach life-saving tactics for surviving such an encounter. (Tuesday at 6 p.m. & 9 p.m.)
» SURVIVING JAWS: Fifty years ago, Jaws struck fear into millions of moviegoers who vowed never to swim in the ocean again. Marine biologist Tom “Blowfish” Hird and predator ecologist Michelle Jewell dive with great whites to separate fact from fiction, answering such questions as whether skinny dipping actually attracts great whites and if a shark could really chew through the hull of a boat. (Thursday at 5 p.m., 8 p.m. & Midnight)
2. Robot Chicken: Self Discovery – Sunday, July 20, Adult Swim
Stop-motion extravaganza Robot Chicken celebrates its 20th anniversary with a special that finds the show’s iconic “Nerd” seeking self-actualization via an array of reality show appearances, from 90 Day Fiancé to Shark Week. Click here to watch trailer.
3. Justice on Trial – Monday, July 21, Prime Video | Series Premiere
For 25 years, Judy Sheindlin was the most notorious judge on TV, dispensing small-claims verdicts to clueless claimants and defendants who were never a match for her sharp tongue and no-nonsense disposition.
Judge Judy ended its iconic daytime run in 2021, but the 82-year-old Sheindlin was far from retired, having jumped straight into several endeavours with streamer Prime Video, including starring in the similarly themed Judy Justice and producing Tribunal Justice. Her latest is Justice on Trial, and it’s something of a departure from the former Manhattan Family Court adjudicator’s usual fare.
As the press release puts it: “Judge Judy Sheindlin is back to put the justice system on trial in a true-crime, high-stakes courtroom drama. The series explores eight landmark cases whose verdicts impact the daily lives of 340 million Americans, as she and her expert legal team recreate the trials from notorious cases where the letter of the law dictates that ‘justice’ doesn’t always feel ‘just’ . . . In every episode, Judge Sheindlin plays the lower-court judge, while her Tribunal Justice judges Tanya Acker, Patricia DiMango and Adam Levy preside over all appeals-court cases. Rounding out the regular cast are real-life veteran trial lawyers Daniel Mentzer and Larry Bakman. The court trials are mixed with fast-paced reenactments of the crimes and key events that lead to the controversial outcomes.”
Laying out her goals in typically straightforward fashion, Sheindlin explained in a statement: “Judges are people. Sometimes they get it wrong. Then what happens? When and how long will it take to get it right? I’ve put justice on trial. I couldn’t be more proud of this series. Everybody who watches it will come away a little smarter. Mission accomplished.”Click here to watch trailer.
4. Welcome to Plathville – Tuesday, July 22, A&E | Season Premiere
Stop in and sit a spell with the Plaths, as the southeastern Georgia clan that’s united by “music, religion, family life and traditional roles” grace our screens for a seventh season.
As TLC teases: “After just four months of dating, Lydia and Zac are speeding towards ‘I do,’ but not everyone in the family is onboard, especially Lydia’s protective brothers — Ethan, Micah and Isaac. [Meanwhile,] Micah and Veronica have hit a rough patch . . . with Veronica holding grudges from past disappointments. Micah is trying to mend a growing division between himself and his family and avoid repeating Ethan’s mistakes — but he may have to eventually make some tough choices.” All told, new beginnings and broken hearts abound, as several Plaths are convinced they’ve found “the one” . . . but not all of them are right. Click here to watch trailer.
5. Hip Hop Was Born Here – Tuesday, July 22, Paramount+ | Series Premiere
Produced by former NFL star Peyton Manning and rapper/actor LL Cool J (with the latter serving as host), this five-episode series charts the creation, evolution and ongoing legacy of hip-hop, not just as a genre but as a cultural force.
The show aims to take viewers “on a journey through hip-hop history — meeting OGs and future icons, visiting the neighbourhoods, studios and places that fostered early styles as well as watching beloved artists analyze their favourite tracks.”
A who’s who of rap royalty will share their insights, including Big Daddy Kane, Doug E. Fresh, Method Man, Rev Run, Roxanne Shante, Salt-N-Pepa’s Salt and many more. Hip Hop Was Born Here “promises to deliver a new level of insight into how hip-hop first came to be and how it transformed into the global sensation that it is today,” according to the logline.
“Music is far from my area of expertise, but sports and music have a lot of similarities. Both require hard work and commitment, and at their best, both bring people together. The story of hip-hop, especially in New York City, is an important one to tell, and there’s no one better than Todd to tell it,” says Manning, referring to LL Cool J by his birth name, James Todd Smith, who declares: “To understand the power of hip-hop today, you gotta go back to where it all started. Click here to watch trailer.
6. Acapulco – Wednesday, July 23, Apple TV+ | Season Premiere
The coming-of-age adventures conclude with a fourth and final season. Billionaire Máximo Gallardo Ramirez (Eugenio Derbez) relates the closing chapter of his humble beginnings as a pool boy at Las Colinas Resort — while his nephew listens with ebbing and flowing degrees of interest. It’s been a bittersweet (though mostly sweet) saga defined by first love and second chances, and an array of irresistibly offbeat characters.
Per Apple, in this farewell season, “present-day Máximo works tirelessly to restore Las Colinas to its former glory before the grand reopening. In 1986, when a competitor claims the No. 1 spot in the annual ranking of Acapulco’s ‘Best Hotels,’ young Máximo (Enrique Arrizon) will do whatever it takes to get back on top and secure Las Colinas’ future.”
As producer Sam Laybourne summed up in a chat with ThatHashtagShow: “I would say one of the great things about the show is that we see Maximo as an older gentleman, played by Eugenio Derbez, and he’s looking back on his life. We know certain things have played out in a certain way, but how he got there is the whole mystery of the show. So there’s always opportunities for us to both keep the show incredibly warm and [express] the spirit of the show, which is about going after your dreams and trying to make it.” Click here to watch trailer.
7. Match Game – Wednesday, July 23, CTV & ABC | Season Premiere
Martin Short is the new emcee of this classic fill-in-the-blanks battle. Each week, average folks look to match their answers with those of a new celebrity panel. The show last aired back in 2021, hosted by Alec Baldwin.
8. Shiny Happy People: A Teenage Holy War – Wednesday, July 23, Prime Video | Season Premiere
Following a first season that focused on the Duggar family and their controversial cult-like branch of fundamentalism, the second delves into the rise of another evangelical Christian movement, which targeted young people during the 1990s and 2000s. The season examines the rise and fall of Teen Mania, once a hugely popular religious organization behind the touring “Acquire the Fire” stadium shows, delving into how the group allegedly used high-pressure tactics and even psychological manipulation to ensure teens at their shows signed purity oaths and pledged their time to the sect’s global missions.
9. Happy Gilmore 2 – Friday, July 25, Netflix
At a certain point in the career of every Saturday Night Live cast member, the time comes to leave the show and make a bid for stardom beyond the surly bonds of Studio 8H.
Among the most successful transitions in the venerable sketch show’s five-decade history is Adam Sandler, a man who’s gone on to become one of the comedy world’s most successful figures — while also showing off his dramatic chops on more than one cinematic occasion. Back in the mid-’90s, one of Sandler’s pivotal star vehicles was a little flick called Happy Gilmore. The down-and-out hockey enforcer who finds that his wicked slapshot actually translates quite well to the golf course is among the actor’s most iconic characters — and now, almost 30 years later, he revisits it in a sequel that’s coming straight to Netflix.
Having previously gotten into the sport to pay off his grandma’s back taxes, this time Happy must dust off the clubs for another financial conundrum: his daughter’s swanky, pricey ballet school in Vienna.
While fan-fave co-stars Carl Weathers and Bob Barker have sadly passed away, original cast member Julie Bowen (late of Modern Family) is back as Happy’s true love, Virginia, as is Christopher McDonald (late of Hacks) as his smarmy nemesis, Shooter McGavin. Plus, watch out for Ben Stiller reprising his part as villainous nursing home attendant Hal, and cameos from real-life golf legends Jon Daly and Jack Nicklaus.
As Sandler teased on The Tonight Show: “People have been asking me for a long time, ‘Do Happy Gilmore 2,’ and I was always like, ‘Nah, I’ll only let you down.’ But then me and my buddy, [original screenwriter] Tim Herlihy, we came up with this idea. We’re really excited about it. We wrote our a**es off. We’re continuing to try to make it a movie that you guys will like.” Click here to watch trailer.
10. Big Brother Unlocked – Friday, July 25, Global & CBS | Series Premiere
Airing every other Friday, this Big Brother addendum offers never-before-seen footage from the house, exclusive interviews, surprise guest appearances and unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, while former Houseguests analyze gameplay, assess the competition and share their insiders’ perspective.