A Bookish Guide to the Must-See TV Shows of the Summer

This novel-turned-TV show is the perfect boozy accompaniment for a long, hot summer. SWEETBITTER gives a peek into the world of a twentysomething who’s just landed a job at a downtown New York City restaurant with a pricey wine menu. It’s there that she learns important lessons about wine, about love, and about the world.

Season 1 is now streaming on Starz.

Read the full review of SWEETBITTER.

Based on the film Dear White People, Justin Simien’s satire is the ultimate silly-yet-authoritative handbook to help the curious and confused navigate racial microaggressions in their daily lives. Like the film and the book, the Netflix series follows several black college students dealing with the frustrations of attending a PWI (predominantly white institute). In the second season, a brand-new set of microaggressions has cropped up, causing the students to have difficult conversations with their fellow white classmates.

Season 2 is now streaming on Netflix.

Younger is one of those shows we publishing folk can’t get enough of—revealing secrets about the industry while simultaneously poking fun at it. So, of course, it’s been just as fun to watch Hillary Duff and Sutton Foster bring these characters to life for four addicting seasons. With the fictional (and real-life) tell-all MARRIAGE VACATION set to publish, season five promises to bring even more drama and some saucy secrets.

Season 5 is now airing on TV Land.

Masterpiece Theater is invading our DVRs with an adaptation of yet another classic: Louisa May Alcott’s LITTLE WOMEN. This wonderful story of the March sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy and their wonderful Marmee is based on Alcott's childhood. This lively portrait of nineteenth-century family life possesses a lasting vitality that has endeared it to generations of readers.

The mini-series is now airing on BBC.

Part coming-of-age story, part revenge fantasy, this is a bold, original, and funny debut novel that takes on the beauty industry, gender inequality, and our weight-loss obsession—from the inside out, and with fists flying. Julianna Margulies and Joy Nash star in the first season of the dramedy, so set your DVRs!

Season 1 is now airing.

Get ready to add another Gillian Flynn adaptation to your summer. Flynn’s first novel, SHARP OBJECTS, follows reporter Camille Preaker, who returns to her hometown to cover two murders but is forced to confront her own demons. A brutal mystery of paranoia, familial abuse, and the secrets we hide within ourselves, the adaptation (starring Amy Adams and Patricia Clarkson) will definitely keep us hooked all summer long.

Season 1 premieres on HBO July 8, 2018.

No word yet on whether Gwendy will appear in the highly anticipated TV show Castle Rock—in which all the Stephen King novels set in the fictional town come to life—but this chilling novella gives us a glimpse of the creepy Maine town. This story also offers more insight into the mysterious character in a black hat who’s been known to pop up in King’s previous Castle Rock books.

Season 1 premieres on Hulu July 25, 2018.

On a sunny summer afternoon by the lake, Cora Bender (Jessica Biel) stabs a complete stranger to death. Why? What would cause this quiet, kind young mother to commit such a startling act of violence in front of her family and friends? Last year, we had the chance to watch the mystery unfold in a limited USA series, but this summer, there are more mind-boggling secrets to uncover in a second season.

Season 2 premieres on USA August 1, 2018.

We never imagined the trailer for You would live up to its wild source material, but somehow it manages to bring shock value and we’re so into it. YOU is a hypnotic tale of obsession, the dangers of social media, and murderous manipulation. When a bookseller encounters a beautiful customer, he tracks her down via her credit card and quickly inserts himself into her life. Penn Badgley stars as the book-lover-turned-stalker.

Season 1 premieres on Lifetime September 9, 2018.

Read the full review of YOU.