July 2025 TV preview: Lena Dunham's Too Much, a Dexter spin-off, and South Park
Plus, Sterling K. Brown returns to Hulu, another Stephen King adaptation hits the small screen, and more.
By Tim Lowery and Saloni Gajjar. Clockwise from left: Ballard (Photo: Greg Gayne/Prime Video), Washington Black (Photo: Chris Reardon/Disney), Dexter: Resurrection (Photo: Zach Dilgard/Paramount+ with Showtime), Too Much (Photo: Ana Blumenkron/Netflix)
There are plenty of excuses to stay indoors in July thanks to spin-offs of the likes of Bosch and Dexter, MGM+’s take on Stephen King’s The Institute, and a whole lot of Netflix series, with the streamer delivering a Lena Dunham rom-com, a Chuck Lorre sitcom, and a soapy newbie in the vein of Desperate Housewives. Meanwhile, Paradise‘s Sterling K. Brown returns to Hulu with a fantasy drama, It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia marks its twentieth anniversary with more madness (and another crossover episode with Abbott Elementary), a satirical Spanish thriller hits HBO, and The Summer I Turned Pretty ends its run. Here is The A.V. Club’s guide to what to watch on TV next month.
Ballard (Prime Video, July 9)
Prime Video just can’t quit Bosch, the police procedural based on Michael Connelly’s novels. After seven seasons and a sequel series, the latest spin-off sees Maggie Q reprise her Legacy role as detective Renée Ballard. The head of the underfunded cold-case division, she navigates a traumatic personal crisis while hunting down a serial killer and uncovering a conspiracy within the LAPD. It’s a good thing she has the help of retired officer Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver). [Saloni Gajjar]
South Park season 27 (Comedy Central, July 9)
[Update: The South Park premiere is moved to July 23]
“Shelley, have you been taking ketamine?” Randy, South Park‘s greatest character, asks during a father-daughter moment in the show’s upcoming twenty-seventh season. “Because I think it could really help you.” Yes, Matt Stone and Trey Parker’s indefatigable series is back for more, and it’s mind-boggling and -numbing to think of all the real-world material it has to mine since it last aired. (Expect a lot of mid-air plane collisions and throngs of Canadians attacking the States.) [Tim Lowery]
Too Much (Netflix, July 10)
Eight years after the end of her HBO hit Girls, Lena Dunham presents another messy quarter-life crisis that’s inspired by her life. Too Much follows Jessica (Hacks‘ Meg Stalter), who moves from New York City to London for a fresh start after a devastating breakup. Any desire for a solitary life is upended once she meets a musician who is her polar opposite (played by The White Lotus‘ Will Sharpe). Andrew Rannells, Richard E. Grant, and Emily Ratajkowski co-star. [Saloni Gajjar]