Best new shows – quick links
Best new shows
BritBox: best new shows
Bodies in the Snow: The Murder of Joanna Yeates – 10 July
Documentary (2025). Following the case of Joanna Yeates, who was found murdered in 2010 in Bristol England, after which her innocent landlord was wrongly accused before a Dutch national was caught and sent to prison.
Netflix: best new shows
Sparks Of Tomorrow – 6 July
Series. In an alternate past, an unlikely duo team up to look for a missing catalog that could bring electricity to the smoke-filled streets of Kyoto.
Starring Yuma Uchida, Sora Amamiya and Koki Uchiyama.
Better Late Than Single Season 2 – 7 July
Series. A fresh group of hopefuls moves into Eternal Singles’ Village, shedding their inexperience as they navigate romance — and the emotions that come with it.
Starring Seo In-guk, Kang Hanna and Lee Eun-ji.
Little House on The Prairie – 9 July
Series. The close-knit Ingalls family builds a new life on the Western frontier, where the joys of nature and the struggle for survival are deeply intertwined.
Starring Luke Bracey, Crosby Fitzgerald and Alice Halsey.
Binge: best new shows
The Real Housewives of Orange County Season 20 – 10 July
Series. Weekly episodes of the reality series, express from the US.
The History of Sound – 11 July
Film (2025). Directed by Oliver Hermanus and starring Paul Mescal and Josh O’Connor. From ScreenHub’s review:
‘Mescal plays Lionel, a shy and sweet young man who grew up on a dirt-poor farm. It’s here, as a kid (played by Leo Cocovinis) that Lionel discovers his ability to keenly perceive the sound of music – not just as shimmering colour (interestingly never visualised by Hermanus) but also a taste on his tongue – is a gift most unusual.
‘Lionel’s breadth of knowledge about these ditties and his ability to hold each tune carefully leads him to Boston’s New England Conservatory on a scholarship.’ Read more …
Prime Video: new this week
The Ghost in the Shell – 8 July
Series. Since Shirow Masamune first published the original manga in Kodansha’s Young Magazine Pirate Edition in 1989, The Ghost in the Shell series has transcended media boundaries – expanding into anime, beginning with director Mamoru Oshii’s landmark 1995 film, as well as a live-action Hollywood film and more – delivering awe and inspiration to audiences around the world.
Starring Maaya Sakamoto, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Yûichi Nakamura and Yoji Ikuta.
From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman II – 9 July
Series. Beryl Gardenant, a middle-aged swordsman running a dojo in the backwaters, lives a quiet life, until Allucia, former student and Commander of the Royal Order of Knights, appears. Beryl’s life is about to change dramatically.
City life. Old students. New friends and formidable foes. It’s all too much. But after years of training, he has mad skills, and he’s been dubbed ‘the backwater swordmaster’.
Apple TV: best new shows
Trying Season 5 – 8 July
Series. Season 5 finds Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) dealing with the consequences of Princess (Scarlett Rayner) and Tyler’s (Cooper Turner) biological mother Kat (Charlotte Riley) turning up at their doorstep, and the whirlwind of chaos she brings into their settled family life.
MUBI: best new films
Amores Perros – 10 July
Film (2000). Alejandro González Iñárritu’s first film is a powerful story that weaves together three lives connected by a violent car crash in Mexico City. One story follows a teenager who risks everything to run away with his brother’s wife. Another centres on a model who loses everything after moving in with her lover. The third follows a homeless man who confronts memories from his past. As these stories develop, we see chaos, cruelty, and tenderness, showing that the characters are more connected than they first appear.
The film uses a fractured timeline, fast-paced editing, and overlapping stories shaped by desire, betrayal, and survival. It also marks Gael García Bernal’s striking first appearance in a feature film. Rodrigo Prieto’s raw cinematography and Gustavo Santaolalla’s intense, rhythmic score give the movie a strong sense of chaos and emotion that stands out in Latin American cinema today.
Homour And Melancholy: The Cinema Of Martín Rejtman – 10 July
Collection. The films of Argentinian auteur Martín Rejtman have the beauty of feeling familiar while surprising us at every turn. Luminous and delightfully off-kilter, these are comedies of sheer originality, mordant, often tender, and always unpredictable.
Includes Rapado, Silvia Prieto, Shakti, The Magic Gloves.
The Non-Actor – 10 July
Film (2025). A curious, charming short from musician and novelist Eliza Barry Callahan (adapting her debut novel The Hearing Test), starring Victoria Pedretti and Maya Hawke. While attending a medical trial for sudden hearing loss, a woman stays with her ex’s new girlfriend – and an unexpected connection sparks.
HBO Max: best new shows
People Magazine Investigates Surviving a Cult – 14 July
Series. People Magazine Investigates shines a light on three controversial groups accused of using faith, spirituality and self-discovery to exert control over their followers.
Across The Secrets of the Twelve Tribes Cult, The Cult of the Soulful Journey and The University of Cosmic Intelligence Cult, the specials explore allegations of abuse, manipulation, forced labour and unwavering devotion, revealing how the promise of belonging can sometimes conceal a far darker reality.
Magnolia – 11 July
Film (1999). Director Paul Thomas Anderson leads an all-star cast, including Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore and John C Reilly, through a story of characters whose lives interview in the San Fernando Valley.
Stan: best new shows
Canada’s Drag Race All Stars – 10 July
Series. Nine iconic queens return to the runway to battle for the title of ‘Canada’s Ultimate All-Star.’ Brooke Lynn Hytes hosts and judges alongside Priyanka and Jimbo on a historic, all-drag panel.
The Westies – 12 July
Series. Set in early 1980s New York, The Westies is a raw and propulsive new crime drama following the infamously violent Irish gang of the same name. From the co-creator of Narcos and Godfather of Harlem, the series stars JK Simmons, Stanley Morgan, Jessica Frances Dukes, and Titus Welliver.
When the construction of the Jacob Javits Convention Centre encroaches on The Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen, the gang sets their sights on the profits. Despite being vastly outnumbered by the Italian Mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality allows them to share in the spoils through a fragile détente.
ABC iview: best new shows
Spicks and Specks Season 13 – 8 July
Series. Adam, Myf and Alan are back, pondering the big music questions as well as sweating the small stuff – such as can music be made using hospital equipment, what would Nessun Dorma sound like if it was about a butt-scooting dog and exactly what did Ed Sheeran get up to in Japan with Justin Bieber?
That Blackfella Show – 8 July
That Blackfella Show is back this NAIDOC Week, with Jessica Mauboy stepping in as host for a huge night of laughs, live music and a stacked line-up of First Nations talent including BARKAA and Baker Boy.
The Lady Grace Mysteries – 10 July
Series. At the majestic court of Queen Elizabeth I, Grace Cavendish is an (almost) perfect lady-in-waiting … and the first ever teenage spy, solving mysteries and secrets for the Queen.
Epic Adventures with Bertie Gregory – 10 July
Part wildlife and part adventure show, follow the escapades of young National Geographic Explorer Bertie Gregory as he travels the world capturing extraordinary footage of wild animals.
SBS On Demand: best new shows
Frame by Frame – 9 July
Series. Hosted by acclaimed filmmaker and proud Arrernte and Kalkadoon woman Rachel Perkins, Frame by Frame is a compelling interview and short-film series celebrating the creative vision and cultural legacy of First Nations filmmakers.
Across the series, Perkins sits down with influential storytellers including Leah Purcell, Sally Riley, Erica Glynn, Tanith Glynn-Maloney and Hunter Page-Lochard to explore their careers, creative process and contribution to First Nations screen storytelling.
Living Black | Kutcha Edwards – Becoming One – 6 July
In a special edition of Living Black, host Karla Grant sits down with proud Aboriginal singer-songwriter Kutcha Edwards for an intimate and deeply personal conversation.
Removed from his family at just 18 months old as part of the Stolen Generations, Edwards reflects on the lifelong impact of separation and his journey of reconnection with his mother and culture. Speaking candidly about healing, survival and finding his identity, Edwards shares what it means to be ‘deadly’, and how music has become a powerful vehicle for storytelling, truth-telling and cultural strength.
The Point | Black Money – 7 July
Party Down Seasons 1–3 – 10 July
Series. This beloved sitcom stars a dream-team comedy ensemble as the employees of Hollywood catering company ‘Party Down,’ a group of struggling actors and dysfunctional dreamers waiting for their big breaks while stuck serving hors d’oeuvres.
Starring Adam Scott, Jane Lynch and Ken Marino.
The Expanse Seasons 1–3 – 11 July
Series. Hundreds of years in the future, humans have colonised the solar system. The UN controls Earth. Mars is an independent military power. The planets rely on the resources of the Asteroid Belt, where air and water are more precious than gold.
Developed by Academy Award nominated screenwriting duo Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby and based on the book series of the same name by James SA Corey.
Recent best new shows
Ms. X – 30 June (Binge)
Series. The global premiere of New Zealand crime dramedy Ms. X, starring Melissa George as Mia.
Elle – 1 July (Prime Video)
Series. Season 1 of Elle follows Elle Woods before she was a fish-out-of-water at Harvard. We meet her in 1995 as a fish in the tumultuous waters of high school where she encounters tricky friendships, forbidden romance, and questionable fashion choices.
Through it all, Elle uses her family as a touchstone, and forms an even tighter bond to her mother, proving that they can get through anything life throws their way as long as they have each other. With each challenge she faces, Elle grows closer to the Elle Woods we know and love today.
Starring Lexi Minetree June Diane Raphael, Tom Everett Scott, Jacob Moskovitz and Gabrielle Policano.
Silo Season 3 – 3 July (Apple TV)
Series. Season 3 continues the saga of a dystopian society of 10,000 people living underground under mysterious circumstances, while revealing an origin story set centuries earlier.
In the present, Juliette Nichols (Rebecca Ferguson) survives her forced ‘cleaning’ but returns with memory loss as the silo recovers from rebellion and faces a dangerous new threat.
Meanwhile, in the ‘Before Times,’ journalist Helen Drew (Jessica Henwick) and Congressman Daniel Keene (Ashley Zukerman) uncover a conspiracy that pulls them into a chain of events with catastrophic, irreversible consequences.
