The 5 best summer TV shows to watch right now

Summer is as much a state of mind as it is a time of year, so there’s something to be said for television shows that can evoke that mental space.

Sure, wildfire smoke can harm air quality; rural traffic in the cottages gets worse every year and the heat in the city’s concrete ravines can make you wilt. But chances are you have some fond memories of days spent at a cabin, camp, or vacation spot, or just being away from work and school, and hanging out with family and friends.

The ideal summer TV show reminds you of that time with another important component: romance. Is it really a TV show about summer when someone isn’t having an affair?

Here are five series that are likely to bring back memories of your own summer heyday.

The lake

Watch this as… you have fond memories of the family cottage

This Ontario-made comedy revolves around a battle for ownership of a beloved family home and protagonist Justin’s (Jordan Gavaris, “Orphan Black”) relationship with Billie (Madison Shamoun), the daughter he gave up for adoption. This season, Justin and stepsister Maisy-May (“10 Things I Hate About You” star Julia Stiles) have reached a kind of relaxation as they deal with troublesome Mimsy (veteran actor Lauren Holly), his stepmother and her mother. Justin also juggles solving an arson attack at the community’s historic boathouse with his rocky romance with townie Riley (Travis Nelson), while Billie is torn between brother and sister tree planters. Showcasing the natural beauty of the North Bay area and some cottage eye candy, the series evokes the allure of days and evenings spent on or near a body of water. Stream on Prime Video.

Red Oak

Watch this as… you love your summers with an 80s teen movie vibe

The first season of this under-the-radar comedy-drama is set in a New Jersey country club in 1985. David (Welsh actor Craig Roberts) spends a summer at the club as an assistant tennis pro, hoping to make enough money to move to Manhattan for his first semester at NYU. He is torn between his sweet but conventional girlfriend Karen (Gage Golightly) and worldly rich girl Skye (Alexandra Socha), daughter of club president Doug (Paul Reiser); and between following in his father’s footsteps as an accountant and his own desire to become a filmmaker. The cast includes Richard Kind and Jennifer Gray (former star of the ultimate summer resort movie “Dirty Dancing”) as David’s parents; Canadian Ennis Esmer as hedonistic tennis pro Nash and Oliver Cooper as pot salesman Wheeler. Several romantic entanglements and misadventures remind you of classic John Hughes films, but the character arcs here are meatier. Stream on Prime Video.

The summer I became beautiful

Watch this as… you are in love with the idea of ​​young love

Author Jenny Han has a knack for turning her best-selling YA books into TV properties, including the movies “To All the Boys I’ve Loved” and the series “XO, Kitty” for Netflix, and this one for Prime Video. If you were ever a teenage girl who spent your summers crushing on seemingly unattainable boys (guilty as accused), this show offers some wish fulfillment as Belly (Lola Tung), attractive only at age 16, heads the Conrad brothers ( Christopher Briney) is spinning. and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), the sons of her mother’s best friend, with whom Belly’s family spends their summers on Cousins ​​Beach. I’ve watched part of Season 2, which comes out later this month, but I’m not allowed to tell you about it yet. Suffice to say, the strength of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” lies in its ability to capture the wistfulness and urgency of teen romance while wrapping it in family drama and adult themes involving the adults of the show. Stream Season 1 on Prime Video; Season 2 debuts on July 14.

Daylight saving time

Watch this as… you have a soft spot for Mr. Wrongs

This Italian Netflix original series is set in the seaside town of Cesanatico on the Adriatic coast. In Season 1, Summer – yes, that’s her name – played by Rebecca Coco Edogamhe, gets a job at the Grand Hotel, where she meets Ale (Ludovico Tersigni), the hotel manager’s son. Summer, or Summy, must help her waitress mother with her younger sister, Blue (Alice Ann Edogamhe), as her musician father has essentially abandoned the family, while Ale, aka Alessandro, is a famous motorcycle racer, is out with his own father about his desire to stop racing. Summer is no frills, so a kind of bad boy Ale – who avoids his feelings with the help of beer and one-night stands – has his work cut out to win her over. Summer’s two best friends, Edo (Giovanni Maini) and Sofia (Amanda Campana), are also both in love with her. There is a relaxed atmosphere in this series, which fits the setting. It portrays young adult love as an exasperated endeavor, more than a happily ever after. Stream on Netflix.

Stranger things

Watch this as… you were a teenage shop rat – minus the giant monster in the food court

Strictly speaking, “Stranger Things” isn’t a summer show, but Season 3 is set in the summer of 1985 and much of the action – supernatural and otherwise – takes place at the new Starcourt Mall in fictional Hawkins, Indiana. If you were a teenager in Toronto in the 1980s, you probably spent part of your summer at the Eaton Center, which opened in 1977. Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and new character Robin (Maya Hawke) spend time at Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop. Meanwhile, couples Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) navigate the bumps of adolescent romance, though trying to defeat an alien monster leaves you and your love will surely bind. Presumably your own shopping experience didn’t involve fending off a giant Mind Flayer. Despite the violent and horror elements, this season has an innocence and sweetness that was toned down in the more intense fourth season (the final, fifth season won’t arrive until 2024 at the earliest). Stream on Netflix.

Debra Yeo is an editor and writer for the Star’s Culture section. She is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @realityeo

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