Best New Shows and Movies Streaming in July 2026: What to Watch on Netflix, Apple TV and More

NEW YORK — July 2026 is a slower-than-usual month for new streaming content, with the World Cup, Emmy season's aftermath and the traditional summer doldrums combining to thin out the release calendar across the major platforms. That said, several standout titles are still worth tracking, and the lighter schedule creates an opportunity for savvy subscribers to trim monthly bills while still catching the best new offerings.

Here is a rundown of what is worth watching, what can wait and which services are worth the subscription fee this month.

Apple TV Plus emerged as the month's clear frontrunner, with the return of "Silo" on July 3 headlining what is arguably the strongest single-platform lineup of July. The dystopian thriller returns for its third season starring Rebecca Ferguson, this time splitting the narrative across two timelines: one set hundreds of years in the future inside the mysterious vault, and one flashing back to the near-present to explain the origins of the silos and the catastrophe that created them. The addition of a second timeline introduces new storytelling layers to an already intricately constructed world, and the show has consistently been one of the better science fiction dramas available anywhere on streaming.

Apple's lineup also includes Anna Taylor-Joy in "Lucky," a heist thriller miniseries premiering July 15 about a con artist pursued simultaneously by the FBI and organized crime, and a comedy film called "The Dink" on July 24, produced by Ben Stiller, in which Jake Johnson plays a washed-up tennis prodigy finding redemption in the world of pickleball. For subscribers who have not yet explored Apple's library from earlier in the year, "Widow's Bay" — which ended its first season in mid-June — has developed into a genuine word-of-mouth hit, deftly blending comedy and horror in ways that have led some critics to describe it as a contender for the best show of 2026.

Netflix enters July with the widest variety of releases but arguably the weakest must-watch slate among the major services. The month opens July 1 with "Enola Holmes 3," the latest film in the franchise starring Millie Bobby Brown as Sherlock Holmes' younger sister, this time navigating a kidnapping mystery involving Sherlock himself amid her own impending wedding. The films have been crowd-pleasing, action-packed entries, and the third installment is likely to please existing fans of the series even if it breaks little new ground.

Beyond Enola Holmes, Netflix is adding "Summer of '36" on July 1, a six-part French historical drama set on the Riviera, and "Hot Ones: Extra Heat" on July 13, a spinoff of the popular interview show built around celebrity guests answering questions while eating increasingly spicy wings. Will Ferrell leads "The Hawk" on July 16, a golf comedy that draws obvious comparisons to "Happy Gilmore" and "Talladega Nights." Netflix is also adding the second season of "Quarterback" on July 14, the popular behind-the-scenes NFL documentary series, now following Jayden Daniels, Baker Mayfield, Cam Ward and Joe Flacco through the 2025 season. Catalog additions include all five Hunger Games films on July 14, "Wicked: For Good" on July 20 and all three original seasons of the serial killer drama "Hannibal" on July 27, the last of which consistently ranks among the best shows to have aired on broadcast television and is well worth revisiting. On the downside, Netflix canceled the sci-fi thriller "The Boroughs" after a single season following the departure of its producers, the Duffer Brothers, to a new deal with Paramount. The season ends with its central plot mostly resolved, so the cancellation does not leave viewers entirely stranded.

Peacock's July highlight is "The Five Star Weekend," an eight-episode drama premiering July 9, starring Jennifer Garner as a recently widowed food blogger who reunites friends from different chapters of her life for a getaway in Nantucket, with D'Arcy Carden, Gemma Chan, Regina Hall and Chloë Sevigny among the ensemble cast. The platform also carries the Love Island USA season finale on July 12 and Spanish-language broadcasts of every remaining World Cup match, including the championship game on July 19. Sports fans will also find the Tour de France running July 4 through July 26, which offers daily spectacle for anyone looking to fill the gap between World Cup matches.

Disney Plus leads with the return of "X-Men '97" for its second season on July 1, picking up from the animated series' critically celebrated first season. The new episodes find the team scattered across space and time while facing the villainous Apocalypse, and the show has become something of a touchstone for viewers who grew up with the original 1990s animated series. Disney's month also includes "Descendants: Wicked Wonderland" on July 7 for younger audiences and a Tom Hiddleston documentary special about Pompeii on July 23.

Paramount Plus carries the return of "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds" on July 23 for its fourth season, an accessible entry point for non-Trekkies and a consistent pleasure for longtime fans. The network has confirmed the series will end after a fifth season already in production. The platform's other notable July arrival is Season 2 of "Diarra From Detroit" on July 29, alongside a wave of season finales including "The Chi" concluding on July 24.

Hulu's best July offerings arrive late in the month. "King of the Hill" returns for its 15th season on July 20 in a revival that has largely succeeded where most nostalgia-driven revivals fail, and "Furious" premieres July 27, a crime thriller from "New Girl" creator Elizabeth Meriwether starring Emmy Rossum as an FBI agent pursuing a female serial killer. Both HBO Max and Amazon Prime Video offer relatively thin slates in July, with HBO's most notable addition being "Stuart Fails to Save the Universe" on July 23, a "Big Bang Theory" spinoff, and Amazon delivering a prequel series to "Legally Blonde" on July 1 alongside a second season of the animated "Batman: Caped Crusader" at the end of the month.

For subscribers looking to manage costs during a quieter month, the broad consensus across the major platforms is to prioritize Apple TV Plus as the clearest must-have for July, consider Netflix carefully based on personal taste, and treat most of the remaining services as optional depending on specific titles of interest, with the World Cup itself, streaming on Fox One and Peacock in Spanish, serving as one of the month's most compelling reasons to keep those services active through the July 19 championship final.