I’m an Entertainment Editor, and Here Are the 10 Shows and Movies I’m Most Excited for This Summer

This summer’s most exciting shows and movies are giving me déjà vu—and I’m not mad about it. The July and August 2025 offerings include a heavy helping of nostalgia, with a number of sequels (I Know What You Did Last Summer featuring the return of Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr.), reboots (a new Superman with Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane) and returning series (Wednesday is back for season two).

Even with all the nostalgia (which is trendy in everything from fashion to home gardening), there are still fresh offerings headed our way as well (I’m so ready for Megan Stalter’s new show—more on that below).

As an entertainment editor, I’ll be taking in a lot of media this summer. Here, though, the 10 movie and show titles I’m most excited for in the coming months.

• Premiere Date: July 2, 2025
• Where to Watch: Theaters

Don’t call it a comeback—call it a rebirth. Yes, I was a fan of the first two Jurassic Park films. No, I wasn’t so keen on the subsequent four. But my excitement for the franchise has been rekindled (reborn?), mostly thanks to the new cast. Rebirth stars Scarlett Johansson, Jonathan Bailey and Mahershala Ali in what is bound to be one of the biggest money-makers of the summer. The movie takes place five years after Jurassic World Dominion and sees our three main characters seeking out the now-isolated dinosaurs who may hold the key to saving countless lives. Naturally, things don’t go as planned. Sure, the film features a mutant T-Rex, but I’m hopeful Johansson, Bailey and Ali will save the franchise and launch us into a new and exciting JP/JW chapter.

• Premiere Date: July 7, 2025
• Where to Watch: ABC / Hulu

After a mini hiatus, Bachelor in Paradise is back this July. Normally, I would watch but not include BiP in a list of shows I’m super excited for. The difference this time around? Paradise will include both typical Bachelor and Bachelorette contestants (in their 20s and 30s) as well as contestants from The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette. Sure, Dale Moss and company will keep things steamy with the younger singles. But I’m more excited to see the return of April, Kathy, Leslie (I hope she’s doing better than the last time we saw her) and more.

• Premiere Date: July 9, 2025
• Where to Watch: FX

Season 17 (yes, you read that correctly) is hitting FX very soon, and I’m just as obsessed with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as ever. There’s a reason the show is the longest-running live-action sitcom in history—it’s so so good and so so funny. While the cast members have spent plenty of time cultivating their careers by doing other projects (Glenn Howerton was just in Sirens, Kaitlin Olson is hilarious in Hacks, Rob McElhenney bought a football team with Ryan Reynolds), they keep coming back to the set of Philadelphia. And I’m so glad. Though the season is limited with only eight episodes, I’ll be tuning in the second they start streaming each week.

• Premiere Date: July 10, 2025
• Where to Watch: Netflix

Finally, someone has given Megan Stalter a show. The woman is a comedic genius (as is evidenced by her laugh-out-loud antics and brilliant line-deliveries on Hacks). Here, Lena Dunham brings us a brand-new rom-com featuring Stalter in the lead role of Jessica. After her heart is broken, Jessica heads to London where, according to the show’s synopsis, she meets a man who is “a walking series of red flags.” Naturally, she can’t help but invite the chaos into her life. And while this might sound like the typical rom-com, the trailer shows that it’s anything but. Stalter looks like she’ll be delivering a true star-turn.

• Premiere Date: July 23, 2025
• Where to Watch: Hulu

When an 11-year-old genius named George Washington Black is forced to flee his home, he sets off on an epic adventure that takes him around the world and pits him against seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The brand-new series—which is based on the book of the same name—is executive produced by and starring Sterling K. Brown (of This Is Us) fame. The trailer of the show previews a moving and heart-pounding story—one I’m definitely excited to check out.

• Premiere Date: July 25, 2025
• Where to Watch: Netflix

Before you roll your eyes, hear me out on this one. Happy Gilmore was one of my favorites to watch when I was younger. Now, is that signature Adam Sandler humor tired and grating at this point? Hubie Halloween would indicate that it is. But I nonetheless want to check out this nostalgic trip down memory lane. Sandler, Julie Bowen and Christopher McDonald (Shooter McGavin!!!) are all back. Plus, this time we get Ben Stiller, Maragaret Qualley, Travis Kelce and even Sandler’s own daughter, Sunny Sandler. This film could be a major “Aww I’ve missed this” moment or it could be a major flop, but either way, at least it’s on Netflix and I can always cleanse my palate afterwards with some Stranger Things if necessary.

• Premiere Date: July 25, 2025
• Where to Watch: Theaters

Two words: Pedro Pascal. In my book, the man can do no wrong. So, when I saw he was part of the new Fantastic Four, I was immediately planning ahead to nab tickets. But beyond Pedro, the film actually looks good. It seems to be serving a 1960s-style setting for the superheroes who are, apparently, just getting started (a sequel is already in the works). Other notable cast members who have me almost as excited as Pedro? Vanessa Kirby, John Malkovich and Julia Garner. Let’s just hope this new Marvel flick is more Endgame and less Quantumania.

• Premiere Date: August 1, 2025
• Where to Watch: Theaters

The original Naked Gun featuring Leslie Nielsen as Detective Frank Drebin is ridiculous, over-the-top and so damn funny. I loved the film—and its subsequent sequels—as a kid. And while that type of dumb humor hasn’t really been seen in a major way since the Scary Movie franchise, I’m so happy it’s back in the newest Naked Gun­—and with Liam Neeson steering the ship. Part of what made the OG so good? Nielsen was a serious actor before pivoting to this brand of comedy. Neeson falls into this same "serious" category, so I have high hopes for him. This time, Neeson plays Drebin’s son, Frank Drebin Jr. And he’s got a new female comedy counterpart as well: Pamela Anderson. After Too Much, this might be the summer 2025 offering I’m most excited to see.

• Premiere Date: August 8, 2025
• Where to Watch: Theaters

Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan have been teasing this reunion for years and it’s finally here. Debuting 22 years after the original Freaky Friday, this follow-up delivers another personality/body swap, but with a twist. This time, the swap involves Curtis and Lohan’s characters in addition to a couple of newcomers. Perhaps my favorite line from the trailer? Curtis staring in the mirror and saying, “My face looks like a Birkin bag that’s been left out in the sun to rot.” This one is sure to be a good time.