The streaming services are coming out strong to start the month with new and returning shows. Prime Video has a new teen drama, and no, it’s not The Summer I Turned Pretty. Instead, it’s a refreshing entry into a crowded teen drama field, and it happens to be my top show to watch this weekend.
Prime Video might have the best show this weekend, but Apple TV+ has the biggest, as it welcomes back Coach Lasso in a new season of the hit soccer comedy. Other shows on this list include another sultry Ryan Murphy drama, a charming teen melodrama, and a reality TV institution. All five shows are streaming in the U.S.
5
The Challenge: Cutthroat
The MTV staple has a new home
Reality TV is one of my blind spots. I’m not up-to-date on the latest relationships on Summer House, nor do I know which bombshell entered the villa on Love Island. However, The Challenge is my go-to reality competition and a show that I’ve been watching for over 20 years. For the first time in the flagship series’ history, the new season, 2026’s Cutthroat, will not air on MTV. Instead, it will be exclusive to Paramount+ starting this month.
Cutthroat brings back one of the franchise’s best twists. In the final challenge, the team captain of the winning team can choose to keep the money for themselves or split the winnings. I’ll never forget when Johnny Bananas shocked Challenge fans when he decided to keep the money in Rivals III and give none to his teammate, Sarah Rice. Will someone steal a page from Johnny’s playbook and do the same thing on Cutthroat? Considering many of these contestants are fame-chasing influencers, I’d bet on the winner keeping the money.
The first two episodes of The Challenge: Cutthroat are now streaming on Paramount+.
The Challenge
Release Date
April 20, 1998
Writers
Mary-Ellis Bunim, Jonathan Murray
Franchise(s)
Road Rules
4
My Life with the Walter Boys season 3
Teen romances can be complicated, too
I don’t mind some teen melodrama. We’ve all experienced that helpless feeling of not knowing how to express our emotions. If you say that’s never happened in your life, then I don’t believe you. My Life with the Walter Boys channels that teenage angst and shares it with the audience.
Season 3 picks up in the aftermath of the shocking season 2 finale. Despite being in a relationship with Alex (Ashby Gentry), Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) and Cole (Noah LaLonde) confess their love for each other. The worst part—Alex heard it all, but before he could address Jackie and Cole, the boys’ father (Marc Blucas) was taken to the hospital. Let the drama continue.
All episodes of My Life with the Walter Boys are now streaming on Netflix.
3
The Shards
Wealth and mystery in a glossy Los Angeles
If you enjoy being transported into a specific period of time in a unique world, then The Shards fits the bill. Based on Bret Easton Ellis’ novel of the same name, The Shards invites audiences into the glitz and glam of 1980s Los Angeles. At the center of the story is Bret (Igby Rigney), an aspiring writer entering his senior year at a boujee prep school.
Bret and his three friends—Susan (Kaia Gerber), Debbie (Hayes Warner), and Thom (Graham Campbell)—flaunt their wealth as privileged elitists. However, this fairytale lifestyle is interrupted by the arrival of Robert (Homer Gere) and a serial killer targeting other teens. Robert and the killer become Bret’s obsessions, as he spirals into paranoia. Ryan Murphy, a creative who specializes in extravagant storylines, is the ideal creator to bring Ellis’ words to life in this pulpy drama streaming on Hulu in August.
The first two episodes of The Shards are now streaming on Hulu.
The Shards
Release Date
August 5, 2026
Network
FX, Hulu
Directors
Max Minghella, Crystle Roberson Dorsey, Michael Uppendahl, Ryan Murphy
2
Ted Lasso season 4
Believe, again
By now, you’ve probably heard that Ted Lasso was pitched as a three-season show. The season 3 finale that aired in May 2023 was supposed to complete the show. Ending a show at the height of its popularity is a widely debated topic. So the Ted Lasso creators went back to the drawing board, wrote another season, and the result became Ted Lasso season 4.
After a three-year time jump, Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is living in Kansas City after leaving AFC Richmond at the conclusion of season 3. However, Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham), Higgins (Jeremy Swift), and Keeley (Juno Temple) recruit Ted to coach their women’s team. Now, Coach Lasso is back in England with a new team and the same hopeful lessons. Ted’s optimism won people over in season 1. Can it work in season 4?
The first episode of Ted Lasso season 4 is now streaming on Apple TV.
Ted Lasso
Release Date
August 14, 2020
Network
Apple TV
Showrunner
Bill Lawrence, Jason Sudeikis
1
Sterling Point
Young adults have problems, too
If you don’t know, learn the name Megan Park. I first learned about Park over a decade ago when she starred in The Secret Life of the American Teenager. Now, the actress has moved behind the camera and become a terrific writer-director. Park has directed two impressive feature films: The Fallout and My Old Ass. Now, she takes her talents to television as the creator of Sterling Point.
Brooklyn teenager Annie Jacobson (Ella Rubin) and her twin, Connor (Keen Ruffalo), are stunned to learn that they have inherited their deceased grandfather’s Canadian property, Sterling Point. Annie heads to Sterling Point, where she is surprised to meet Ramona (Amélie Hoeferle), who has a shocking connection to her family. While teen dramas can be extremely melodramatic, Park’s Sterling Point is more of a grounded drama, and frankly, the show is better for it.
All eight episodes of Sterling Point are now streaming on Prime Video.
Sterling Point
Release Date
August 5, 2026
Network
Prime Video
Directors
Megan Park
There are plenty of other things to watch on streaming
Have no fear—these are just five of the many great titles currently streaming. Our HTG team provides recommendations on what to watch every single day. For those who purchased a new TV, try Netflix movies like Extraction 2 and Roma to test out its capabilities. If you need something quick, Paramount+ has several shows that are perfect to watch during your 30-minute lunch break.