The big screen is having a moment. Spider-Man: Brand New Day is breaking box office records, while Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has people dusting off Homer for the first time since high school. But television is keeping pace with a slate of can’t-miss new releases and beloved old favorites that are worth revisiting.
While plenty of outlets will tell you what everyone is watching (see: Ted Lasso), that’s not our goal. As always, the TV shows we’re watching this month reflect the kinds of stories WIRED covers every day—shows that explore technology, science, politics, culture, and the sometimes unsettling ways they intersect.
From prestige dramas to absurd comedies and one truly groundbreaking sci-fi series, these are the TV shows we think are worth making time for this month.
Star Trek: The Original Series
On September 8, 1966, science fiction changed forever with the premiere of the original Star Trek TV series. In the 60 years since, Gene Roddenberry’s ahead-of-its-time tale of the USS Enterprise crew’s journeys into deep space has spawned dozens of films, TV series, and video games, plus hundreds of books and comics—not to mention a number of real-world tech innovations. The legendary series has also shaped pop culture in countless other ways, giving us everything from Vulcan salutes and Klingons to the Prime Directive and the immortal command to “beam me up.”
Whether you’re a lifelong Trekkie or a curious newcomer, there’s never been a better time to see where one of television’s most influential franchises began. Though it ran for just three seasons, Star Trek: The Original Series left an outsized legacy, breaking barriers with one of television’s first interracial kisses, featuring a remarkably diverse cast at the height of the Civil Rights Movement, and inspiring generations of scientists, engineers, and storytellers to imagine a more optimistic future. Sixty years later, its blend of adventure, social commentary, and boundless curiosity remains as compelling as ever. Best of all, Paramount+ is home to nearly every corner of the Star Trek universe, from the beautifully remastered original series to its many spinoffs and feature films. If you’re celebrating the franchise’s 60th anniversary, there’s no better place to boldly go back to where it all began.
Futurama
Following a decade-long hiatus, Futurama made a triumphant comeback in 2023, complete with gags about The Twilight Zone and “Momazon” drone deliveries. Created by Matt Groening and David X. Cohen, the animated sci-fi comedy is set in the 31st century and follows the employees of the Planet Express delivery company as they stumble through bizarre adventures, alien encounters, and laugh-out-loud takes on everything from AI to corporate greed.
On August 3, the series kicked off its 14th season, which delivers more of the razor-sharp tech satire and surprisingly thoughtful science that have long made it one of television’s smartest comedies.
President Curtis
This summer is a particularly ripe moment for fans of irreverent animated sci-fi, as it also brings President Curtis, a new spinoff set in the Rick and Morty universe. While Futurama looks ahead at the possibilities—and absurdities—of the distant future, President Curtis takes a stranger route, following President Andre Curtis (voiced by Emmy-winning baritone Keith David) and his eccentric staff as they navigate interdimensional diplomacy, paranormal investigations, and other bizarre crises. The 10-episode series, which premiered on July 26, airs new episodes each Sunday night on Adult Swim, which then drop on HBO Max on Monday.
Lanterns
DC is taking its Green Lanterns in a decidedly darker direction with Lanterns, a new series that trades traditional superhero spectacle for a cosmic murder mystery. Starring Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart, the series follows the two Lanterns as they investigate a mystery that stretches across Earth and beyond.
With Lost cocreator Damon Lindelof, True Detective producer Chris Mundy, and comic book writer Tom King behind the series, Lanterns—which arrives on August 16—brings a noir-inspired edge to one of DC’s most iconic franchises.
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare
In the early morning hours of November 13, 2022, the city of Moscow, Idaho, changed forever when four University of Idaho students were killed in their off-campus home. The investigation that followed captivated the nation, as authorities worked to piece together what happened and identify a suspect in a horrifying quadruple murder that appeared to have no clear motive.
The Idaho Murders: College Nightmare chronicles the investigation through access to victims’ friends and families and police footage, while examining how digital evidence and forensic technology helped investigators unravel one of the most closely watched true crime cases in recent years.
Dark Matter
What if the life you’re living isn’t the one you were meant to have? That’s the question at the heart of Dark Matter, the sci-fi thriller based on Blake Crouch’s bestselling novel. Season one followed physicist Jason Dessen (Joel Edgerton), who is pulled into an alternate version of his life after being transported to a parallel reality.
Season two, which premieres on August 28, picks up with Dessen and his family attempting to build a quiet existence in a world that finally feels safe … until new threats force them back into the multiverse with the help of a mysterious device known as the Box. As the search for the Box continues, the series dives deeper into questions of identity, choice, and the endless possibilities of the paths we could have taken.
The Undeclared War
Four years after its debut, The Undeclared War is back with a chillingly timely premise: a cyberattack targeting a nation’s election system. The British thriller returns to the shadowy world of GCHQ (the UK’s intelligence, security, and cyber agency), where analysts battle digital threats that could have devastating real-world consequences.
Set in a post-pandemic 2024, the series follows a team of analysts racing to defend the country’s digital infrastructure as tensions with Russia escalate. With Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg starring as operations chief Danny Patrick, the new season, which arrives on August 27, explores how cyberwarfare has transformed the nature of modern espionage.
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