Yeah, Ted Lasso is back. But Sterling Point is the show that deserves your attention.
I had a whinge about Ted Lasso earlier in the week in Always Be Watching. This is a show that has come back for no clear reason that the show is interested in articulating, is focused on fan service to the detriment of everything else, and has completely undone all of the forward progression of the main character in order to deliver the show a restart.
The brave move would have been to jettison almost the entirety of the cast and have Ted pick up elsewhere (presumably at home in the US). That would allow a return for Ted and a couple of others (Coach Beard and Roy Kent seem like the obvious hires), then opening up the character to an entirely new set of experiences and challenges.
The real surprise of the week, even though it shouldn’t be, is the YA series Sterling Point on Prime Video.
It’s set up like typical YA fare with an older teen uncovering a mystery about her family on an island she has never visited before, but where the show is elevated comes from crackling, very witty dialogue that will have you laugh out loud more than you expect, a genuinely compelling mystery, and a really great cast of young actors and familiar faces like Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
I shouldn’t have been surprised at how good the show is – the main creative is Megan Park, the writer/director of the very funny and charming indie film My Old Ass from 2024. That film deftly delivered tropes associated with indie film coming of age YA angst with strong performances, wit, and pathos.
Megan Park got her start in TV as an actor in The Secret Life of The American Teenager and that experience seems to have informed her strengths here as the creator of Sterling Point. It’s a good one and will fill The OC-sized hole in a lot of viewers hearts.
Returning TV
Ted Lasso (s04, Apple TV+) Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein, Brendan Hunt, Jeremy Swift, Juno Temple, and Tanya Reynolds
One Hundred Years of Solitude (Part 2, final season) Claudio Cataño, Moreno Borja, Marco González, and Marleyda Soto
My Life with the Walter Boys (s03) Nikki Rodriguez, Noah LaLonde, Ashby Gentry, Sarah Rafferty, and Marc Blucas
The Hardacres (s02, BritBox) Liam McMahon, Claire Cooper, Julie Graham, Zak Ford-Williams, Michele Dotrice, and Niall McNamee
1670 (s03) Polish period comedy series.
Death Inc. (s04, final season) Spanish comedy-drama series.
Lioness (s03) Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Kelly, and Laysla De Oliveira
The Librarians: The Next Chapter (s02, TNT [US]) Callum McGowan, Jessica Green, Olivia Morris, Bluey Robinson, and Caroline Loncq
Futurama (s14, Hulu [US]) Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Tress MacNeille, and Lauren Tom
Wizards Beyond Waverly Place (s03, final season, Disney Channel / Disney+) David Henrie, Janice LeAnn Brown, Alkaio Thiele, Max Matenko, Taylor Cora, and Mimi Gianopulos
New TV
Sterling Point — Prime Video
Who’s in it: Ella Rubin, Amélie Hoeferle, Keen Ruffalo, Jay Duplass, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and Missi Pyle
What’s it about? Raised in New York City with her twin brother and adoptive father, 17-year-old Annie’s life takes a turn when she inherits her estranged grandfather’s island in Canada, where she finds new friends, budding romance and untold family secrets. From Megan Park, the writer-director of My Old Ass, and Gossip Girl creators Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage. Eight episodes, all at once.
The Shards — FX / Hulu
Who’s in it: Igby Rigney, Homer Gere, Kaia Gerber, Hayes Warner, Graham Campbell, and Wes Bentley
What’s it about? In 1981 Los Angeles, a fictionalised teenage Bret Easton Ellis navigates his final year at an elite prep school, entangled with a mysterious new student, against the backdrop of a serial killer nicknamed the Trawler stalking the city. Ryan Murphy and Bret Easton Ellis adapt the latter’s semi-autobiographical novel.
Possession — Sky Atlantic [UK] | NOW [UK]
Who’s in it: Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Jonny Lee Miller, Sheldon Shepherd, and Bel Powley
What’s it about? Ambitious young bi-racial lawyer Claudia travels to Jamaica to challenge an inheritance claim against wealthy aristocrat Oliver Connaught, only to discover the disputed estate is Hope Hill, the Connaught family’s former plantation, and the very house that has haunted her nightmares for years. As Claudia and Oliver investigate together, they uncover disturbing links between the plantation’s brutal colonial past and injustices that continue into the present. A five-part supernatural thriller, all episodes available from launch.
D.O.P.E. Unit — ALLBLK [US]
Who’s in it: Erica Peeples, Jhoné Lucas, Robert Ri’chard, Johnell Young, and Jeff Fahey
What’s it about? After the police chief’s son is killed in a suspected drug deal, an off-the-books undercover task force is assembled to infiltrate Philadelphia’s most dangerous crime families, disrupt their operations, and bring down those responsible, in a covert war that exposes systemic corruption and moral ambiguity on both sides.
Anna Pigeon — USA Network [US]
Who’s in it: Tracy Spiridakos, Ronnie Rowe Jr., Tricia Helfer, and Kim Coates
What’s it about? After the tragic death of her husband, former city detective Anna Pigeon leaves her old life behind to become a national park ranger, only to find the wilderness hides secrets as dark as anything she left in the city. Based on Nevada Barr’s bestselling novels. Ten episodes, new episodes Friday nights.
Star Wars: Visions Presents — The Ninth Jedi — Disney+ / Hulu
Who’s in it: Kimiko Glenn, Andrew Kishino, Masi Oka, Simu Liu, Young Mazino, and Patrick Seitz
What’s it about? Lah Kara continues her training in the ways of the Jedi under Margrave Juro, and joins his small fellowship on a quest to save her father, the galaxy’s only known sabersmith, from the Jedi Hunters who captured him. Lucasfilm’s first series under its new “Star Wars: Visions Presents” banner, continuing the story of two fan-favourite Visions shorts. Eight episodes, all at once.
Alley Cats — Netflix
Who’s in it: Ricky Gervais, Tom Basden, David Earl, Andrew Brooke, and Diane Morgan
What’s it about? A gang of foul-mouthed feral British cats, led by overweight orange tabby Gus, take in a lost kitten and try to help her find her way home while causing havoc and musing on the meaning of life in a brutal human world. Ricky Gervais’s first adult animated comedy for Netflix.
GATE24: The Border — Netflix
Who’s in it: Shuri, Gordon Maeda, and Rihito Itagaki
What’s it about? Japan’s busiest airport becomes the frontline against international crime when a new government task force is formed, bringing together customs officers, immigration officials and personnel from multiple ministries to protect the nation’s final line of defence. A Japanese drama series, releasing with new episodes weekly.
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Black Trick: The Lawyer Who Controls Justice — Netflix
Who’s in it: Gackt, Mirai Shida, Fuju Kamio, Junki Tozuka, and Terunosuke Takezai
What’s it about? Uramawashi Naoto is a brilliant lawyer and architect infamous as a “master of fabricated evidence,” using elaborate lies as his weapon to expose the truth and defend the falsely accused, believing that if justice is crushed by lies, then lies must be used to protect it. Marks Gackt’s first-ever lead role in Fuji TV’s prestigious Monday 9pm drama slot, making its international streaming debut on Netflix with new episodes weekly.
Our Sticky Love — Netflix
Who’s in it: Jung Hae-in, Ha Young, Heo Sung-tae, and Jeon Bae-soo
What’s it about? Ambitious prosecutor Go Eun-sae loses all her memories in a mysterious accident while investigating a crime syndicate, waking in a rural taffy-making village with no idea who she is, only to be told by Jang Tae-ha, a former boxer turned boxing coach, that he’s her boyfriend, a lie he tells to protect her from the danger closing in. A South Korean romantic comedy.
Unlucky Bae — Netflix
Who’s in it: Nattapat Nimjirawat, Tupthong Suwanrakanont, Napat Patcharachavalit, and Panachkorn Rueksiriaree
What’s it about? Betrayed and heartbroken after discovering his ex has moved on, fine arts student and sorcerer’s heir Rin drunkenly casts a curse to get revenge, but the spell strikes the wrong person entirely. Unable to undo the bad luck he’s caused, he tries to fix it without exposing his family’s secret legacy. A Thai boys’ love romantic comedy, adapted from the novel of the same name, releasing weekly.
Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War — Netflix
Who’s in it: Siddharth, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma, Dia Mirza, and Adil Hussain
What’s it about? As the Kargil War erupts between India and Pakistan in 1999, the Golden Arrows squadron of the Indian Air Force takes flight on a dangerous high-altitude mission behind enemy lines, based on real events and made with the support of the Indian Air Force.
New Movies
The Last House — Netflix
Who’s in it: Greta Lee and Wagner Moura
What’s it about? Formerly developed under the working title 11817, this genre-bending sci-fi horror survival thriller comes from action director Louis Leterrier, poised to be one of Netflix’s biggest late-summer cinematic events.
Manila’s Finest — Netflix
Who’s in it: Piolo Pascual, Enrique Gil, Ariel Rivera, Rica Peralejo, and Ashtine Olviga
What’s it about? In 1969 Manila, a group of local police officers investigate a wave of violent crime as their institution becomes entangled in politics and corruption, with beat lieutenant Homer Magtibay caught between his own compromises and his conviction that he’s one of the good guys. Directed by Palme d’Or winner Raymond Red, and an official entry in the 51st Metro Manila Film Festival before its Netflix debut.
New Documentaries
Monsters of God — HBO Max
What’s it about? From Eric Goode, the filmmaker behind Tiger King and Chimp Crazy, a five-part documentary series following two rival kingpins of the billion-dollar exotic reptile smuggling trade, whose lucrative global operation supplying rare species to US zoos collapsed into a devastating vendetta after a betrayal. Won the TV Premiere Audience Award at SXSW 2026.
Inside the Trustor Scandal — Netflix
Who’s in it: Joachim Posener
What’s it about? In spring 1997, five people bought Swedish investment company Trustor in what appeared to be a legitimate deal, only for hundreds of millions of kronor to vanish within months in one of Sweden’s biggest financial crimes. Almost thirty years after disappearing, fugitive mastermind Joachim Posener finally comes forward for his first on-camera interview.
Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy — Netflix
Who’s in it: Mo Gilligan
What’s it about? Comedian Mo Gilligan takes on a Super Size Me-style challenge, eating nothing but fried chicken for 28 days to uncover the impact of the craving, and the industry behind it.
That’s the newsletter for this week.
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