This week’s streaming lineup mixes comfort viewing, family drama, crime, animation and wildlife documentaries. The biggest attention-grabber is Little House on the Prairie, a new adaptation that arrives with the weight of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s much-loved books behind it.
There is also a broad spread of returning and new titles across Netflix, Apple TV and Disney+, including a fresh season of Trying and a documentary that takes Bertie Gregory into Mexico’s Pacific waters. Together, the seven picks offer a useful snapshot of what is landing on streaming services over the coming days.
1. Little House on the Prairie
Adapting Laura Ingalls Wilder’s rural Americana novels for the streaming era is a risky move, because the books already have a ready-made audience and a fiercely protective one. Alice Halsey plays Laura Ingalls, a sparky pre-teen whose family head to Kansas in search of a new life.
The story follows the practical realities of trying to claim land, chop down trees and build a house, while the family also face wolves, strange neighbours and Native Americans. The result, as www.theguardian.com puts it, is largely safe and “deeply wholesome,” with a slightly grittier edge than expected.
2. Trying
Nikki and Jason are no longer trying to have children, but family life is still far from simple in this returning sitcom. Esther Smith and Rafe Spall lead a household that is functional, chaotic and now unsettled by the arrival of Princess and Tyler’s biological mother, Kat.
That change sends Nikki spiralling as she worries that her daughter may prefer the company of a less uptight but less responsible “real” mum. The show’s warmth and pathos remain central, and Apple TV’s series continues to lean on performances that give the everyday complications real weight.
3. Summer ’36
This French Riviera murder mystery adds class tension to its whodunnit setup. It is set in 1936, when working-class French people have finally been granted paid holidays, forcing the country’s wealthy elite to share luxury hotels and beaches with everyone else.
The killing of a local prosecutor pulls four women from different backgrounds into the case. The premise is juicy but contrived, and the English dubbing is described as clunky, even if the intrigue remains strong.
4. Sparks of Tomorrow
Kyoto Animation returns with an unusual story about electrical invention and brotherhood. In the early 20th century, Kihachi and Seiroku are obsessed with the possibilities of electricity, and their shared catalogue of inventions becomes central to the story.
When Seiroku is sent to war, he takes that catalogue with him and never comes back. Kihachi’s search for it leads into a love affair and a company with designs on the brothers’ ideas for nefarious reasons.
| Show | Platform | Launch | Key Hook |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little House on the Prairie | Netflix | From Thursday 9 July | Laura Ingalls Wilder adaptation |
| Trying | Apple TV | From Wednesday 8 July | Family comedy with a new complication |
| Summer ’36 | Netflix | Out now | French Riviera murder mystery |
| Sparks of Tomorrow | Netflix | From Sunday 5 July | Electric inventions and brotherly loss |
| Hammerhead Sharks Up Close With Bertie Gregory | Disney+ | From Sunday 5 July | Shark conservation in Mexico |
| I’m Not Afraid | Netflix | From Wednesday 8 July | Kid-led mystery with a darker edge |
| Shifting Gears | Disney+ | From Wednesday 8 July | Family sitcom with a new love interest |
5. Hammerhead Sharks Up Close With Bertie Gregory
Bertie Gregory heads into Mexico’s Pacific waters to get close to one of the ocean’s most elusive predators. Hammerhead sharks were once abundant there, but they have been pushed close to extinction.
The documentary follows Gregory as he explores conservation efforts and eventually finds a surprisingly large group of sharks. The footage is striking, and the environmental message is direct.
6. I’m Not Afraid
This Mexican drama begins with a group of small-town youngsters discovering something troubling and refusing to look away. Its setup may echo Stranger Things in broad terms, but it is more earthy and less supernatural.
The story centres on 10-year-old Miguel, who finds a kidnapped child while looking for a lost football. He and his friends then set off on pushbikes and end up in a dangerous adult situation.
7. Shifting Gears
This family-focused sitcom has a very traditional feel, from its moral simplicity to its slightly intrusive laughter track. The second season puts more focus on Matt, played by Tim Allen, as he develops a new love interest and starts behaving like a teenager.
That leaves Riley, played by Kat Dennings, to keep him in line. The show’s basic message remains that people may be different, but they still have to learn to get along.
Across the week’s releases, the mix is unusually wide: a beloved book adaptation, a returning comedy, a French mystery, an anime drama, a shark documentary, a Mexican thriller and a classic-style sitcom all arrive within days of one another.