Enjoying the warm summer air, taking adventures outdoors, and spending time with people we care about are all things to be enjoyed during the summer months, but we can’t lie and say we didn’t spend some time on the couch immersed in our television screens. These top five TV shows were some of the most anticipated releases of the season and brought a lot of joy to people’s homes. Make sure to check out these incredible television productions, even though summer is coming to an end, they will make your day regardless. 

• Heartstopper Season Two

Netflix brought back one of its top hits on its streaming site, Heartstopper. Following our main characters, Nick Nelson, played by Kit Connor, and Charlie Spring, played by Joe Locke, the season embarks on the rest of their journey of coming out to the rest of their friends and family. The show picks up where it left off, depicting the struggles of not only Nick and Charlie navigating their new relationship, but also the battle of losing friendships, the stress of studying for exams, and even the occasional fight with parents. Heartstopper is a very relatable show for young queer teens, but I would also say that anyone can relate to it, making this production so special for so many people. I really enjoyed the plotlines this season, I definitely think that the writing became more mature, causing more adult topics and themes to be discussed. Things such as mental health and unhealthy family dynamics created more of a safe place for viewers of the show to relate to and make young people not feel so alone if they are going through the same thing. Not to mention that the soundtrack was just as amazing as season one if not better. Adding artists such as Taylor Swift and Conan Gray definitely made an astounding impact to try and convey the emotions of a certain scene. I also loved the animated effects that popped up on screen every now and then. The illustrations were amazing to watch and were a great nod to the comic book the show is based on. I love how the thoughts and feelings of a character can be shown through the animated drawings on screen, giving the audience more insight into the vibe of a particular scene. Overall, Heartstopper season two was incredible to watch, and getting to see new characters’ stories grow and even see old characters figuring out who they are as a person was outstanding to see laid out on screen. 

• The Summer I Turned Pretty Season Two

Another huge anticipated watch of the summer finally came to our own TV screens and left us wanting more! Picking up where the show left off, Belly, played by Lola Tung, is now in a complicated love triangle between two brothers, Conrad, played by Christopher Briney, and Jeremiah, played by Gavin Casalegno, her childhood best friends. The Summer I Turned Pretty was, in my opinion, a great show for escapism this summer. Everything you could ever need in a teen rom-com was in this show, from the angst, romance, drama, and heartbreak, it’s a rollercoaster ride of emotions. One of the things that I loved so much throughout the show was the picking and choosing of whose side you were on. If you haven’t been aware of the popularity of the show, “Team Conrad,” “Team Jeremiah,” and “Team Belly,” were a topic of debate throughout the show’s debut. The teams were to express what side you are on, which caused a great deal of uproar from fans. The writers truly made us test our feelings about certain characters we thought we knew and even sometimes made us dislike characters we used to love. I personally love a TV show that has multiple sides to it and being able to discuss them with fellow peers brings a lot more excitement and energy to the content. Overall, I was completely overwhelmed with how much I loved this show and the joy it brought me. I would definitely recommend this to someone if they just wanted something to dissociate to in the best way possible. 

• XO, Kitty

Coming in with another love triangle, or some may even say love quadrangle, XO, Kitty is another great, lighthearted watch for whatever mood you’re in. A series following To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before movies, XO, Kitty is about Laura Jeans’ younger sister Kitty, played by Anna Carthcart, deciding to follow in on her late mom’s footsteps to go to boarding school in South Korea. While going to South Korea is mainly about reconnecting with her mother, Kitty also has another reason which is wanting to go see her online boyfriend, Dae, played by Choi Min-young. After things turn sour, Kitty ends up single and living in the same dorm with the boy who broke her heart. I had some doubts going into this show but ended up adoring it. XO, Kitty was probably one of the most light-hearted shows I saw all summer. Cute school romances, meeting new friends, figuring out self-identity, it all adds up to the perfect teen summer romance flick. One of my favorite plot points throughout the show is when Kitty discovers new feelings about her friend, Yuri, played by Gia Kim. I love how the writers didn’t shy away from adding a queer storyline, but also added it while not focusing too much on Kitty figuring out her sexuality. I found this was very important since typical queer content usually tries to focus on “what” someone is rather than what they want. Plot lines like this definitely make the film and television more inclusive so everyone and anyone can relate to it, which is why I think Heartstopper and XO, Kitty are probably my favorite shows on this list. I would definitely put this on your watch list and maybe grab a friend or two to partake in this amazing journey. 

• Never Have I Ever Season 4

Another widely popular show on this list, Never Have I Ever, hit its final season this summer and went out with a bang. Following Devi, played by Maitreyi Ramakrishnan, as she navigates her last year of high school, she tries to make the most out of the final moments of her youth. While Never Have I Ever continues with Devi’s romance plotlines, it also dives into the reality of being a teenager during your senior year. College applications, graduating, and figuring out what you will do after college, created great character growth for multiple characters, especially Paxton, played by Darren Barnet. I really loved Devi’s and Paxton’s character development this season, especially how the writers wrote Paxton’s storyline, and making his character more mature was a great choice. Going along with the banter, the dialogue was super witty and hilarious as usual, with scenes that had humor written so thought out was amazing to watch. Overall, this show was an amazing watch and I truly loved every part and am sad to see the show end. 

• A Small Light 

This last TV show on this list definitely takes a complete turn from the rest of the productions on this list. A Small Light is based on the real-life story of Miep Gies, played by Bel Powley, who helped hide the Frank family from the Nazis during World War II. Shows like A Small Light are, in my opinion, very important pieces in the entertainment industry. Stories like Miep’s are very important to learn about, especially to become more educated about topics surrounding the Holocaust. The writing was absolutely spectacular and had such an impacting effect on me as I was watching. Miep was such an inspiring character who had so much courage and uplifting energy. She was a courageous young woman and watching her story unfold on screen was remarkable. I would highly recommend this production to anyone and hope that the viewer gains knowledge about a topic that is so important in history. 

Many great pieces of production were introduced to our screens this summer and even though they might have kept us indoors, it was still and entertaining summer nonetheless. All of these shows can be found on Netflix, Prime Video, and Disney Plus, happy watching!