The hunt for a serial killer and trading exotic animals.
The new series “The Shards,” based the on the 2023 horror-slash-autofictional novel by Bret Easton Ellis, is being released this week. Igby Rigney stars as Bret, a 17-year-old senior at an elite prep school in Los Angeles. His world gets turned around when a new student, Robert Mallory (Homer Gere), enrolls, and his arrival coincides with murders by a serial killer known as the Trawler. The series is created by Ellis and Ryan Murphy; Graham Campbell, Hayes Warner and Kaia Gerber round out the cast. The first two episodes will air this week. Available to stream Wednesday at 9 p.m. on Hulu.
The 2020 documentary series “Tiger King” followed the world of exotic cat breeding, and in 2024 “Chimp Crazy” told the story of the exotic animal broker Tonia Haddix. Eric Goode, the creator of those shows, is back with another. “Monsters of God” looks into the underground world of smuggling exotic reptiles. Thursday at 9 p.m. on HBO.
Teenage discovery and romance.
In the new series “Sterling Point,” Annie Jacobson (Ella Rubin) is living a typical 17-year-old’s life in New York City with her twin brother — until she finds out that her grandfather has left them an island in the Muskoka Lakes region of Canada (think: Shane’s cottage from “Heated Rivalry”). She goes to the island, and while she’s there, unearths family secrets, makes new friends and, of course, begins a romance with a local. Megan Park, the showrunner of this series, wrote and directed the movie “My Old Ass” and worked on “The Secret Life of the American Teenager.” All eight episodes of the show will air together. Begins streaming Wednesday on Prime Video.
If you’re missing “The Summer I Turned Pretty,” which wrapped up last year around this time — and you like the “brothers in a love triangle” thing — then get ready for “My Life With the Walter Boys,” which is coming back for its third season. The show follows Jackie (Nikki Rodriguez) who, after suffering a tragedy, moves into her guardian’s home and finds herself surrounded by the brothers Cole (Noah LaLonde) and Alex (Ashby Gentry). Season 2 ended on a cliffhanger with a family member’s health scare and Jackie’s confession of feelings for one brother while the other overheard. There’s lots of to be resolved in this season’s 10 episodes, which are being released simultaneously. Begins streaming Thursday on Netflix.
A struggling soccer team and lots of ‘Real Housewives.’
After a nearly three-year hiatus, “Ted Lasso” is back for a fourth season. Ted (Jason Sudeikis) is back in a coaching role, this time trying to help a women’s soccer team. Hannah Waddingham, Juno Temple and Brett Goldstein are returning to their roles, with Tanya Reynolds, Jude Mack and Faye Marsay joining the cast. Episodes will air weekly until October. Begins streaming Wednesday on Apple TV.
The first “Real Housewives” franchise — “Orange County,” to be specific — premiered 20 years ago. And to commemorate the anniversary, “Housewives” from around the country are celebrating together. In the fifth season of “The Real Housewives: Ultimate Girls Trip,” Vicki Gunvalson (the O.G. of O.C.), Luann de Lesseps, Kyle Richards, Teresa Giudice, Porsha Williams, Gizelle Bryant and Lisa Barlow travel the country while visiting other “Housewives” favorites along the way. Sunday at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
A look into the last frontier and catching a cheater.
Most Americans remember where they were when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon in July 1969. For others, the safe return to Earth in April of the Artemis II, which did a flyby of the moon, reignited collective excitement over space exploration. The four-part documentary series “Once Upon a Time in Space” uses archival footage and firsthand accounts to illuminate human experiences in space, including the engineering behind the space station Mir, the increase in commercial spaceflight (including Katy Perry’s dangling a daisy in front of the camera during a brief all-female commercial space trip in 2025) and the design behind the Space Shuttle. (And for something with a conspiratorial bent, you can stream “Fly Me to the Moon” on Apple TV). Tuesday at 9 p.m. on PBS.
The New Zealand series “Ms. X” is having its U.S. premiere. The show follows the suburban mom Mia (Melissa George) who finds out that her husband is cheating on her and teams up with a high school friend to blackmail him into staying. Before they know it, the equation is complicated by drug lords, law enforcement and murder, leaving the two friends in over their heads. The six episodes will air together. Begins streaming Monday on Peacock.
