Sonal Pandya

It’s a changing of the guard at The Bear in the fifth and final season of the FX series created by Christopher Storer. After four years and five incredible seasons, The Bear finally bids adieu and moves ahead in a way that only it can. Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri have gotten us so invested in these characters, along with its large ensemble cast, and the show does a great job of wrapping it all up in a satisfactory manner. Moreover, the Emmy-winning series stays away from the mistakes of the past seasons as it closes the lights out on the restaurant while staying true to its core premise.

It’s time once again to align yourself with Team Black or Team Green. The matter of the Iron Throne is still not settled, as the Targaryen clan is split on who the rightful heir is. Based on George RR Martin’s Fire & Ice book series, the HBO spinoff series House of the Dragon is set two centuries before Game of Thrones. In the third season, the hemming and hawing has stopped as the civil war arrives right at the doorstep for both Rhaenyra Targaryen (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent Hightower (Olivia Cooke), who were once friends. As the third season opens, they’ve made an unlikely arrangement; it remains to be seen how it holds as a bloody sea battle erupts and the first body falls by the end of the first episode.

After dropping the biggest shocker about its lead character, John Sugar (Colin Farrell), in the first season, Sugar moves back into being a moody neo-noir about a detective trying to track down a missing person. The original series by Apple TV puts the reveal of Sugar’s otherworldly secret aside and builds a story around corruption, betrayal and greed, all things that are alien to him (pun intended). The eight-part series continues with its homages to old Hollywood as the cinephile private detective attempts to reunite two boxer brothers. With some new faces in the second season, Farrell slips back into detective mode as the layered drama keeps viewers interested.

Seven years after audiences said goodbye to Woody (Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the rest of the gang in Toy Story 4, the toys return for a new chapter in Toy Story 5 that sees them face yet another threat as technology invades their universe. Andrew Stanton comes back to the franchise as director for the first time that sees the toys deal with abandonment, trauma, and bullying while coming together for their person, Bonnie. The toys versus tech debate is explored in the animated sequel and shares a strong stance to let children be and not grow up too soon. So is the age of toys over? Let’s find out.

The romance genre has gotten a new lease of life thanks to streaming. Amazon Prime Video is doubling down on its book-to-screen adaptations. The latest series that is set to dominate this summer is Every Year After, based on Carley Fortune’s Every Summer After novel. The simple premise is that a former couple reunites after a death, bringing up past feelings and emotions. The friends-to-lovers trope is explored nicely in the eight-part show, which includes plenty of romantic drama for all of its characters. The bingeable show is very similar to another Amazon Prime Video hit, The Summer I Turned Pretty, and could appeal to its fans as well.

It’s a plot straight out of a romance novel or maybe a K-drama. A CEO of an airline falls for the company lawyer, jeopardising their jobs and reputations. In the new Netflix rom-com, Office Romance, Jennifer Lopez plays the CEO of Air Cruz, who finds herself inexplicably falling for the new company lawyer from London. Will their secret office romance be exposed to all? Directed by Ol Parker, the opposites-attract comedy has a good dose of British humour, plenty of HR policies and some worthy scene-stealers. Jacqueline Cruz (Lopez) needs to get rid of a competitor’s lawsuit that is threatening her position as CEO of her father’s (Edward James Olmos) airline. The CEO has to make do with a replacement lawyer when their regular one, Peter Vance (Bradley Whitford), is out with an emergency. The new hire Daniel Blanchflower (Goldstein) is more than up to the task and ends up batting for Jackie in front of the board. It leads to Jackie and Daniel getting closer for the case and having a secret affair that risks both their careers. Will the odd couple make it work or call it quits?

A supersized version of Gullak has arrived for its fifth season. We’ve watched the Mishras grow in their humble abode all these years. In the latest season, the family makes some instrumental decisions that will affect everyone. But while The Viral Fever (TVF) has an emotional end, the show takes some amusing and meaningful detours. It also adds to the lore of the Gullak universe; if you’ve been a fan since the beginning, there are welcome rewards ahead for viewers. Overall, the comfort series continues to delight and make you want to know more about this loyal, caring clan.

The latest star-led prestige drama from Apple TV is Cape Fear. Created by Nick Antosca, the new remake based on John D. MacDonald’s book The Executioners and the previous Hollywood films elongates the story of vengeance. It expands the roles of the Bowden family while creating an aura of ambiguity around notorious villain Max Cady, now played by Javier Bardem. With the backing of Oscar-winning filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, the new Cape Fear is a chilling page-turner and psychological thriller you just can’t get enough of.