Netflix’s The Witcher, GBBO, Good Omens season 2, and more new TV this week

This is typically the time of summer where we’d be turning our eyes ahead, coming off San Diego Comic-Con with a slew of exciting new announcements for next year’s TV. This year’s event was far more muted amid the ongoing WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. So instead of looking ahead, we’ll look at this week in TV in particular, which is bursting with highly anticipated new releases.

Netflix’s The WitcherHenry Cavill will return as Geralt for the last part of Season 3 and three final episodes before Liam Hemsworth assumes the role. Before he says goodbye, however, he’s got to face down the big battle that part 1 left him and Yen (Anya Chalotra) staring down.

This week’s big release is Good Omens season 2, the long-awaited (and very mysterious) Prime Video follow-up to the first season (considered a “limited series” at release). David Tennant is back, and Michael Sheen will be too.

This week, we also have some other major adaptation stories. Twisted MetalThe show, starring Anthony Mackie, based on PlayStation games also debuts. (With its entire season). While the original game had not much by way of plot, Peacock’s Twisted MetalThe world is a hive of activity and action.

The week in TV: Here’s a list of all major premieres and finals. This week:

Netflix releases new series

The Witcher Season 3 Part 2

Genre: Fantasy
Release Date: All three episodes of July 27
Showrunner/creator: Lauren Schmidt Hissrich
Cast: Henry Cavill Anya Chalotra Freya allan and more

The Witcher season 3 returns with Henry Cavill’s final episodes. The second part of the season picks up exactly where volume 1 left off — Geralt (Henry Cavill) and Yen (Anya Chalotra) having uncovered a massive conspiracy at the mage conclave that they’re only just beginning to understand.

The Great British Baking Show – The Professionals, Season 7.

Image: Netflix

Genre: Reality baking competition (professionals’ version)
Release Date: The 26th of July

Though “the professionals” subhed here might ruffle some feathers, we have it on good authorityIt actually enhances the challenge, the stakes and the (of course) food.

Baki Hanma 2

Genre: Shonen martial art anime
Release Date: The 26th of July
Director: Toshiki Hirano

This season, Baki Hanma and Yujiro Hamma will face off in a showdown. Also important to note: This season will be released in two parts on July 26 (with “The Tale of Pickle & The Pickle War Saga”), followed “The Father vs. Son Saga” on Aug. 24.

Season 5 of The Dragon Prince

Genre: Animation fantasy
Release Date: July 27,
Showrunner/creator: Aaron Ehasz, Justin Richmond
Cast: Jack DeSena and Paula Burrows. Sasha Rojen. Jason Simpson. Racquel Belmonte. Jesse Inocalla.

Season 5 of The Dragon PrincessThe stakes are higher than ever. Claudia must race to release the elf leader Aaravos to prevent her father’s real death. Rayla, Callum and Soren are also working hard to stop Claudia.

Disney Plus: New Shows

Secret Invasion Season 1 Final

Gareth Gatrell/Marvel Studios

Genre: MCU spy show
Release Date: June 26
Showrunner/creator: Kyle Bradstreet
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson and Ben Mendelsohn. Olivia Colman. Emilia Clarke. Kingsley Ben-Adir.

Secret Invasion’s spy story comes to close, with Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) heading out to confront Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir) in order to stop World War III. It’s not quite the fate of the universe, but Nick Fury is really worried about what the Russians might do.

Hulu has added new shows

Futurama 11

Genre: Animated sci-fi comedy (reboot)
Release Date: The 26th of July with only one episode
Showrunner/creator: Matt Groening & David X. Cohen
Cast: John DiMaggio Billy West Katey Snagal Tress McNeille Maurice LaMarche Lauren Tom Phil LaMarr David Herman

FuturamaIt’s back…again! Hulu is bringing the animated comedy back for season 11, the fourth reboot for the show with the whole cast — even John DiMaggio and his Bender — on board. This new season features all of your favourite characters and a few jokes about COVID.

This Fool Season 2

Genre: Irreverent prestige comedy
Release Date: August 28
Showrunner/creator: Chris Estrada and Jake Weisman
Cast: Chris Estrada, Frankie Quiñones, Laura Patalano, Michelle Ortiz, Julia Vera, and Michael Imperioli

This FoolThis week season 2 will premiere, and it picks up right where the first one left off with Julio Estrada (Chris Estrada), after he had a life that fell apart. Now with a new living situation, he and Luis (Frankie Quiñones) are looking for fresh opportunities for work and romance — which, knowing the tone and title of the show, should work out just fine.

Max.

Harley Quinn season 4

Warner Media Image

Genre: Debauched animated Supervillains
Release Date: 27 July
Showrunner/Creator: Justin Halpern Patrick Schumacker and Dean Lorey
Cast: Kaley Cuoco and Alan Tuddk. Lake Bell Christopher Meloni Ron Funches J.B. Smoove Tony Hale Christopher Meloni.

What started with a breakup with the Joker has grown into so much more — and yet, Harley QuinnIt retains the same animated brand of nonsense. Harley Quinn is faced with a common problem for DC’s villains in season four of their animated DC Comedy: she struggles to earn the respect of the Bat Family.

Season 3 of How To with John Wilson

Genre: Quirky documentary
Release Date: The 28th of July with only one episode
Showrunner/creator: John Wilson
Cast: John Wilson

The third — and final! — season of John Wilson: How to Get StartedThis week, Max premieres a new show. Host John Wilson is back for the last time with some idiosyncratic and poignant musings on things like how to find a public restroom or how to clean your ears — questions that always take you to the absolute last place you’d expect.

The second season of Teenage Ethanasia

Genre: Animation comedy
Release Date: Adult Swim, July 26; Max
Showrunner/creator: Alissa nutting and Alyson levy
Cast: Maria Bamford Bebe Neuwirth Jo Firestone and Tim Robinson

You might’ve missed this animated comedy about the funeral home-owning Fantasy family and Annie “Euthanasia,” the teenager living her life between them. You might be interested in season 2 which features a stellar lineup of guests: Succession’s Kieran Culkin and J. Smith-Cameron, Ann Dowd, Chris Redd, H. Jon Benjamin, Janelle James, Jinkx Monsoon, Lori Tan Chinn, Sophia Bush, Tim Heidecker and Ziwe Fumudoh.

Prime Video now has new episodes

Good Omens Season 2

Genre: Screwball apocalypse
Release Date: June 28
Showrunner/creator: Neil Gaiman & John Finnemore
Cast: David Tennant Michael Sheen Jon Hamm and more

Little was known about Good OmensGaiman announced that he had written the book along with Terry Pratchett. You can find out more about this by clicking here.Ideas for a second hypothetical book. We know now: Aziraphale and Crowley, played by Michael Sheen and David Tennant respectively, find themselves suddenly battling the greater forces of hell and heaven with a Gabriel who has lost his memory.

Peacock has new shows!

Twisted Metal

Genre: A hilarious video game adaptation
Release Date: The complete July 27, 2014 episode
Showrunner/creator: Michael Jonathan Smith
Cast: Anthony Mackie Stephanie Beatriz Will Arnett Neve Cambell Thomas Haden Church and others

Did you think you’d see a show this year where a giant clown made Anthony Mackie sing “Thong Song” in a casino? Well, Twisted Metal You can learn more about it here. Click here to learn more. The new show, based on the PlayStation franchise of the same name, will follow Mackie’s John Doe as he tries to deliver something in a post-apocalyptic USA so he can finally live in one of the nation’s remaining city-states.