Summer TV Watch List: 'The Sandman' Materializes, 'Lightyear' Hits Disney+ and a Ton of New Movies

Summer TV Watch List: 'The Sandman' Materializes, 'Lightyear' Hits Disney+ and a Ton of New Movies No images? [Click here]( ID=167008;size=700x180;setID=556351;uid={EMAIL}5831644;click=summer_tv_watchlist_top [- - -] [TheWrap - SUMMER TV WATCH LIST] Week of July 30 – August 5 This week, a show that nobody thought would ever get made finally comes to the small screen. That’s right, [“The Sandman”]( wakes up on Netflix! Also, the “Reservation Dogs” return and we do a special, all-movie version of the best of the rest because there are so many awesome movies coming to streaming this week, including a new “Predator” film, a Kevin Bacon horror movie and some really interesting animated fare. On with the television! [Premiere of the week] “The Sandman”Friday, August 5, Netflix [Netflix The Sandman Trailer Release Date Announcement] Source: Netflix They said it couldn’t be done! An adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s ambitious, hugely influential comic book series “The Sandman” was in motion before its original run (from 1989 to 1996) was even completed. A few years ago, it was revived as a movie, starring and potentially directed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. After that iteration fizzled, it was resurrected, like the king of dreams himself, for the streaming world by Netflix. (Odd that one of the most celebrated properties in the DC portfolio isn’t going to HBO Max.) Netflix’s “The Sandman” seems to combine some elements from these earlier attempts (screenwriter David S. Goyer, who wrote the version for Gordon-Levitt, has a credit on the first episode), while making it more manageable and, we assume, budget-conscious. Tom Sturridge plays Morpheus aka Dream aka The Sandman, who is imprisoned for more than a century and awakens in present day, interacting with all the modern versions of various gods and occult figures, including those from the “Constantine”/”Hellblazer” world (Jenna Coleman plays a gender-flipped version of the supernatural detective). This sounds like an incredibly binge-able title, for “Sandman” die-hards and newcomers alike. [[TEASER](] ID=167008;size=300x250;setID=556895;uid={EMAIL}5831644;click=summer_tv_watchlist_2 [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “Riverdale”Sunday, July 31 at 8 p.m., The CW Source: The CW Next season is the final year for “Riverdale,” which might be for the best considering how deeply unhinged the show has become. What started off as a fairly standard (if extremely horny) teen murder mystery, like the first season of “Twin Peaks,” has turned into something altogether different and bizarre. We’ve already had a time jump that moves the characters closer to the actors’ actual age and a brief journey into an alternate dimension where the town is called Rivervale, but this season piled on even more supernatural nonsense, gave all of the characters superpowers and made Sabrina the Teenage Witch (Kiernan Shipka), from the Netflix’s dearly departed “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina,” a main character … even though she died at the end of the Netflix show. No matter! How the Season 6 finale will one again shake up the paradigm remains to be seen. It can’t get even more nuts … can it? [[TRAILER](] [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “Prey”Friday, August 5, Hulu [PREY Trailer] Source: 20th Century This might be the coolest idea for a “Predator” sequel yet: set in 1719 in the Comanche Nation, it follows an early visitation by the predator alien, who comes up against an unlikely foe: a young warrior named Naru (Amber Midthunder). And however cool you think that idea is, the actual execution of “Prey” (pun very much intended) is even cooler. While it’s fun to think of a high-tech monster like the Predator go up against less sophisticated weapons and warriors (there’s a great joke where a character takes forever to reload his gun while this otherworldly beast comes towards them), that’s only half of what makes the movie such a blast. This is a different Predator than we’ve seen before; his weapons are also less advanced and his technology glitchier. If you want a gory good time, “Prey” is it. Watch it on the biggest television possible with the sound cranked alllllll the way up. [[REACTIONS](] [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “Clusterf**k: Woodstock ’99”Wednesday, August 3, Netflix [Clusterfuck Woodstock 99] Source: Netflix Yes, there was already that HBO Max documentary on the utter disaster of Woodstock ’99. But this is a three-part limited documentary series on Woodstock ’99, which means you can totally binge the whole thing and not feel bad about it. While it covers similar (muddy) ground, it does so with a largely new cast of talking head interviews and even more grotesque detail. How three days of peace, love and music could get transformed into a phantasmagoric descent into hell, complete with rampant sexual abuse, corporate greed and extreme hubris, remains a fascinating topic, no matter the streaming service or format of episodes. [[TRAILER](] [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “Reservation Dogs”Hulu Source: FX/Hulu Since this week we’re focusing on the new movies coming to streaming in the “5 more” section, we have to give it up to “Reservation Dogs,” which is also coming back this week (and is extremely brilliant). If you’ve never seen “Reservation Dogs,” or even if you have, it’s the perfect time to catch up and watch (or re-watch) the initial batch of 8 episodes before the new season begins (we get a couple of extra episodes this year). The show follows a group of Indigenous kids on a reservation in Oklahoma who get into low-level mischief and dream of a new life in California. But between messing with the dim-witted local sheriff and stealing bags of off-brand Cheetos, there is real pathos there. It’s a hugely emotional show, too, one that is not afraid to veer between tones and styles in an effort to tell the most compelling, resonant story possible. (You will definitely feel things.) If you need a single episode to sell you on the series, check out episode 5, “Come and Get Your Love.” It was one of the best episodes of television last year. [[WATCH](] [- - -] [Premiere of the week] “Lightyear”Wednesday, August 3, Disney+To infinity and beyond! [“Lightyear”]( imagines what the original movie that made “Toy Story’s” Andy fall in love with Buzz Lightyear was – a rip-roaring sci-fi adventure where a beleaguered Space Ranger (Chris Evans) fights to return a group of stranded colonists to earth. (He also must learn how to own up to his own shortcomings and live with failure.) When “Lightyear,” which has just as much visual razzle-dazzle and emotional heft as any other Pixar movie, was released into theaters earlier this summer it underperformed; now here’s your chance to watch and decide for yourself if it deserved any Buzz. [[SOX EXPLAINER](] “Luck”Friday, August 5, Apple TV+The first feature release from Skydance Animation under the leadership of former Pixar head honcho John Lasseter is finally here. “Luck” imagines a parallel universe where luck (both good and bad) is generated and randomly delivered into our world. When a young human woman (Eva Noblezada) stumbles into the world of luck, she upends their world – and ours. It features a talking cat (voiced by Simon Pegg) and lots of inventive visuals, plus a smattering of Lasseter hallmarks (yes, John Ratzenberger has a small role). [[TRAILER](] “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie”Friday, August 5, Netflix“Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” which ended its run in 2020 after nearly 40 episodes (and almost 80 segments), was one of the more beloved animated interpretations of the characters. And now that series has its own movie. “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie,” features the same art style as the series (although slightly heightened) and a big, expansive storyline that features time travel, alien conquest and (we hope) a few delectable pizzas. [[TRAILER](] “Thirteen Lives”Friday, August 5, Prime VideoRon Howard’s latest is a dramatization of the 2018 Tham Luang cave rescue, in which a junior football team and a coach were trapped in a cave for 18 days. And of course, this being a Ron Howard movie, he’s assembled quite a cast that includes Viggo Mortensen, Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton and Tom Bateman. Expect a potent mixture of drama, thrills and deeply felt emotionality. That’s the Howard way. [[TRAILER](] “They/Them”Friday, August 5, PeacockThe latest Blumhouse horror joint debuting on Peacock (after “Firestarter,” released earlier this summer) is set at a Christian conversion camp, where counselors try to convert LGBTQ+ kids into straight, Jesus-loving members of society. Of course, there’s something even more sinister afoot, as is judged by Kevin Bacon’s outwardly charming but obviously malevolent camp organizer. As written and directed by legendary screenwriter John Logan, “They/Them” could either be the next “Get Out” or it could be a total bust. Either way, we’re hoping it’s at least fun. 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