What to watch this summer? Our TV critic picks 5 shows that evoke the languid, romantic, drama-filled season

Summer is a state of mind as much as a time of year, so there’s something to be said for television shows that can evoke that mental space.

Sure, wildfire smoke might be playing havoc with the air quality; the cottage country traffic gets worse every year and the heat in the city’s concrete canyons can wilt you. But chances are you hold some halcyon memories of days spent at a cottage or camp or vacation spot, or just being free from work and school, and hanging with family and friends.

The ideal summer TV show will remind you of those times with one other important component: romance. Is it really a TV show about summer if someone isn’t having a fling?

Here are five series likely to kindle recollections of your own summer heydays.

The Lake

Watch this if … you have fond memories of the family cottage

This made-in-Ontario comedy revolves around a battle for ownership of a beloved family cottage, and lead character Justin’s (Jordan Gavaris, “Orphan Black”) relationship with Billie (Madison Shamoun), the daughter he gave up for adoption. This season, Justin and stepsister Maisy-May (“10 Things I Hate About You” star Julia Stiles) have reached a détente of sorts as they deal with the aggravating Mimsy (veteran actor Lauren Holly), his stepmother and her mother. Justin also juggles solving an arson at the community’s historic boathouse with his rocky romance with townie Riley (Travis Nelson), while Billie is torn between brother and sister tree planters. Showcasing the natural beauty of the North Bay area and some cottage eye candy, the series brings to mind the allure of days and evenings spent on or near a body of water. Stream on Prime Video.

Red Oaks

Watch this if … you like your summers with a 1980s teen movie vibe

The first season of this under-the-radar comedy-drama is set at a New Jersey country club in 1985. David (Welsh actor Craig Roberts) is spending a summer at the club as the assistant tennis pro, hoping to make enough money to move to Manhattan for his first semester at NYU. He’s torn between his sweet but conventional girlfriend Karen (Gage Golightly) and worldly rich girl Skye (Alexandra Socha), daughter of club president Doug (Paul Reiser); and between following in his father’s footsteps as an accountant and his own desire to be a filmmaker. The cast includes Richard Kind and Jennifer Grey (erstwhile star of ultimate summer resort movie “Dirty Dancing”) as David’s parents; Canadian Ennis Esmer as hedonistic tennis pro Nash and Oliver Cooper as weed-dealing valet Wheeler. Various romantic entanglements and misadventures will put you in mind of classic John Hughes flicks, but the character arcs here are meatier. Stream on Prime Video.

The Summer I Turned Pretty

Watch this if … you’re in love with the idea of young love

Author Jenny Han has a knack for turning her bestselling YA books into TV properties, including the “To All the Boys I’ve Loved” films and “XO, Kitty” series for Netflix, and this one for Prime Video. If you were ever a teenage girl who spent your summers crushing on seemingly unattainable boys (guilty as charged), this show offers some wish fulfilment as Belly (Lola Tung), newly attractive at 16, turns the heads of brothers Conrad (Christopher Briney) and Jeremiah (Gavin Casalegno), the sons of her mother’s best friend, with whom Belly’s family spends their summers on Cousins Beach. I’ve watched some of Season 2, coming later this month, but I’m not allowed to tell you about it yet. Suffice to say the strength of “The Summer I Turned Pretty” lies in its ability to capture the wistfulness and urgency of teenage romance while wrapping in family drama and adult themes involving the show’s grown-ups. Stream Season 1 on Prime Video; Season 2 debuts July 14.

Summertime

Watch this if … you have a soft spot for Mr. Wrongs

This Italian Netflix original series is set in the resort town of Cesanatico on the Adriatic Coast. In Season 1, Summer — yes, that’s her name — played by Rebecca Coco Edogamhe, gets a job at the Grand Hotel, where she meets Ale (Ludovico Tersigni), the son of the hotel manager. Summer, or Summy, has to help her waitress mother out with her younger sister, Blue (Alice Ann Edogamhe), since her musician father has essentially abandoned the family, while Ale, a.k.a. Alessandro, a famous motorcycle racer, is on the outs with his own father over his desire to quit racing. Summer is no pushover, so sort of bad boy Ale — who avoids his feelings with the help of beer and one-night stands — has his work cut out winning her over. Also, Summer’s two best friends, Edo (Giovanni Maini) and Sofia (Amanda Campana), both have crushes on her. There’s a relaxed vibe to this series, which is fitting for the setting. It portrays young adult love as a vexed endeavour more than a happily ever after. Stream on Netflix.

Stranger Things

Watch this if … you were a teenage mall rat — minus the giant monster in the food court

Strictly speaking, “Stranger Things” isn’t a summertime show, but Season 3 is set in the summer of 1985 and much of the action — supernatural and otherwise — takes place at the new Starcourt Mall in fictional Hawkins, Indiana. If you were a teenager in Toronto in the 1980s you likely spent a chunk of your summer at the Eaton Centre, which opened in 1977. And if you had a summer job at a mall (yep, did that too) you’ll relate to Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) and new character Robin (Maya Hawke) putting in time at the Scoops Ahoy ice cream shop. Meanwhile, couples Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) and Mike (Finn Wolfhard), and Max (Sadie Sink) and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) navigate the bumps of adolescent romance, although trying to defeat an otherworldly monster will definitely bond you and your crush. Presumably your own mall experience didn’t involve fending off a gigantic Mind Flayer. Despite the violence and horror elements, there’s an innocence and sweetness to this season that was diluted in the more intense fourth season (the final, fifth season won’t arrive till 2024 at the earliest). Stream on Netflix.

Debra Yeo is an editor and a writer for the Star’s Culture section. She is based in Toronto. Follow her on Twitter: @realityeo

SHARE: