Series Snapshot ~ 7/17/25

By: [email protected] on Thu, 07/17/2025 - 15:29

Welcome to the Series Snapshot, a weekly deep dive into the shows topping the streaming charts.

Netflix’s original series The Sandman officially takes the platform’s number one most watched spot this week, after closing the gap on Squid Game. The series released the first half of its second season on July 3rd, with the next five episodes scheduled for July 24th, and a season finale on the 31st. The Sandman continues to get great reviews and buzz. Despite the positive reception, the series has been cancelled and will not be renewed for a third season, due to the scandal surrounding source material author Neil Gaiman. The Sandman stars Tom Sturridge, Gwendoline Christie, Vivienne Acheampong, and Boyd Holbrook.

Hulu continues its reality series domination, with the tenth season of Bachelor in Paradise getting the top spot, after overtaking Secret Lives of Mormon Wives. Bachelor in Paradise comes from creator Mike Fleiss, and is a spin-off of the popular Bachelor and Bachelorette programs. Bachelor in Paradise, hosted by Jesse Palmer, features previous contestants from the original programs as they spend time in Mexico (season ten has moved to Costa Rica) and alternate eliminations between men and women. New episodes drop each week, with the next scheduled for July 21st.

MAX’s top three continue to be gridlocked in viewership week after week, with once again Rick and Morty, And Just Like That…, and The Gilded Age, taking the first three spots. These shows have been firmly fixed in place for MAX, but we have some new MAX originals around the corner, like Dune: Prophecy, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms (set in the Game of Thrones universe) and new seasons of The Righteous Gemstones and White Lotus. The Gilded Age is holding the fort as MAX’s top original IP for the moment, but we’re sure things will shake up the list before too long. The series stars Carrie Coon, Morgan Spector, Cynthia Nixon, and Christine Baranski, and comes from creator Julian Fellowes.

A new original series at Amazon, Ballard, has launched to the top of the list this week. The procedural crime-drama is a spin-off of Bosch, and set in the same universe, based on the novels by author Michael Connelly. The series is being praised for a nostalgic feel, similar to how television was written pre-streaming, following a popular formula where each episode is a self-contained adventure, while steadily advancing the overarching plot of the season- Think House, Psych and Monk. In Ballard, LAPD Detective Renee Ballard takes over a cold-case unit, attempting to solve old crimes with minimal funding. As she starts picking up trails, she uncovers a deep web of crime and corruption. Ballard stars Maggie Q, Courtney Taylor, and Michael Mosley.

AppleTV’s original sports comedy Stick is the platforms champ this week, but only just ahead of the new season of Sci-fi series Foundation, which just started its third season. Foundation is based on the series of the same name by sci-fi legend Isaac Asimov. The television adaptation comes from creators David S. Goyer and Josh Friedman, and stars Jared Harris, Lee Pace, Lou Llobell and Leah Harvey. The new season premiered on July 11th, and is getting fantastic reviews from both critics and viewers, praised for its excellent writing, pacing and acting performances.

Disney Plus once again sees long-running medical drama Grey’s Anatomy at the top, offering little in the way of original programming as Ironheart drops off in viewership. Grey’s Anatomy’s current and twenty-first season received mixed reviews, with some criticizing the pacing and lack of throughline, but its finale got high marks across the board. Grey’s Anatomy will return with its twenty-second season on ABC this October, and stars Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, and James Pickens Jr.