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Pick of the week
Little House on the Prairie

Adapting Laura Ingalls Wilder’s rural Americana novels for the streaming era is risky. There’s a readymade audience but the books are so beloved that failing to do them justice won’t be easily forgiven. Alice Halsey plays Laura Ingalls, a sparky pre-teen whose family are setting out on an exciting but uncertain adventure to Kansas to start a new life. But can they simply claim some land, chop down some trees and build a house? It’s not as easy as that, as encounters with wolves, strange neighbours and Native Americans soon prove. This version largely plays it safe: in places, it’s a little grittier than you might expect but it is still a deeply wholesome confection.
Netflix, from Thursday 9 July

***

Trying

Nikki (Esther Smith) and Jason (Rafe Spall) aren’t trying to have kids any more. As this breezy sitcom returns, they have an adoptive family that is functional and mildly chaotic in equal measure. The arrival of Princess and Tyler’s biological mother, Kat, has sent Nikki spiralling as she worries that her daughter might prefer the company of her less uptight but less responsible “real” mum. Trying hasn’t made it to five seasons for no reason: it’s an edifying representation of the reality of modern family life, and the performances invest the scenarios with warmth and pathos.
Apple TV, from Wednesday 8 July

***

Summer ’36

To the French Riviera for a murder mystery with intriguing undertones of class conflict. It’s 1936 and working-class French people have finally been granted paid holidays. This is an uncomfortable development for the country’s monied elite who must now share their luxury hotels and spotless beaches with the hoi polloi. Into this hotbed of snobbery comes the killing of a local prosecutor, which throws four women from different backgrounds together. It’s a juicy if contrived premise but not helped by the clunkily dubbed English dialogue.
Netflix, out now

***

Sparks of Tomorrow

The much-loved Kyoto Animation studio returns with an eccentric series that is not necessarily the easiest sell: a story about electrical inventions and the bond between two brothers. In the early 20th century, Kihachi and Seiroku are obsessed with the possibilities of electricity. However, Seiroku is sent to war, takes the brothers’ catalogue of inventions with him and never returns. Can Kihachi recover the catalogue and honour the dreams he had with his brother? His quest involves a love affair and a company that wants the designs for nefarious reasons.
Netflix, from Sunday 5 July

***

Hammerhead Sharks Up Close With Bertie Gregory

Film-maker and explorer Bertie Gregory is in Mexico’s Pacific waters, venturing deep into the personal space of some of the ocean’s most elusive predators. Hammerhead sharks were once abundant in this region but have been pushed to the brink of extinction. Gregory explores various schemes to protect these magnificent beasts and, eventually, finds a surprisingly large group of them to commune with. The footage he captures is startling and the environmental message unambiguous.
Disney+, from Sunday 5 July

***

I’m Not Afraid

An intrepid gang of small-town youngsters stumble upon something peculiar and can’t resist poking their noses in. If you think this Mexican drama has vague similarities to Stranger Things, you wouldn’t be completely wrong, but it’s a lot earthier and less supernatural. It centres on 10-year-old Miguel, who finds a kidnapped child while looking for a lost football. Obviously, like any sensible boy, he musters a posse of his pals to address the situation but, perhaps inevitably, they’re riding their pushbikes into a dangerously adult situation.
Netflix, from Wednesday 8 July

***

Shifting Gears

This warm, family-focused sitcom has a very traditional feel. From the moral simplicity of the plotting (everyone is different, but they must learn to get along!) to the slightly intrusive laughter track, it feels like a show that could have been made at any point in the last 50 years. The real gear shift in this second season comes from Tim Allen’s sprightly patriarch Matt. He has a new love interest and is behaving like a teenager. So it’s up to his previously stroppy daughter Riley (Kat Dennings) to keep him in line.
Disney+, from Wednesday 8 July