There are a number of buzz-worthy TV releases coming your way in July, adding even more potential candidates for the coveted best shows of 2025 round-up. This month will see the return of a fan-favourite detective series on ITV, as well as a new (and "stylish", apparently) London-set period drama for fans of historical fiction. We've selected the most exciting offerings from across terrestrial telly and streaming in the UK, so be sure to mark your calendars if you don't want to miss out.
Karen Pirie
ITV's beloved Scotland-based police drama, which stars Lauren Lyle as the titular detective, will finally be back on our screens this month. It's been almost three years since the show first burst onto our screens, bringing something refreshing for the crime genre, becoming one of the broadcaster's most-watched shows.
Details of the new episodes – which will comprise a trio of two-hour episodes – have been revealed along with a first look, and we know that the detective inspector will face an "infamous" unsolved case that will put her under "intense scrutiny".
Karen Pirie season 2 will release on ITV in July, an exact date has not been confirmed.
Bookish
This British show has been described as "a stylish period detective drama with a difference", and stars Mark Gatiss (also the creator and writer) as a bookshop owner who helps the police solve tough cases with his encyclopedic knowledge.
Bookish, which has already been given a second season, is set in London in 1946, and its lead character Gabriel Book "is very happily married to his childhood best friend, the captivating Trottie," but is also "a gay man living at a time when homosexuality was illegal."
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The synopsis goes on to add: "When Book and Trottie take in Jack it seems like an act of altruism: a second chance for a young jailbird. And Jack proves a worthy assistant both in the shop and in Book's murder investigations. It soon becomes clear, however, that Jack's appointment wasn't quite as random as it at first appears…"
Bookish will arrive to U&alibi this July, an exact date has not been confirmed.
Washington Black
First announced back in 2021, this upcoming drama has been a long time coming. Starring This Is Us favourite Sterling K Brown, who more recently appeared in Disney's hit thriller Paradise, Washington Black is an adaptation of Esi Edugyan's novel and follows George Washington 'Wash' Black, an 11-year-old boy born on a Barbados sugar plantation in the 19th century. According to the synopsis, "a harrowing incident" forces him to flee.
It then adds: "As he navigates uncharted lands and impossible odds, Wash finds the courage to imagine a future beyond the confines of the society he was born into.
Also joining the cast of Washington Black is Ernest Kingsley Junior, Tom Ellis (Lucifer), Rupert Graves (Sherlock) and Iola Evans.
Washington Black will release on Disney Plus on Wednesday 23 July.
The Assassin
Prime Video's new UK original drama, starring Keeley Hawes and Freddie Highmore (who each also serve as executive producers), sees a retired assassin forced to work with her estranged son to fight for survival.
The teaser adds: "Amid questions around Edward's paternity, and Julie's dangerous past catching up with her, the pair are forced to flee the island and go on the run together."
The Assassin's cast also features Shalom Brune-Franklin (The Tourist, Our Girl), Richard Dormer (Blue Lights), Gerald Kyd (The Split), Jack Davenport (The Morning Show), and Gina Gershon (New Amsterdam). The crime thriller has been written by Harry and Jack Williams, who are best known for The Missing and Baptiste.
The Assassin will premiere on Prime Video in July, an exact release date has not been announced.
Ballard
Billed as the latest chapter in the universe of Bosch: Legacy, Ballard stars Maggie Q in the titular role of homicide detective Renée Ballard, who investigates cold cases in the LA Police Department with the help of Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver). The series is also based on the crime fiction works of best-selling author Michael Connelly.
The rest of the cast also features Courtney Taylor (Abbott Elementary), John Carroll Lynch (Fargo), Rebecca Field (A Star Is Born) and Michael Mosley (Ozark), among others.
Ballard will drop as a box set, with all 10 episodes available to stream on Prime Video on July 9.
Mr Big Stuff
Fresh off his BAFTA win for Male Performance in a Comedy, Danny Dyer will return to the leading role in this Sky comedy for its anticipated second season.
The series follows Glen (Ryan Sampson) whose life is completely turned upside down when his estranged brother Lee (Dyer) arrives on the doorstep of the home that he shares with his fiancée Kirsty (Harriet Webb).
The synopsis for the returning season reads (spoilers follow!): "Series two picks up two weeks after the shock news that the brothers’ dad's not actually dead, and Lee and Glen are handling it very differently..."
Mr Bigstuff season 2 is set to premiere in July on Sky and NOW.
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TV Editor, Digital Spy Laura has been watching television for over 30 years and professionally writing about entertainment for almost 10 of those. Previously at LOOK and now heading up the TV desk at the UK's biggest TV and movies site Digital Spy, Laura has helped steer conversations around some of the most popular shows on the box. Laura has appeared on Channel 5 News and radio to talk viewing habits and TV recommendations. As well as putting her nerd-level Buffy knowledge to good use during an IRL meet with Sarah Michelle Gellar, Laura also once had afternoon tea with One Direction, has sat around the fire pit of the Love Island villa, spoken to Sir David Attenborough about the world's oceans and even interviewed Rylan from inside the Big Brother house (housemate status, forever pending).
