WHAT TO STREAM THIS SUMMER

With a few exceptions, summer has historically been taken for granted as a pop culture dead zone. The TV season would generally churn to life in September as the weather cooled and continue through May, when many shows aired their highly anticipated season finales. When school was out for the summer, so was TV.

But in recent decades, the advent (and domination) of streaming has shaken up the traditional mold, helped along by a pandemic that delayed production schedules and exacerbated viewers’ binge-watching habits. And of course, there’s the perennial tradition of summer blockbusters that draw kids to air-conditioned movie theaters on blistering summer days.

Ahead of an offseason of great film, TV, music and more, we asked some members of the Washington Post’s pop culture team to tell us what’s on their radar.

1. ‘Rothaniel’

Comedian Jerrod Carmichael is known to push boundaries, often captured by his HBO comedy specials. In his latest, “Rothaniel,” he challenges himself: He comes out as gay while onstage and spends a notable portion of the program in conversation with the audience, grappling with his decision to share a long-held secret. Directed by Bo Burnham, “Rothaniel” allows Carmichael the space to be candid, vulnerable and, yes, funny. It’s a masterful balance of tones, and a marvel of a comedy special. (Streaming on HBO) — Sonia Rao, pop culture reporter

2. ‘Physical’

This Rose Byrne vehicle — about a woman on the verge of divorce who finds a new passion in teaching and selling aerobics, a new exercise craze in the show’s early 1980s, proto-hypercapitalist setting — was one of my favorite shows of 2021. I’m greatly looking forward to Byrne’s maniacal Sheila take her business to the next level in the dark comedy’s second season, squaring off against vengeful former collaborator

Bunny (Della Saba) and reigning aerobics king Vinnie (Murray Bartlett). (Streaming on Apple TV+) — Inkoo Kang, TV critic

3. ‘Ms. Marvel’

“It’s not really the Brown girls from Jersey City who save the world,” says high-schooler and Avengers superfan Kamala Khan in the YA series’ trailer. Except in the Disney+ series, it is. The teen superhero origin story looks charming and fresh, with a promising newcomer in star Iman Vellani. (Streaming Wednesday on Disney+) — Inkoo Kang

4. ‘Never Have I Ever’

A love triangle among teens is no new ground to tread, but “Never Have I Ever” still feels fresh thanks to its diverse cast (main character Devi is Indian, yes, and that comes up, but she’s also horny as hell, natch, so that comes up, too) and surprisingly thoughtful plotlines about loss and loneliness. Also, let’s be clear: If Mindy Kaling created it, there’s usually a 95% chance I’m watching it. (Streaming Aug. 12 on Netflix) — Caitlin Moore, assignment editor for pop culture

5. ‘A League of Their Own’

Nothing can top Penny Marshall’s 1992 movie about women playing baseball in the 1940s – Tom Hanks as a lovable degenerate? Geena Davis as the ultimate badass? Lori Petty as an OG feminist? — but curiosity is piqued by this series starring Abbi Jacobson, D’Arcy Carden and Nick Offerman. (Streaming this summer on Amazon Prime)

LARA SOLANKI/NETFLIX Ramona Young stars as Eleanor Wong (from left), Lee Rodriguez is Fabiola Torres and Megan Sur plays Aneesa in “Never Have I Ever,” which is streaming in August on Netflix.

HBO Jerrod Carmichael comes out as gay while onstage and spends a notable portion conversing with the audience in “Rothaniel.”

APPLE TV+ Rose Byrne stars in “Physical,” a dark comedy streaming into its highly anticipated second season.