The Summer Olympics are winding down, and high-budget prestige shows like "House of the Dragon," "The Acolyte" and "The Umbrella Academy" have wrapped up their latest seasons.
Those looking to fill the void with some light entertainment can find "Kite Man: Hell Yeah!," a DC Comic show with an unlikely protagonist, and "Smiling Friends," a bizarre but delightful show with a strong online following, on Max. Hulu has revived "Futurama," an animated sitcom with decades of history, and also is streaming "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes," the fourth installment in the rebooted science fiction series.
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Here is more on each:
Kite Man: Hell Yeah!
He's no Joker or Lex Luthor, but everyone loves an underdog like Kite Man. The obscure DC Comics supervillain broke out in the Max animated comedy show "Harley Quinn" and now has a spinoff show featuring crude humor and heartfelt stories.
Kite Man (Matt Oberg) and his girlfriend Golden Glider (Stephanie Hsu) buy a seedy bar frequented by D-list supervillains, supported by characters like Bane (James Adomian doing an extended Tom Hardy impression) and Queen of Fables (Janelle James from "Abbott Elementary").
This ragtag group of villains keeps their new establishment alive in the shadow of Lex Luthor, who has a sinister scheme for the bar. "Kite Man: Hell Yeah!" is violent and profane, but it contains a lot of energy and some lovable characters.
Futurama
Since debuting in 1999 on Fox, "Futurama" has been canceled and revived multiple times. Its latest home is Hulu, which released a new season – the second on the streaming platform – on July 29.
Depicting the weird but familiar society of the 31st century, "Futurama" has a colorful cast that rivals its contemporaries of "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy." More recent seasons of "Futurama" have been eager to tackle pop culture topics, and this season's premiere revolves around NFTs and the blockchain.
Its attempts at topical humor are hit-or-miss, but it's hard to resist the antics of the Planet Express delivery crew of Fry, Leela, Bender and others. And as with classic episodes in the series, some new stories aim to tug at viewers' heartstrings.
Smiling Friends
Adult Swim is no stranger to the surreal, but "Smiling Friends" appears to be resonating with viewers while pushing boundaries in animated comedies. The show follows a company (possibly located in Philly) aimed at bringing joy and happiness, with most episodes focusing on protagonists Pim and Charlie.
Their customers include washed-up celebrities and even the President of the United States. While primarily a 2D animated show, characters of other styles pop up in the world, like claymation characters, pixelated video game models and even live-action actors. The show can have a grotesque and unsettling feel with jokes coming at a breakneck speed, but the characters are endearing despite the awful situations they navigate.
The show recently was renewed for a third season. The first two seasons can be streamed on Max.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes
The revival of the "Planet of the Apes" series made marks with a trilogy of films in the 2010s starring Andy Serkis as the mastermind ape Caesar. "Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes" is a follow-up that takes place centuries after Caesar's time, so it's worth checking if apes are still strong together.
Featuring the innovative motion capture technology that defined the Caesar trilogy, the film is a technical marvel of storytelling. The story centers on an ape named Noa whose journey with a woman leads them to question their past and future in the ape-dominated world.
The film was directed by Wes Ball, who previously helmed the "Maze Runner" trilogy and is working on a live-action adaptation of "The Legend of Zelda" video game series.