Justified: City Primeval Adds to the Mythos of Timothy Olyphant's Raylan Givens

Looking for your next binge-watch, or just need to fill an hour? Welcome to Your Weekly Watch List, our curated collection of the best shows on television. Here’s what to watch from Sunday, July 16 through Saturday, July 22.

Eight years after Timothy Olyphant's Raylan Givens hung up his Stetson, the U.S. Marshal returns to television in FX sequel Justified: City Primeval. For viewers looking to lighten the mood after the two-episode Justified premiere, this week also brings the debut of Minx Season 2 (now on Starz), a new iteration of The Real Housewives of New York City, and more.

The Real Housewives of New York City Season 14 Premiere

Sunday, 9:00 PM ET on Bravo

Don't be fooled by the "Season 14" tag: It's a new era for The Real Housewives of New York City. After a dismal 13th season, Bravo has retooled the Big Apple-based series, recruiting six new Housewives to replace longtime stars Ramona Singer, Luann de Lesseps, and Sonja Morgan. The new cast is a diverse group that includes former J. Crew president and executive creative director Jenna Lyons, Somalian model and philanthropist Ubah Hassan, and Sai De Silva, an Afro-Latina director of a lifestyle brand. But while the RHONY ladies may be different, the drama remains the same, as the trailer teases plenty of confrontations, backstabbing, and disastrous birthday parties to come.

That said, if Bravo obsessives need their OG RHONY fix, they can catch Luann and Sonja on their new reality series Welcome to Crappie Lake, which sees the women help spruce up the small town of Benton, Illinois. The duo will also reunite with Ramona, Dorinda Medley, Kelly Killoren Bensimon, and Kristen Taekman on the RHONY Legacy season of Peacock's The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip, though a premiere date has not yet been announced.

Justified: City Primeval

Tuesday, 10:00 PM ET on FX (Streams next-day on Hulu)
*Our must-watch pick of the week*

It's not easy to revive a beloved show years after its finale — just look at the first season of And Just Like That... — but Justified: City Primeval offers a model for other sequels to follow in the years ahead. 15 years after Wild West-style U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (Timothy Olyphant) left the hollers of Kentucky for Florida, a chance encounter sends him to Detroit, where he finds himself hunting an elusive criminal, Clement Mansell (Boyd Holbrook), aka The Oklahoma Wildman. Raylan is no stranger to the dark and depraved, but Mansell's attorney, Detroit native Carolyn Wilder (Aunjanue Ellis), presents a new challenge for the lawman: Carolyn is determined to defend her client, but she works behind-the-scenes to secure her own future, and she soon becomes caught between the two men and their very different worlds.

While showrunners and executive producers Dave Andron and Michael Dinner, who worked on the original series, maintain Justified's extralegal drama and distinct tone, they acknowledge the reality of shifting the action from the predominantly-white Harlan County, Kentucky to the diverse city of Detroit. The sequel makes a point of giving Carolyn an in-depth backstory that reflects her experience as a Black woman born and raised in the Midwestern city, and her personal history becomes a key element of the season's central conflict. Raylan's story is similarly expanded: He's joined in this new setting by his teenage daughter Willa (Vivian Olyphant), whose presence raises questions about the dangers of Raylan's chosen profession. These storylines are substantive enough that even viewers new to Raylan's exploits will find themselves drawn to the Elmore Leonard adaptation, which stands as one of the most exciting releases of the summer. Two episodes drop this week, followed by one every Tuesday through late August.

Minx Season 2 Premiere

Friday, 9:00 PM ET on Starz

Amid our current era of streaming uncertainty, the tale of Minx represents the best-case scenario for scrapped shows. After scoring a Season 2 renewal on Max,Minx was canceled with just one week left in production (and pulled from the service shortly thereafter), but luckily, Starz swooped in to save the 1970s-set comedy. As executive producer Paul Feig tells it, the move to premium cable was a blessing, as it has broadened the potential audience for the inclusive, sex-positive series. "I would rather sell a show to QVC — be the first scripted show on QVC — than get some cool streamer that nobody's ever heard of because we want people to see our stuff," he said in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter. "We want as many people to see it, as many people to enjoy and find it."

Viewers who discover Minx on Starz will find a comedy that's more confident in its identity than ever before. This season, publisher Doug Renetti (Jake Johnson) and his creative partner Joyce (Ophelia Lovibond) sell Bottom Dollar to a wealthy shipping magnate, played by the always-excellent Elizabeth Perkins. In the wake of the sale, Doug and Joyce's women's erotic magazine, Minx, is more popular than ever, but as everything changes around them, they begin to question their role in the company's future. As Minx's leaders face new challenges and temptations, their colleagues come into their own, particularly Tina (Idara Victor) and Shelly (Lennon Parham), whose storylines take exciting turns across the eight-episode season.

Praise Petey

Friday, 10:00 PM ET on Freeform

Freeform makes its first foray into the world of animated series with Praise Petey. Schitt's Creek alum Annie Murphy puts her experience playing a fish-out-of-water to good use as the voice of Petey St. Barts, a New York City it girl who reluctantly agrees to help modernize her late father's (Stephen Root) cult in the rural South. With the help of her father's right-hand woman Mae Mae (Amy Hill), Petey formulates a mission statement, fundraises for the group's medical expenses, and attempts to move the New Utopians away from their tradition of ritual sacrifice.

Though Freeform lacks animated comedy experience, the network has made up for it by recruiting an all-star team to shepherd Praise Petey to the screen. Creator Anna Drezen (Saturday Night Live, Girls5Eva) partners with executive producers Mike Judge (Beavis and Butt-Head) and The Office mastermind Greg Daniels on the comedy, which serves as a funny examination of the administrative side of cult leadership. In addition, John Cho, who can also be seen in The Afterparty Season 2, voices Petey's potential love interest Bandit, and Christine Baranski makes an appearance as Petey's elitist mother.

If You Have...

An Hour

Goliath: Sunday, 10:00 PM ET on Showtime
Below Deck Down Under Season 2 Premiere: Monday, 8:00 PM ET on Bravo
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia Season 16 Finale: Wednesday, 10:00 PM ET on FXX
Mayans M.C. Series Finale: Wednesday, 10:00 PM ET on FX

An Evening

Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge: Sunday, 8:00 PM ET on HGTV
I Wanna Rock: The '80s Metal Dream: Tuesday, Paramount+
CMA Fest 2023: Wednesday, 8:00 PM ET on ABC
Glitch: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia: Thursday, Max

A Full Day

Surf Girls Hawai'i: Tuesday, Amazon Prime Video
Love Island USA Season 5: New episodes Tuesday–Saturday, 9:00 PM ET on Peacock
Sweet Magnolias Season 3: Thursday, Netflix

Up Next

Special Ops: Lioness: Sunday, July 23 on Paramount+
Futurama Season 11: Monday, July 24 on Hulu
Twisted Metal: Thursday, July 27 on Peacock
The Witcher Season 3, Part 2: Thursday, July 27 on Netflix
This Fool Season 2: Friday, July 28 on Hulu

Claire Spellberg Lustig is the Senior Editor at Primetimer and a scholar of The View. Follow her on Twitter at @c_spellberg.