Pop Culture: Netflix, streaming services give summer fresh content

Once upon a time, summer was the season to catch up on all the great television you missed throughout the year. However, over the past years, with the growth of streaming services and the never-ending flow of new content, that's not so true anymore. Not only are platforms such as Netflix constantly releasing new content, but networks and cable television also have a wave of summer shows to offer their viewers.

This month, Netflix is continuing to follow through on its intention to make 50 percent of its catalog original content by the end of the 2018. In October 2017, Netflix announced a plan to spend $7 to $8 billion dollars this year on new content. With Disney, CBS and other studios and networks developing their own streaming service, Netflix's intention is to clearly stand on its own. But how much attention can the nonstop flow of new content truly grab? Between new releases and returning shows there is never a lack of entertainment. Not only is "Queer Eye" season 2 coming out June 15, but "Luke Cage" is likewise returning to please Marvel fans on June 22; "Sense 8" will bid us farewell on June 8, and "GLOW" kicks off Season 2 on June 29. On top of that, Netflix is not the only giant with great content this summer. "Marvel's Cloak & Dagger" will start on Freeform on June 7, while Kevin Costner will start his first regular TV-series role as a rancher in "Yellowstone" on June 20 for the Paramount Channel.

Meanwhile on HBO, a new Gillian Flynn ("Gone Girl") adaptation will hit the small screen on July 8. Starring Amy Adams ("Man of Steel," "Arrival"), "Sharp Objects" follows a dysfunctional journalist investigating a series of murders in her Missouri hometown. Another highly anticipated summer show, "Castle Rock," will land July 25 on Hulu. This show is straight out of the minds of Stephen King and J.J. Abrams and puts together different characters and stories from the King universe into the fictional setting of Castle Rock, Maine.

Last fall, Netflix announced its plan to release 80 original films in 2018; in February, it shared a goal to have 700 original TV shows on the service worldwide this year. And that's just Netflix's ambition. There is no shortage of television anymore, no real summer break and always something new to discover or something old to return to. Summer was once the best time for catching up on television, but that time is long gone. Now you can spend the entire summer glued to your TV screen, escaping the scorching heat, but even if there are a lot of great shows coming out in the next few months, don't forget to find time to go outside and enjoy some fresh air.