Your summer watchlist: 15 shows you can watch to beat the heat

5. Sweetbitter

The rundown: A clueless Tess, 22, arrives in New York City without any discernible skills to speak of, no friends, and little direction. Her quick wit and desire for adventure inspire her to pack up and move to the big city, and she does just that.

Once she arrives in NYC, she is overwhelmed by how quickly it becomes untenable and more expensive than she thought. She crashes at a friend’s apartment, sells her car, and reluctantly starts working in a cryptically eclectic restaurant.

Why it’s summer fun: Although it’s tonally very different, it has a real Sex and the City sort of vibe to it. Maybe it’s because Tess is just so enamored with the city, despite its disillusioning effect. Or maybe it’s because the city factors play such a heavy-handed role in defining the lead character, but it will remind you of those ladies in some way.

Sweetbitter is also wildly nostalgic, but not because it’s set in 2006. The actress who plays Tess, Ella Purnell is plucky and unsullied by the world, and she reminds me of what every 22-year-old should be before the real world tries to grind you up. It’s also a restaurant show, which is a culture unto it’s own. Although the writers of the series hoped to make it a coming-of-age story, it’s equally as much a workplace series. (It will call up a lot of all memories for the servers in the audience.)

How to watch: The first season is only six episodes, so it’s not too much to consume in a weekend. You can watch it all on the Starz website and app, and your cable’s On Demand.