Cutting comedy, frilly diversions

Do not go gentle into that good small-screen summer. There are difficult decisions to be made, philosophically and narratively, and intense Bear-ish drama to be endured.

In between, Mary, Larry and Elle will provide some relief. Well, mostly relief.

●Ryan Hamilton: This Just Hit Me (comedy special premières Tuesday, June 23, on Netflix) and Louis C.K.: Ridiculous (premières Tuesday, June 30, on Netflix)

Happy Face (2017) was tall Idaho-born comic Ryan Hamilton’s first Netflix special. He concentrated his considerable dryly delivered comedy on his perpetually affable, slightly surprised expression. Very funny but uncomfortably self-lacerating at times. That same year, a much more urgent kind of discomfort surfaced when comic Louis C.K. admitted to sexual misconduct after five women publicly accused him. Now both performers have new comedy specials this month. Hamilton’s new special riffs on getting hit by a bus. C.K.’s, recorded last fall, talks about getting older and putting his dad in a home. Tragedy + time = comedy has never been truer, or more challenging to discerning viewers.

● The Other Bennet Sister (series finale premières Wednesday, June 24, on BritBox)

This literary costume drama about the overlooked middle sister of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice comes to a flustered close. What will become of Mary (Ella Bruccoler, Call the Midwife)? Or, more appropriate to the unapologetically bespectacled heroine’s renegade spirit, what will Mary choose for her future: singledom, the stalwart true heart Mr. Hayward (Dónal Finn) or the intoxicating Mr. Ryder (Laurie Davidson)?

●The Bear (all eight episodes of Season 5 première on Thursday on Hulu/Disney+)

The final season of the most intense workplace-family dramedy arrives in the wake of the May 5 secret bomb-drop of a prequel, titled Gary. That prequel follows Richie and Mikey (also co-writers Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Jon Bernthal) bickering and drinking on a road trip from Chicago to Gary, Ind. Any more would spoil the pleasure of watching this loving but harrowing story of the last(ish) stand of Mikey, the brother whose death and absence frames the series about an imperiled family restaurant.

On its own, Gary warrants a rewatch of The Bear (book at least three therapy sessions). But it’s especially poignant coming before this (reportedly) final season, which picks up the morning after Richie and co-workers discover that Mikey’s brother Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) has quit the biz and the building is being sold out from under them. Guaranteed to be funny, upsetting and punctuated by great music.

●Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness: An Almost History of America (series premières Friday, June 26 on HBO, streaming next day on Crave)

The man who co-created Seinfeld, and would not go away in a thinly veiled autobiography of a grump in Curb Your Enthusiasm, is back. Larry David created and stars in this new sketch comedy series (produced by the Obamas), taking an irreverent look back on the U.S.’s first 250 years. David is joined in the historical re-enactments by the likes of Jerry Seinfeld (of course), Jon Hamm, Sean Hayes, Isla Fisher, Kathryn Hahn, Bill Hader, Lin-Manual Miranda, Vince Vaughn and Curb regulars Jeff Garlin and Susie Essman.

● Elle (series premières on Wednesday, July 1, on Prime Video)

Before there was pink-bombshell Legally Blonde (2001) and the sequel Red, White and Blonde two years later, there was the semi-autobiographical novel about the relentlessly cheerful fish out of water at law school. Novelist and film co-writer Amanda Brown has expanded her franchise by serving as co-producer on this high school prequel. Laura Kittrell (Insecure) is the creator here, following Barbie-looking Elle Woods (Lexi Minetree, replacing Reese Witherspoon, staying on as co-producer) into peak-grunge Seattle. Appearances will be revealed to be very deceiving.

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