New Prime Video Sci-Fi Series ‘Paper Girls’ Confirms July Release Date

We just nailed down more details about Paper Girls, Prime Video‘s upcoming sci-fi TV show based on Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang’s acclaimed comic book series of the same name.

The story follows four 12-year-old paper delivery girls in 1988 unexpectedly caught up in a war between time travelers. All eight episodes of the first season will hit the streaming service on July 29, Prime Video announced Thursday. 

Caught in a crossfire across time, the kids “must figure out a way to get back home to the past, a journey that will bring them face-to-face with the grown-up versions of themselves,” Prime Video says of its adventure TV series. On top of grappling with the realization that their futures are different from what they pictured, they must deal with the The Old Watch, a “militant faction of time-travelers” hunting them. 

Young actors Riley Lai Nelet, Sofia Rosinsky, Camryn Jones and Fina Strazza star as the show’s core four Erin, Mac, Tiffany and KJ. Comedian Ali Wong plays the adult version of Erin. The show is executive produced in part by Halt and Catch Fire creators Christopher C. Rogers and Christopher Cantwell.

In a statement, Vaughan said he “loves” the show. “The extraordinary cast feels ripped from the pages of our comic,” says Vaughan, who’s an executive producer on the show. “And whether you’ve read every issue of Paper Girls or are just starting the ride here, there will be huge surprises in store for you this epic first season.”

In 2016, the Paper Girls comic book series won prestigious Eisner Awards (the Oscars of comics) for best new series and best penciller/inker. Some writers (and Reddit users) have compared the Paper Girls comic to Stranger Things, the incredibly popular Netflix sci-fi series that’s currently in it’s fourth season. Writing for Bustle in 2019, Katie Smith said, “The first Paper Girls story arc offers the same Converse High Top-clad nostalgic spirit of Stranger Things.” Referring to kid-focused adventures like the comic, Stranger Things and 2011 sci-fi thriller Super 8, NPR’s Glen Weldon wrote, “They are all concerned with adolescence, specifically the push-pull tension between the familiar safety of home and the unknown dangers of the adult world.”