Yes, it’s blockbuster movie season, but summer TV is also heating up – and this week is a perfect example of just how packed TV shows this summer is going to be.
There are several notable releases this week: Part 2 of Break Point, the Netflix tennis documentary from the same people who brought us Formula 1: Drive to Survive is finally here, keeping tennis fans busy until Wimbledon next month. Critic and indie dramedy darling The Bear is also back and ready to rethink what the restaurant looks like (and how it works).
Perhaps the biggest of all is Samuel L. Jackson coming to TV with Disney Plus’ Secret Invasion. Adapting the comic arc of the same name, the long-awaited MCU show follows Fury’s dawning realization that the shapeshifting Skrulls have already infiltrated Earth and some of them may be up to no good.
All along with new episodes for ongoing shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, The Righteous Gemstones, Strange New Worlds, and more. Here are all the major TV premieres this week:
New shows on Netflix
skull island
Image: Netflix
Genre: Animated giant ape shop
Release date: June 22, with all eight episodes
Showrunner/Creator: Brian Duffield
Pour: Mae Whitman, Benjamin Bratt, Darren Barnet, Betty Gilpin
If you enjoyed Kong: Skull Island, then it’s time to check out this animated spin-off coming to Netflix. The series is about (what else?) people who are shipwrecked on an island and encounter a variety of strange, giant creatures – including… a giant ape named Kong.
Glamorous
Genre: Soapy Dramedy
Release date: June 22nd, with all 10 episodes
Showrunner/Creator: Jordon Nardino
Pour: Kim Cattrall, Miss Benny, Zane Phillips, Jade Payton, Michael Hsu Rosen, Ayesha Harris, Graham Parkhurst
Glamorous follows Marco Mejia (Benny), a young, gender-nonconforming beauty vlogger who lands a job as an assistant to model and makeup mogul Madolyn Addison (Cattrall). Like Ugly Betty before him, he quickly discovers that behind the scenes in the industry, it’s not just about glitz and glamor. But like Ugly Betty before him, it’s possible he and the company will find a middle ground.
breakpoint
Image: Netflix
Genre: sports documentaries
Release date: June 21st, with all 5 episodes
Showrunner: Kari Lia
Pour: Professional tennis players (including: Nick Kyrgios, Taylor Fritz, Ons Jabeur, Ajla Tomljanovic, Iga Swiatek, Frances Tiafoe, Aryna Sabalenka)
The tennis documentary you know and love is back for another series (season). From the team behind F1: Drive to Survive, Break Point: Part 2 (episodes 6-10), follows a select group of tennis players on and off the court as they win, lose, hurt themselves and try to conquer the top spot.
New shows on Disney Plus
Secret invasion
Image: Marvel Studios
Genre: MCU spy thriller
Release date: June 21, with 1 episode
Showrunner/Creator: Kyle Bradstreet
Pour: Samuel L Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Olivia Colman
The long-awaited Secret Invasion is finally upon us, and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is feeling good. Set in today’s MCU, Fury learns of a covert invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. He joins his allies – including Everett Ross, Maria Hill, and the Skrull Talos – as they race against time to thwart an impending Skrull invasion and save humanity.
New shows on Hulu
The bear season 2
Image: FX Networks
Genre: kitchen drama
Release date: June 22nd, with all 10 episodes
Showrunner/Creator: Christopher Storer
Pour: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colon-Zayas, Abby Elliott
The Bear is back with a new name – the restaurant changing from “The Beef” to “The Bear” – a new revamp (in progress) and the same old gourmet clash of egos and visions that made season one So One breakthrough hit. Say it with me: yes, chef!
New shows on Max
And just like that… Season 2
Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/Max
Genre: Sex and the City spinoff
Release date: June 22, with 2 episodes
Showrunner/Creator: Darren Star
Pour: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Nicole Ari Parker, Sarita Choudhury, Karen Pittman and Sara Ramirez
The first season, in which (most) “Sex and the City” girls live and love in their fifties, was controversial but universally received as “soapy fun.” Season two promises the same thing – with at least one high-profile cameo from Kim Cattrall, who will return as Samantha for a single scene.
Downey’s dream cars
Genre: Documentation (with an environmentally friendly aspect)
Release date: June 22, with 2 episodes
Executive producer: Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Emily Barclay Ford
Pour: Robert Downey Jr. and a team of car experts
Robert Downey Jr. loves classic cars! Now, with a team of experts, he will restore six classic cars from his collection in order to put them on the road in a more environmentally friendly way.
New shows on Prime Video
I am a virgin
Genre: Slightly surrealistic piece of life
Release date: June 23, with all 7 episodes
Showrunner/Creator: Boots Riley
Pour: Jharrel Jerome, Brett Gray, Allius Barnes, Olivia Washington, Kara Young, Carmen Ejogo, Walton Goggins and more
Cootie (Jerome) just wants to be like everyone else. Unfortunately, he’s also 13 feet tall, a condition his parents try to hide from the world by safely hiding Cootie. But once he breaks free, he tries to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world and also manage some awkward encounters with real-life crime fighter “The Hero”.
New shows on Apple TV Plus
Carpool Karaoke: The Series, Season 6
Image: Apple TV Plus
Genre: Celebrities Do Karaoke In The Car (Talk Show)
Release date: June 23, with 7 episodes
Showrunner/Maker: Ben Winston and James Corden
Pour: The Afterparty Cast; Avril Lavigne and YUNGBLUD; Lea Michele and Darren Criss; Cedric The Entertainer and Sheryl Lee Ralph; Alanis Morissette and Cara Delevingne; the Girls5Eva cast; the occupation of spirits; and Alison Brie and Danny Pudi.
Season 6 of the carpool karaoke series continues with a new cast of celebrities driving around and singing. As they sing along to their playlists, they share things from their lives – one group even gets incredibly exciting news in real time.
Swagger season 2
Genre: theatre
Release date: June 23, with 1 episode
Showrunner/Creator: Reggie Rock Bythewood, Kevin Durant and Brian Grazer
Pour: O’Shea Jackson Jr., Isaiah Hill, Shinelle Azoroh, Quvenzhané Wallis, Tristan Mack Wilds, Caleel Harris, Tessa Ferrer, James Bingham, Solomon Irama, Ozie Nzeribe, Jason Rivera, Christina Jackson, Sean Baker, Orlando Jones and Shannon Brown.
Inspired by the experiences of NBA superstar Kevin Durant, Swagger explores the world of youth basketball and the players, their families and coaches who walk the fine line between dreams and ambition, opportunism and corruption. Off the field, the show shows what it’s like growing up in America. Season 2 begins with senior year where four of the boys will attend the predominantly white prep school hoping to capitalize on their basketball skills and make the program competitive.
New shows on Peacock
LA Fire & Rescue
Genre: documentations
Release date: June 21 at 8 p.m. EDT on NBC; Streaming the next day on Peacock
Showrunner/Creator: Robyn Younie
Pour: Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters
A documentary spin-off from Dick Wolf’s Chicago universe, the series documents real-life action and drama as a firefighter at one of Los Angeles’ many fire departments. The season will focus on nine different departments that serve LA’s more than 4 million residents and face unpredictable dangers along the way.
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