Yes, it’s blockbuster movie season, but summer TV is also on the rise – and this week is a perfect example of how packed this summer will be for television shows.
This week has some notable releases: Part 2 of Breakpoint, the Netflix tennis docuseries from the same people who brought us Formula 1: drive to survive, is finally here and satisfies tennis fans until Wimbledon next month. Critical and indie dramedy honey The bear is back too, ready to rethink how the restaurant looks (and works like).
Perhaps the biggest of them all: Samuel L. Jackson is coming to TV with Disney Plus’ Secret invasion. The highly anticipated MCU show adapts the comic arc of the same name, following Fury’s realization that the shape-shifting Skrulls have already infiltrated Earth and some of them may be up to no good.
All that in addition to 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 series on Netflix
Skull Island
Image: Netflix
Genre: Animated giant monkey business
Date of publication: June 22, with all eight episodes
Showrunner/creator: Brian Duffield
Form: Mae Whitman, Benjamin Bratt, Darren Barnet, Betty Gilpin
If you liked it Kong: Skull Island, then it’s time to check out this animated spin-off coming to Netflix. The show is about (what else?) people who are shipwrecked on an island where they encounter a host of strange, huge creatures – including… a giant ape known as Kong.
Glamorous
Genre: Soapy drama
Date of publication: June 22, with all 10 episodes
Showrunner/creator: Jordan Nardino
Form: 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 gets a job as an assistant to model-turned-makeup magnate Madolyn Addison (Cattrall). Like it Ugly Betty for him, he soon notices that behind the scenes of the industry is not all glitz and glamour. But also like Ugly Betty for him, it’s possible that he and the company will find a middle ground.
Breakpoint
Image: Netflix
Genre: Sports docuseries
Date of publication: June 21, with all 5 episodes
Show runner: Kari Lia
Form: 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 set (season). From the team behind it F1: drive to survive, Breaking Point: Part 2 (episodes 6-10) follows a select group of tennis players on and off the court as they win, lose, get injured and try to take first place.
New shows on Disney Plus
Secret invasion
Image: Marvel Studios
Genre: MCU spy thriller
Date of publication: June 21, with 1 episode
Showrunner/creator: Kyle Brad Street
Form: Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Olivia Colman
The long-plagued Secret invasion has finally arrived and Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) is feeling fine. Set in the current MCU, Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. humanity.
New shows on Hulu
The bear season 2
Image: FX Networks
Genre: Kitchen drama
Date of publication: June 22, with all 10 episodes
Showrunner/creator: Christopher Storer
Form: Jeremy Allen White, Ebon Moss-Bachrach, Ayo Edebiri, Lionel Boyce, Liza Colón-Zayas, Abby Elliott
The bear is back with a new name – the restaurant changes from “The Beef” to “The Bear” – a new remodel (in the works) and the same old-fashioned fine-dining clash of egos and visions that made Season 1 such a breakthrough hit. Say it with me: yes, chief!
New shows on Max
And just like that…, season 2
Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/Max
Genre: Sex and the City spinoff
Date of publication: June 22, with 2 episodes
Showrunner/creator: Darren star
Form: Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Nicole Ari Parker, Sarita Choudhury, Karen Pittman and Sara Ramirez
The first season of (most of) the Sex and the city girls living and loving in their fifties caused division, but were generally received as “soapy fun.” The second season promises the same – with at least a high-profile cameo from Kim Cattrall, who will return for a single scene as Samantha.
Downey’s dream cars
Genre: Docuseries (with an eco-friendly angle)
Date of publication: June 22, with 2 episodes
Executive producer: Robert Downey Jr., Susan Downey, Emily Barclay Ford
Form: Robert Downey Jr. and a team of automotive experts
Robert Downey Jr. loves classic cars! So now he and a team of experts will restore six classic cars from his collection to make them more environmentally friendly on the road.
New programs on Prime Video
I am a Virgo
Genre: A bit of a surreal slice of life
Date of publication: June 23, with all 7 episodes
Showrunner/creator: Boots Riley
Form: 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 is also 14 feet tall, a condition his parents try to hide from the world by safely tucking Cootie away. But once he escapes, he goes to great lengths to experience the beauty and contradictions of the real world, as well as endure some awkward encounters with true 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 a Car (Talk Show)
Date of publication: June 23, with 7 episodes
Showrunners/Creators: Ben Winston and James Corden
Form: The after party form; Avril Lavigne and YUNGBLUD; Lea Michele and Darren Criss; Cedric the entertainer and Sheryl Lee Ralph; Alanis Morissette and Cara Delevin; the Girls5Eva form; the Ghosts form; and Alison Brie and Danny Pudi.
Season 6 of the Carpool Karaoke series continues with a new crop of celebrities driving around and singing. As they sing along to their playlists, they share things from their lives – with one group even receiving incredibly exciting news in real time.
Wanderer, season 2
Genre: Drama
Date of publication: June 23, with 1 episode
Showrunner/creator: Reggie Rock Bythewood, Kevin Durant and Brian Grazer
Form: 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 thin line between dreams and ambition, and opportunism and corruption. Off the field, the show shows what it’s like growing up in America. Season 2 opens with senior year where four of the boys attend the predominantly white prep school hoping to capitalize on their basketball skills and make the program competitive.
New shows on Peacock
LA Fire and Rescue
Genre: Documentaries
Date of publication: June 21 at 8 p.m. EDT on NBC; streaming the next day on Peacock
Showrunner/creator: Robin Younie
Form: Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighters
A documentary spin-off from Dick Wolf’s Chicago universe, the series documents the actual calls and drama of a firefighter at one of Los Angeles’ many firehouses. The season will focus on nine different departments, serving LA’s more than 4 million residents, while facing unpredictable danger.