Television doesn’t sleep. The sheer amount of content—almost 500 scripted programs aired in the year 2019!—can prove overwhelming for even the most dedicated TV buffs. Television Academy voters make Emmy selections in August, and SAG-AFTRA members vote on SAG Awards in January, but their job requires tuning in all year long. Backstage is breaking down, month by month, the buzzy shows and performances that merit awards attention in the ever-growing landscape of the small screen. Mark your calendar and become a couch potato along with us!
Much of film and TV production, like everything else, has been paused due to the coronavirus. But that isn’t stopping streaming services and cable networks from launching enough must-watch TV to keep us busy.
With new series and returning favorites, reboots and revivals, comedy, dramedy, and mysteries, this month has a little bit of something for everyone as we continue to shelter in place. This summer’s highlights include Season 2 of Jordan Peele’s take on TV classic “The Twilight Zone” with a long list of stars to be featured. Classic reboots don’t stop there; HBO will debut the newest take on classic legal drama “Perry Mason,” with Matthew Rhys of “The Americans” in the titular role. Also on HBO, rising phenom Michaela Coel, who starred in and created the critically acclaimed “Chewing Gum,” will launch her latest, “I May Destroy You.” Netflix-rebooted “Fuller House” airs its final episodes, and the fabulous Bette Midler and Judith Light return for a second outing of Ryan Murphy’s “The Politician.” Check out the full list of June 2020 premieres below!
Acorn TV
Kicking off the month on the 1st, the recently revived Australian series “Seachange” joins the streaming service focused on bringing overseas content to the U.S. On June 15, Season 2 of Welsh crime drama “Hidden” will be added, after airing in the UK back in 2019.
AMC
Vampire drama “NOS4A2” (pronounced “Nosferatu” and based on the novel of the same name), returns for its second season on the 21st, with leads Ashleigh Cummings and Zachary Quinto reprising their roles.
BritBox
“Isolation Stories” is a new four-part series, debuting on BritBox June 23, depicting the lives of families living through quarantine amid the COVID-19 pandemic—and filmed recently in accordance with restrictions in the UK.
CBS All Access
The streaming arm of CBS will launch the second season of Peele’s “The Twilight Zone” revival on the 25th. All 10 episodes of the anthology series will be available on then, and this season features a huge, star-studded cast including Billy Porter, Joel McHale, Tony Hale, Gillian Jacobs, Paul F. Tompkins, Tawny Newsome, Thomas Lennon, Jurnee Smollett, Damon Wayans Jr., Ethan Embry, and Chris Meloni, just to name a few.
Cinemax
Adapted from the Deon Meyer novel of the same name, the new South African crime thriller “Trackers” airs on the 5th.
The CW
Season 2 of British crime drama “Bulletproof” begins its stateside run on the 10th.
HBO
On June 7, Coel stars in “I May Destroy You,” which she also wrote, portraying a victim of date rape and drugging, gradually putting together events she cannot recall.
And on the 21st, the Emmy-winning Rhys will star in the reboot of classic drama “Perry Mason.” The original series featured Raymond Burr in the titular role and ran from 1957–66, though this series will be set in the ’30s and John Lithgow, Tatiana Maslany, Shea Whigham, Stephen Root, Nate Corddry, Lili Taylor, Robert Patrick, and Juliet Rylance will star alongside Rhys.
HBO Max
Over on the newest streaming service making a splash, HBO Max, “Doom Patrol” will air its second season on the 25th, as well as on its home streaming channel, DC Universe. And that same day, the third season of critically acclaimed dramedy “Search Party,” which stars Alia Shawkat, makes the move from TBS to HBO Max.
Hulu
Hulu offers up four new series this month. On the 2nd comes “Maxx,” a British comedy featuring O-T Fagbenle, who also wrote and co-directed the series, as a former boy band star hoping to revitalize his career with help from his manager, played by Christopher Meloni. On the 4th, “In My Skin” arrives; this Welsh coming-of-age comedy stars Gabrielle Creevy. And on the 19th, dramedy “Love, Victor” premieres, a spinoff from the 2018 movie “Love, Simon” featuring a new central character; it is narrated by the original titular Simon, Nick Robinson, and also stars Michael Cimino, James Martinez, and Ana Ortiz. Finally, on the 12th, the monthly iteration of anthology series “Into the Dark” will launch with “Into the Dark: Good Boy.”
Netflix
The second half of the final season of rebooted sitcom “Fuller House” kicks off the month on June 2nd, followed by the fourth and final season of drama “13 Reasons Why” on the 5th. On the 12th, the latest novel of Harlan Coben’s to be adapted for Netflix, “The Woods,” a six-part miniseries, makes its debut. The latter half of the third season of “Alexa and Katie” will be available on the 13th. Also in its third season, British crime procedural “Marcella” will launch on the 14th; and on the 17th, Season 2 of “Mr. Iglesias,” starring comedian Gabriel Iglesias, debuts. Finishing up the month on the 19th is Murphy’s satirical dramedy, “The Politician,” which jumps ahead in time for its second season and whose cast still features Ben Platt, Gwyneth Paltrow, Lucy Boynton, and Zoey Deutch.
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“Greenleaf,” starring Lynn Whitfield, Keith David, and more, will begin its fifth and final season on the 23rd.
Paramount
On the 21st, “Yellowstone” returns for its third season with its cast featuring Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley, Cole Hauser, and Kelsey Asbille. The drama series has already been greenlit for a fourth season.
PBS
Miniseries “Beecham House,” set in colonial India in the late 18th century, begins on the 14th. That same evening, Season 5 of mystery drama “Grantchester” makes its stateside debut, still featuring Tom Brittney but without longtime lead James Norton.
Showtime
Moved up from July, Season 3 of “The Chi” debuts on the 21st with Emmy-winning actor-writer Lena Waithe, show creator, joining the cast. Meanwhile on the 28th “Black Monday,” starring Don Cheadle, Andrew Rannells, Regina Hall, and Paul Scheer resumes its second season after a hiatus.
Spectrum
Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba reprise their roles as Los Angeles detectives in Season 2 of the buzzy “LA’s Finest,” launching on June 8.
USA
Moved from Bravo to USA for its second season, true crime anthology “Dirty John” starts with “Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story,” starring Amanda Peet and Christian Slater.
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