12 Shows to Get Excited About This Summer
Summer is bringing a number of highly-anticipated shows to binge.
With the days of pandemic-induced filming delays soon to be behind us, streaming platforms are ushering in the warmer months with an array of sizzling new titles and returning installments of some of the best-loved series of recent years. Slated to premiere this summer is the second season of the Netflix hit show Too Hot to Handle, a Gossip Girl reboot, and Marvel’s long-awaited upcoming Loki TV series. The eclectic lineup soon to be bestowed upon us should be more than enough to keep us all entertained as we wait out the slowly (but surely) lifting pandemic lockdowns and social distancing guidelines over the coming months.
After years of living in the shadow of his broad-shouldered, hammer-wielding brother, Thor, the God of mischief and every Marvel fan’s favorite villain, Loki, is at long last getting his center-stage moment. The six-episode show, coming to Disney+ on June 9, will take place after the events of Avengers: Endgame, where the alternate reality version of the Asgardian god, played by Tom Hiddleston, must navigate the aftermath of the war and the consequences of his prior use of time travel via the Space Stone to escape captivity in New York.
While Season 1 of Love, Victor centered on Victor’s internal struggle with his sexuality, Season 2 will focus on his relationships with others as he adjusts to life after having been newly outed. Season 1 ended with Victor being unwittingly outed to his girlfriend, Mia, after she saw him kissing his crush, Benji, causing outrage and heartbreak to erupt. Now entering his junior year at Creekwood High, Season 2 will follow Victor as he makes his way through uncharted territory in a journey of self-discovery and acceptance. The 11-episode season will premiere on June 11 on Hulu.
Concluding the heist drama that swept viewers around the world by storm upon the release of its first installment in January, Lupin Part 2 will be released on Netflix on June 11. The show picks up right where it left off, with Assane Diop (played by Omar Sy), on a quest for vengeance upon his discovery that his late father was framed for a crime he did not commit by his affluent employer, Hubert Pellegrini. Netflix’s biggest French international hit to date, the crime drama was based on the 20th century novels by French author Maurice LeBlanc, which center on the fictional thief and mastermind, Arsène Lupin.
One of Nickelodeon’s most beloved TV shows, iCarly is coming back for a revival featuring original cast members Miranda Cosgrove, Nathan Kress, and Jerry Trainor, along with a handful of new cast additions. In the 13-episode reboot, which will be chock-full of the show’s signature kooky antics, Carly is now in her mid-20s and decides to revive her eponymous web show. This time around, she has her new friend, Harper, played by Laci Mosley, by her side, and her older brother Spencer has made it big-time as an artist, allowing for some upscale additions to their original apartment. Catch the air date on June 17 on Paramount+.
Much to the pleasant surprise of fans of Rick and Morty, the turnaround time between Season 4 and the soon-to-be-released Season 5 of the dark comedy has been just over a year, which is relatively quick for the show. Trailers released in March preview Rick and Morty’s upcoming shenanigans, which involve a slew of new alien characters, evil clones, and of course, classic Smith family drama. Tune into the premiere on June 20 on Adult Swim for a glimpse.
Just over a year after the smash hit release of its first installment in April 2020, Too Hot to Handle is back for another sexed-up season, coming to Netflix on June 23. The premise of the show consists of inviting conventionally attractive singles to an island where they are to refrain from engaging in sexual activities with one another (no kissing, either) or risk jeopardizing a $100,000 grand prize. Much to nobody’s surprise, the task at hand inevitably proves too difficult for more than a couple islanders, and drama ensues. While it’s still unclear if the epic success of the show’s first installment was an indication of a legitimately good series, or was little more than a warning sign of a nation in distress, excitement has long been building for Season 2, and folks are sure to tune in.
Season 4 of Grown-ish will depict protagonist Zoey Johnson (played by Yara Shahidi) as she enters her senior year of college at California University. Previously, Johnson had dropped out of school to pursue her aspirations of being a celebrity stylist full time, but upon realizing how many life milestones she was potentially depriving herself of, she made the executive decision to return and obtain her degree. With her friend group nearly in shambles (Doug and Jazzy being broken up, Vivek being busted with drugs in his car, Nomi navigating motherhood, etc.), Johnson will have a lot to tackle. Watch it all go down on July 8 on Freeform for the season premiere, or watch episodes available the next day on Hulu.
Yup, you read that right. Attention, Upper East Siders—nearly a decade after the original series ended, HBO Max has spearheaded a Gossip Girl reboot, which will be available for streaming this July. Set eight years after the original show’s 2009 finale, the 10-episode reboot follows the lives of a new (notably more diverse) bunch of private school kids as they maneuver through their adolescent years while fending off the social surveillance of the new (and thanks to the advancements of social media, improved) Gossip Girl.
The latest brainchild of The Office vet Mindy Kaling and co-creator Lang Fisher, Never Have I Ever Season 2 is set to hit Netflix this July. The first season of the coming-of-age dramedy was released in April 2020 and quickly became a quarantine favorite among many. The show tells the story of Devi Vishwakumar, a first-generation Indian American as she attempts to find her footing in her relationships with her friends, family, and love interests, while coming to terms with the grief of her father’s recent unexpected passing. The second season will, according to Fisher, be about “moving on,” and will feature more of the snappy one-liners, heartfelt vulnerability, and overall teenage angst that made season one so revered.
One of quarantine’s top teen dramas, Outer Banks will be returning to our screens for a second season at an undisclosed date this summer. The Netflix show will pick up right where it left off last season, with the main protagonists (aka the Pogues) having just narrowly avoided their deaths, only to soon be thrust into even higher-stakes, action-packed situations as Season 2, which is set to begin in the Bahamas, unravels.
After bringing us the sensational dramas that were Big Little Lies and The Undoing, Nicole Kidman and screenwriter-producer David E. Kelley have teamed up once more for another star-studded project. Based on the 2018 Australian novel by Liane Moriarty (who also penned Big Little Lies), Nine Perfect Strangers follows a group of nine city folks who embark on a 10-day retreat at a remote wellness and enlightenment resort called the Tranquillum House. Joined by Melissa McCarthy, Regina Hall, Luke Evans, and Tiffany Boone, Kidman plays the part of the elusive resort director, who serves to guide guests in their missions of self-discovery. The intriguing drama will air on August 18 on Hulu, with new episodes releasing on a weekly basis.
Based on the MCU What If…? Comic series that ran from 1977 to 1984, the eponymous Disney+ version was developed and written by Ashley C. Bradley. Just like the original, the 10-part animated production delves into alternate storylines and explores wild possible twists in the Marvel universe (including a plotline in which Iron Man fights on Sakaar during Thor: Ragnarok, rather than Thor). The animated series involves a wide array of Marvel heroes and characters, including a young T’Challa, Bucky Barnes, Peggy Carter, and features the voice acting of the late Chadwick Boseman, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, and others. An official air date has not been announced, but the show is set to be released sometime this summer.
