12 compelling new shows make summer sizzle again
Summer, once considered television’s least-respected season, has risen to the big leagues.
The hot months this go-round host some of the most highly anticipated returning shows, including “The Handmaid’s Tale” on Hulu ( June 5), “Big Little Lies” on HBO ( June 9) and Netflix’s “Stranger Things” ( July 4), as well as lots of intriguing new shows and movies.
Long-awaited updates of provocative dramas of yesteryear, such as earthy and belligerent Western “Deadwood” and Armistead Maupin’s beloved and envelopepushing “Tales of the City,” finally land post-Memorial Day.
Compelling new dramas are inspired by real-life stories of appalling injustices and a killer virus.
Best-selling novels, such as the chilling “NOS4A2” from master of horror Joe Hill and “Good Omens,” a cheeky take on the apocalypse from Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, have been adapted to the small screen with visual splendor.
More fun can be found in Eva Longoria’s sudsy new drama about a squabbling hotel family in Miami and Seth Rogen’s latest comicbook adaptation, which delivers superheroes through a twisted lens.
Stellar names such as Kevin Bacon, Zachary Quinto, David Tennant, Julianna Margulies, Michael Sheen and Zendaya, not to mention “Big Little Lies” guest star Meryl Streep, add even more oomph to the summer schedule.
Here’s a closer look at 12 new shows you won’t want to miss this summer:
“The Hot Zone”: This six-part, edge-of-your seat
thriller chronicles what happened in 1989 when the deadly and highly contagious Ebola virus first hit U.S. soil via imported monkeys. Desperate to contain it are real-life heroine Lt. Col. Nancy Jaax (Margulies) and her mentor, Ebola expert Wade Carter (Liam Cunningham, “Game of Thrones”), even if it means risking their own lives. It’s absorbing, yes, but the graphic depictions of what happens to those exposed may leave you feeling queasy and more paranoid about germs than ever. “I definitely wash my hands more,” Margulies said when asked how the role affected her. “(I) am very aware of what I’m touching. I now carry wipes in my bag. I never used to do that.” (Back-to-back episodes air at 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, National Geographic Channel.)
“The InBetween”: If you miss “Medium,” you’re bound to embrace this creepy crime procedural with another blonde psychic at its center. In this one, Seattle bartender Cassie Bedford (Harriet Dyer) has visions that frequently are connected to local crimes, and she’s none too happy about it — sometimes drinking to pass-out level in hopes of drowning them out. Her adoptive police detective dad (likable Brit Paul Blackthorne) worries about her while pursuing the puzzling clues she gives him, frequently with the help of troubled ghosts who visit her. (Debuts 9 p.m. Wednesday, NBC).
“Good Omens”: The entertaining chemistry and repartee between saintly angel Aziraphale (Sheen) and naughty demon Crowley (Tennant), who essentially represent good and evil through the ages on Earth, is the biggest draw of this colorful, but sometimes confusing, Gaiman-led TV adaptation of his hit fantasy book. After enjoying their time here for eons and taking a liking to earthly comforts, the two decide to put aside obvious differences and avert the prescribed end of the world. Narrated by Frances McDormand as God, the series delivers a Who’s Who of actors — Jon Hamm (Gabriel), Benedict Cumberbatch (Satan), Miranda Richardson, Brian Cox and more. As for its influences, director Douglas MacKinnon (“Doctor Who”) mentioned “Monty Python,” while maintaining “Omens” has its own “epic and glorious” style. (Friday, Amazon
Prime)
“Deadwood: The Movie”: David Milch’s raw, profane, three-season creation lives again in movie form, reuniting us with its indelible Western characters a decade into the future. The occasion is a celebration of South Dakota’s statehood, featuring a corrupt senator (Gerald McRaney) at its center and Al Swearengen (Ian McShane) as its amused observer. The cast and characters may be older, but they’re just as fierce; the dialogue Shakespearean and crude as ever; and the violence unforgettable. Most of the originals have returned to reprise their roles, including Timothy Olyphant as decent lawman Bullock, Molly Parker as the wealthy widow who stole his heart and Paula Malcolmson as prostitute Trixie, whose delicious mouthiness stirs up new trouble. Shocking, yet ultimately moving, this movie is a must-see event. (7 p.m. Friday, HBO)
“When They See Us”: Based on a true story that gripped the country in 1989, this four-part drama series from Ava DuVernay (“Queen Sugar”) chronicles the notorious case of five teenagers of color who were convicted of a brutal rape they did not commit. It’s gut-wrenching and heartbreaking to watch the step-by-step framing of these confused and scared innocents — played poignantly by some of the finest young actors around — who were beaten and pressured into confessing, then sent to prison for much of their lives. To broaden the drama’s impact and make it even more relevant, DuVernay changed the title from “Central Park Five” to “When They See Us,” referring to the millions judged and persecuted based on the color of their skin. (Friday, Netflix)
“The Weekly”: New York Times reporters give us a front-row seat to some of their more painstaking and emotion-wringing investigations. The stories range from a deep, dark look into the scandalous practices of a Louisiana prep school that became famous for getting students into Ivy League schools, only to be accused of transcript fraud and other abuses, to an exposé of the heartrending immigration practices at the Texas-Mexico border of separating children, sometime babies, from their parents. “The White House is attacking the credibility of journalists every day,” said series executive producer Sam Dolnick. “Now more than ever we need to stand up for journalism, and the best way to do that is to be transparent and show how the sausage gets made — and the lengths we go to confirm the news that we’re reporting.” (9 p.m. June 2; FX, Hulu)
“NOS4A2”: Right from the beginning, when we witness the bone-chilling kidnapping of a lonely boy from his parents’ house by immortal Charlie Manx (Quinto), we’re hooked. It gets even better as we’re introduced to the main heroine of the series: Vic McQueen (Ashleigh Cummings), a troubled young woman who discovers she has a supernatural ability to find lost things. This gift puts her on a crash course with the evil Manx, who feeds off the souls of children then deposits what remains of them into Christmasland, a twisted destination where unhappiness — snicker, snicker — is against the law. The small-town vibe, reminiscent of Stephen King and “Stranger Things,” adds to the series’ atmospheric appeal.
“Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City”: Inspired by the character-rich and groundbreaking novels by Maupin, this newcomer rolls out 10 fresh episodes marked by identity crises, sexual freedom, deep and fragile friendships, and an unfolding mystery. Mary Ann (Laura Linney) returns to present-day San Francisco and is reunited with daughter Shawna (Ellen Page) and ex-husband Brian
(Paul Gross), 20 years after leaving them to pursue a broadcast journalism career. Feeling dissatisfaction with her picture-perfect but rather empty East Coast life, Mary Ann is quickly drawn back into the irresistible orbit of Anna Madrigal (Olympia Dukakis), her loving gay pal Michael “Mouse” Tolliver (Murray Bartlett) and a new generation of LGBTQ residents living at 28 Barbary Lane. Though this delightful series is stand-alone enough to enjoy without prior “Tales” exposure, it also provides a satisfying update for the Maupin aficionado. (June 7, Netflix)
“Euphoria”: Zendaya leaves behind her Disney image to take on a powder keg of a teen series. Based on an Israeli drama with the same name, this eightepisode rendition from executive producer Drake and creator Sam Levinson is filled with sex, nudity, drugs and every sort of identity crisis. Zendaya plays Rue, a combination of amiability and madness who’s constantly in search of calm and community. She leads an ensemble of fresh young faces who effectively bring to life the vulnerable, chaotic and oft-times disturbing world of today’s American high school kids. Here, they take their cues from social media and online porn, indulging in whatever drug, drink or thrill they can get their hands on. What makes this series fresh is a decidedly female point of view, which is no less raw and dangerous, but lends a different sort of poignancy to the goings-on. (9 p.m. June 16, HBO).
“City on a Hill”: This provocative, racially charged character drama is based on an idea by Ben Affleck and Chuck MacLean and executive produced by Tom Fontana (“Homicide: Life on the Street”). Focusing on the underbelly of Boston law enforcement of the 1990s, it lives in the gray area between cop and criminal.
Its core conflict is between an effective but corrupt FBI veteran (Kevin Bacon) and a tough new assistant district attorney (Aldis Hodge) bent on reform. Bacon said he jumped at the meaty role of Jackie because his “voice was something that I heard … the way that Chuck MacLean constructs dialogue in this world of ’90s cops and robbers had a kind of gritty vibe to me that was reminiscent of the movies that I loved in the ’70s from Scorsese and Sidney Lumet.” (8 p.m. June 16, Showtime)
“Grand Hotel”: What better summer escape than a series set at a luxurious hotel on a picturesque beach in stylish Miami? This one, in the tradition of every popular nighttime soap, is marked by sex, opulent wealth, sibling rivalry, intrigue, even murder. Longoria, an executive producer, is particularly proud of its fresh approach to the “upstairs, downstairs” theme. “We thought it was very unique to have the upstairs be a Hispanic family and to show a different community,” she recently told TV critics. “It’s based in Miami, so we’re authentic to that world. Nine of our 11 cast members are people of color.” The core cast includes Demian Bichir as the hotel’s owner and father of two grown children. His greedy new wife (Roselyn Sanchez) brings her two daughters — one of whom is played by an actress from San Antonio, Feliz Ramirez — into the family, and the blended results are anything but smooth. Longoria said she also would be taking on a “wonderful role” scattered over four episodes. ( June 17, ABC)
“The Boys”: Executive producer Rogen of “Preacher” fame delivers another edgy comic-book show full of flawed, seamy characters. This fun parody, inspired by the writings and drawings of Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson, shows what happens when superheroes who have become revered by the public as gods abuse their powers instead of using them for good. Enter “the boys,” a group of vigilantes who embark on a quest to expose the dirty truth about the superheroes and the billion-dollar conglomerate that manages them. Antony Starr, who plays one of the most adored of the bunch, Homelander, described his character this way: “Superman on crack.” ( July 26, Amazon Prime)