Summer lineup is packed with promise
Summer TV lineup packed with fresh offerings from big-name creators
We’ve already been locked up for three months, and just as restrictions have begun to ease, this summer’s packed TV lineup is promising to keep us all indoors for many more weeks.
The season’s offerings include fresh stories from big-name creators and continuing seasons from a mix of shows. Here’s a look.
PERRY MASON (STREAMING, CRAVE)
Based on characters created by author Erle Stanley Gardner, this revamp of the TV series begins in 1931 as it follows the origins of American fiction’s most legendary criminal defence lawyer, Perry Mason. The Americans’ Matthew Rhys fills in his beginnings as Mason, a private eye in Los Angeles, who is drawn into the investigation of a child kidnapping gone horribly wrong.
YELLOWSTONE: SEASON 3 (STREAMING, PARAMOUNT NETWORK)
Kevin Costner leads an ensemble cast in the Taylor Sheridan (Hell or High Water) drama, which follows a family of ranchers as they deal with internal conflict and disputes with an encroaching neighbouring town, a nearby reservation and a national park.
THE TWILIGHT ZONE (JUNE 25, CBS ALL ACCESS)
Plot details are scarce, but the second season of Jordan Peele’s eerie reboot of the retro favourite features a stacked cast, including Chris Meloni, Morena Baccarin, Topher Grace, Tony Hale, Gillian Jacobs, Joel Mchale, Billy Porter, Sophia Macy, Jenna Elfman and Damon Wayans Jr.
I’LL BE GONE IN THE DARK (JUNE 28, CRAVE)
Writer Michelle Mcnamara’s investigation into the dark world of a violent predator she dubbed the Golden State Killer gets the documentary treatment in this new six-episode series. Using material based on Mcnamara’s bestselling book of the same name, director Liz Garbus documents the late truecrime buff’s hunt to uncover the identity of the killer who terrorized parts of California in the 1970s and ’80s.
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES (JULY1,NETFLIX)
A modern reboot of the classic ’90s series, the new spinoff will again examine real cases of perplexing disappearances, shocking murders and paranormal encounters. “This modern take on the classic series will maintain the chilling feeling viewers loved about the original,” Netflix says.
CANADA’S DRAG RACE (JULY 2, CRAVE)
A dozen of the fiercest queens in the land showcase their charisma, uniqueness, nerve and talent in the competition to become Canada’s First Drag Superstar, and win the $100,000 grand prize. Celebrity guest hosts include BIDDELL, Amanda Brugel, Deborah Cox, Elisha Cuthbert, Tom Green, Jade Hassouné, Traci Melchor, Michelle Visage, Mary Walsh and Allie X.
THE BABY-SITTERS CLUB (JULY3,NETFLIX)
Netflix gives the popular YA book series a contemporary spin as it follows the friendship and adventures of Kristy Thomas (Sophie Grace), Mary-anne Spier (Malia Baker), Claudia Kishi (Momona Tamada), Stacey Mcgill (Shay Rudolph) and Dawn Schafer (Xochitl Gomez), as the middle-schoolers start their babysitting business.
HANNA: SEASON 2 (JULY 3, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO)
Inspired by the movie of the same name, the action-thriller returns, with Dermot Mulroney and Anthony Welsh joining the fray as a teenage assassin (Esme Creed-miles) finds herself on the run from a shadowy government organization.
TOUGH AS NAILS (JULY 8, CBS AND GLOBAL)
Hosted and executive-produced by Phil Keoghan (The Amazing Race), the new 10-episode competition series throws the spotlight on real people who are real tough in real life as a result of their physically demanding everyday jobs.
GREATNESS CODE (JULY10,APPLETV+)
Featuring stories from renowned athletes Lebron James, Tom Brady, Alex Morgan, Shaun White, Usain Bolt and more, the upcoming docuseries centres on untold moments in the lives of some of the most recognizable faces from the world of sports.
LITTLE VOICE (JULY10,APPLETV+)
Singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and producer J.J. Abrams join forces to tell the story of Bess King (Brittany O’grady), a talented musician struggling to make her dreams come true while navigating rejection, love and a complicated family life.
THE OLD GUARD (JULY10,NETFLIX)
Charlize Theron stars as an ageless warrior who leads a group of immortal mercenaries fighting to keep their team together after they are exposed by an evil entity looking to replicate and monetize their power.
THE KISSING BOOTH 2 (JULY24,NETFLIX)
If you’re yearning for a teen rom-com, Joey King returns as heroine Elle Evans, who finds her long-distance relationship with Noah (Jacob Elordi) jeopardized by the appearance of a handsome, charismatic new classmate named Marco (Taylor Perez).
THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: SEASON 2 (JULY31,NETFLIX)
After Number Five’s (Aidan Gallagher) used his powers, at the end of the first season, to teleport himself and others through time, scattering his superhero siblings to another dimension, the series finds the misfits in 1960s Texas staring down another doomsday. All while being hunted by a trio of ruthless Swedish assassins.
MUPPETS NOW! (JULY31,DISNEY+)
Kermit and friends return for a new six-episode season, in which Scooter rushes around to get a new series from the Muppet gang ready for streaming.
THE GOOD LORD BIRD (AUG. 9, CRAVE)
Based on James Mcbride’s
2013 novel, The Good Lord Bird stars Ethan Hawke who leads a motley crew of abolitionist soldiers in an uprising that helped spark the American Civil War. Hawke calls the seven-part series “the toughest part in my life.”
TED LASSO (AUG. 14, APPLE TV+)
In this new laugher, Jason Sudeikis plays Ted Lasso, a small-time college football coach from Kansas hired to train a professional soccer team in England, despite having no experience coaching footy.
LOVECRAFT COUNTRY (TBD, CRAVE)
Executive-produced by J.J. Abrams and Jordan Peele, this adaptation of Matt Ruff’s 2016 novel finds a man’s search for his father in 1950s America beset by racism and terrifying monsters.
CURSED (TBD, NETFLIX)
Based on the New York Times bestseller, Cursed stars Katherine Langford who fronts a quest to find Merlin and deliver an ancient sword in this fantasy reworking of the famed Arthurian legend.