SWITCH ON FOR A SEASON OF ROMANCE & DRAMA Summer of TV love
WE already have Gentleman Jack and Conversations With Friends to get stuck into.
But the romance and drama doesn’t stop there. From next month’s eager intake of buff Love Islanders to steamy dramas and dark relationship-driven comedies, here’s our rundown of the best – and cheesiest – shows about life, love, laughter... and tears.
Love Island series eight, ITV2, expected June 6
The Love Island villa opens in Mallorca for the next intake of perma-tanned señores and señoritas trying to find love
(and thousands in social media brand deals).
Among those rumoured to be strutting their beach bodies are former
Islander Zara McDermott’s brother Brad and former WAG Sophie
Draper. Funnyman Iain
Stirling returns with more puns than you can shake a piñata at, alongside presenter wife Laura Whitmore.
Dolly Alderton’s Everything I Know About Love, BBC One & BBC iPlayer, airs June
The romantic comedy drama, based on writer Dolly Alderton’s bestselling memoir of the same name, is set in a 2012 London house-share.
It centres around friends Nell, Maggie (The Witcher star Emma Appleton), Birdy and Amara, and how they navigate romance and heartache in their 20s and beyond.
Blocco 181, Sky Atlantic and NOW, June 21
Expect lots of nudity and violence from this feisty Italian drama set on the outskirts of Milan.
The eight-parter centres around the relationships between three residents living in fictional apartment block Blocco 181, where drugs are rife and cocaine peddlers brandish machetes.
Sexy, fearless Bea (Laura Osma from El Chapo) becomes romantically involved with two friends – party-loving Ludo (Alessandro Piavani from House of Gucci) and his pal Mahdi (Andrea Dodero from The Good Mothers).
Their relationship is all about sex, friendship, and belonging to a new sort of family while they make their way up through the criminal hierarchy as a dangerous trio.
LOVE ME, Acorn TV, June 6
Set in Melbourne, this hypnotic sixpart Australian drama tells the story of the loves and losses felt by three different family members at very different times in their lives.
The Mathiesons have it all on the surface, but when matriarch Christine falls ill, Glen (Lord of the Rings star Hugo Weaving) tries his best to be a good husband and carer.
Their daughter Clara (Bojana Novakovic from Birds of Prey) and son Aaron (Wakefield star William Lodder) support him while trying to keep a handle on their own lives. When Christine dies it sends their lives into a spiral, with a profound
impact on their lives. Also stars Line Of Duty’s Shalom Brune-Franklin.
Love & Anarchy, Season 2, Netflix, June 16
The sassy, sexy Swedish series returns. Recently divorced motherof-two Sofie is desperate to create a life for herself and her handsome younger beau Max.
Instead, she finds herself swept up in a midlife crisis, which has huge ramifications for both of them.
The Summer I Turned Pretty, Prime Video, June 17
A coming-of-age story about first love and first heartache as a complicated love triangle blossoms between one girl and two brothers.
The One That Got Away, Prime Video, June 24
Singer Betty Who hosts as six people searching for their soulmate get a second shot at seeing if they could have had a connection with someone from their past. Potential suitors enter through “The Portal” to surprise them and take their shot.
Dangerous Liaisons, Netflix, July 8
You’ll forget the French subtitles as you get swept up in the smouldering storyline, which is very loosely based on the 1782 novel of the same name, by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos. Idealistic teenager Celene leaves her home in Paris and her sweet fiancé for school in Biarritz.
There she is wooed by a hand
some surfer called Tristan. She quickly loses her heart to him, not realising she is at the centre of a cruel bet between him and a heartless Instagram obsessive called Vanessa.
The last reincarnation of the book was the 1999 film Cruel Intentions. This is basically the French version, with lots of social media types drafted in for a younger audience.
Marriage, BBC One and BBC iPlayer, TBC
The Split star Nicola Walker and Game of Thrones legend Sean Bean join together for this intimate, four-part drama about the highs and lows of a couple navigating 30 years together. Written and directed by BAFTA-winner Stefan Golaszewski, it’s a mix of poignant and funny scenes, as Emma and
Ian grapple with their marriage.
Persuasion, Netflix, July 15
Adapted from the Jane Austen novel. Living with a snooty family on the brink of bankruptcy, Anne Elliot is a nonconforming woman with modern sensibilities. When Frederick Wentworth – the
dashing one who got away – comes gallivanting back into her life, she must choose between putting the past behind her or listening to her heart.
Catfish 2, MTV UK, this summer
The outlandish series that helps crazed young romantics trying to meet up with their online love – while being suspicious of their true identity – is about to come back. Last season’s host Oobah Butler returns alongside 24-year-old YouTube star Nella Rose. Together they play detective and sniff out the deceptive catfish.
Virgin River, S4, Netflix, July 20
It’s slow-moving, but the amazing scenery and palpable chemistry between the two leads – handsome war veteran Jack and stunning nurse Mel – make this binge-worthy TV. The
last series ended with the cliff-hanger that
Mel was pregnant but wasn’t sure whether the baby was Jack’s or her late husband Mark’s. Jack is determined to stand by her, but it won’t be smooth sailing, of course…
Purple Hearts, Netflix, July 29
Struggling singer-songwriter Cassie (Sofia Carson) and Luke (Nicholas Galitzine), a troubled marine, agree to marriage, despite their differences, for the military benefits. When tragedy strikes, the line between what’s real and what’s pretend begins to blur.
Dating With My Mates, Channel W, TBC summer
What do you get if you merge First Dates with Come Dine With Me and
Dinner Date? Something like this. This dating show has four best mates out for a meal. With each course they’ll be served up a different date before discussing who they liked the most. At the end of the night their dates return to ask out only one of the mates. But will there be a match, or will their choices wreak havoc? There’s potential here for some serious catfights.
Cosmic Love, Prime Video, August
About as kooky as it gets. Four singletons are matched with prospective spouses based on their zodiac signs. The show is set at a romantic retreat run by mystical guide Astro Chamber. AstroTwins (oh yes) Ophira and Tali Edut serve as the mºatchmakers for the singles, who date (and eliminate) a series of astrological matches with the hopes of finding The One.