As the temperature is getting warmer, what better time is there to ignore the outside and see what’s streaming this June in TV? Hannah Collins picks the schedules clean to offer you the meatiest selection, including Abbott Elementary, Ms. Marvel, The Boys Season 3, The Umbrella Academy Season 3 and more.
Abbott Elementary, Series Premiere
An acclaimed sit-com from across the pond, Abbott Elementary feels primed to fill that Office-shaped void. A mockumentary series that takes place in the titular economically disadvantaged school where teacher turnover is extremely high, the show is created by and stars former BuzzFeed video content producer Quinta Brunson and has already been greenlit for a second season.
Abbott Elementary streams from Tues 1 June on Disney+.
The Midwich Cuckoos, Series Premiere
Based on the classic slice of sci-fi novel creepiness by John Wyndham (also known for Day of the Triffids), this is the sixth adaptation of The Midwich Cuckoos, the first two being films retitled to the more ominous Village of the Damned. Miraculous pregnancies and psychic kids abound – and Margaret Atwood’s a fan so you know it’s worthwhile.
The Midwich Cuckoos airs from Wens 2 June on Sky Max.
Borgen – Power & Glory, Season 4
Though not titled in a way that makes it obvious, this is the fourth season of the political Scandi-noir, from the people who helped popularise dark Danish television in the late 00s with The Killing. Following Birgitte Nyborg, the country’s first female Prime Minister, Borgen has been dormant since 2013, perhaps indicating the subtitle is a subtle reboot of sorts.
Borgen – Power & Glory (Season 4) streams from Wens 2 June on Netflix.
The Boys, Season 3
Though the comic series is a product of the Bush era, Amazon’s adaptation of The Boys feels like it’s come at just the right time: as superheroes continue to dominate global box offices, audiences are primed to take an interest in the flip side of the Marvel sheen, which Eric Kripke’s pitch-black satire does in head-splattering spades. Season 3 adds more morally murky supes, including Supernatural’s Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy *squeals!* and the infamous ‘Herogasm’ moment.
The Boys Season 3 streams from Fri 3 June on Amazon Prime.
We Own This City, Limited Series
From the lauded creators of The Wire – which increases expectations tenfold – We Own This City is another gritty Baltimore crime drama, this time following its police department’s Gun Task Force (horrifically topical) and headed up by former Punisher Jon Berthnal, which is either deliberate or fortuitous casting.
We Own This City airs from Tues 7 on Sky Atlantic.
Ms. Marvel, Series Premiere
Another month, another Disney/Marvel show – this one looking like it’ll take a distinctly YA route with the comic company’s first Muslim American teen superhero, Kamala Khan. Kamala’s unabashed Captain Marvel stanning is perhaps peak manifesting, as she adopts the sidekick-style name (though different powers) of her idol while navigating the intricacies of high school.
Ms. Marvel streams from Wens 8 June on Disney+.
First Kill, Series Premiere
A sapphic twist on the already pretty queer Buffy The Vampire Slayer and the not very deliberately queer Twilight, First Kill looks to step into Heartstopper’s shoes as Netflix’s latest LGBTQ teen drama – this one with the requisite supernatural twist. The premise has somewhat been done to (un)death, forbidden love between ‘monster’ and slayer, but it seems destined to get under the skin (in a good way) this Pride season.
First Kill streams from Fri 10 June on Netflix.
God’s Favourite Idiot, Series Premiere
Melissa McCarthy re-teams with frequent comic collaborator and husband Ben Falcone for this prescient combo of workplace satire and the apocalypse (that thing we’ve been teetering on the edge of for several years now). It’s essentially your standard ‘normie becomes imbued with Biblical importance’ plot. Gilmore Girls’ diehards will get a kick out of seeing Yanic Truesdale in it, too.
God’s Favourite Idiot streams from Wens 15 June on Netflix.
Y:1883, Series Premiere + Yellowstone, Season 3
Yellowstone fans are in for a treat this June as not only is Season 3 of the Kevin Costner neo-Western on its way, but there’s also a prequel spinoff. Y:1883 (a clunky name to say aloud… try it!) is one of a trio worth megabucks, the other two being set in 1932 (with Helen Mirren and Harrison Ford, wow) and the other in the hellish year of 6666. For a trippier rootin’ tootin’ time, I also recommend catching up on Outer Range with Josh ‘Thanny’ Brolin.
Y:1883 and Yellowstone Season 3 stream from Wens 22 June on Paramount UK+.
Halo, Series Premiere
Plans for a Halo TV show date back to 2015, with Stephen Spielberg pitching in to get it off the ground. Now, it’s finally come to fruition, retelling humanity’s struggle against aliens the Covenant in the 26th century and causing a bit of controversy among fans for a certain face reveal… On the plus side, it features the original voice (and body) of the least annoying AI servant Cortana.
The Umbrella Academy, Season 3
Another successful streamer adaptation of a subversive superhero tale, this one originally penned by My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way, The Umbrella Academy is also back for a third season. In Season 2, the gang’s time-travel trouble got them embroiled in the JFK assassination and a return to an altered present. Expect more pulpy, punchy, sci-fi shenanigans when we return, along with interlopers the Sparrow Academy.
The Umbrella Academy Season 3 streams from Wens 22 June on Netflix.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Series Premiere
Before there was Captain Kirk, there was Captain Pike, a character resurrected for the ongoing Discovery series and now, due to his popularity among Trekkies, helming the latest franchise spinoff. With Anson Mount reprising his role, the show takes place 10 years before The Original Series and as such, classic cameos – plus sexy Spock time, it seems – are to be expected.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds streams from Wens 22 June on Paramount UK+.
The Man Who Fell To Earth, Series Premiere
Most of us will associate this sci-fi staple with the Thin White Space Duke, but it began life as a novel in the 60s. This television update comes from prolific nerd writer Alex Kurtzman (as well as Janny Lamet) with Chiwetel Ejiofor stepping into Bowie’s shoes as the Earth-bound alien. Suitably, all nine episodes are named after a Bowie song, just in time for Ziggy Stardust’s 50th birthday.
The Man Who Fell To Earth streams from Wens 22 June on Paramount UK+.
Westworld, Season 4
The Love, Death + Robots before Love, Death + Robots. Also the grand redo of Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton’s 1973 film of the same name. That film was notable for being the first to use 2D CGI, a legacy that HBO honours for audiences today, though the Western-themed android theme park series has been airing to diminishing returns since its first hit season.
Westworld Season 4 streams from Mon 27 June on Sky Atlantic.
Atlanta, Season 3
Rapper/actor/Lando Calrissian Donald Glover’s surreal vision of the Atlantan hip-hop world is sadly coming to an end with its fourth and final season (airing later this year in the States). Viewers have had to wait nearly four years for the upcoming third instalment of the show, which follows Glover’s down-on-his-luck manager trying to ride the coattails of his rapper cousin’s career for his and his daughter’s benefit.
Atlanta Season 3 streams from Wens 29 June on Disney+.
words HANNAH COLLINS