While the official start of summer is still a few weeks away, the Memorial Day weekend tends to kick things off for most Americans. As such, it’s time to take a look at all the shows worth checking out as the mercury rises with the Summer TV 2019 Premiere Dates For All The New & Returning Series. Though Game of Thrones has officially come and gone, there’s still another monocultural hit waiting in the wings, as Stranger Things season 3 is set to make the long July 4 weekend a binge-a-thon for many Netflix subscribers. The shift from Halloween to the summer is a clear sign that the streaming giant and the Duffer brothers are aware what sort of blockbuster they have on their hands, which makes the timing of the series’ long-awaited third season feel all the more appropriate.
Aside from nostalgia for the ’80s (speaking of which, every season of the original Baywatch TV series is currently available on Amazon Prime Video) and all things Amblin, summer TV will also bring threats of deadly viruses, in National Geographic’s The Hot Zone, as well as career criminals in Cinemax’s Jett, and Euphoria, a daring new teen drama from HBO starring Spider-Man: Far From Home star Zendaya. June also sees the return of Idris Elba as in a new season of Luther, which follows an interesting trend of stars of big summer tentpole films also contributing to the rise of Peak TV.
There’s plenty more to keep you watching, as Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, HBO, Showtime, and more won’t be taking the summer off, as the race to score as many eyeballs as possible has them pumping out as much new content as possible. Take a look at what’s to come this summer.
[We’ll update with new announcement/changes.]
May
Monday, May 27
TOP PICK: The Hot Zone — National Geographic 9pm
“Starring Golden Globe and Emmy award winner Julianna Margulies as Dr. Nancy Jaax, is based on the eponymous international best-seller by Richard Preston. It is inspired by a true story about the origins of Ebola, a highly infectious and deadly virus from the central African rainforest and its arrival on US soil in 1989. When this killer suddenly appeared in monkeys in a scientific research lab in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., there was no known cure. A heroic U.S. Army scientist (Dr. Nancy Jaax) working with a secret military specialized team put her life on the line to head off the outbreak before it spread to the human population.”
Tuesday, May 28
Animal Kingdom — TNT 9pm
Blood and Treasure — CBS 10pm
Songland — NBC 10pm
Wednesday, May 29
Archer 1999 — FXX 10pm
The InBetween — NBC 10pm
Friday, May 31
My Next Guest Needs No Introduction — Netflix
When They See Us — Netflix
Good Omens — Amazon
Swamp Thing — DC Universe
Deadwood: The Movie — HBO 8pm
Next: June — Luther, Legion, Fear the Walking Dead & More
June
Jessica Jones — Netflix (TBD)
Sunday, June 2
Burden of Truth — The CW 8pm
Top Pick: Luther — BBC America 8pm
“A new spate of nightmarish murders brings DCI John Luther (Idris Elba) to once again face the depths of human depravity on the streets of London. While the monstrous and seemingly indiscriminate killings become ever more audacious and public, Luther and new recruit D.S. Catherine Halliday (Wunmi Mosaku) are confounded by a complex tangle of leads and misdirection that seems designed to protect an untouchable corruption. As the body count rises, and gangster George Cornelius (Patrick Malahide) applies his own pressure, can Luther catch a killer and save his own neck?”
Fear the Walking Dead — AMC 9pm
NOS4A2 — AMC 10pm
The Weekly — FX 10pm (June 3 on Hulu)
Perpetual Grace — EPIX
Wednesday, June 5
The Handmaid’s Tale — Hulu
Black Mirror — Netflix
Grown-ish — Freeform 8pm
Thursday, June 6
Queen of the South — USA 10pm
Friday, June 7
Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City — Netflix
Designated Survivor — Netflix
The Chef Show — Netflix
Sunday, June 9
Top Pick: Big Little Lies — HBO 9pm
“The second season of this subversive, darkly comedic drama will explore the malignancy of lies, the durability of friendships, the fragility of marriage and the vicious ferocity of sound parenting. Relationships will fray, loyalties will erode…the potential for emotional and bodily injury shall loom.”
Claws — TNT 9pm
Tuesday, June 11
Pose — FX 10pm
Wednesday, June 12
Queen Sugar — OWN 9pm
Krypton — SYFY 10pm
Thursday, June 13
Strange Angel — CBS All Access
Baskets — FX 10pm
Friday, June 14
Absentia — Amazon Prime Video
Awake: The Million Dollar Game — Netflix
Trinkets — Netflix
Too Old To Die Young — Amazon Prime Video
Top Pick: Jett — Cinemax 10pm
“Fresh out of prison, retired professional thief Daisy (aka “Jett”) Kowalski is reluctantly drawn back into doing what she does best after being forced to quit following the birth of her child. Narrowly completing a dangerous “final” job, she finds herself pulled back into a series of assignments masterminded by ruthless criminals, who are determined to exploit her skills for their own ends.”
Los Espookys — HBO 11pm
Saturday, June 15
Frankie Drake Mysteries — Ovation 9pm
Sunday, June 16
Endeavor — PBS 9pm
City on a Hill — Showtime 9pm
Instinct — CBS 9pm
Top Pick: Euphoria — HBO 10pm
“EUPHORIA puts a fresh spin on the coming-of-age narrative, exploring the teenage landscape of substance-enhanced parties and anxiety-ridden day-to-day life with empathy and candor. The series follows 17-year-old Rue Bennett (Zendaya), a drug addict fresh from rehab, who’s struggling to make sense of her future. Her life changes dramatically when she meets Jules Vaughn (Hunter Schafer), a trans girl who recently moved to town following her parents’ divorce, and like Rue is searching for where she belongs.”
Monday, June 17
Grand Hotel — ABC 10pm
Tuesday, June 18
Adam Devine: Best Times of Our Lives — Netflix
Good Trouble — Freeform 8pm
Drunk History — Comedy Central 10pm
The Detour — TBS 10:30pm
Wednesday, June 19
Yellowstone — Paramount Network 10pm
Thursday, June 20
Riviera — Sundance Now
Friday, June 21
Top Pick: Dark — Netflix
“DARK season 2: Jonas finds himself trapped in the future and desperately tries to return to 2020. Meanwhile, his friends Martha, Magnus, and Franziska are trying to uncover how Bartosz’ is involved in the mysterious incidents occurring in their small hometown of Winden. More and more people are drawn into the events orchestrated by an obscure figure who seemingly controls everything that is connected throughout different time zones.”
Mr. Iglesias — Netflix
Monday, June 24
Years and Years — HBO 9pm
Legion — FX 10pm
Tuesday, June 25
Mike Epps: Only One Mike — Netflix
Sunday, June 30
The Rock — Starz 8pm
What Just Happened — FOX 9:30pm
The Loudest Voice — Showtime 10pm
Next: July — Stranger Things, Orange Is The New Black and More
July
Thursday, July 4
Top Pick: Stranger Things — Netflix
As is you’re not going to watch this.
Sunday, July 7
Top Pick: The Movies — CNN
“Executive produced by Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Mark Herzog, the six-part series explores American cinema through the decades and the cultural, societal and political shifts that framed its evolution. Combining archival footage and interviews with leading actors, directors, producers, film critics and historians, the series showcases the most pivotal moments in film that have stirred the imagination and influenced our culture.”
Wednesday, July 10
Harlots — Hulu
Snowfall — FX 10pm
Sunday, July 14
Sweetbitter — Starz 9pm
Grantchester — PBS 9pm
Wednesday, July 17
Suits — USA 9pm
Pearson — USA 10pm
Friday, July 26
Light as a Feather — Hulu
Orange is the New Black — Netflix
Wednesday, July 31
Four Weddings and a Funeral — Hulu
No One Saw a Thing — Sundance 8pm
Sherman’s Showcase — IFC 10pm
Next: August — Succession, The Terror & More
August
Mindhunter — Netflix (TBD)
Top Pick: Succession — HBO (TBD)
“Beginning where season one dramatically left off, season two follows the Roy family as they struggle to retain control of their empire, and while the future looks increasingly uncertain, it is the past that threatens to ultimately destroy them.”
The Righteous Gemstones —HBO (TBD)
Sunday, August 4
Preacher — AMC
Wednesday, August 7
BH90210 — FOX 9pm
Monday, August 12
The Terror: Infamy — AMC 9pm
Lodge 49 — AMC 10pm
Sunday, August 25
Power — Starz 8pm
Friday, August 30
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance — Netflix