Well, we're almost at the midway point for 2021 and what a year it has been for television already! We’ve seen incredible new hits such as WandaVision, as well as returning shows like Grey’s Anatomy throwing us curveballs despite the restrictions of filming in the midst of a pandemic.
June 2021 looks like it’s going to be no different, with both new and returning television series set to make their mark. With so much to choose from, we’ve picked through the pack to select the best of the bunch, detailing our seven must-see TV shows of the month below!
7. Genius: Aretha (Season 3) - Starts June 4th 2021 on Disney+
The third season of the multiple Emmy Award-winning National Geographic anthology series Genius is back, this time starring the incomparable Cynthia Erivo as the undisputed Queen of Soul herself, Aretha Franklin.
Starring alongside Courtney B. Vance as Franklin's father, Erivo has a lot of pressure on her shoulders to tell the story of a woman and music industry force who will never be forgotten.
Speaking about the series and doing Franklin justice, director and executive producer Anthony Hemingway explained: "Tackling a story like Aretha Franklin, and not only just about Aretha Franklin but to tap into what made her a genius, was one that was somewhat necessary. What I knew about her tenacity and her activism spoke really loudly to me.
“We’re always looking for healing mechanisms, and in the times we live in right now, [I’m] just really hungry for finding the stories that I, as a filmmaker and an artist and even more importantly a Black man, can tell that I feel I contribute to that and are socially responsible and culturally responsive.
“Thinking about Aretha Franklin and the complexities of who she is and what her story means right now was exciting to want to be a part of, and it felt necessary. From the start, I delved deep into the woman, the human behind the celebrity."
6. Sweet Tooth (Season 1) - Starts June 4th 2021 on Netflix
Based on the critically-acclaimed DC comic of the same name, Sweet Tooth is a post-apocalyptic fairytale unlike any other that focuses on the story of a sheltered hybrid deer-boy named Gus (Christian Convery).
Set 10 years after a global event called The Great Crumble, which led to the emergence of these hybrid babies, we are plunged into a world where humans both fear and hunt down those who were born part-human, part-animal. So, when Gus befriends a wandering loner named Jepperd (Nonso Anozie), he is surprised to say the least.
The pair set out on an adventure across what's left of America in search of answers not just relating to Gus' origins, but to Jeppard's own past and, the true meaning of home. Of course, their journey isn’t going to be a simple one; they will come across both allies and enemies along the way as they discover the parts of the planet they’ve never seen before are more complex than they could have ever imagined.
Convery and Anozie star in the series alongside Adeel Akhtar, with Will Forte serving as the voice of the narrator.
5. Loki (Season 1) - Starts June 9th 2021 on Disney+
The imperious God of Mischief is front-and-centre once more in his own original series Loki, but he's more like a fish-out-of-water than ever before after absconding with the Tesseract, landing in a world packed full of trouble with the bureaucratic Time Variance Authority on his back. Loki has always wanted to step out of his brother’s shadow, but something tells us this isn’t what he had in mind…
Tom Hiddleston returns to the titular role of the prankster, telling the next chapter of Loki’s story following the momentous events we all saw take place in Avengers: Endgame. He’s joined by an all-star cast including Owen Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sophia Di Martino, Wunmi Mosaku and Richard E. Grant.
Though Marvel Studios are keeping their cards close to their chest about exactly what the plot will entail, if the recent original Disney+ series WandaVision and The Falcon and The Winter Soldier are anything to go by, this is going to be must-see, compelling viewing from beginning to end.
4. Blindspotting (Season 1) - Starts June 13th 2021 on Starzplay
Picking up six months after the events of the original film of the same name, Blindspotting sees Jasmine Cephas Jones return as Ashley, who looks close to reaching a middle-class lifestyle in Oakland until her partner of 12 years Miles (Rafael Casal), who's also father to their son, is suddenly put behind bars.
Left to navigate a chaotic yet at times hilarious lifestyle on her own, Ashley moves in with Miles’ mother and half-sister (played by Helen Hunt and Jaylen Barron respectively) and is fortunate in that her best friend has returned after five years of travelling the world. A new stranger on the block who's fresh out of the prison is also looking to find his footing and could become an important ally for Ashley moving forward.
Bucking the usual convention of a drama series such as this one, Blindspotting offers laugh-out-loud comedy alongside verse and choreography to tell its story. Though its aim looks to be showcasing the impact an incarceration can have on a family, it’s done in a way that means everybody watching has a good time.
3. Love, Victor (Season 2) - Starts June 18th 2021 on Disney+
Having told everybody the truth of his sexuality, Victor (Michael Cimino) is entering his junior year at Creekwood High when we pick things up with him in Season 2 of the hit series, Love, Victor.
Being completely 'out of the closet' however brings with it new challenges, such as a family who are struggling to come to terms with the news, as well as a heartbroken ex-girlfriend in Mia (Rachel Naomi Hilson) and, the issues that often arise for those who are openly-gay and star athletes.
All this, whilst Victor is navigating the excitement of his new relationship with Benji (George Sear) is sure to make for some addictive viewing.
Marking the announcement of the LGBTQ+ UK Star Original series, the show's cast recorded a message for fans across the world, which you can watch below:
2. Rick and Morty (Season 5) - Starts June 20th 2021 on E4
If rewatching all of the former episodes of Rick and Morty wasn’t enough for you, then you’re in luck! A fifth season of the hilarious adult animated comedy is to make its debut this month, giving us more chaotic adventures from our titular mad scientist and his dorky grandson (both voiced by Justin Roiland), who’s often caught up in the midst of a drunken Rick’s scientific meddling!
Writer Scott Marder has promised "there's epic canon" in the new season, with Season 4 fan-favourite character Space Beth (Sarah Chalke) set to be a major player in the new episodes. We also know that Jerry (Chris Parnell) and Beth Smith’s (Chalke) relationship is to be explored more than ever before; though we're not sure whether that's going to make us laugh or cry!
1. Godfather of Harlem (Season 2) - Starts June 20th 2021 on Starzplay
Academy Award-winner Forest Whitaker returns to the role of Bumpy Johnson is this slick crime drama. The year's 1964 and Johnson is fighting against the New York Crime Families for control of the heroin pipeline that runs from Marseilles in France, to New York Harbor, otherwise known as the 'French Connection’.
Johnson takes a cue from his friend Malcolm X's (Nigél Thatch) message of Black economic nationalism this season, realising that the distribution syndicate includes Black crime bosses from other major cities across the United States.
That of course isn't something the Italians will let happen without a fight, but it's not just them that are challenging Johnson, but his wife Mayme (Ilfenesh Hadera), daughter Elise (Antoinette Crowe-Legacy), prosecutor Robert Morgenthau (Justin Bartha) and rival Adam Clayton Powell (Giancarlo Esposito), as well as Malcolm himself.
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