June TV preview: Secret Invasion, The Bear season 2, and 24 more shows you'll want to watch

Get ready for HBO's The Idol, another Walking Dead spin-off, Idris Elba's new drama, and other biggies

June TV preview: Secret Invasion, The Bear season 2, and 24 more shows you'll want to watch
Clockwise from left: Abel Tesfaye in The Idol (Photo: Eddy Chen/HBO); Cobie Smulders and Samuel L. Jackson in Secret Invasion (Photo: Des Willie/Marvel); Lauren Cohan in The Walking Dead: Dead City (Photo: Peter Kramer/AMC); Ayo Edebiri in The Bear (Photo: Matt Dinerstein/FX); Maitreyi Ramakrishnan in Never Have I Ever (Photo: Netflix)

Think of June as a breather when it comes to TV viewing. May was packed with the final episodes of Succession, Barry, Ted Lasso, Yellowjackets, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, among others. Now, with all of those series wrapped up, June figures to be a relatively calmer (but still mighty) month. Look no further than the return of critically acclaimed dramedy The Bear or the arrival of Marvel’s long-anticipated Nick Fury-focused series Secret Invasion, which kickstarts MCU’s Phase Five on Disney+, for proof.

Plus, there’s more: The Weeknd’s contentious The Idol takes over Succession’s Sunday-night spot; Kaley Cuoco finds her way into another mystery dramedy; and The Walking Dead franchise expands once again. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ adds to its slate with new dramas led by Tom Holland and Idris Elba. To help you sort through all of it, we present The A.V. Club’s guide to what to watch come June.

The Idol (HBO, June 4)
THE IDOL Final Trailer (NEW 2023)

The Idol, created by Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye, Reza Fahim, and ’s Sam Levinson, is already controversial. The follows aspiring pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who becomes entangled with self-help cult leader Tedros (Tesfaye) as she works to rebrand herself. about the show that interviewed 13 cast and crew members highlighted some creepy male behavior and onset chaos. have refuted the claims, The Idol, which premiered at Cannes in May, is now getting extra scrutiny. The cast is rounded out by Dan Levy, Rachel Sennott, Jennie Kim, Troye Sivan, Eli Roth, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Hari Nef, and Hank Azaria. [Saloni Gajjar]

Never Have I Ever season 4 (Netflix, June 8)
Never Have I Ever - Final Season | Official Trailer | Netflix

It’s time for one last joyride with Devi Vishwakumar (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) and her crew as Never Have I Ever wraps with a fourth and final season. Mindy Kaling and Lang Fisher’s coming-of-age dramedy follows Devi, who copes with the sudden death of her father the way a teen knows best: by striving to be popular. She gets enmeshed in love triangles, has issues with her best friends, and struggles to bond with her strict mother Nalini (Poorna Jagannathan). The final few episodes are bound to heighten all her emotional stakes, and we can’t wait to watch it all unravel. [Saloni Gajjar]

Based On A True Story (Peacock, June 8)
Based On A True Story | Official Trailer | Peacock Original

In her post- career, can’t help but be drawn to exciting thrillers. After two seasons on , she leads Peacock’s Based On A True Story with co-stars Chris Messina, Tom Bateman, Li Jun Li, and Natalia Dyer. The description sounds only a little bit like Hulu’s Inspired by a bizarre actual event, the show follows a realtor, a plumber, and a former tennis star whose lives unexpectedly collide to expose America’s obsession with true crime and murder and the slow-close toilet seat. All eight episodes drop on the same day. [Saloni Gajjar]

The Crowded Room (Apple TV+, June 9)
The Crowded Room — Official Trailer | Apple TV+

This psychological thriller from boasts a stacked cast—Tom Holland, Amanda Seyfried, Emmy Rossum, and Conversations With Friends’ Sasha Lane, among others—and chronicles a young man (Holland) who’s arrested in Manhattan in the late ’70s for a disturbing crime and the investigator (Seyfried) who thinks there’s much more to this story. Adapted from the based-on-a-true-story novel The Minds Of Billy Milligan, the series was created by The Client scribe Akiva Goldsman. [Tim Lowery]

The Walking Dead: Dead City (AMC+, June 18)
The Walking Dead: Dead City | Official Trailer | ft. Lauren Cohan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan

ended in, but it seems the franchise will never, ever die. is the fourth spin-off, The show centers on Maggie (Lauren Cohan) becoming unexpected teammates with Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a.k.a. . They travel to a post-apocalyptic New York City to save Maggie’s kidnapped son. It’s the first time we delve into what a crumbling Manhattan filled with walkers looks like. Gaius Charles, Željko Ivanek, and Charlie Solis round out the ensemble of this six-episode season. [Saloni Gajjar]

Secret Invasion (Disney+, June 21)
Marvel Studios’ Secret Invasion | Official Trailer | Disney+

Admit it: It’s been a nice break not to have a Marvel TV show to fuss over. Since ended in October, Disney+ hasn’t given us a new Marvel series, making all the more exciting. Plus, s Nick Fury—who brought the Avengers together in the first place—is finally (finally!) getting his own project. He leads SI along with MCU staples Cobie Smulders, Don Cheadle, , and Ben Mendelsohn. The series is labeled a spy drama, with Fury uncovering a conspiracy theory involving the shape-shifting Skrulls infiltrating Earth. Marvel has tapped some of the best British actors for this London-set season, including Olivia Colman, Kingsley Ben-Adir, and Emilia Clarke, who will all make their MCU debuts. [Saloni Gajjar]

The Bear season 2 (FX on Hulu, June 22)
The Bear | Season 2 Official Trailer | FX

is back, people. We don’t know a ton about the upcoming season (other than that under-wraps character that’s played by none other than Chicago’s own ), but color us excited to see how this sure-to-be-anxiety-inducing restaurant makeover goes for Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) and Sydney (Ayo Edebiri). (We’re also anticipating some comic relief and surprising depth from Cousin Richie [Ebon Moss-Bachrach]). [Tim Lowery]

And Just Like That... season 2 (Max, June 22)
And Just Like That Season 2 | Official Teaser | Max

The internet is ready (or maybe not) for another season. Michael Patrick King’s entertaining revival/sequel returns with 10 new episodes as Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon), and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) continue their mostly unhinged shenanigans across Manhattan. Season two will feature Carrie’s famous ex, Aidan (John Corbett), while Miranda is still in a steaming hot relationship with everyone’s favorite comedian, Does anything these leading women do feel “real” or “make sense?” Not always, but Max knows its audience. Why else would Aidan be back? [Saloni Gajjar]

I’m A Virgo (Prime Video, June 23)
I’m A Virgo - Official Teaser | Prime Video

is led by Emmy winner Jharrel Jerome, who should’ve become an overnight superstar after his sensational performance in 2019’s . He plays Cootie, who’s raised by his Aunt Lafrancine (Carmen Ejogo) and Uncle Martisse (Mike Epps) in Oakland. As a 13-foot Black man, his family shields him from the outside world until a group of teenage political activists accidentally discovers him. Walton Goggins, Brett Gray, and Kara Young also star. [Saloni Gajjar]

Hijack (Apple TV+, June 28)
Hijack (Apple TV+, June 28)
Idris Elba in Photo Apple TV+

A Dubai-to-London flight gets—you guessed it–hijacked in this Apple TV+ series, and thank goodness Idris Elba (playing a character named Sam Nelson) is on board to act the hero. The British miniseries is written by George Kay, who co-created Criminal and Lupin, while Jim Field Smith (The Wrong Mans) directs. [Tim Lowery]

The Witcher season 3, volume 1 (Netflix, June 29)
The Witcher: Season 3 | Official Teaser | Netflix

Fantasy drama The Witcher has had a newsy few months thanks to lead star Henry Cavill’s departure after the upcoming third season, which of Geralt of Rivia (.) To maximize Cavill’s time on the show, The first arrives on June 29, and the second less than a month later on July 27. In the new episodes, Geralt takes Ciri (Freya Allan) into hiding as monarchs, mages, and beasts compete to capture her, but he is determined to protect his newly reunited family. [Saloni Gajjar]

 
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