26 Best New Summer TV Shows of 2020 You’ve Got to See
I’m feeling especially grateful for all the new summer TV shows coming out this year. I don’t know about y’all, but TV has become one of my lifelines during this time of isolation and social distancing. New series, like Ryan Murphy’s Hollywood and the dating show Too Hot to Handle, have been prime escapism, providing some much-needed levity when the news gets to be too much.
And a whole bunch of new summer TV shows are premiering soon, thank God. From new seasons of favorites, like The Bold Type and Fuller House, to fresh series—like the highly anticipated comedy, The Great, starring Elle Fanning—you’ll have enough to fill up your queues for weeks. One thing I’m trying to do right now is focus on the positive, and these shows are definitely that. So cancel your nonexistent plans and get watching.
Netflix1/26May 8: Dead to Me
Christina Applegate and Linda Cardellini return as Jen and Judy in this critically acclaimed Netflix comedy-drama, and they have a new murder on their hands. Remember last season, when we left off with Jen killing Judy’s ex-husband, Steve? Season two follows the aftermath of that, and let’s just say things get wild.
Streaming on Netflix
Lou Faulon/Netflix2/26May 8: The Eddy
La La Land auteur Damien Chazelle is back with a new eight-episode musical series starring André Holland, Joanna Kulig, and Amandla Sternberg that takes place in a jazz club in Paris. Is it too much to ask for appearances from Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone (who won an Oscar for La La Land in 2017)? We can certainly hope.
Streaming on Netflix
Courtesy of Netflix3/26May 8: Too Hot to Handle: Extra Hot: The Reunion
If you were as glued to Too Hot to Handle in April [as I was],(https://www.glamour.com/story/too-hot-to-handle-cast-instagram-accounts) then you won’t want to miss the reunion special. The cast members dish on all that went down in the season, plus give updates on what they’ve been up to since. Here’s hoping Lana is the one moderating the discussion.
Streaming on Netflix
Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images4/26May 11: Amy Schumer Learns to Cook
Amy Schumer and her husband, Chris Fischer, prepare meals in this quarantine cooking show. The hook? Fischer is a professional chef and Schumer is…well, not. Recipe-following hilarity ensues. Watch as Schumer peppers in some of her signature jokes and charm amid all the cooking content.
10 p.m. ET on Food Network
Eric Liebowitz/Netflix5/26May 12: Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs. the Reverend
A new interactive special set in the Unbreakable universe in which Kimmy is getting married but must first stop the Reverend’s mysterious, menacing plot. (Remember, that’s who kept her in the bunker for years.) Since it’s one of the first TV shows of the streaming age, I have an emotional connection to Kimmy Schmidt and am excited for this next chapter.
Streaming on Netflix
Ollie Upton/Hulu6/26May 15: The Great
Fans of The Favourite should tune into The Great, a new fictionalized series in which Elle Fanning plays Catherine the Great and Nicholas Hoult portrays Peter III of Russia. Come for the opulent costumes, but stay for the biting, slightly off-kilter humor. Simply put, The Great is, well, great.
Streaming on Hulu
Netflix7/26May 15: White Lines
This new drama series from Netflix is about a woman (Laura Haddock) who leaves her town to investigate her brother’s sudden disappearance in Ibiza. Soon she finds herself down a dark—and at times decadent—path. It’s like a grown-up Outer Banks with way more teeth. In short, absolutely addicting.
Streaming on Netflix
James Minchin/Starz8/26May 17: Hightown
Staying on the murder-disappearance train, Hightown is a captivating new series from Starz that follows a National Marine Fisheries officer who tries to solve the murder of a person whose body washed ashore. You know, just an average day at work. If you’ve been searching for a new crime series to keep you on the edge of your seat, this is it.
On Starz
Acorn9/26May 18: Dead Still
The crime content continues! Dead Still is another nail-biter here to entertain you this May. Here is the synopsis, per Acorn: “Memorial photographer Brock Blennerhasset makes a living out of photographing the dead in Victorian Ireland. When a series of murders threatens to sully Blennerhasset’s reputation, a tenacious detective drags him into an investigation of Dublin’s criminal underbelly.”
On Acorn
Netflix10/26May 18: The Big Flower Fight
If you’re a fan of the Great British Bake Off, then you’ll love this new reality series from Netflix that basically replaces cakes with elaborate floral displays. In it, 10 pairs of amateur gardeners have to put their floral-sculpting skills to the test via several mind-blowing challenges. Talk about plant inspo.
Streaming on Netflix
The CW11/26May 19: Stargirl
The latest live-action DC adaptation is here just in time for summer. This time around we’re seeing the story of Courtney Whitmore (aka Stargirl) come to life. Brec Bassinger steps into the title role, while the cast is rounded out by Yvette Monreal, Amy Smart, and Luke Wilson.
On The CW
Netflix12/26May 19: Sweet Magnolias
A new feel-good show about a trio of women from South Carolina, all friends from high school, who guide each other through pivotal stages in their lives, from romance to career to family. JoAnna Garcia Swisher, Brooke Elliott, and Heather Headley star, while Jamie Lynn Spears plays a supporting role.
Streaming on Netflix
HBO Max13/26May 27: Love Life
Anna Kendrick stars in this new romance anthology series, which explores how people go through a series of short-lived romances to find their forever person. Those brief relationships, it turns out, completely shape and form Kendrick’s character into the person she is when she eventually meets the One.
Streaming on HBO Max
HBO14/26May 27: Legendary
Celebrity judges Law Roach, Jameela Jamil, Leiomy Maldonado, and Megan Thee Stallion watch as groups of voguing teams compete in a series of dancing showcases. And the cast includes ballroom culture icons like MC Dashaun Wesley and DJ MikeQ, so expect something absolutely sickening. Legendary is right.
Streaming on HBO Max
HBO Max15/26May 27: On the Record
Read HBO Max’s description of this moving documentary: “On the Record presents the powerful and haunting story of music executive Drew Dixon as she grapples with her decision to become one of the first women of color, in the wake of #MeToo, to come forward and publicly name hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons of sexual assault. The documentary chronicles not only Dixon’s story but that of several other accusers—Sil Lai Abrams and Sheri Sher.”
Streaming on HBO Max
TNT16/26May 17: Snowpiercer
Yes, we have another adaptation of Snowpiercer on our hands. This one stars Jennifer Connelly, and if you’re unfamiliar with the story, it centers on a luxury train that houses all the people left on Earth after a modern Ice Age. The poorest people live in squalor on the train, but they plan to stage a mutiny by taking over the engine.
Watch on TNT
Aaron Epstein/Netflix17/26May 29: Space Force
Space Force really is The Office meets astronomy, with Steve Carrell playing yet another manager in charge of an unruly operation and a quirky cast of characters. And when I say cast, I mean cast: John Malkovich, Lisa Kudrow, Jane Lynch, Fed Willard, and the list goes on and on.
Streaming on Netflix
Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu18/26May 29: Ramy
Season two of Ramy Youssef’s semi-autobiographical series, about the son of Egyptian immigrant parents figuring out life and being a practicing Muslim as a millennial, is here. We talked to Youssef last year about how he draws the line between the real Ramy and the one he plays on screen.
“Ramy’s point of view is very autobiographical,” he said. “The things that the character goes through and his thoughts are all things that I have experienced. I’m drawing from real emotions. But the show lives in this alternate plane of what my life might have been like with slightly different circumstances, which felt like a more interesting place to write from. It also made things a lot easier, because my family can watch the show and they’re not like, ‘That’s us.’ I’ve been doing stand-up for a while now, so I have a creative outlet and a more communicative family than Ramy does in the show.”
Streaming on Hulu
Michael Yarish / Netflix19/26June 2: Fuller House
Fuller House was one of the first reinventive reboots to hit streaming, and sadly it’s coming to an end. The first half of the final season premieres on June 5, so be sure to mark your calendars. Have one last hurrah with the Fuller, Tanner, and Gibbler families.
Streaming on Netflix
Isabella Vosmikova/USA Network20/26June 2: Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story
Amanda Peet and Christian Slater star in the second season of this true-crime anthology series. This time it focuses on real-life couple Betty and Dan Broderick, whose marriage was already in peril before it took a murderous turn for the worst. Get ready for some twists and turns.
9 p.m. ET on USA Network
Apple TV21/26June 5: Dear…
A new take on the biography documentary series, Dear… profiles some of our culture’s most historic figures via letters written by people whose lives have been affected by their work. Subjects include Oprah Winfrey, Gloria Steinem, Spike Lee, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Yara Shahidi, Stevie Wonder, Aly Raisman, Misty Copeland, Big Bird, and more.
Streaming on Apple TV
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images22/26June 5: RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars
RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars is coming! Expect to see some of your favorite queens from previous seasons back together for a lip-sync-tastic competition of charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent.
8 p.m. ET on VH1
John Fleenor/Getty Images23/26June 8: The Bachelor: The Greatest Seasons—Ever!
Because The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise are on hiatus, ABC is filling the void by premiering The Bachelor: The Most Unforgettable—Ever!, which is exactly what you think: A look back at the most jaw-dropping moments in Bachelor history. There are several they can choose from just Peter Weber’s season alone.
8 p.m. ET on ABC
Netflix24/26June 10: Lenox Hill
Grey’s Anatomy fans, take note of this moving and fascinating documentary series coming soon to Netflix. Here is the streaming service’s official description of it: “From birth to brain surgery: This docuseries provides an intimate look at the lifesaving work of four doctors at Lenox Hill Hospital in NYC.”
Streaming on Netflix
John Medland/ABC/Getty Images25/26June 11: The Bold Type
The Bold Type’s season four, part two, premieres on Freeform in June. What will happen to Jane now that she has officially broken things off with Pinstripe? Or with Sutton now that she’s decided to stay in New York and do a long-distance marriage with Richard? So many questions!
Watch on Freeform
Hulu26/26June 19: Love, Victor
Love, Simon fans will get a kick out of this delightful series that’s set in the same universe as the hit romantic comedy. It also highlights a very familiar story of young queer love. Tune in if you want to feel 16 years old again. (And who doesn’t want that?)
Streaming on Hulu
