The 2014-15 season just ended, but we won’t even get a chance to catch our breath before the summer TV season kicks into high gear. We’ve already had plenty of highs and lows in May, and the next three months are going to keep it up with nonstop programming. From the much-anticipated return of addictive series like Orange Is the New Black, Pretty Little Liars, Hannibal, and BoJack Horseman to a variety of new series — science-fiction dramas, reality shows, and fun comedies — there is no shortage of television to keep you indoors during those too-hot days. Here is Flavorwire’s rundown of the most notable series to mark down on your calendar.
New series in June:
June 1: The Whispers (ABC) — Steven Spielberg executive produces this creepy thriller about a strange “entity” (OK, it’s definitely aliens, even if ABC is trying to maintain some mystery after retooling the pilot) invading earth and posing as children’s imaginary friends as they attempt to achieve world domination.
June 2: Stitchers (ABC Family) — A supernatural procedural about a young woman in a secret government agency where she routinely gets “stitched” into dead bodies in order to solve murders.
June 5: Sense8 (Netflix) — Maybe this is the summer of science fiction, because we can also look forward to Andy and Lana Wachowski’s (The Matrix) Sense8 (“sensate”), a Netflix series about eight strangers who find themselves mysteriously connected after a tragic death.
June 7: Serial Thriller (ID) — Investigation Discovery’s three-episode, three-night miniseries marks the network’s introduction to scripted programming. Based on a real-life serial killer (whose identity won’t be revealed at first), Serial Thriller — get the title? — tells the “personal stories of the residents, the victims and those in charge of the criminal investigation.”
June 8: Odd Mom Out (Bravo) — In Bravo’s second scripted series, Jill Kargman (who created the series) deals with the “uber-wealthy mommy clique” in the “treacherous and elite ecosystem of New York’s Upper East Side.” Basically, she’s not like a regular mom. She’s a cool mom.
June 8: Becoming Us (ABC Family) — ABC Family has had a string of poignant, emotional teen dramas, and this one looks to follow suit. In Becoming Us, a teenage boy navigates everyday life while also learning that his father is undergoing a gender transition. Think: the teen version of Transparent.
June 11: Women in Prison (ID) — The simplistic description for this docu-series is “the real-life Orange Is the New Black.” The three-episode series follows the lives of actual women in prison, explores how they got there, and documents their relationships behind bars.
June 16: Clipped (TBS) — TBS continues its stream of unremarkable comedies with Clipped, a Massachusetts-set sitcom about a group of classmates from high school who now work in a barbershop. Ashley Tisdale, Lauren Lapkus, and Ryan Pinkston star.
June 18: The Astronaut Wives Club (ABC) — Originally set to air during the 2013-14 TV season, The Astronaut Wives Club is finally premiering in June. The drama is about seven women who were, well, the wives of astronauts.
June 18: Complications (USA) — Burn Notice‘s Matt Nex creates another perfectly USA show for USA, this one centering on a doctor who experiences complications when he saves a boy’s life and becomes a vigilante hero.
June 19: Catastrophe (Amazon) — In this serialized, six-episode British comedy import, Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan star as a couple who try to begin a relationship after a short fling leads to an accidental pregnancy.
June 21: Ballers (HBO) — Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson stars as a retired football player who now manages young athletes. It’s being promoted as a sort of sports version of Entourage, but The Rock can pull off anything.
June 21: The Brink (HBO) — In one of the summer’s weirdest-sounding series, Jack Black and Tim Robbins team up for a comedy about a geopolitical crisis in Pakistan.
June 23: Another Period (Comedy Central) — Comedy Central’s historical satire is most notable for its stars and cameos: Riki Lindhome, Natasha Leggero, Michael Ian Black, Paget Brewster, David Wain, and Christina Hendricks.
June 24: Mr. Robot (USA) — USA’s other new original drama is Mr. Robot, starring Christian Slater as an anarchist who recruits an antisocial programmer (Rami Malek) into an underground hacking network.
June 26: Humans (AMC) — Speaking of robots, AMC’s eight-part drama set in a parallel universe centers around must-have robotic servants (known as “Synth”) who look eerily like the human who owns them. You know, because owning robots has never gone wrong.
June 30: Scream (MTV) — Leave it to MTV to be the network that offers up a television adaptation of Scream in 2015. The (very) meta-horror comedy begins, of course, with a YouTube video that leads to murder.
June 30: Zoo (CBS) — Based on James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge’s novel, Zoo follows a series of violent animal attacks across the globe, as animals try to take back the world from humans. Feel-good summer thriller!
Returning series in June
June 1: Pretty Little Liars (ABC Family),Chrisley Knows Best (USA), Royal Pains (USA)
June 4: Hannibal (NBC)
June 6:
Power (Starz)
June 8: The Fosters (ABC Family), The Real Housewives of Orange County (Bravo)
June 11: Beauty and the Beast (The CW)
June 12:Orange Is the New Black (Netflix), Defiance (Syfy), Hit Record (Pivot)
June 16: Rizzoli & Isles (TNT), Tyrant (FX)
June 21: Aqua Teen Hunger Force (Adult Swim) June 23: WWE Tough Enough (USA)
June 24: Suits (USA)
June 25: Graceland (USA), Rookie Blue (ABC), Under the Dome (CBS)
June 29: Teen Wolf (MTV)
June 20: The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail (Comedy Central)
New series in July:
July 8: The Spoils Before Dying (IFC) — A followup to The Spoils of Babylon, this three-part comedy miniseries (there are a lot of miniseries this summer!) tells the story of a murder mystery in Los Angeles’ jazz scene. The cast includes Will Ferrell, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Haley Joel Osment, Michael Sheen, Molly Shannon, Kate McKinnon, Andrew Daly, Chris Parnell, and many more.
July 8: Why? With Hannibal Buress (Comedy Central) — The Hannibal Buress show that Buress (and everyone else in the world) wished into fruition gets a July debut. The comedy series will be a mix of man-on-the-street interviews, filmed segments, studio guests, and stand-up.
July 9: Dates (The CW) — The CW is once again using its summer months to test the comedy waters, this time with British import Dates. Each episode will center on a first date between a couple who met online.
July 15: The Jim Gaffigan Show (TV Land) — After about a billion years in development (it was originally for CBS), Jim Gaffigan’s comedy series was picked up by TV Land and retooled for broadcast. He plays a fictional version of himself, balancing his family with his stand-up comedy career. As part of a weird deal, each episode will air on Comedy Central the week after its debut.
July 16: Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll (FX) — Denis Leary creates and stars in this show about an aging rockstar who tries to reunite the band 25 years after it all went to hell — mostly because of his numerous addictions.
July 17: Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp (Netflix) — Before we get reboot/sequel fatigue in the fall, we’ll at least have the sure-to-be-hilarious Wet Hot American Summer prequel, which takes the actors (who are 15 years older) and makes them a few months younger, placing them at the beginning of the camp session. Non-movie newcomers include Jason Schwartzman, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, and Lake Bell.
July 22: Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (Syfy) — Jerry Springer, Chris Jericho, David Hasselhoff, Bo Derek, and Ann Coulter join Ian Ziering and Tara Reid as they all try to survive the third Sharknado as it destroys the Eastern Seaboard.
July 26: Bruce Jenner’s Untitled Docuseries (E!) — Beginning July 26, E! will air eight hour-long episodes about Bruce Jenner and his transition. The series has been described as both serious and funny, aiming to both inform and entertain.
Returning series in July
July 1: Extant (CBS)
July 6: Whose Line Is It Anyway? (The CW)
July 8: Catfish
(MTV), Key and Peele
(Comedy Central)
July 9: Rectify (Sundance), Teen Mom 2 (MTV)
July 12: Masters of Sex (Showtime), Ray Donovan (Showtime), The Strain (FX)
July 15: Dating Naked (Vh1)
July 16: Married (FX)
July 17: BoJack Horseman
(Netflix)
July 19: Welcome to Sweden (NBC)
July 22: Last Comic Standing (NBC), Candidly Nicole (Vh1)
July 26: Rick and Morty (Adult Swim)
July 30: Review (Comedy Central)
New series in August
August 3: Significant Mother (The CW) — Significant Mother is The CW’s second comedy this summer. Like last summer’s Backpackers, it was first developed on its digital channel CW Seed. Significant Mother, which might be my least favorite title of the entire summer, is about a restaurateur who returns from a business trip to learn that his best friend/roommate is now dating his mother.
August 5: Mr. Robinson (NBC) — Finally, Craig Robinson gets his own sitcom. He stars as a substitute high school teacher who plays in a funk band at night. It’s very School of Rock, but Robinson can definitely make the premise his own.
August 5: The Carmichael Show (NBC) — And finally, Jerrod Carmichael gets a sitcom. Inspired by his real-life familial and romantic relationships, The Carmichael Show puts Carmichael’s stand-up in sitcom form — and casts David Alan Grier and Loretta Devine as his parents.
August 16: Show Me a Hero (HBO) — David Simon’s (The Wire, Treme) newest project is a six-part, Yonkers-centric miniseries that explores “home, race and community through the lives of elected officials, bureaucrats, activists and ordinary citizens.” Oscar Isaac, Catherine Keener, Alfred Molina, and Winona Ryder round out an all-star cast. Paul Haggis (Crash) directs.
August 20: Documentary Now! (IFC) — One of the most promising comedies of the summer comes from the trio of Bill Hader, Seth Meyers, and Fred Armisen (Lorne Michaels is executive producer). Documentary Now! is a series of half-hour fictional documentaries with subjects ranging from socialites to drug cartels to a documentary about a documentary.
August 22: Blunt Talk (Starz) — With a two-season, 20-episode order, Blunt is already August’s most successful series, before it even airs. British Walter Blunt (Patrick Stewart) attempts to conquer American cable news but clashes with bosses, staff, and ex-wives. Timm Sharp and Richard Lewis also star.
Returning series in August
August 4:Playing House (USA)August 5:America’s Next Top Model (The CW)August 12:Young & Hungry (ABC Family)August 17:Chasing Life (ABC Family)August 22:Survivor’s Remorse (Starz)August 24:Switched At Birth (ABC Family)August 31:AwkwardAugust 31: Faking It