8 Binge-Worthy Shows Streaming in June, From a ‘Star Wars’ Spinoff to ‘Bridgerton’ Part 2

Summer sunshine is almost here but you’ll be wishing for rainy days indoors to binge these new shows.

 

Star Wars: The Acolyte

George Lucas’s 1977 epic space western franchise has been a fount of IP for decades, most recently spawning several live-action television series. This latest spinoff dives into the Sith canon (Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Darth Maul, et al.) to reveal the origin of the Sith plan to destroy the Jedi. It’s actually billed as a mystery thriller, where an investigation into a crime spree pits a respected Jedi Master (Emmy winner Lee Jung-jae, 51, of Squid Game) against a dangerous warrior from his past (Amandla Stenberg). With Canadian Matrix star Carrie-Anne Moss, 56, and Jodie Turner-Smith rounding out the cast, you can pretty much guarantee we’ll be tuning in.

Where to Watch: Streaming on Disney+ starting June 4 (8 episodes)

 

Changing Ends

Ever wonder what might happen if you crossed Young Sheldon with Son of a Critch? This witty and heartwarming British sitcom is the answer. Alan Carr, 47, a popular British comedian and presenter, based these semi-autobiographical misadventures of school, family and pubescent angst on his own life in mid-1980s Northampton, where he grew up the son of a fourth division football manager. Tune in to see how the beautiful game is portrayed in Thatcher’s Britain.

Where to Watch: Streaming on BritBox starting June 6 (6 episodes)

 

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld

Fashion is in the fabric of society and whether it’s dramatizing Halston’s rise and fall, the entwined lives and overlapping careers of Christian Dior, Coco Chanel and Cristobal Balenciaga or the recent documentary assessing the complicated legacy of John Galliano, there is renewed interest in probing the role designers play in cultural history. This major original series is set against the glam backdrop of hedonistic 1970s Paris and charts the period when German-born Lagerfeld (Daniel Brühl) found his soulmate Jacques de Bascher before transforming into the iconic figure we remember today.

Where to Watch: Streaming on Disney+ starting June 7 (6 episodes)

 

Presumed Innocent

When this debut book by American lawyer-turned-novelist Scott Turow, 75, was published in 1987 it became an instant success, spending 45 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and shaped a popular new genre of legal thriller (not to mention a hit Harrison Ford film). In this expansive but taut new adaptation from producer David E. Kelley, Jake Gyllenhaal, 43, takes on the role of Rusty Sabich, the married Chicago prosecutor suspected of brutally murdering his colleague (and former lover) Carolyn. Ruth Negga, 43, is in the mix as Rusty’s wife Barbara, as is Peter Sarsgaard, 53, as Rusty’s courtroom nemesis Tommy Molto.

Where to Watch: Streaming on AppleTV+ starting June 12 (8 episodes)

 

Bridgerton Season 3, Part 2

As a rule, this column highlights only new series but juggernaut Bridgerton is the exception (after all, it’s now even a fabrics collaboration with heritage London purveyor Liberty). When Part 1 was released back in May, telling the first half of Colin and Penelope’s love story, Bridgerton enjoyed its biggest-ever figures (at time of writing, 45.1 million views). This time around, the unmasking of anonymous gossipeuse Lady Whistledown will likely put their relationship in jeopardy. But frankly, we’re just as invested in Penelope and Eloise restoring their strained lifelong friendship as we are in a happy ending for #Polin (or, for that matter, mean-girl Cressida). Count on burgeoning sparks between Bridgerton matriarch Lady Violet (Ruth Gemmell, 56) and Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis), the visiting brother of Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh, 61) to add intrigue, as well.

Where to Watch: Streaming on Netflix starting June 13 (4 episodes)

 

Blue Lights

This Belfast police drama from the BBC was one of the U.K.’s breakout hits last year and BritBox has snagged its exclusive North American premiere. The cop show set in post-Troubles Northern Ireland follows three new recruits – including former social worker Grace (Sian Brooke, 44), who in her 40s has made the career pivot to policing. They’re trying to survive their probation period while still learning the ropes and in the midst of a wide-ranging drug gangs investigation. Not unlike The Wire, this gritty and engrossing show is an evolving social document where the tensions of the recent past are never far away as the team navigate corruption and general societal breakdown.

Where to Watch: Streaming on BritBox starting June 15 (6 episodes)

 

Land of Women

Fresh from her directorial debut Flamin’ Hot, Eva Longoria, 49, both stars in and executive produces this new dramedy championing female empowerment in middle age. Longoria plays Gala, a New York empty-nester who is forced on the run with her aging mother (the great Carmen Maura, 78, a regular Pedro Almodóvar collaborator) and college-age daughter after her husband’s involvement in financial fraud. The family of women attempt to make a fresh start in the same gossipy small town in northern Spain that her mother fled 50 years ago. Bonus: The series was shot separately in English and Spanish, so it’s available to watch in either language.

Where to Watch: Streaming on AppleTV+ starting June 26 (6 episodes)

 

My Lady Jane

The pitch on this major new summer series is “a swashbuckling romantasy series set in an alt-fantasy Tudor world.” Between the colour-blind casting, Stephanie Colli’s sumptuous period costumes and the fact that romantasy, a newish publishing subgenre, is seriously trending, Bridgerton should watch its back. This take is a radical retelling of British royal history – one in which King Henry VIII’s son Edward (Jordan Peters) does not die of tuberculosis and Lady Jane Grey, the young noblewoman who was Queen of England for nine days then beheaded in 1554, also lives to tell – will surely give royal-watchers much to obsess over. The historical comedy gets extra points for featuring character actor Jim Broadbent, 75, plus our favourite plummy thesp Anna Chancellor, 59, as Lady Jane’s mother, and comedy genius Rob Brydon, 59, as Lord Dudley.

Where to Watch: Streaming on Prime Video starting June 27 (8 episodes)

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