Genius: Aretha
June 4th
The third season of the anthology drama focuses on the life of Aretha Franklin. Starring the Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo, it follows the pattern of most modern biopics: a trip through the artist's Wikipedia with a smattering of soapy dynamics. Moving back and forth between the singer's childhood and the pivotal points in her career in the 1960s and 1970s, it's a perfunctory look at Franklin's rising star and the divine magic that made her the Queen of Soul.
Loki
June 9th
Taking place after the events of Avengers : Endgame, Loki is a series that centres on the manipulation of time (a premise without which there would be no central character). Due to his Pucklike tendency for rearranging events, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) is called before the Time Variance Authority, a bureaucratic organisation that exists outside of space and time. There he must answer for his crimes against linear time and decide whether to assist the bureau in fighting a looming threat to reality. Loki may be stacked with stars including Owen Wilson and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, but with its reliance on intricate Marvel lore it may not capture a broad audience in the same way as the triumphant WandaVision.
The Gloaming
June 11th
This atmospheric Australian police drama follows detective Molly McGee (Emma Booth) as she tries to solve the ritual-like murder of a young girl. With shades of the first season of True Detective, The Gloaming intertwines ideas of political corruption with the occult and the exploitation of the town's teen girls.
Love, Victor season two
June 18th
The well-received Love, Simon sitcom spin off continues with this season exploring how Victor's (Michael Cimino) world has changed now that he has come out to his family. He starts the school year on the arm of his boyfriend Benji (George Sear), but the two face opposition from Victor's basketball teammates as the pair wonder where they fit into each other's lives. The charming, slightly earnest story is broadened out this season focusing on teen-drama staples such as troubled parents, lost friendships and worries around having sex for the first time. Glossy, sweet and silly, Love, Victor is a welcome addition to the teen soap pantheon.
Pride
June 25th
LGBTQ+ representation may have not filtered through into Disney and Marvel global franchises yet, but the six-part documentary Pride is a necessary acknowledgment of queer history from the entertainment behemoth. Pride chronicles the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights in the United States, including FBI surveillance of LGBTQ+ citizens in the 1950s, the first gay-pride march, in the 1970s, the Aids epidemic of the 1980s, the culture wars of the 1990s, and the struggle for marriage equality. With particular attention paid to lost artists such as the film-maker Nelson Sullivan, who chronicled the New York gay scene in the 1980s, and the evolution of trans rights, with interviews and archival footage of pioneers including Christine Jorgensen and Kate Bornstein, it promises a comprehensive look at LGBTQ+ history.
