Summer TV 2019: The New Shows That Excite Us
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Ambitions (OWN)
Premieres Tuesday, June 18 at 10/9c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: Robin Givens plays Stephanie Carlisle, a ruthless Atlanta lawyer willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, screwing over friends, lovers and anyone else who tries to foil her various grabs for power. (Watch trailer.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: Do we need another guilty pleasure in our weekly rotation? Perhaps not. But there's something so deliciously over-the-top about this whole concept — think Scandal on speed — that has us curious.
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BH90210 (Fox)
Premieres Wednesday, Aug. 7 at 9/8c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: Original cast members Tori Spelling, Jennie Garth, Shannen Doherty, Jason Priestley, Brian Austin Green, Ian Ziering and Gabrielle Carteris play exaggerated versions of themselves as they attempt to get a Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot off the ground. (Watch teaser.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: To be honest, we've seen nothing beyond a cutesy teaser. But the super meta premise — and our deep love for the original show — guarantees we'll be tuning in to find out if the Peach Pit gang pulled off this unconventional pseudo-revival.
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Carnival Row (Amazon)
Premieres Friday, Aug. 30
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: In a Victorian world filled with mythological creatures whose homelands were invaded by man, a detective (played by Orlando Bloom) and a faerie (Suicide Squad's Cara Delevingne) rekindle a dangerous affair — all whilst a string of murders threaten the tenous peace. (Watch teaser.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: In development for more than two years, this lush-looking, eight-episode release has been flying just enough under the radar that it can only pleasantly surprise us.
101 - The Night Flynn Sent the Cops on the Ice
City on a Hill (Showtime)
Premieres Sunday, June 16 at 9/8c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: Kevin Bacon headlines a gritty, densely packed cop drama as a proudly corrupt FBI agent who butts heads with the new assistant district attorney (Underground's Aldis Hodge) in 1990s Boston. While they spar over police misconduct and racial tensions, a family of bank robbers embarks on a city-wide crime spree. (Watch trailer.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: The cast is dynamite, including Kingdom's Jonathan Tucker as the live-wire leader of the robbery crew. And the pedigree is just as good behind the camera, with Emmy winner Tom Fontana, of Homicide and Oz fame, serving as showrunner.
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Euphoria (HBO)
Premieres Sunday, June 16 at 10/9c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: A group of high school students — friends and frenemies alike — walk that delicate line between love and friendship, all while dealing with issues involving drugs, sex, trauma and, of course, social media. (Watch trailer.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: Even if Euphoria wasn't stacked with an impressive cast — led by Zendaya in the most transformative role of her young career — we're still intrigued to see HBO's take on the teen drama genre.
Four Weddings and A Funeral
Four Weddings and a Funeral (Hulu)
Premieres Wednesday, July 31
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: Loosely based on the 1994 rom-com, Season 1 of the anthology dramedy takes place in and around a London wedding that becomes a de facto reunion for four American friends. Mindy Kaling and Matt Warburton (The Mindy Project) write and executive-produce the series.
WHY WE LIKE IT: We adore the Hugh Grant/Andie MacDowell original. We were very into The Mindy Project. We're pumped about the cast, which includes Game of Thrones' Nathalie Emmanuel, You're the Worst's Brandon Mychal Smith, Casual's Tommy Dewey and Sleepy Hollow's Tom Mison. And who doesn't love a good summer wedding?!
DEMIÁN BICHIR, ROSELYN SÁNCHEZ
Grand Hotel (ABC)
Premieres Monday, June 17 at 10/9c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: Murder and scandal rock a family-owned hotel in Miami Beach, one populated by glamorous people harboring filthy secrets. (Watch trailer.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: It's no Downton Abbey, but between the upstairs/downstairs drama and all of its soapy surroundings, Grand Hotel is likely to fill the Devious Maids-shaped hole in your DVR — assuming you have one such hole to fill, of course.
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Jett (Cinemax)
Premieres Friday, June 14 at 10/9c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: Fresh out of prison, retired professional thief Daisy aka "Jett" Kowalski (played by Carla Gugino) is reluctantly drawn back into doing what she does best, to complete — all together now — "one final job." (Watch teaser.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: Though a bit sluggish out of the gate, the premiere ultimately sets in motion a narrative in which a perfectly cast, age-defying Gugino simply shines, playing a crafty, "whatever it takes" femme fatale.
Pearson - Season 1
Pearson (USA Network)
Premieres Wednesday, July 17 at 10/9c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: Former Suits lawyer Jessica Pearson (Gina Torres) gets caught up in the dirty world of Chicago politics when she becomes the mayor's right-hand fixer. (Watch trailer.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: Torres, who we could never get enough of on Suits, finally gets a chance to shine as the star of her own series. Buoyed by a strong supporting cast, including Morgan Spector (Homeland) and Bethany Joy Lenz (One Tree Hill), this offshoot is a worthy companion for fans of the mothership series and newbies, alike.
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Press Your Luck/Card Sharks (ABC)
Premiere Wednesday, June 12 at 8/7c and 9 pm (Press Your Luck gets special premiere Tuesday, June 11 at 10 pm)
WHAT ARE THEY ABOUT?: It's summer, on ABC, so obviously they're revivals of classic game shows!
WHY WE LIKE 'EM: Hosted by the fiery Elizabeth Banks, Press Your Luck is poised to bring "Big money!" and "No Whammy!" back into the lexicon (as if they ever left), while sardonic Joel McHale will be the dealer on Card Sharks, which is (HIGHER!!!) one of the more play-at-home (LOWER!!!) game shows out there.
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The Boys (Amazon)
Premieres Friday, July 26
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: The comic book adaptation from executive producer Eric Kripke (Timeless, Supernatural) follows a ragtag group that sets out to expose the truth about superheroes and the multi-billion dollar conglomerate that manages them. The ensemble includes Karl Urban (Almost Human), Chace Crawford (Gossip Girl) and Elisabeth Shue (CSI), among others. (Watch trailer.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: A slick, extremely R-rated takedown of so-called heroes — seriously, no one can accuse this show of being tame — The Boys has fun with its premise while holding back no punches.
THE DARK CRYSTAL: AGE OF RESISTANCE
The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (Netflix)
Premieres Friday, Aug. 30
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: A prequel to the beloved 1982 Jim Henson fantasy film, Age of Resistance follows a trio of Gelflings as they try to save their homeland and heal the damaged Crystal of Truth by fighting back against the evil Skeksis. (Remember them? From your nightmares?) (Watch trailer.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: Just stepping into this world again is a potent nostalgia bomb for '80s kids, but based on the jaw-dropping trailer, Netflix has recaptured the magic and wide-eyed wonder of the original with good old-fashioned puppet work that absolutely dazzles the eye.
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The Hills: New Beginnings (MTV)
Premieres Monday, June 24 at 10/9c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: MTV plays catch-up with (most of) the original cast of its classic reality soap — and also Mischa Barton! (Watch trailer.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: Honestly, we're just tuning in to see if New Beginnings ever addresses the way the original Hills ended in 2010 — with the reveal that the whole show had been a scripted drama, complete with fake set pieces.
The Rook Season 1 2019
The Rook (Starz)
Premieres Sunday, June 30 at 8/7c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: Myfanwy Thomas (Emma Greenwell, Shameless) wakes up in London amid a circle of dead bodies, and has no idea who she is or how she got there. Turns out, she's a VIP in a very secret British organization for those with supernatural abilities — and someone she's close to is trying to kill her. But whom? (Watch trailer.)
WHY WE LIKE IT: The Rook's premiere poses far more questions than it answers, and that's a good thing: Like Myfanwy, viewers have to pay attention to every highly crafted detail in order to figure out what's really going on.
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The Weekly (FX)
Currently airing Sundays at 10/9c
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: The half-hour documentary series, a partnership between the network and The New York Times, goes deep on one timely Times story each week. Topics include children separated from their parents at the United States border and the financial crisis facing New York City taxi drivers.
WHY WE LIKE IT: Like the Times podcast The Daily, which also features reporters giving background on the huge stories they write, The Weekly is a quick way to get informed on the biggest stories out there. (Plus, watching it makes us feel smart.)
Murder Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry
Why Women Kill (CBS All Access)
Premieres Thursday, Aug. 15
WHAT'S IT ABOUT?: Three women living in three different decades — a 1960s housewife, an '80s socialite and a 2019 lawyer — each deal with infidelity in their marriages.
WHY WE LIKE IT: We haven't seen any footage from this soapy dramedy just yet, but we have reason to be optimistic. The cast is, appropriately, a Murderers' Row of TV vets (including Ginnifer Goodwin, Lucy Liu and Kirby Howell-Baptiste as the central trio), while Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry is in charge behind the camera, all but guaranteeing a deliciously addictive watch.