The 5 New and Under-the-Radar TV Shows You Can’t Miss in June

If you thought summer would be a time to catch up on all the TV you might have missed this spring, think again. There’s no end of new shows this June. The lazy, hazy days of summer TV programming are most definitely a thing of the past.

To paraphrase Rodgers & Hammerstein, June really is bustin’ out all over with TV. FX’s The Bear returns for a fourth season of intense cooking on June 25. The Gilded Age is back for its third season on June 21 and Disney+ has more superheroes to show us when Ironheart debuts on June 24.

You could lather yourself in SPF 30 to prevent a sunburn OR you could just stay inside and watch TV. You know our recommendation. So say “yes chef” to TV this June and don’t sleep on these five new under-the-radar shows you can’t miss this month.

1. Stick

Stars: Owen Wilson, Peter Dager, Marc Maron, Mariana Treviño, Lilli Kay, Judy Greer and Timothy Olyphant

Premiere Date: The first three episodes premiere June 4 on AppleTV+ followed by one new episode every Wednesday until the season finale on July 23

Owen Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill, a former golf pro whose career came to an abrupt halt when he had a very public breakdown. Now he spends his days upselling golf gear and teaching retirees how to improve their swing. But when he meets 17-year-old Santi (Peter Dager), a once-in-a-lifetime golf prodigy, he suddenly sees a path out of the rut he is in. Pryce convinces Santi’s mom Elena (Mariana Treviño) and his former caddy Mitts (Marc Maron) to take Santi on the amateur golf circuit. As the episodes unfold, viewers learn both Pryce and Santi are still grappling with grief that they have never quite dealt with. Reminiscent of Ted Lasso, the series has a lot of laughs and even more heart.

2. Art Detectives

Stars: Stephen Moyer, Nina Singh, Sarah Alexander and Larry Lamb

Premiere Date: The first two episodes premiere June 9 on Acorn TV followed by a new episode every Monday until the finale on July 7.

Stephen Moyer (True Blood) headlines and executive produces this new six part series. Moyer stars as DI Mick Palmer of the Heritage Crime Unit. As the title of the series suggests, Mick is a detective with a very particular set of skills—whether it’s a Banksy, a piece of Titanic memorabilia or a collectible vinyl, Mick knows his art and antiques. With the help of DC Shazia Malik (Nina Singh), Mick solves murders while dealing with his criminal dad Ron (Larry Lamb) and his burgeoning romance with museum curator Rosa (Sarah Alexander). First up, Mick and Shazia investigate the death of an art historian who has been brutally beaten to death. Read our review.

3. Underdogs

Stars: Ryan Reynolds

Premiere Date: June 15 at 9 p.m. on National Geographic. Episodes will stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu

Ryan Reynolds narrates this NatGeo series dedicated to the animals that get no respect, no respect at all. “These guys are the grossest, weirdest, the most unlikely stars in the great movie of life. Now it’s their time to shine,” Reynolds deadpans at the start of the series. In the premiere episode, Reynolds takes a look at “superzeroes,” animals who have unlikely superpowers. The pistol shrimp, for instance, can fire bubbles that are as hot as the surface of the sun. Honey badgers know no fear. “Why do honey badgers laugh in the face of danger?” Reynolds asks. “It’s because they’re really, really dumb.” Future episodes look at animals whose parenting won’t win them any awards for Parent of the Year (like the koala, who feeds her young offspring poop) and animals whose grossness allows them to succeed (like the manatees, whose gaseous releases keep them afloat).

4. The Waterfront

Stars: Holt McCallany, Maria Bello, Jake Weary, Melissa Benoist, Rafael L. Silva, Humberly González, Danielle Campbell and Brady Hepner

Premiere Date: All eight episodes premiere June 19 on Netflix.

They don’t want to wait for their lives to be over. Kevin Williamson, the man behind Dawson’s Creek and Scream, returns to North Carolina in this eight episode series about the Buckley family. After family patriarch Harlan Buckley (Holt McCallany) has two heart attacks, his wife Belle (Maria Bello) and son Cane (Jake Weary) struggle to keep the family empire afloat. Keep an eye out for Topher Grace playing against type as a not-so-nice drug lord. Like Dawson’s Creek, The Waterfront is semi-autobiographical. Williamson’s dad was a fisherman in North Carolina who got in trouble with the law when he began to traffic things other than seafood on his boat.

5. Countdown

Stars: Jensen Ackles, Eric Dane, Jessica Camacho, Violett Beane, Elliot Knight and Uli Latukefu

Premiere Date: The first three episodes premiere June 25 on Prime Video followed by a new episode every Wednesday until the season finale on September 3.

Jensen Ackles leaves The Boys and Supernatural world behind to star as LAPD detective Mark Meachum. After a Department of Homeland Security officer is killed in the line of duty, Detective Meachum is asked to join a secret task force to investigate the murder. Eric Dane co-stars as Mark’s boss Nathan Blythe. What Mark and Nathan soon discover is they have much more than a murder to worry about. There are people planning a “Chernobyl level event” in Los Angeles. Uli Latukefu, so terrific as the young Dwayne Johnson in NBC’s Young Rock, co-stars as a member of Mark and Nathan’s team. The series comes from One Chicago and FBI executive producer Derek Haas so look for the tension to rise as this 13 episode series heads towards its finale.

Amy Amatangelo, the TV Gal®, is a Boston-based freelance writer and a member of the Television Critics Association. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter (@AmyTVGal).

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