Movies have long dominated summer entertainment. Ever since Jaws and Star Wars, major film studios have planned commercial movie events around the Fourth of July, hoping to top last summer’s box office numbers by flooding theaters with moviegoers hungry for big budget thrills. But wake up, folks, the cinema is passé, and we ride for the Home Box Office now. The networks responsible for our binge-watching have learned a thing from Hollywood’s flashiest season, and the lineup of original programming speaks for itself. To help you find your footing amidst the abundance, we’ve dug through the calendars, consulted our representatives, and present to you the Great Summer TV Preview You’ve Been Waiting For.
Crime shows will be premiering and returning, with plenty of big summer events still to come. Even if you haven’t been waiting over a decade for the revival of your favorite teen detective show, we’re certain you’ll find something on this list worthy of a countdown. Stay tuned: with the age of TV being synonymous with crime, we’re ready to cancel our travel plans and spend the summer handcuffed to the couch.
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NEW RELEASES
MAY – JUNE
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What/If
(Netflix, May 24)
The first season of this Netflix original anthology series stars Renee Zellweger as an obtrusive billionaire who offers to invest in a young scientist’s promising medical venture in exchange for… one night with said scientist’s sexy husband. It’s glossy and soapy and ludicrous, with all the ingredients of a guilty (and kind of terrible) neo-noir. Subsequent seasons “will tackle a different morality tale inspired by culturally consequential source material, and the power of a single fateful decision to change the trajectory of an entire life.” Sounds like Seventh Heaven meets Indecent Proposal.
When They See Us
(Netflix, May 31)
Ava Duverney is behind this harrowing Netflix limited series, which is rife with early summer buzz, and tells the excruciatingly unjust story of the Central Park Five case, in which five young men were wrongfully convicted of attacking a park jogger in 1989. Duverney assembled an incredible team, with Michael K. Williams, Vera Farmiga, John Leguizamo, Felicity Huffman, Jharrel Jerome, and Jovan Adepo starring, and crime fiction standout Attica Locke, along with Robin Swicord and Michael Starrbury, co-writing episodes with Duverney.
Luther, Season 5
(BBC / Netflix, June 2)
Everyone’s favorite, Idris Elba, plays the magnetic Detective Chief Inspector, John Luther, whose twisted and insidious relationship with Ruth Wilson, a psychopathic killer who is sometimes his friend and sometimes his foe, is the eerie source of the show’s tension. Available in the UK since the top of the year, season 5 is now on Netflix, teeming with all the Elba you demand.
Nos4a2
(AMC, June 2)
Based on the thriller of the same name by Joe Hill, Nos4a2 takes the wholly bizarre premise, adds some Zachary Quinto, and stirs to create a viewing experience part otherworldly fantasy, part mythology, and part dystopian hellscape. It features a villain who eats the souls of children and deposits their bodies in a place called Christmasland, where they are forced to live out eternal childhoods, and every morning is Christmas morning. Need we say more?
Jett
(Cinemax, June 4)
This hard-boiled, Elmore Leonard-esque show out of Cinemax feels like an adaptation of a well-established crime fiction series, but it’s wholly original and independent, and joins the ranks of bygone Quarry and Rellik in the network’s expanded, no-longer-just-”After Dark” programming. Jett stars Carla Gugino, a renowned thief just out of prison, whose lawful fresh start is compromised when she’s forced to take on one more job.
Big Little Lies, Season 2
(HBO, June 9)
The miniseries was so hot and so critically acclaimed, it lost the mini and became a regular old series (though one of the most star-studded and anticipated, with a first-rate cast of Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Laura Dern, Shailene Woodley, Zoe Kravitz and many more). Season 2 introduces Meryl Streep, fake teeth and all, to play the mother of Alexander Skarsgard’s Perry Wright, presumably come to town to look into a few issues following her abusive son’s death. Catch up on the new episode(s), and take a look at these book recommendations tailored to your favorite part of the show.
Jessica Jones, Season 3
(Netflix, June 14)
The last 13 episodes of Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) will delight Marvel fans, especially those who were disillusioned by season 2—it’s back and it’s tighter, more thoughtful, and amidst the stylized bitterness and familiar loneliness of our protagonist, this new and final season probes at the very essence of heroism, as she and her crime-fighting sister Trish disagree about the contentious superhero process.
Too Old to Die Young
(Amazon, June 14)
Set in Los Angeles and following “a grieving police officer who, along with the man who shot his partner, finds himself in an underworld filled with working-class hit men, Yakuza soldiers, cartel assassins sent from Mexico, Russian mafia captains and gangs of teen killers,” this one is created by Nicolas Winding Refn (Drive, Only God Forgives, Pusher, etc) and CrimeReads favorite Ed Brubaker (“Captain Americacomics,” the Criminal anthology, and My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies); it stars the very unlikely duo of Miles Teller and Billy Baldwin; John Hawkes also appears, naturally. Trippy, violent, and Lynchian, it’s poised to be one of the most bizarre noirs on TV or streaming this year.
City on a Hill
(Showtime, June 16)
Think of this as the extended universe of the 2010 Boston heist flick, The Town. If you’re not intrigued by that, the Bostonian on staff really doesn’t know what to do with you. City on a Hill is being developed for TV by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, and aims to tell the story of the early 90’s fight against organized crime and corruption in Boston, supposedly known as the “Boston Miracle.” Kevin Bacon is starring as an old-school FBI agent, because Kevin Bacon can do anything he puts his mind to, including a Boston accent.
Yellowstone, Season 2
(Paramount, June 19)
Here at CrimeReads we believe in the sanctity of the crime-western hybrid, and Yellowstone, which centers on John Dutton, a sixth-generation rancher (played by a formidable Kevin Costner), is no exception. Back for a second season, the massive Dutton ranch is again threatened as oil companies infringe on public and private land, corrupt politicians back corporate interests, an Indian reservation fights for its sovereignty, and environmental concerns hang in the balance. It’s the American West in all of its contemporary conflict and splendor.
The Rook
(Starz, June 30)
Myfanwy Thomas (Shameless’ Emma Greenwell) wakes up on a street in London among a circle of dead bodies. She has no memory of who she is, and no explanation for the bodies, but before long, she catches wind of her own identity: she’s a powerful British spy with super abilities, part of a paranormally-employed British secret service staffed by X-Men-esque personnel using their powers to benefit of the state. Based on Daniel O’Malley’s novel of the same name, The Rook takes us into a new world where espionage and the supernatural (and amnesia) meet. Plus, Stephanie Meyer was tapped as showrunner, but left the set after two episodes due to “creative differences,” so we’re curious about that, too.
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JULY
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Grantchester, Season 4
(PBS, July 14)
1950s Britain, the age-old quest for social justice, the handsome young clergyman with a few demons knocking around—this is Masterpiece’s Grantchester, based on the acclaimed mysteries by James Runcie, and it’s back in all of its bucolic glory for a fourth season. James Norton, an icon of British crime TV, plays Sidney Chambers, whose intuition and human insights complement the hard-boiled tactics of his crime-solving partner, a police inspector. Season 4 is sure to shed more light on Sidney’s demons, desires, and more self-interested motivations informing his endless pursuit of what’s right.
Pearson
(USA, July 17)
Just as Suits is ending, Pearson, its grittier spin-off series is beginning, with Gina Torres at the helm in the role of Jessica Pearson, an ambitious and once-powerful, but disbarred NYC lawyer, whose foray into Chicago politics is not exactly clean. Billed as a legal thriller, we can expect some of the Suits characters, but with a stripped down, distinctly less-suited atmosphere.
Veronica Mars
(Hulu, July 26)
The long-awaited, triumphant return of the beloved series, last seen over a decade ago, is, frankly, our dream come true. The Veronica Mars revival is likely to be the TV event of the summer, and new information is released to a fervent fanbase on a near-daily basis. Creator Rob Thomas affirms, “The Hulu limited series isn’t going to be [nostalgic]. Hardcore So-Cal noir. One big case. Eight episodes to tell the story. This is a detective show.” Veronica will be grappling with the kind of adult life she wants to lead—she can put down roots, build a family, commit to a traditional life; or she can choose freedom. Meanwhile, bombs are exploding in Neptune. (The first three seasons of the series will be available on Hulu starting July 1st, in case you need to catch up.)
Orange is the New Black, Season 7
(Netflix, July 26)
After last season’s devastating finale, OITNB returns, after all these years of living with Piper and co., to conclude the prison drama that has marked summer TV for the better part of a decade. Arguably Netflix’s first great show, the mix of social commentary and comedy has made OITNB one of the groundbreaking shows of our time, challenging stereotypes, humanizing prisoners of all backgrounds, and allowing us to look beyond their criminal pasts to see the humor and heart.
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AUGUST
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Preacher, Season 4
(AMC, August 4)
Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, who together wrote SuperBad, team up with Breaking Bad‘s Sam Catlan to make Preacher (not to be confused with Superbreakingbad), an adaptation of the popular comic book series by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. The final season delivers one last bizarre and gleeful romp as Dominic Cooper, an outlaw-turned-clergyman with the power to make people do as he commands, and his motley crew, i.e. his explosive ex-girlfriend and their alcoholic pal Cassidy, an Irish vampire, seek elusive and subversive answers to life’s most enduring questions.
The Terror, Season 2
(AMC, August 12)
The surprising and horrifying slow-burn of a first season flipped the British exploration of the uncharted northern seas on its head, as the colonizers got stuck in the ice caps and encroached on native land, unleashing a mythical beast. The show is an anthology and season 2 takes on a new plotline and era: World War II and the creation of the Japanese internment camps. Swap the arctic winter, impending survivalist doom, and monster for the rampage of American soldiers rounding up Japanese Americans and placing them in forced internment, inciting traditional Japanese spirits to possess people and seek vengeance; keep the male ego and western arrogance.
Lodge 49, Season 2
(AMC, August 12)
This surreal and highly-saturated stoner show, endearingly handmade and full of lovable, bizarre characters, made waves with season 1, and returns in the heat of the summer for more So-Cal subversion. The “modern fable” finds Dud, in light of his father’s sudden death, deeply involved in the Ancient and Benevolent Order of the Lynx, a fraternal lodge dedicated to collectively mourning the ills of contemporary life.
Mindhunter Season 2
(Netflix, August TBD)
After a breakout season 1, this David Fincher series about the early days of the FBI serial killer profiling program is expected back in season 2, jumping forward a couple years to 1979-81 and focusing in part on the Atlanta Child Murders. Jonathan Groff, Holt McCallany, and Anna Torv are back in the leads, and apparently they’ll be interviewing Charles Manson at some point in the new season, as Damon Herriman has been tapped to play the notorious killer in both Mindhunter and the new Quentin Tarantino movie, which makes for about as unsettling a crossover universe as you can find. Mindhunter Season 2 is sure to stir up plenty of debate in the crime community and across the internet. (You can read an interview with John Douglas, the real-life FBI profiler who inspired Mindhunter here.)
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LATE 2019
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Dublin Murders
(Starz/BBC)
The long-awaited 8-episode adaptation of Tana French’s crime fiction opus (though focusing on French’s first two books, In The Woods and The Likeness), will head to the UK and US in October, and will star Killian Scott and Sarah Greene. To say we are excited is an understatement.
Peaky Blinders, Season 5
(BBC/Netflix)
Who among us can resist an epic crime tale about post-WWI England and its very peculiar and violent street gangs and organized crime networks? Moreover, who can resist Cillian Murphy? This one’s expected to go seven seasons, so you still have plenty of double crosses and family vengeance (and Cillian Murphy) to look forward to.
Taboo, Season 2
(FX, TBD)
Honestly, you haven’t lived until you’ve heard a muddied and gnarled Tom Hardy growl about gunpowder and the earth’s spirits as he sails across the Atlantic. But Season 1 was over two years ago, and at this rate the whole crew, according to angry fans, could have made it to America and back at least 8 times. We’re still holding our breath for word about Season 2, but rumor has it we might be gasping for air into 2020.
Mr. Robot, Season 4
(USA)
The acclaimed cult show of the Trump era, Mr. Robot has captivated entire lives. Tapping the issues and energy of a moment, each season soars with a feverish revolutionary spirit that fluctuates between anarchy and all-out cyber coup-d’etat. With the near-future society on the brink of collapse, a team of hackers, led by a deeply troubled genius named Eliot (played by the supremely wide-eyed Rami Malek), plots to take down the super-tech company that possesses the assets and information of all.
