TV to watch in June, from 'Black Mirror' to 'Secret Invasion'

If the Hollywood writers strike drags on, it may soon be slim pickings for TV fans. But that time hasn't come yet.

Indeed, June is packed with week after week of exciting new and returning shows. The lineup includes a sequel to a massively popular series, a streaming show finally returning after a four-year hiatus, a highly anticipated Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, and a project that may spark more rage tweets than any other in 2023.

Here's everything to watch on television in June 2023.

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'The Idol' (June 4)

The latest Sam Levinson show for Twitter to hate-watch together is here. "The Idol," the new HBO series from the creator of "Euphoria," was 2023's most controversial series before anyone had even seen a frame, and the early reactions suggest it will be no less divisive once it airs. The Weeknd stars as the leader of a modern-day cult, while Lily-Rose Depp plays a pop singer drawn into his orbit. "She's determined to claim her rightful status as the greatest and sexiest pop star in America," HBO says. But the series went through extensive reshoots, and in March, Rolling Stone alleged it devolved into "sexual torture porn." Depp and the Weeknd have dismissed this. But after the show debuted at the Cannes Film Festival, Variety described how it opens with "revenge porn photos of bodily fluids on Depp's face, masturbation with ice cubes," and more. Get the hot take machine warmed up.

'Based On A True Story' (June 8)

TV comedies about true crime fans getting wrapped up in a crime have officially become their own subgenre, and Kaley Cuoco is set to lead this Peacock show with serious "Only Murders in the Building" vibes. After a murder is committed close to home, a married couple, played by Cuoco and Chris Messina, decide to "seize a unique opportunity to capitalize on America's obsession with true crime" by starting a podcast, per Peacock. Tom Bateman, Liana Liberato, and Natalia Dyer also star. Craig Rosenberg, a producer on Amazon's "The Boys," created the show, and Jason Bateman produces. It could continue a surprisingly strong year for Peacock originals after "Poker Face" and "Mrs. Davis," so we regret to inform you that yes, it really may be time to add yet another streaming service into your rotation.

'The Crowded Room' (June 9)

Will there be room in next year's Emmy race for Tom Holland? The "Spider-Man" star takes another dramatic turn in this Apple TV+ thriller, in which he stars as a man arrested for his involvement in a shooting. The story is told "through a series of interviews with" an interrogator, played by Amanda Seyfried, "revealing elements of the mysterious past that shaped him, and the twists and turns that will lead him to a life-altering revelation," Apple TV+ says. It's inspired by the true story of Billy Milligan, who — spoiler alert for real life — was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. Holland produced the show, which was created by Oscar-winning "A Beautiful Mind" screenwriter Akiva Goldsman. The actor told Entertainment Weekly the series is an "insight into the power of the human mind" and "the ways in which we can deal with trauma."

'The Full Monty' (June 14)

Prepare your bodies for the … fuller monty? The 1997 British comedy "The Full Monty," which centered on six unemployed men who form a striptease act, gets a follow-up more than 25 years later with this FX on Hulu series bringing back the original cast. "When tragedy strikes, the whole Monty gang must pull together for a common purpose: to honor an old friend," FX says. Simon Beaufoy, the original movie's screenwriter, is back to write the show. He told Total Film he said no to a sequel for years but began to reconsider after a 2013 stage adaptation. "It allowed me to understand that these characters live beyond that movie," he said, adding, "This isn't a sequel, it's a completely different approach, a return to their lives where they've got children and grandchildren and new friends and acquaintances." After the third "Magic Mike" film earlier this year, the stripper-verse is going strong.

'The Walking Dead: Dead City' (June 18)

The flagship series may have ended, but AMC just can't walk away from "The Walking Dead." The zombie show's latest spinoff centers on the unlikely pairing of two characters from the original: Maggie (Lauren Cohan) and Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), who team up to rescue the former's son. They "travel into post-apocalyptic Manhattan, which was cut off from the mainland many years ago," AMC says. Think of it as "Escape from New York," zombie edition. This is the first "Walking Dead" spinoff that's also a sequel to the original series, though it won't be our last trip into this universe. Another spinoff show centered on Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira) simply titled "The Walking Dead: Rick & Michonne" is also in the works, as is a series about Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus). Ending the zombie apocalypse may be easier than ending this franchise.

'Secret Invasion' (June 21)

If you're still of the belief that "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is the best Marvel movie, don't miss "Secret Invasion," which aims to recapture that film's espionage thrills and perhaps even become the MCU's version of "Andor." Samuel L. Jackson returns in this Disney+ series as Nick Fury, who discovers a conspiracy by the shapeshifting alien Skrulls to infiltrate the Earth and secretly replace powerful people. It's sort of a follow-up to "Captain Marvel," then, with Ben Mendelsohn returning as Talos — a Skrull who's actually a good guy — and Emilia Clarke playing Talos' daughter. Also making their MCU debuts are Olivia Colman as an MI6 agent and Kingsley Ben-Adir as a Skrull leader, while Cobie Smulders, Martin Freeman, and Don Cheadle return from past Marvel films. In honor of Nick Fury, we'll be keeping an eye on this one.

'I'm a Virgo' (June 23)

Boots Riley made his feature directorial debut with the trippy 2018 film "Sorry to Bother You," and his move into television looks no less bizarre. The series stars Jharrel Jerome as a young man raised by his aunt and uncle, who happens to be 13 feet tall. "Having grown up hidden away, Cootie soon experiences the beauty and contradictions of the world for the first time," Prime Video says. "He forms friendships, finds love, navigates awkward situations, and encounters his idol, a real life superhero named The Hero." Mike Epps, Carmen Ejogo, and Walton Goggins also star in the show, which premiered its first three episodes at South by Southwest. Slashfilm's Erin Brady described it as "one of the streaming era's most interesting and offbeat projects."

'Hijack' (June 28)

If you've been jonesing for another real-time thriller ever since the end of "24," Apple has the show for you. Idris Elba stars in this Apple TV+ series that takes place in real-time after a plane on a seven-hour flight to London is hijacked. Elba plays Sam Nelson, "an accomplished negotiator in the business world who needs to step up and use all his guile to try and save the lives of the passengers — but, his high-risk strategy could be his undoing," Apple teased. Archie Panjabi also plays a counterterrorism officer on the ground, and the series was created by George Kay, who previously co-created "Lupin." Elba told Entertainment Weekly the show "takes a fresh approach to a thriller and hostage situation" by following it minute-by-minute. He may not become the next James Bond, but we'll take what we can get.

'Black Mirror' (TBD)

As if the world wasn't already bleak enough, "Black Mirror" is back to remind us that it could always be worse. Netflix's sci-fi anthology series about the horrors of technology returns in June with new episodes starring Salma Hayek Pinault, Aaron Paul, Kate Mara, Zazie Beetz, and more, though an exact premiere date hasn't been announced. According to the streamer, there will be five stories, which center on a woman who discovers a streaming platform is making a show about her life, a pair of documentarians who are drawn into a "juicy local story," a "perilous high-tech mission" in an alternative 1969, a "troubled starlet" who is dogged by paparazzi after a hit-and-run, and a sales assistant who is "told she must commit terrible acts to prevent disaster." Creator Charlie Brooker told Netflix's Tudum this is the most surprising season yet, as he sought to "stretch the parameters of what 'a Black Mirror episode' even is." Might technology actually be … good now?

More returning shows

Also keep an eye out for the following shows set to return for new seasons in June:

• 'iCarly' - Season 3 (June 1)
• 'Manifest' - Season 4 Part 2 (June 2)
• 'Cruel Summer' - Season 2 (June 5)
• 'It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia' - Season 16 (June 7)
• 'Never Have I Ever' - Season 4 (June 8)
• 'Star Trek: Strange New Worlds' - Season 2 (June 15)
• 'Outlander' - Season 7 (June 16)
• 'The Righteous Gemstones'- Season 3 (June 18)
• 'And Just Like That…' - Season 2 (June 22)
• 'The Bear' - Season 2 (June 22)
• 'The Witcher' - Season 3 (June 29)
• 'Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan' - Season 4 (June 30)