We’re coming up to midway though the year, but the already impressive (in terms of streaming at least) 2022 shows no signs of letting up, with a huge batch of new and returning shows coming to your favourite platforms this month, along with several new films. If you’re a fan of superheroes you’re in for a treat (there’s 3 super powered shows on this list), and there’s also plenty of documentaries and other programming to celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee.
The Boys Season 3
The show that turns the superhero genre on its head returns! In a world where superheroes are revered as gods and celebrities, the titular The Boys team, led by Billy Butcher, are tasked with taking down the corrupt Seven, led by the narcisstic Homelander. In the the upcoming third season of the super violent Amazon series, Butcher now works for the government with Homelander now subded. However, The Boys find the existence of an “Anti-Supe” weapon, sending them again into conflict with The Seven. The new season also promises to delve into the background of the sinister Vought corporation, who control The Seven.
Hustle
Adam Sandler returns to a more serious role similar to Uncut Gems with this new sports drama from Netflix. Hustle focuses on a down on his luck and all but retired basketball scout who can’t seem to find a break in the world of the NBA. So when he finds the unknown Spanish player Bo Cruz, he jumps at the opportunity to end his bad luck streak and propel both of them to success. However, he has to deal with Bo’s reluctance, NBA skepticism and difficult relationships with his family. Alongside Sandler, the film also stars Queen Latifath and Robert Duvall, and this star powered cast should hopefully make Hustle a great sports film to watch and cheer on the underdog.
Borgen
Scandinavian thriller Borgen had a dedicated viewer base over here in the early 2010s in the hey day of the Scand-drama craze, and though the show has not been on air since 2013, its returning to screens nearly a decade later and will be available on Netflix. Now with the subtitle Power & Glory, Borgen’s fourth season will see protagonist Birgitte Nyborg in the role of Minister of Foreign Affairs, and having to head off new crises in Denmark’s political landscape.
Ms. Marvel
While May saw Disney+ release the hugely anticipated Star Wars series Obi Wan Kenobi, the ever growing streaming service returns to the Marvel universe this month to introduce a brand new character to its seemingly endless roster of heroes. Ms. Marvel stars Iman-Vellhani as Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel, who is a huge fan of The Avengers and Captain Marvel- and suddenly gets powers of her own in the series. Unlike the multi-verse antics of Loki and the espionage of The Falcon and The Winter Solider, Ms Marvel is similar to Spider-Man in that it sees the teen Kamala navigate the difficuluties and growing pains of high school.
Spiderhead
While Chris Hemsworth is returning as Thor in the MCU later this year, in June he’ll be starring in Spiderhead, an upcoming Netflix movie set in the near future. In this world, convicts are offered the chance to volunteer themselves as medical subjects in order to shorten their sentence. However, one prisoner subject to these tests finds himself questioning the reality of his emotions after taking a new pharamceutcial that generates feelings of love, and decides tos et out to find the truth. Rather than being heroic, Hemsworth plays the somewhat sinister prison overseer Steve Abnesti, with Miles Teller plays Jeff, the prisoner who decides to question his emotions.
The Unseen Queen
Technically this released just at the end of May, but considering the Queen’s Jubilee is in June we’ve put it in the June guide. Among a plethora of programming celebrating the milestone is The Unseen Queen, a new documentary that uses footage from the Queen’s personal archives to show a different, lesser shown side to the monarch. Available on BBC One and iPlayer, the doc showcases footage shot by both the Queen herself, her parents and Prince Phillip, and spans from her birth and days in a pram to her accession the throne in 1952. Though there’s been similar programmes made and shown in the past, this one aims to be the most expansive and personal yet.
The Umbrella Academy
Netflix’s original superhero show (and competitor to The Boys) is also back for a third super serving this month. The series, if you’ve not seen it, revolves around the odd premise of a dysfunctional family of adopted superhero siblings who are reunited to investigate and solve the circumstances surrounding their father’s death, as well as to prevent a looming apocalypse. F0llowing season 2 (where the Umbrella Academy team travelled back to the 1960s), the action returns to 2019 America- but things are different. The team has managed to travel to an alternate reality, where a group called The Sparrows have replaced them, and unsurprisingly, the two teams are drawn into conflict with each other.
Man Vs Bee
One of the biggest comedy talents in the world, Rowan Atkinson has created a host of famous comedy characters, from Mr Bean, to Edmund Blackadder, to Johnny English. Now he’s adding Trevor Bingley to that list in the new Netflix comedy series Man Vs Bee, and the premise is exactly what it says on the tin. “Well you see, there was this bee…” Trevor tells a judge in a court case for driving dangerously at the start of the show’s trailer. While housesitting a luxurious mansion, Trevor finds himself in a battle with an annoying bee, and things get increasingly outlandish: if you ever wanted to see Mr Bean wield a flamethrower, Netflix’s deep pockets will grant you that wish.
Westworld Season 4
The dystopian sci-fi western drama is returning to our screens for a fourth season. Westworld‘s last season released in 2020, and this new one might be eagerly anticipated, but HBO is not giving a huge amount to go on for fans of the show. “A dark odyssey about the fate of sentient life on earth” reads HBO’s official synopsis of the series- so you can expect the new series to be particularly mysterious and under wraps. However, a trailer has been released, and what’s also known is that stars from the previous seasons like Evan Rachel Wood, Jeffery Wright, Ed Harris, Tessa Thompson, Aaron Paul and Thandiwe Newton will be returning.
And Don’t Miss…
Also arriving in June is the brand new streaming platform Paramount Plus, which after a US launch last year is finally arriving in the UK from 22nd June. Highlights include original shows like the Halo series, as well as plenty of content from huge franchises like Star Trek and Mission Impossible.
The end of June also sees the return of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships, and while it may have been stripped of being able to award ranking points by the WTA, the prestigious tournament is still set to be one of the biggest sporting events of the year, and is available on the BBC in the UK and ESPN in the US from the 27th June.
