10 new TV series to look forward to in summer 2020: PREVIEW

Television production took a hit this year with the spread of COVID-19 necessitating the closure of non-essential businesses like studios and sets. Making new TV is difficult now, and will likely remain so for the foreseeable future. Much of the landscape for movie releases is changing by the day while other entertainment options are similarly affected — and yet, in the time of social isolation, watching TV has become an even more vital escape.

Some previously anticipated summer shows are no longer scheduled to run in 2020, but there are still plenty of new TV series airing from May to July this year. Here are some of the most promising. 

1. Hollywood

Image: SAEED ADYANI / NETFLIX

Ryan Murphy continues his streak of anticipated Netflix TV shows with Hollywood, a period miniseries set in the Golden Age of Tinseltown. Darren Criss, David Corenswet, Patti LuPone, Jim Parsons, and an entire galaxy of other stars come together to play a group of creatives whose vision for Hollywood looks quite different from how the studio system actually works. It’s a sizzling alternate history with sizzling performances, great costumes, and lots of heart. 

Hollywood premieres on Netflix May 1.

2. Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian

Disney+ kicks off “May the Fourth” with an inside look at how their smash Star Wars universe show The Mandalorian was made. Creator Jon Favreau will host the eight-episode miniseries, which will dive deep behind the scenes and feature the creative minds behind the show’s design, effects, story, and pretty much anything else you’d want to know about its making. There will probably be a Baby Yoda cameo or two. Get ready.

Disney Gallery: The Mandalorian premieres on Disney+ May 4.

3. The Eddy

Director Damien Chazelle takes his talent for musicals like La La Land to the small screen with Netflix’s The Eddy, a musical series set in Paris. André Holland plays Elliot Udo, the owner of a vibrant music venue whose life turns upside down when his daughter tracks him down in an attempt to connect with her father. There will be music. There will be dancing. There will be feelings…and probably some gorgeous cinematography as well. 

The Eddy premieres on Netflix May 8.

4. I Know This Much Is True

Image: Atsushi Nishijima / HBO

Mark Ruffalo stars in HBO’s I Know This Much Is True, based on the eponymous novel by Wally Lamb. No spoilers for those who haven’t read the book, but the show will be a showcase for Ruffalo’s acting talents, since he will be playing dual roles as two identical twin brothers. One of the brothers suffers from paranoid schizophrenia and the other is haunted by demons of his own.  

I Know This Much Is True premieres on HBO May 10.

5. Snowpiercer

Image: Justina Mintz / TNT

Bong Joon Ho Hive, stand up! This TNT series based on Bong’s 2013 film of the same name actually takes place before the events of the movie. The trailer seems to show that before Chris Evans’ movie character Curtis led his own revolution on the train, there was an entire system of attempted coups to address the innate inequality on the Snowpiercer train. 

Snowpiercer premieres on TNT May 17.

6. Legendary

Legendary is one of the premiere series for new streaming service HBO Max, and is the first fully produced ballroom competition on television. Fans of FX’s series Pose know how competitive and glorious good ballroom can get, and this show promises to pit the best of the best against each other in a claws-out quest for eternal voguing glory. 

Legendary premieres on HBO Max May 27.

7. Quiz

Americans may not be as familiar with the story of Charles Ingram the “Coughing Major,” but British viewers know all about the cheating scandal that rocked the UK version of game show Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? in 2001. Quiz the miniseries dramatizes Ingram’s story, which boils down to a stiff-upper-lipped English veteran accused of conspiring with his wife and a university lecturer to cheat the game show out of the million-pound prize. 

Quiz premieres on AMC May 31.

8. Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story

After the success of Dirty John Season 1, USA decided to convert the show into an anthology series featuring famous crimes of passion. Season 2 shifts the focus to the case of ’80s housewife Betty Broderick, who murdered her ex-husband and his new wife after being committed to a psychiatric institution following her divorce. Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story is told from Betty’s perspective and stars Amanda Peet as Betty and Christian Slater as Dan Broderick. 

Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story premieres on USA June 2.

9.Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi

Image: Dominic Valente / Hulu

Foodies will like Taste the Nation with Padma Lakshmi, a documentary style show where Top Chef host and cookbook author Lakshmi visits 10 immigrant and indigenous food hotspots around America to learn how, what, and why they cook the food that sustains their communities. Definitely watch this one with a snack ready — it’s hard to watch that much good food without wanting to try it yourself. 

Taste the Nation with Padma Laksmi premieres on Hulu June 19.

10. Perry Mason

Fictional defense lawyer Perry Mason started off as a character in Erle Stanley Gardner’s bestselling book series, but he’s also been portrayed on screen by no fewer than five actors over various TV series and films. HBO’s Perry Mason is Matthew Rhys, who will bring debonair flair to the part-mystery, part-courtroom drama series that takes place in 1930s Los Angeles. 

Perry Mason premieres on HBO June 21.