Once upon a time, summer was for reruns. Original programming went into Carbonite freeze until the fall. And everyone left their living rooms to go to the movies or to simply enjoy the outdoors. Times, as they say, have changed. Now we have the “streaming wars,” during which time nobody gets the summer off. In fact, the next two months will see the debut of two all-new streaming services featuring original shows and legacy content. HBO Max, which debuts May 27, boasts Friends, The Sopranos, and Elmo. Then July 15 brings us Peacock, NBCUniversal’s streaming service, which launches with a roster including Parks and Recreation, Despicable Me, and the Saturday Night Live catalog. So whatever the status of the lockdown is, you really have no reason to leave your home this summer. Here then are 10 series to watch for.
Homecoming
Debuts: May 22, Amazon Prime
Julia Roberts is not returning for the second season of this conspiracy thriller, based on the popular paranoia-infused podcast. Instead pop star Janelle Monae takes the reins as a new character: an amnesiac trying to learn who she is and how she is connected to the mysterious, creepily corporate Geist Group.
Love Life
Debuts: May 27, HBO Max
HBO Max launches with this anthology about the romantic, comedic travails of a young woman (Anna Kendrick) living in New York City. According to the streaming service, the show “will follow a different protagonist’s quest for love each season, with each half-hour episode telling the story of one of their relationships.”
The Not Too Late Show with Elmo
Debuts: May 27, HBO Max
With the help of a few of his friends (including Cookie Monster), Elmo joins the likes of Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel — albeit with much more adorability. Interview guests include John Mulaney and fellow late-night talk show host Jimmy Fallon. Along the way, music stars like Kacey Musgraves and Lil Nas X cover such Sesame Street classics as “Rubber Ducky.”
Central Park
Debuts: May 29, Apple TV Plus
Josh Gad — currently seen assembling the casts of such classic films as The Goonies and Back to the Future for his YouTube channel Reunited Apart — headlines this animated comedy about a family who lives in Central Park. Other vocal talent on-board includes Leslie Odom, Jr., Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn, Tituss Burgess, Daveed Diggs and Stanley Tucci.
Space Force
Debuts: May 29, Netflix
If you chuckled at the thought of the country having a “Space Force,” you’re not alone. So did The Office chieftain Greg Daniels and Steve Carell, who have reunited for this military-themed workplace comedy. Carell stars as a respected general tasked with making sure the “Space Force” achieves liftoff. The cast includes John Malkovich, Ben Schwartz and Tawny Newsome.
Fuller House
Debuts: June 2, Netflix
The idea of a decades-in-the-making sequel to Full House was greeted with derision when it was pitched around Hollywood. But its runaway success inspired the casts of every vintage series from Will and Grace to Mad About You to reunite for their own victory laps. Now, though, it’s time to say goodbye again to the housemates as the comedy wraps up its five-season run.
Perry Mason
Debuts: June 21, HBO
Before he was a lawyer made famous by Raymond Burr, Perry Mason was a down-on-his-luck gumshoe scavenging the streets of 1930s Los Angeles. That’s the concept behind this drama starring Matthew Rhys (The Americans), John Lithgow and Emmy winner Tatiana Maslany. Interestingly, Robert Downey Jr., who is one of the producers, was originally going to star.
Brave New World
Debuts: July 15, Peacock
Last seen as the youthful Han Solo in Solo: A Star Wars Story, Alden Ehrenreich stars as John the Savage in this adaptation of the seminal 1932 novel by Aldoux Huxlety, in which a future utopian society has managed to attain peace and order by eliminating emotion and desire.
Lovecraft Country
Debuts: August (exact date to be announced), HBO
Jordan Peele, J.J. Abrams and Misha Green adapt Matt Ruff’s 2016 novel about supernatural horrors lurking among the real-life horrors of 1950s Jim Crow America. Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Courtney B. Vance star in this thriller about an African-American man (Majors) searching for his missing father while confronting monsters, both human and otherwise.
Cursed
Debuts: Summer (exact date to be announced), Netflix
The latest retelling of the legend of Camelot focuses on Nimue, a rebellious teenager — as well as the future Lady in the Lake — who recruits a mercenary named Arthur to help her bring a mysterious sword to an ancient wizard. Katherine Langford (13 Reasons Why) stars as the young heroine. Cursed is based on the illustrated YA novel by Tom Wheeler and comic-book legend Frank Miller (300, The Dark Knight Returns).