Best TV Shows Of June 2021

Based on the comics by Jeff Lemire, on paper, Sweet Tooth shouldn’t work. A post-apocalypse virus tale starring a kid with antlers? That’s weird. But what co-showrunners Jim Mickle and Beth Schwartz brought to Netflix is a beautiful, timeless fairy tale that feels like Big Fish crossed with Stranger Things crossed with Contagion. Still too weird? Maybe, but it works — not just as a rollicking adventure story with frequent bursts of heart and humor, but also as the first (and perhaps only) TV show to properly use COVID as a parallel without feeling sickeningly close to our real world. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough, prepare your heart to fall in love with an adorable, cub scout suit wearing beaver boy puppet named Bobby. A true triumph at eight episodes, thanks to several massive cliffhangers it basically demands Netflix pick the series up for Season 2. Come on, Netflix: feed our sweet tooth with more. — Alex Zalben

Stream Sweet Tooth on Netflix

I’ve seen a lot of music documentaries, but this Netflix show still managed to deliver something new and exciting. Go ahead, watch Episode 1 and just TRY not to get “Motown Philly” stuck in your head for a week. Watch Episode 2 and just TRY not to be a little more obsessed with T-Pain. This Is Pop takes a deeper look at music phenomenons that span cultural impacts, technology advancements, and general shifts throughout the industry, the world, and the way we listen to music. You’ll smile, you’ll learn something new, and you’ll be listening to some of your favorite jams from years past for days to come.  — Lea Palmieri

Stream This is Pop on Netflix

Hey, have you heard about this Rick & Morty show? It’s a little, under the radar animated series about a boy and his grandpa going on adventures. Just kidding, of course you’ve heard of the culture shifting, hit animated series. But what sometimes gets lost in the midst of Szechuan sauce riots and pickle flavored Frostys is that Rick & Morty is also really, really good. Though only two new episodes aired in June, “Mort Dinner Rick Andre” introduced the over-sexed Mr. Nimbus, Rick’s arch-enemy; and “Mortyplicity,” which featured a cascade of Smith family decoys, and was an all-timer. We’ve got plenty more to go in Rick & Morty Season 5, but the series is already off to a great start. Except for Jerry. Jerry is doing terribly, as usual. — Alex Zalben

Where to stream Rick & Morty

Rose Byrne’s performance is so haunting in Apple TV+’s dark comedy that it should come with a trigger warning. On its surface, Physical is a story about an undervalued housewife learning to own her power through aerobics. But you don’t have to look far to find the cutting examination of disordered eating and self-hatred threaded throughout Shelia’s inner monologue. Physical isn’t explicitly a series about body positivity. Rather it’s about the horrors that can occur when that message is rejected and women lean into hating themselves instead. — Kayla Cobb

Stream Physical on Apple TV+

Dave continues to be one of the most inventive shows on television. Co-created by and starring Dave Burd (Lil Dicky), the series is based on Burd’s life as it follows the neurotic twenty-something as he pursues a rap career. FX’s incisive comedy will make you laugh, cry, and say, “wait…what?!” multiple times throughout a single episode. If you need an example of the show’s unique brilliance, Season 2’s “The Observer” is one of the best TV episodes of the year. — Josh Sorokach

Where to stream Dave

Kevin Can F**k Himself is our new Sunday night obsession. Starring Annie Murphy, Eric Petersen, Mary Hollis Inboden, and Alex Bonifer, AMC’s innovative dark comedy mixes elements of a single-cam prestige drama with the zany tomfoolery of a traditional multi-camera sitcom as it follows the secret life of a sitcom wife. Annie Murphy won an Emmy for her exceptional portrayal of Alexis Rose on Schitt’s Creek. We expect the same result for Murphy’s virtuoso performance in Kevin Can F**k Himself. — Josh Sorokach

Where to stream Kevin Can F**k Himself

If you thought a zombie apocalypse summer was bad, just get a load of what terrors winter brings! John Hyams’ and Karl Schaefer’s Black Summer is back for Season 2 and it remains a disorienting, harrowing and disturbing saga of dystopian horror. We follow our quartet of hardened heroes Rose (Jaime King), Sun (Christine Lee), Spears (Justin Chu Cary) and Anna, Rose’s daughter (Zoe Marlett) as they struggle to survive in even harsher climates and more dangerous situations than in Season 1. Though the fast-moving, super strong zombies are scary, what’s scarier are their fellow survivors, who are well-armed, well-trained and totally ruthless. So stock up on supplies, lock the doors, and keep your true friends close as you stream Black Summer Season 2. — Karen Kemmerle

Stream Black Summer on Netflix

Marvel’s domination of the pop culture conversation continues into the summer with Loki, a rip-roaring ride through the MCU’s increasingly convoluted timeline. But while Marvel’s take on time travel will always be confusing, Tom Hiddleston’s affection for his Asgardian troublemaker is crystal clear. Pair his effortlessly charming and endlessly fascinating performance as Loki with Owen Wilson’s deadpan humor and Sophie Di Martino’s breakout role as the grimly determined Sylvie and you’ve got one can’t-miss series of the summer. — Brett White

Stream Loki on Disney+

In June, Mythic Quest aired its stand-out episode: “Backstory!” which appropriately fleshed out the backstory of F. Murray Abraham’s C.W. And other episodes expertly showcased Charlotte Nicdao’s Poppy Li, who throughout the month explored the soul-searching demands that come with leadership all while capturing the toxic faux-feminist girlboss brand. That’s a ton of personal growth, vulnerability, and social commentary for a character who manages to be genuinely funny in every scene. Is Poppy a vengeful tech dictator with an ego to rival Ian’s (Rob McElhenny)? You bet your Australian ass she is. And that’s why we love her and this masterpiece of comedy. — Kayla Cobb

Stream Mythic Quest on Apple TV+

Hacks started its first season off strong and ended it en fuego. After weeks of watching comedy legend Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) and twentysomething writer Ava (Hannah Einbinder) circle each other like sharks, the two difficult, funny women forged a friendship that cut us to the core. The only thing that can stand in Deborah and Ava’s way in Season 2? Their own penchant for self-destruction. Hacks Season 1 ended on an emotional cliffhanger that sets up even more fireworks to come and even more acerbic comedy for Season 2. Now can we lock up Jean Smart’s Emmy nomination, people? — Meghan O’Keefe

Stream Hacks on HBO Max

If you’re still sleeping on Starstruck, the new romantic comedy series on HBO Max, well, stop that. Creator Rose Matafeo stars as a millennial woman adrift in her life who just happens to sleep with a world-famous movie star—played by the very handsome Nikesh Patel—on New Year’s Eve. The best part? He catches feelings. This show is sexy, hilarious, and heart-wrenchingly romantic. Starstruck is the perfect love letter to British rom-coms like Notting Hill, written by two women (Matafeo and Alice Snedden) who clearly know and love the genre. I dare you to watch one episode without binging the entire first season. (It’s only six 20-minute episodes!) — Anna Menta

Stream Starstruck on HBO Max