From Love Island chaos to glossy dramas and a major Michael Jackson documentary, June is actually looking pretty stacked.
There is something about June that makes streaming feel a little different.
Yes, we are all pretending we will spend every evening outside making the most of the good weather, but realistically, there will still be plenty of nights spent on the couch scrolling through Netflix for 40 minutes before putting on the same comfort show again.
Thankfully, this month’s new releases are giving us a decent excuse to actually watch something new.
From reality TV and true crime dramas to glossy rom-coms, celeb documentaries and the return of The Bear, here are some of the shows and films worth having on your radar this June.
Michael Jackson: The Verdict
Netflix is starting off the month with one of the biggest documentaries of the year.
The three-part docuseries revisits the singer’s 2005 trial, looking at the serious allegations made against him and the media circus surrounding the case before the not guilty verdict was finally reached.
At the time of writing, it is ranked number one on Netflix for series today. The series includes archival footage and interviews from people connected to the case.
It isn’t an easy watch but it is one of the month’s most talked-about releases.
On Netflix, Out Now
Love Island UK and Love Island USA
Nothing says summer quite like a group of ridiculously attractive people entering a villa and immediately making questionable decisions.
Love Island UK is back with Maya Jama returning as host, while Love Island USA is also back with Ariana Madix at the helm and a new group of singles heading to Fiji.
Whether you love it, hate it or only watch it through TikTok clips, your summer reality TV schedule is basically sorted.
Virgin Media, Sunday-Friday
Office Romance
For anyone in the mood for something lighter, Office Romance on Netflix sounds like exactly the kind of easy watch we need.
Jennifer Lopez stars alongside Ted Lasso’s Brett Goldstein in a rom-com about colleagues who become an HR nightmare after starting a workplace romance.
In classic J.Lo romcom fashion, it’s messy, funny and very watchable.
On Netflix, Out Now
The Murder of Rachel Nickell
Netflix has released two TV shows this month, both centred around the 1992 tragic murder of Rachel Nickell on Wimbledon Common.
The Murder of Rachel Nickell documentary will focus primarily on the case and the flawed investigation that followed.
On Netflix, Out Now
The Witness
The Witness will dramatise the aftermath through the eyes of Rachel’s partner at the time, as well as the young son who witnessed the attack.
On Netflix, Out Now
Every Year After
If you are missing The Summer I Turned Pretty, Prime Video’s Every Year After might be the one to fill the summer romance gap.
Based on Carley Fortune’s bestselling novel Every Summer After, the series follows Percy and the summers she spends at Barry’s Bay, exploring first love, heartbreak and whether the person you loved when you were younger might actually have been the one all along.
So yes, expect yearning. A lot of yearning.
On Prime Video, June 10th
I Will Find You
Netflix loves a classic Harlan Coben thriller, and this month brings another one.
I Will Find You follows David Burrough, a broken man serving a life sentence for the murder of his own son. But when he receives evidence that his son may still be alive, he is determined to break out of prison and find the truth.
It is a dramatic twisty and very much looks like an accidentally-finish-the-whole-season-in-one-night kind of situation.
On Netflix, June 18th
The Bear
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The Bear is back on Disney+, and if you enjoy being emotionally stressed by fictional chefs, then congratulations.
The new season picks up after major changes at the restaurant, with Sydney, Richie and Natalie facing money problems, pressure from backers and the usual chaos that seems to follow The Bear wherever it goes.
It is tense, brilliant and probably best not watched while hungry.
Disney+, June 25th
Cape Fear
Apple TV is bringing a new version of Cape Fear this month. Featuring big names like Javier Bardem, Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson.
The series that was adapted into films in 1962 and 1991 will again follow Max Cady, who is released from prison after 17 years and out for revenge. And with two legendary directors in Scorsese and Spielberg involved as executive producers, this show feels like one of the most anticipated new series of the year.
Apple TV, Out Now
Sweet Magnolias
And finally, for something a little bit lighter, Sweet Magnolias returns to Netflix for season five.
The romantic drama is back with more relationships, family and small-town life, as our beloved elder millennials navigate another emotional year of milestones from weddings to breakups and everything in between.
After all the crime and chaos, this one feels like the softer landing.
On Netflix, June 11th
So, whether you are in the mood for villa drama, true crime or a full-on kitchen meltdown, June has plenty to offer.
Now we just need the weather to decide whether we are watching from the couch or pretending the back garden is an outdoor cinema.
Words by Andrew Connolly