The 7 Best New Shows on Netflix in June 2024

Prompted by all the hubbub surrounding this summer’s lackluster box office reports, someone recently told me that these days, many kids aren’t released from school until June. Sometimes the middle of June. Sometimes it’s even later! What — I ask you, dear readers — the fuck? Never in my young life did I hear the final bell of the school year any later than mid-May, and while I’ve come to miss those scholarly days (and appreciate a thorough, honest education), I can’t help but feel for every child cooped up as the days get longer, the nights get warmer, and the television gets worse.

OK, getting to the subject at hand, there’s actually plenty to distract students among TV’s June releases, but by and large, this month marks the end of the industry’s most ambitious offerings (at least until September or so). With the Emmy cutoff on May 31st — only schools and the TV Academy still abide by the fall-to-spring calendar year — most networks make sure their best titles debut early enough to qualify for a summer awards run, Netflix included.

Well, kind of. Last month saw the launch of a few gold-digging titles. Benedict Cumberbatch is surely hungry for another Emmy in “Eric,” Jeff Daniels goes as big as he can for “A Man in Full,” and John Mulaney may have the best shot of the (sack lunch) bunch with the endearingly odd, strange yet sharp “Everybody’s in L.A.” But these aren’t exactly frontrunners. They’re not even Netflix’s frontrunners, which include “The Crown” (released in November), “The Gentlemen” (March), and “Ripley” (April) / surprise contender, “Baby Reindeer” (March). The question then becomes: Is Netflix changing awards strategy and dropping its best titles a little earlier, or is the streamer simply less interested in ambitious awards-bait (and more interested in gourmet cheeseburgers)?

Netflix’s June lineup points toward the latter. Highlighted by the second half of “Bridgerton” Season 3 — which the streamer chose not to release in time for Emmy contention — the seven best new shows include a third season of a young-adult fantasy (which is fine! but not boundary-pushing) and two acquired titles with infamous final seasons. Heck, they aren’t even all shows. One’s a movie! I’m sorry, but my standards as a critic only allow me to stick to my chosen medium for so long. When faced with recommending “NCIS” Season 16 or a bonafide cinematic masterpiece, I’m gonna go with the film! You deserve it, readers. You deserve the best.

Down months happen. Times change. There’s still a ton to watch, and Netflix’s algorithm for success is doing its job. Maybe that’s bad for theaters, maybe it’s even bad for TV fans seeking the next great original series. But it’s been good business. So perhaps the best way to look at Netflix’s ho-hum June schedule is that it should help keep attention elsewhere, be it on outside activities or that last bit of schoolwork. Netflix, at least, is doing its part for the students.