Black Mirror, Season 5: June 5 on Netflix
For four (and a half) seasons, Black Mirror has provided us with more than enough reason to swear off technology for the rest of our lives. Things are no less dystopian in the anthology series’ fifth installment, but thankfully, creator Charlie Booker has graced us with some new queer storylines, something we’ve all been craving since the Emmy-winning episode “San Junipero.” This season’s first episode, “Rachel, Jack and Ashley Too,” stars queer musician Miley Cyrus as a pop star (naturally) whose new Alexa-type toy “Ashley Too” is slightly more nefarious than meets the eye. In the season’s final episode, “Striking Vipers,” Avengers’ Anthony Mackie and The Get Down’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II play lifelong best friends who find themselves pining for something… more… when a new virtual reality video game gives them the power to connect on new levels in cyberspace.
Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City: June 7 on Netflix
Netflix’s adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s beloved Tales of the City is the fourth such miniseries to dramatize the author’s work. But where the original PBS series and the later Showtime ones can seem a bit dated when watched today, Netflix’s entry smartly updates the formula. By bumping the timeline up to present day, this Tales can grapple with more contemporary queer problems, like actually wanting to be visibly queer at a time when everyone wants to claim the label. Nevertheless, Tales is still defined by its moments of joyous love more so than its depictions of struggle. It’s a show about queer chosen family, and you’ll want to stick with these characters for much longer than the ten hours Netflix allows you to.
Jessica Jones, Season 3: June 14 on Netflix
With Disney gearing up to launch its massively-funded Disney+ streaming service later this year, it was inevitable that the Disney-owned Marvel would eventually have to pull the plug on the beloved Defenders universe they had built with Netflix. The Krysten Ritter-lead Jessica Jones, the best and most psychologically twisted offering of the group, was the last Marvel show to get the chop, but this third season will still be its last. Judging from Netflix’s official description, the season will focus on Jessica’s efforts to bring down a “highly intelligent psychopath,” which will involve patching up her damaged relationship with her sister, Trish, and teaming up with some of her dearest companions — including her lesbian lawyer friend, Jeri Hogarth.
Good Trouble, Season 2: June 19 on Hulu
When Good Trouble premiered at the beginning of this year, it was easy to fall in love with it. After all, it was a direct spinoff of the equally beloved The Fosters, which itself broke ground for its depiction of a tight family unit that was headed by two incredibly loving moms. Good Trouble jumps a few years ahead, following two of that family’s children as they relocate to Los Angeles — so Callie can clerk for a judge and Mariana can program for a big tech company — and move into their shared co-ed living space, The Coterie. Judging by the trailer, the second season will continue the first season’s trend of addressing very pressing social issues, like the dating double standard that exists for bisexual men and the ease with which employers can discriminate against transgender people without fear.
The Bravest Knight, Season 1: June 21 on Hulu
