Disney’s Secret Invasion, Apple’s Hijack, Netflix’s Arnold among June’s must-see TV

There are plenty of options to keep TV viewers enthralled and entertained over the next few weeks.

For free-to-air fans, Whakaata Māori’s line-up includes Kiwi neuroscience educator Nathan Wallis’ six-part parenting series Kids Don’t Come With a Manual (June 19) and teen drama Inky Pinky Ponky (June 23), Three has a double dose of new local comedy in the form of Double Parked and Homebound 3.0 (both June 15), TVNZ 2 boasts new Bluey adventures for early Sunday morning risers from June 11, while over on Duke, the latest season of Love Island UK will challenge The Chase in the pre-tea slot from June 7.

Those who prefer to get their gratis fixes on-demand can check out star-studded crime anthology series Accused (June 13, ThreeNow), or the latest season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (June 15, TVNZ+).

Elsewhere, Netflix has huge amount of new content, including new installments of beloved teen dramedy Never Have I Ever (June 8), beloved tales-of-technology anthology show Black Mirror (June 15), fantasy The Witcher (June 29), tennis reality series Break Point (June 21), the finale of sci-fi series Manifest (June 2), second helpings of animated comedy Human Resources (June 9) and natural history show Our Planet (June 14), as well as a new documentary series on cycling’s annual Tour de France (June 8’s Unchained), Mumbai-set crime drama Scoop (June 2), Swedish true-crime tale Barracuda Queens (June 5) and an anime take on King Kong in Skull Island (June 22).

Meanwhile, Neon has more Outlander (June 17), And Just Like That… (June 23) and The Righteous Gemstones (June 20), Prime Video boasts another round of Jack Ryan (June 30) and Disney+ features island resort-based thriller Saint X (June 7).

However, after looking through the schedules, Stuff to Watch has come up with our picks of the dozen shows we believe are well worth checking out over the next few weeks.

Arnold (June 7, Netflix)

Hot on the heels of his scripted series debut for the global streaming service, the former California Governator is now the subject of this three-part documentary which takes a look at the now 75-year-old’s multi-faceted life and career – from bodybuilding champion to Hollywood icon and politician.

From director Lesley Chilcott, whose previous subjects have included the Manson family and controversial Greenpeace co-founder Paul Watson.

Based on a True Story (June 8, TVNZ+)

Eight-part darkly comedic thriller that aims to take a stab at modern society’s obsession with true crime.

With a baby on the way, married couple Ava (The Flight Attendant’s Kaley Cuoco) and Nathan (Argo’s Chris Messina) devise a plan to create a potentially money-spinning podcast about their recently hired plumber Matt (Death on the Nile’s Tom Bateman), who they believe is actually an infamous serial killer.

Class of ‘09 (June 21, Disney+)

Causeway’s Brian Tyree Henry and House of Cards’ Kate Mara feature as part of the ensemble selected for this eight-part crime drama about the reuniting of a group of a graduating class of FBI agents after the death of a mutual friend.

The series takes place across three distinct time periods and focuses on the transformation of the US criminal justice system, as it is altered by the rise of artificial intelligence.

“A limited series with its finger so firmly and urgently on the pulse of our present [and future] reality that its fiction plays not as pure make-believe but, rather, as a vision of a possible tomorrow,” wrote The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager.

The Crowded Room (June 9, Apple TV+)

Inspired by the 1981 non-fiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan by Daniel Keyes, this 1979-set, 10-part psychological thriller focuses on Danny Sullivan (Spider-Man: No Way Home’s Tom Holland), a young man arrested for a shocking crime. As he unburdens himself about his troubled past to interviewer Rya Goodwin (Amanda Seyfried), she attempts to unravel what really has transpired.

Written by Akiva Goldsman, whose previous credits include Star Trek: Picard, A Time to Kill, I Am Legend and Batman & Robin.

Deadloch (June 2, Prime Video)

Wentworth and Rake star Kate Box and New Zealand’s own Madeleine Sami team up for this eight-part crime-comedy from Australian duo Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan.

The acting pair play two female detectives who have to join forces when planning for the sleepy seaside Tasmanian hamlet of the title’s annual arts, food and culture event is thrown into disarray by the discovery of a local man’s body on the beach.

Dodger (June 30, TVNZ+)

Belated New Zealand debut for this UK children’s series that’s pitched as a prequel to Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist.

Set in 1830s Victorian London, the series revolves around Jack Dawkins (Billy Jenkins), better known as the Artful Dodger, and his exploits as part of Fagin’s (Christopher Eccleston) gang of youthful criminals. Also look out for Alex Kingston, David Threlfall and Lucy Montgomery.

“Cosy, conversation-provoking family fare. Please, BBC, can we have some more?” wrote The Daily Telegraph’s Helen Brown.

The Full Monty (June 14, Disney+)

Sheffield’s favourite strippers, as portrayed by the likes of Robert Carlyle, Mark Addy, Hugo Speer, Paul Barber, Steve Huison and Tom Wilkinson, are back for this eight-part series set 25 years after the events of the smash-hit 1997 movie.

It promises to follow the gang as they navigate the city’s crumbling healthcare, education and employment sectors and how their worlds have changed in the ensuing two-and-a-half decades since they strutted their stuff on the stage.

Hijack (June 28, Apple TV+)

Unfolding in real time, this seven-part thriller follows the high-stakes journey of a plane bound for London as it is taken over by ne’er-do-wells. As authorities on the ground scramble for answers, back on board, Idris Elba’s Sam Nelson attempts to use his business negotiating skills to try and save the lives of all the passengers.

The cast also includes Archie Panjabi, Max Beesley, Eve Myles and Neil Maskell.

The Idol (June 5, Neon)

From Canadian singer-songwriter Abel “The Weeknd” Tesfaye and the creator of Euphoria, Sam Levinson, comes this eight-part drama which made a somewhat controversial splash on its recent debut in Cannes.

It follows the fortunes of pop star Jocelyn (Lily-Rose Depp), who, after having a nervous breakdown, embarks on a complex relationship with a self-help guru and cult leader (Tesfaye).

“The same audiences that fell hard for Euphoria – another show about the terrors of being young – will likely do the same for this one. It is buzzy, brazen television that will do exactly what it set out to do: get people talking,” wrote Vogue’s Douglas Greenwood. It will also screen on Wednesday nights on SoHo from June 7.

Muscles & Mayhem: An Unauthorized Story of American Gladiators (June 28, Netflix)

Debuting in 1989 and running for seven glorious seasons, the reality competition American Gladiators pitted athletic average Joes up against a cast of Running Man-esque single-named “superheroes” like Nitro, Storm, Laser, Ice and Blaze in events such as Assault, Joust, Hang Tough and Powerball.

This five-part docu-series promises first-hand accounts of the meteoric rise and dramatic fall of the much-loved show.

Secret Invasion (June 21, Disney+)

One of the most highly-anticipated Marvel series, this six-part series picks up a thread from the 2019 movie Captain Marvel.

When Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls, he joins forces with a small group of allies, including Martin Freeman’s Everett Ross, Cobie Smulders’ Maria Hill and “friendly” Skrull Talos (Ben Mendelsohn) to attempt to thwart it.

The impressive cast also includes Kingsley Ben-Adir, Emilia Clarke, Dermot Mulroney and Olivia Colman.

Year of (June 12, TVNZ+)

When a group of inner-city teens crash a party, they know pills will be popped, hook-ups schemed and hope and insecurities exposed. But their night of rebellion quickly takes a turn for the worse, ending in a shocking event that will upturn their lives forever in this eight-part Australian teen drama.

Set at the same Jubliee High School as the popular Bump, the cast here includes Home and Away’s Joshua Hewson, Deadlock’s Sophia Wright-Mendelsohn and New Zealand’s own Danielle Cormack.