Summer TV Preview: Peek Inside the Hottest Shows of the Season

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix; TV Land; MTV

Summer TV Preview: Peek Inside the Hottest Shows of the Season

Want an escape from the heat? We’ve got you covered. Get all the scoop on the new and returning can’t miss shows of the summer in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. From returning shows like Younger, Stranger Things and Sweetbitter to new guilty pleasures, including The Hills: New Beginnings, Grand Hotel and City on a Hill, there's a little something for every viewer. Another show that's sure to snag viewers' attention is Euphoria, HBO's new drama starring Zendaya Coleman as 17-year-old Rue, a drug addict trying to venture through high school. "A lot of this stuff is very true. I was a drug addict for many years, and I had a lot of anxiety and I really struggled with depression," series creator Sam Levinson said during the ATX Television Festival on June 6. "Even though I got clean at 19, I still struggle with all the kinds of anxiety, depression, all those things that first led me to want to quiet stuff out in my own head." Coleman, 22, rose to fame on the Disney Channel's Shake It Up — and this role couldn't be more of a departure. While the series is dark and a bit intense, she believes audiences will be able to relate. "I think all young people feel this way, or maybe people in general feel this way, of feeling lost. There's just so much s--t that you just feel like it's too much s--t and it's helpless. Like, 'Why do I even try?'" the Spider-Man star said at the festival. "There's that feeling, but then there's moments of hope and there's moments of beauty within those things. I think that's what the show does so well: It explores the dark, but there's hints and moments of light and hope, and you see it and you want to hold onto it; then it's gone, then you find it again, then it's gone. That's how life works." Scroll through our gallery for more on the most-watch shows of the summer.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix; TV Land; MTV

Summer TV Preview: Peek Inside the Hottest Shows of the Season

Want an escape from the heat? We’ve got you covered. Get all the scoop on the new and returning can’t miss shows of the summer in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now. From returning shows like Younger, Stranger Things and Sweetbitter to new guilty pleasures, including The Hills: New Beginnings, Grand Hotel and City on a Hill, there's a little something for every viewer. Another show that's sure to snag viewers' attention is Euphoria, HBO's new drama starring Zendaya Coleman as 17-year-old Rue, a drug addict trying to venture through high school. "A lot of this stuff is very true. I was a drug addict for many years, and I had a lot of anxiety and I really struggled with depression," series creator Sam Levinson said during the ATX Television Festival on June 6. "Even though I got clean at 19, I still struggle with all the kinds of anxiety, depression, all those things that first led me to want to quiet stuff out in my own head." Coleman, 22, rose to fame on the Disney Channel's Shake It Up — and this role couldn't be more of a departure. While the series is dark and a bit intense, she believes audiences will be able to relate. "I think all young people feel this way, or maybe people in general feel this way, of feeling lost. There's just so much s--t that you just feel like it's too much s--t and it's helpless. Like, 'Why do I even try?'" the Spider-Man star said at the festival. "There's that feeling, but then there's moments of hope and there's moments of beauty within those things. I think that's what the show does so well: It explores the dark, but there's hints and moments of light and hope, and you see it and you want to hold onto it; then it's gone, then you find it again, then it's gone. That's how life works." Scroll through our gallery for more on the most-watch shows of the summer.

Credit: Courtesy of TV Land

Younger

Everything’s changed when season 6 begins! Kelsey (Hilary Duff) is in charge, with Liza (Sutton Foster) as her right-hand gal — which makes for some awkward moments now that Liza and Charles (Peter Hermann) are officially a couple. “One thing that’s hard for Kesley is knowing how close Liza is to Charles, and that conversations happen outside of our trusted little unit,” says Duff. Luckily, Kelsey has a little distraction of her own, in the form of Charles Michael Davis’ Zane: "They’re still competitive with each other, but the attraction is very much there." Plus, while the Charles-Liza-Josh triangle is over, it may not be gone for good. Hermann notes, “Charles brings out one thing in Liza, and Josh brings out something else.”

Credit: Courtesy of Elena Nenkova/Sony Pictures

Absentia

Picking up a few months after the season 1 finale, this year, the thriller dives in deeper with Emily (Stana Katic) and what’s going on inside her head. “She’s in a really dark hole, trying to figure out what the revelations of the first season actually meant,” the star and producer, 41, says, adding that the most important thing to Emily is that her son remains OK. “She needs to know she’s safe for him to be around, so she travels down some pretty dark pathways in order to piece back the shattered remains of her memory.” The sophomore season also develops the other characters even more: “We see how gray everyone’s morality is in this world.” (Amazon Prime, June 14)

Credit: Courtesy of Claire Folger/Showtime

City on a Hill

Kevin Bacon knows a thing or two about portraying a Boston cop, but it’s “just a coincidence” that the actor, 60, is taking on the role again in this series produced by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon and costarring Aldis Hodge. However, it's far more than a crime show set in the '90s. “So much of it is about going home with these people, meeting their wives, daughters and families. It’s as much human drama as it is crime, which is why I did it,” says Bacon. “It’s about family dysfunction, romance and heartbreak. It’s way more than good guys and bad guys.” (Showtime, June 16)

Credit: Courtesy of ABC/Eric McCandless

Grand Hotel

If you’ve been missing Desperate Housewives since it wrapped in 2012, you’re in luck: ABC’s latest drama takes place inside a gorgeous Miami Beach hotel filled with beautiful guests — and dirty little secrets. “We haven’t seen a sexy drama since Desperate Housewives,” says producer Eva Longoria. The show, based on a Spanish series, follows hotel owner Santiago Mendoza (Demián Bichir), his wife, Gigi (Roselyn Sanchez), and their children. Longoria guest stars as Beatriz, Santiago’s late wife: “I’m only alive in flashbacks, but she’s a big part of the mystery of the season.” (ABC, June 17)

Credit: Courtesy of John Tsiavis/Nickelodeon

All That

Kids big and small will appreciate this revival. Nearly 14 years after it went off the air, the sketch comedy series returns with stars new and old, including Kel Mitchell, who can’t wait to revive Coach Kreeton. “It was just fun to get back into doing that character, screaming and having my tooth blacked out,” says Mitchell. “He’s wild!” (Nickelodeon, June 15)

Credit: Courtesy of HBO

Euphoria

It’s Zendaya like you’ve never seen her before! She joins Girls alum Maude Apatow for this new drama executive-produced by Drake, which follows high school students navigating friendships, sex, drugs and love. “What I really wanted to get to the core of is the pain and the shame about what you’re doing and you’re inability to get clean despite the havoc and destruction you’re wreaking round you,” says creator Sam Levinson about the series. (HBO, June 16)

Credit: Courtesy of Emerson Miller/ Paramount Network

Yellowstone

Luke Grimes and Kevin Costner return for season 2 of the popular drama and face new challenges. “For the first time, Kayce’s back home on the ranch,” says Grimes. “He’s a fish out of water.” (Paramount, June 19)

Credit: Courtesy of ABC/Craig Sjodin

Reef Break

Cat, a thief turned fixer for the governor of a tropical island, is “charming, sexy and deeply vulnerable,” says star and producer Poppy Montgomery. The drama features crime, love triangles and one badass woman. We’re in. (ABC, June 20)

Credit: Courtesy of Ray Mickshaw/FOX

Spin the Wheel

Dax Shepard hosts and Justin Timberlake produces this high-stakes game show, which gives contestants a chance to win $20 million by spinning an enormous wheel. “It’s a spectacle,” says the “Armchair Expert” host. “It’s impossible not to get sucked in.” (Fox, June 20)

Credit: Courtesy of Ellen von Unwerth/MTV

The Hills

Feel the rain once again! The MTV hit, which first debuted in 2006, returns with New Beginnings, a mix of familiar faces and new characters, including Mischa Barton and Brandon Thomas Lee (son of Tommy Lee and Pamela Anderson). One thing that hasn’t changed? The amount of drama you can expect. “When we started filming, I was in the midst of my divorce and custody battle,” says Audrina Patridge. “I was starting over as a single mom, working and trying to get my feet back on the ground.” However, with old flames in the mix — what’s up, Justin Bobby! — this will feel like a cozy hit of nostalgia. “It’s nice to have someone to lighten up the mood and be flirty with sometimes,” she teases. Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt, who weren’t always on the best terms with others in the cast, still bring the Speidiness — “I’m turntup,” jokes Pratt, who was very excited for Mischa to join the show: “I was always a huge fan of The O.C. I loved it way more than Laguna Beach, obviously!” (MTV, June 24)

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Stranger Things

Everything’s bigger in season 3. That’s pretty much all Gaten Matarazzo could tease about the upcoming season of the monster hit. “I’m really excited about the special effects this season, and the scripts are the best we’ve had,” says the 16-year-old star. His character Dustin continues a budding bromance with Joe Keery’s Steve in the next eight episodes, which take place in the summer of 1985; Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) leads the group of lovable teens. This time around, the gang has an even trickier adversary to battle than the Upside Down: puberty. (Netflix, July 4)

Credit: Courtesy of Macall Polay/Starz

Sweetbitter

Tess (Ella Purnell) has the job — now she just has to keep it! “I think the biggest way that she changes is by the end of the season, she has found her voice, and she does not hesitate to ask for what she wants and what she thinks she deserves,” says Purnell. Plus, expect more of both Will (Evan Jonigkeit) and Jake (Tom Sturridge)! “Her mind definitely draws her to Will. He's the smart choice and they definitely do get closer in this season,” she says. “But Jake is what she cannot stay away from.” (Starz, July 14)

Credit: Courtesy of Ian Watson/USA Network

Suits

Donna and Harvey finally happened! Now what? That’s where the final season of the series picks up. “They’ve got to work some stuff out. [Donna’s boyfriend] Thomas is still a factor,” Sarah Rafferty says. “Then they’ll have to learn to communicate. It’s like a baby horse finding its legs!” The last season will see the firm facing uncertainty and change, with one reminder of former times: Patrick J. Adams’ Mike will make a brief return, and the actress is psyched: “We can’t do this last season without a little PJA. I need my brother.” (USA, July 17)

Credit: Courtesy of Isabella Vosmikova/USA Network

Pearson

Gina Torres leads this Suits spinoff, revealing a different side of Jessica Pearson, who’s now entrenched in the dirty politics of Chicago. “We’ll see more of the woman, meet her family and learn why she does what she does,” says Torres. “It’s a much darker, grittier and more realistic world.” And yes, she’s still with Jeff: “They’re in love but remain very different people.” (USA, July 17)

Credit: Courtesy of Hulu

Veronica Mars

TV’s beloved investigator is back. Kristen Bell returns to play the character that made her famous in this revival of the 2004 show. While the eight-episode series will follow a new mystery, there will also be a major blast from Veronica’s past — namely Jason Dohring’s Logan Echolls. “She’s in a different place than she was, and he’s sort of the balance to what she’s going through,” says Dohring. One big update? Logan and Veronica live together now! But it’s not all smooth sailing: “She’s become a bit hardened by all the stuff she’s seen, and that creates some struggles for them.” (Hulu, July 26)

Credit: Courtesy of JoJo Whilden/Netflix

OITNB

It’s the beginning of the end. In the show’s seventh and final season, Piper (Taylor Schilling) will struggle to adjust to life on the outside. Meanwhile, inside Litchfield, things are more unjust than ever. (Netflix, July 26)

Credit: Courtesy of Jan Thijs/Amazon Prime Video

The Boys

Get ready for a new kind of superhero. This series, based on a comic book of the same name, follows a group of vigilantes (a.k.a. the Boys) who work together to take down a group of corrupt superheroes called the Seven. Karl Urban’s Billy Butcher leads the Boys to achieve his ultimate goal: defeating the Seven. “It’s a brilliant concept,” notes Urban. “How do the powerless beat the most powerful people in the world?” Despite the title, there’s one woman in the Boys: Karen Fukuhara plays the Female — or, as she puts it, “the muscle” of the group. “She’s the strongest one, I must say,” notes the Suicide Squad alum. “I did a lot of training. I think it’s so important for us actors to do what our characters can do as much as we can!” (Amazon, July 26)

Credit: Courtesy of Brian Bowen Smith/FOX

BH90210

The gang’s (almost) all here! Gabrielle Carteris, Tori Spelling, Brian Austin Green, Jason Priestley, Shannen Doherty, Jennie Garth and Ian Ziering return for this quasi-revival of Beverly Hills, 90210, in which the actors, playing exaggerated versions of themselves, meet up to pitch a reunion of the hit ’90s series. “It’s a show about the people making the show,” Garth, 47, says. “Life imitates art! We’re just digging into that and we’re having a lot of fun.” Missing from the group, of course, is Luke Perry, who died of a stroke in March. But the cast will make sure to pay tribute to the late star, Carteris promises: “We’ll definitely tilt our head to him.” See you at the Peach Pit! (Fox, August 7)

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Dark Crystal

Taron Egerton, Anya Taylor-Joy and Nathalie Emmanuel voice three Gelfling heroes in this new adventure in the magical world Jim Henson created back in the ’80s. Together, they set out on an epic journey to save the world. (Netflix, August 30)