📺 A sports drama, a Benedict Cumberbatch series, a British drama-comedy...

plus 'Geek Girl' and 8 upcoming streaming shows and movies

Hi. Happy first Thursday edition of a new month! After a bit of a lull at the end of May, we’re looking forward to a June packed with new releases. Hope you’re getting out there for some sun and fun, but if you’re inside binge-watching old seasons to get ready for the new Bridgerton and The Bear episodes…we don’t blame you.

In today’s edition:
Weekly Watchlist
Clipped (Hulu)
Queenie (Hulu)
Eric (Netflix)
Geek Girl (Netflix)

— Jenni Cullen and Jess Spoll

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Below is a selection of new shows and movies premiering this week. Our full list of June releases, including theatrical releases and streaming debuts, is available here and published monthly for our premium subscribers.

• Am I Ok? (Movie) — From director Tig Notaro comes this comedy-drama starring Dakota Johnson as a woman living in LA who discovers that she’s a lesbian at the age of 32.
  Watch on Max: June 6

• Criminal Minds: Evolution (Season 2) — In this continuation of the beloved American police procedural crime drama Criminal Minds, an elite squad of FBI profilers analyzes the country's most-twisted criminals and serial killers, attempting to anticipate the perpetrators' next moves before they can strike again.
  Watch on Paramount+: June 6 (2 of 10 episodes, then weekly)

• Sweet Tooth (Season 3) — In the final season of this perilous, but colorful post-apocalyptic adventure, a half-human, half-deer boy is forced to look inward to find answers and potentially save everyone.
  Watch on Netflix: June 6 (all 8 episodes)

• Hit Man (Movie) — Glen Powell stars in this romcom about a mild-mannered professor who moonlights as a fake hit man for police stings, but things go awry when he falls for a potential client.
  Watch on Netflix: June 7

• Queenie (Season 1) — Based on the best-selling novel by Candice Carty-Williams, Queenie is the story of a 20-something Jamaican British woman in London, straddling two cultures but feeling at home in neither.
  Watch on Hulu: June 7 (all 8 episodes)

• Fantasmas (Season 1) — This upcoming absurdist comedy series is created by, directed by, written by, and starring Julio Torres (Los Espookys, Saturday Night Live). It follows his search for a golden oyster earring in New York City.
  Watch on Max: June 7 (1 of 6 episodes, then weekly)

• The Lazarus Project (Season 2) — Lazarus agent George is disgraced and determined to win back his colleagues’ trust in the second season of this British science fiction series. But as he discovers some sinister secrets, it might be that the only person he can really trust is himself.
  Watch on TNT: June 9 (1 of 8 episodes, then weekly)

• Presumed Innocent (Miniseries) — Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the upcoming legal thriller from David E. Kelley based on Scott Turow’s 1987 novel of the same name. A horrific murder upends the Prosecuting Attorney’s office in Chicago when one of its own is suspected to be the perpetrator.
  Watch on Apple TV+: June 12 (2 of 8 episodes, then weekly)

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Our thoughts on brand new streaming content, and where you can watch.

Clipped

Photo: Hulu

Keywords: docudrama, sports, limited series
Watch if you like: Inventing Anna, Dirty John, Dopesick
Jess’s Rating: B

Joining the ranks of other based-on-a-true-scandal limited series, Clipped offers a dramatization of events that rocked the NBA ten years ago when former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling was ousted. Set against the backdrop of the basketball team’s 2014 playoff run, the show chronicles the fallout from leaked recordings of Sterling's racist comments, depicting his downfall and his team’s subsequent moral and existential crisis.

For those already well-versed in the scandal’s details, Clipped might not offer much interest or surprise. But for newcomers to the tale, it’s an entertaining series that satisfies a penchant for tabloid intrigue while also delivering a nuanced look into the complicated power dynamics within professional sports. Ed O’Neill (Modern Family) proves to be a perfectly cast Donald Sterling, adding a layer of affability to a man with a rotten center and helping to depict how easy it was for staffers to turn a blind eye to the real Sterling’s moral failings.

While some dramatizations can feel overly long and bloated, this show moves along at a surprisingly brisk clip. There’s quite a lot to cover, but it’s handled well, and it helps that there’s more to the story than just Sterling’s bigotry. Coach Doc Rivers (Laurence Fishburne) hopes to revitalize the underperforming team and bring them to glory, Sterling’s platonic assistant and confidante V. (Cleopatra Coleman) seeks money and fame, and Shelley Sterling (an incredible Jacki Weaver) wants to escape the failures of her marriage. Only two episodes in, it’s clear that there’s plenty of intrigue to unravel.

The true story behind Clipped is messy and salacious, and the series doesn’t shy away from those details. But it wisely depicts the events via these other perspectives and supporting players, so as not to platform an abhorrent racist. While it may not offer groundbreaking revelations, this portrayal of the drama behind the gossip-mag-headlines adds depth to a well-known story.

— Jess

Length: 45-min runtime, Limited Series / 6 episodes
Watch on: Hulu

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Queenie

Photo: Hulu

Keywords: smart, coming-of-age, dramedy
Watch if you like: Bridget Jones’s Diary, Big Mood, Chewing Gum
Jenni’s Rating: B-

Based on the best-selling novel by Candice Carty-Williams, Queenie is a funny, honest, and sad-at-times dramedy about a 25-year-old Jamaican British woman struggling to feel at home in her relationships, her city, and her own skin.

This was a perfectly decent watch in my book — a few notches better than “fine”. But Queenie is trying to do a lot with too little time, and I can’t help but mourn what it might have been in a different format. The series weaves threads of unresolved family trauma and mental health into a larger tapestry of humorous online dating escapades, trying to touch on deeper issues while still maintaining the appeal of a romantic comedy romp. Unfortunately, these attempts at depth are too rushed for any real impact; the show remains only slightly more profound than a typical romcom and is half as fun.

The series does have a lot of redeeming qualities, though! Dionne Brown is charming in the titular role, navigating Queenie’s quarter-life crisis with honesty and vulnerability. Her compelling performance makes the journey through personal and professional turmoil all the more engaging. And much of the supporting cast add richness to the narrative as well. Samuel Adewunmi (Frank) and Bellah (Kyazike), in particular, stand out, and their nuanced, sweet performances make me wish we had more time with Queenie’s support system of friends.

While there is a lot of opportunity for excellence in this series, its eight half-hour episodes leave the story feeling underdeveloped and rushed. But despite any unresolved threads, Queenie remains a worthwhile watch, offering a unique blend of humor and heart.

— Jenni

Length: 25-min runtime, 1 season / 8 episodes
Watch on: Hulu (premieres Friday, June 7)

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Eric

Photo: Netflix

Keywords: drama, dark, offbeat, limited series
Watch if you like: Patrick Melrose, The Crowded Room, Maniac