The summer TV series is here, and some of it has already commenced. Yes, some of these shows have aired already, but given most of them will be playing throughout the next few months—given the binge model seems to be going away on most channels, networks, and streamers other than Netflix—it looks more than ok to join them mid-airing. 
It should be said that summer previews are weird in that many streamers, networks, and cable channels do not reveal their entire lineups until maybe a month or two before release. That said, what’s public now is still a good snapshot of what will be arriving this summer. 
READ MORE: 10 TV Shows To Watch In May: ‘Hacks,’ ‘Eric,’ ‘Dark Matter,’ ‘Outer Range,’ & More
Of the big major releases, HBO has their “Game Of Thrones” spin-off, “House Of The Dragon,” returning for a season two, which could be the number one anticipated show of the summer for many (“Industry” season three will be a massive draw for those in the know though). Then again, it will have significant competition for that title from FX and the returning third season of “The Bear.” Apple TV+ has no major I.P. series, but they have many shows with to-shelf talent involved, including Jennifer Connelley and Joel Edgerton in “Dark Matter,” Jake Gyllenhaal in “Presumed Innocent,” and Natalie Portman,” in “Lady In The Lake,” which arguably evinces a different star-driven strategy (though the hit series “Pachinko” is also expected to arrive later in the summer season)  Disney+ has much to offer this summer, too, but their ambitious new “Star Wars” series, “The Acolyte,” a pre-“Phantom Menace,” era Jedi murder/mystery show, is arguably their biggest draw. Netflix has several offerings, including returning seasons of “Bridgerton,” “Sweet Tooth,” and “The Umbrella Academy.” They’ll also have “Eric” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, demonstrating they can also draw massive stars to their shows.
Prime Video has fan favorite show “Outer Range,” with Josh Brolin returning in May, but obviously, the fourth season of “The Boys” is their biggest tentpole series offering. Peacock has “We Are Lady Parts,” Hulu has “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld,” and AMC has “Orphan Black: Echoes,” which is all just a little taste of what’s to come.
MAY
“The Tattooist of Auschwitz” 
A Jewish prisoner in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp during World War II is given the job of tattooing identification numbers on fellow prisoners’ arms. Harvey Keitel, Melanie Lynskey, Jonah Hauer-King, and Anna Próchniak star, and the series is scored by Hans Zimmer and Kara Talve. Jacquelin Perske (“Love My Way“) is the lead writer.
Premiere Date: May 2, via Peacock.

“Welcome to Wrexham” (Season 3)
In 2020, actors Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds teamed up to purchase the 5th tier Wrexham Football Club in the hopes of creating an underdog story the whole world could root for, and miraculously, it worked, creating an Emmy award-winning series in the process. After 15 painful seasons in the National League, the Club finally achieved promotion back into the English Football League. Like “Rocky,” in season one, the underachievers lost but rallied fans with promise. In season two, like “Rocky II,” they won. Can they rise up to the challenge with the eye of the tiger in season 3?
Premiere Date: May 2 via FX and Hulu.

“A Man in Full”
Super TV producer David E. Kelley indeed never went anywhere, but the success of “Big Little Lies” certainly launched him into a new renaissance period that hasn’t subsided in years. He teams with executive producer and series director Regina King for this adaptation of Tom Wolfe’s second novel. Starring Jeff Daniels and Diane Lane, the series centers on an Atlanta real estate mogul who defends his empire from those wanting to capitalize on his sudden bankruptcy and fall from grace. William Jackson Harper, Aml Amee, Tom Pelphrey, Sarah Jones, Jon Michael Hill Chanté Adams, Lucy Liu, Bill Camp, and Evan Roe co-star.
Premiere Date: May 2, via Netflix.

“Hacks” (Season 3)
It’s been almost two years since the Emmy-winning comedy series last aired, but following a health break for star Jean Smart and a production delay due to the 2023 strikes, one of HBO Max, er, Max’s biggest hits is back. This season begins with legendary comedienne Deborah Vance (Smart) thriving off the success of her comeback comedy special. Meanwhile, her collaborator, writer Ava Daniels (Hannah Einbinder), is making a name for herself on a fictional version of “Last Week Tonight.” If both are killing it and they left each other on good terms, why hasn’t Ava heard from Deborah in over eight months? The whole crew is back with guest stars J. Smith-Cameron, Helen Hunt, Christina Hendricks, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Bucatinsky, George Wallace, and Tony Goldwyn.
Premiere Date: May 2, via Max.

“Star Wars: Tales of the Empire”
Created by Lucasfilm’s Creative CEO and filmmaker Dave Filoni (co-creator of “The Mandalorian”), “Tales of The Empire,” started out as “Tales of the Jedi” but quickly morphed into an animated ‘Star Wars’ anthology story that could examine many of the facets of the galaxy far, far away. As suggested by the titles, the series explores characters related to the Galactic Empire with Charles Murray as head writer and Filoni as supervising director. This season centers on Force-sensitive Nightsister Morgan Elsbeth (voiced by Diana Lee Inosanto from the live-action “Ahsoka” series) and Barriss Offee (voiced by Meredith Salenger), the former Jedi Knight who fell to the dark side during ‘The Clone Wars’ series and notoriously bombed the Jedi Temple, framing Ahsoka Tano in the process and leading to her ousting from the Jedi Order.
Premiere Date: May 4, via Disney+.

“Dark Matter”
A multiverse-traveling sci-fi thriller and human drama about regrets, roads not taken, and changing our fates, “Dark Mater” is based on the blockbuster book by acclaimed, bestselling author Blake Crouch, who is also the head writer/showrunner here. The series stars  Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Connelly, Alice Braga, Jimmi Simpson, Dayo Okeniyi, and Oakes Fegley, but even teasing too much of the plot is a big spoiler.
Premiere Date: May 8, via Apple TV+.

“Bodkin”
Filmed almost two years ago and a rare narrative series production from Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground, this dark comedy follows a team of podcasters (Will Forte, Siobhán Cullen, Robyn Cara) investigating the disappearance of three people in a small coastal town in Ireland. The more they dig, however, the weirder the story gets. And what is fact or fiction becomes harder to discern. This is the first major feature or television credit for creator Jez Scharf.
Premiere Date: May 9, via Netflix.