21 TV Shows to Watch This Summer

by Jason Dietz, Metacritic Features Editor – May 9, 2017

The coming summer, arguably, may not have the sheer volume of high profile shows that we have become accustomed to in recent years. But that certainly doesn't mean there won't be anything to watch. In fact, the highlights—led by the returns of Twin Peaks and Game of Thrones—include some of this year's most-anticipated shows regardless of season.

Below you can find details on the most notable TV debuts this summer (both new and returning shows), ordered by date. For more premiere dates and details on every upcoming show (including those not profiled here), visit our 2017 TV Premiere Calendar.

4 of 23 photo by Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

74 Twin Peaks: Season 1

Though Laura Palmer speaks the line "I'll see you again in 25 years" in the season 2 finale, even the most die-hard of Twin Peaks fans never expected that it would come true, especially after ABC canceled the massively praised show—possibly the most original and unique series in TV history—in 1991, leaving many plot threads dangling in the process.

Yet just over 25 years later, Showtime has revived the series, with original creators David Lynch and Mark Frost returning to write (and in the case of Lynch) direct every episode. Save for Michael Ontkean (who played Sheriff Harry S. Truman), every member of the original cast returns (including Miguel Ferrer, Warren Frost, and Catherine E. Coulson, who each died during production)—along with composer Angelo Badalamenti, whose distinctive score was an essential component of the series and subsequent film prequel.

There will also be dozens of recognizable additions to the cast, ranging from veteran actors like Richard Chamberlain and Robert Forster and comedians such as Brett Gelman and David Koechner to Lynch veterans like Naomi Watts, Balthazar Getty and Laura Dern, and musicians such as Eddie Vedder, Sharon Van Etten, and Sky Ferreira.

The revival will run for 18 episodes (including a pair of new episodes on May 21st, with two more episodes available to stream immediately). Note that critics won't get to see any footage in advance, but the first episodes will screen at the Cannes Film Festival later this month. That's after the Showtime debut, but it does suggest that the network has some confidence in the quality of the new episodes.

Where To Watch