As summer quickly approaches, TV prepares to turn up the heat with their 2017 Summer Lineups. Here is a quick look at some of this summer’s returning favorites and some new series premieres that may be worth a watch:
Returning Favorites:
“The Bachelorette” Season 13 will premiere Monday, May 22 on ABC. Rachel Lindsay, a lawyer from Dallas and contestant on the most recent season of The Bachelor, will be the newest Bachelorette. Her new role is groundbreaking for the series because Rachel is the first African American lead in “Bachelor” franchise history.
“America’s Got Talent” is back for its 12th season on Tuesday, May 30 on NBC with new host, Tyra Banks.
The “House of Cards” new season will be available for streaming Tuesday, May 30 on Netflix.
“Masterchef” starts cooking again for season eight Wednesday, May 31 on FOX.
“American Ninja Warrior” returns to NBC for its sixth season on Monday, June 12. This season the show will make stops in Los Angeles, Dan Antonio, Daytona Beach, Kansas City, Cleveland and Denver before heading to Las Vegas for the national finals.
“Orange is the New Black” returns to Netflix for the fifth season. Available Friday, June 9.
The “So You Think You Can Dance” summer competition begins its 14th season Monday, June 12 on FOX.
“Big Brother” returns to CBS on Wednesday, June 28 with three weekly episodes.
HBO’s fantasy drama, “Game of Thrones” will return for its seventh season on Sunday, July 16.
Everyone’s favorite beach vacation viewing, “Shark Week”, premieres Sunday, July 23 on Discovery.
New! Scripted Series:
“Downward Dog” derives from a popular web series and is told from the perspective of a dog with “first world problems” via his inner monologue. It premieres Tuesday, May 23 with a sneak peek on Wednesday, May 17 on ABC.
24 years after the original airing, David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” is back as a limited series. Not much footage has been released for the Showtime series but if it is anything like the original it will be eerily haunting. Many faces from the original cast will return, including Kyle MacLachlan as FBI Agent Dale Cooper. The revival premieres May 21 on Showtime.
Shonda Rhimes is at it again! Her latest drama picks up where the famous Romeo and Juliet story left off. “Still Star Crossed” premieres on ABC Monday, May 29 and chronicles the palace-intrque of the Monteques and Capulets following the young lovers’ tragic deaths.
“Glow” is inspired by the real story of the 1980s women’s wrestling league. Created by Jenji Kohan, the comedy follows a struggling actress desperate to fulfill her dream when she auditions for a weekly series about female wrestlers. The show premieres on Netflix Friday, June 23.
“Salvation,” focuses on a tech superstar and an MIT grad-student who discover that as asteroid is just six months away from colliding with Earth. The suspense-thriller premieres on CBS Wednesday, July 12.
“Midnight, Texas” follows a charming powerful psychic who arrives in Midnight and befriends both human and supernatural allies. The show is based on a trilogy series of the same name by author, Charlaine Harris. The show premieres on NBC Tuesday, July 25.
USA is introducing “The Sinner” to their lineup on Wednesday, August 2. The mystery-thriller stars Jessica Biel as a young mother who commits an unspeakable act of violence against a stranger at the beach. Bill Pullman plays a detective obsessed with uncovering her motives.
The recent political climate has created a lot of material for “Saturday Night Live” and they are channeling that into a primetime spinoff while the late fringe staple is on summer hiatus. “Saturday Night Live: Weekend Update” will premiere with a four-episode order on NBC Thursday, August 10. The telecast will feature anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che as well as appearances by additional “Saturday Night Live” cast members.
“Marlon” is loosely based on Marlon Wayan’s real life in what is described as an update to the classic family comedy. Marlon is navigating parenthood in a loving but immature (and inappropriate) way alongside his ex-wife. NBC premieres the show on Wednesday, August 16.
New! Reality Competition and Game Shows:
“World of Dance” sets the stage for the world’s elite dancers to compete in precision, artistry and athleticism, spanning genres such as hip-hop, tap, ballet, break dancing and more for a $1 million prize. Jenna Dewan Tatum will act as a host/mentor for the competition, alongside famous judges Jennifer Lopez, NE-YO and Derek Hough (Dancing with the Stars). The show premieres Monday, May 8 on NBC.
“SuperHuman” first premiered as a special back in January 2016 and will now be a full series premiering Monday, June 12 on FOX. The show, hosted by Kal Penn (of “Harold and Kumar” fame), will showcase contestant’s super-human talents in a competition to win a $50,000 grand prize.
The original dating show of the ‘80s and early ‘90s is back on FOX. The network premieres “Love Connection” on Thursday, May 25. The show features singles in search of romance who are set up on three blind dates. Andy Cohen (of Bravo’s “Watch What Happens Live”) hosts the show and will no-doubt use his experience with the “Real Housewives” to help the singles dish the dirt from the dates in front of a live studio audience.
Sports and Specials:
ABC’s remake of the popular dance movie from the 1980s, “Dirty Dancing” premieres on Wednesday, May 24. The three-hour movie event stars Abigail Breslin as Baby Houseman and will feature updated versions of the film’s favorite songs as well as a look at what happens to Baby and Johnny beyond their summer romance.
“The Story of Diana” is a four-hour primetime television event on the extraordinary life of Princess Diana. The documentary will air on ABC over two days - August 9 and 10 - and will mark the 20th anniversary of her tragic passing. The special will feature in-depth interviews with those who knew her best and archival footage.
Here are some other Sports and Special Events to look out for this summer:
Miss USA 2017: Sunday, May 14 on FOX
Billboard Music Awards: Sunday, May 21 on ABC
NBA Finals in Prime: Thursday, June 1 through Sunday, June 18 on ABC
CMT Music Awards: Wednesday, June 7 on CMT
NBA Draft: Friday, June 23 on ESPN and ESPN2
BET Awards: Sunday, June 25 on BET
The Tour de France: July 1– 23 on NBC and NBC Sports
Home Run Derby: July 10 on ESPN
The 2017 ESPYs: Wednesday, July 12 on ABC
Summer X-Games: July 13 – 16 on ESPN and ESPN 2
CMA Fest 2017: Tuesday, August 1 on ABC
PGA Championship: Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13 on CBS
And of course, NFL Pre-Season Football begins on Thursday, August 3 with the Hall of Fame Game (Dallas Cowboys v. Arizona Cardinals) on NBC.