6 must watch Netflix originals premiering in June 2018

Bethany Lewis

Glow season 2 – Image: Netflix

As we enter the start of June 2018, its time to prepare your Netflix television bingeing schedule.

Here are six must-watch shows premiering this month on Netflix – everything from harrowing documentaries to superheroes and female wrestlers to whimsical cartoons.

GLOW: Season 2

Alison Brie and Betty Gilpin star as the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling in this comedy about female wrestling promotion, created by Liz Flahive and Carly Mensch — who both worked on Nurse Jackie and the upcoming Marvel Universe Captain Marvel film.

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The Netflix original series is based on the classic women’s wrestling promotion GLOW and the 1986 documentary, GLOW: The Story of the Gorgeous Ladies of Wrestling. Through its comedic lens, the show explores issues of sexism and femininity in the wake of the Woman’s Liberation Movement.

While season 1 featured several famous wrestler cameos, season 2 will add former WWE fighter Chavo Guerrero Jr. as a series regular. The wrestler already serves as fight coordinator for the series, but will now be playing a male wrestler who fights women a la Andy Kauffman.

Season 2 looks just as glitzy and over the top as ever. GLOW season 2 drops June 29.

Luke Cage season 2 – Image: Netflix

Luke Cage: Season 2

Luke Cage is back on the streets after clearing his name and now the private man/public hero is a local Harlem celebrity.

I personally think the first season of Luke Cage was one of the best in what is a pretty solid line of Marvel shows for Netflix and I’ve been anxiously anticipating season two for what seems like ages.

Its almost here and not only can we look forward to a new villain — Mustafa Shakir as John McIver aka Bushmaster — but he’ll be someone who can both physically and mentally challenge Cage, keeping him from becoming complacent in his unchallenged role as Harlem’s defender.

Theo Rossi returns as Shades, looking for his own chance to take down Luke Cage. Another highlight, of course, is the musical line up for season 2, which will include Gary Clark Jr., Ghostface Killah, DJ D-Nice, Faith Evans, and more.

Luke Cage drops on June 22.

Sense8 series finale – Image: Netflix

Sense8: Series Finale

Netflix is known for giving fan favorite shows a second life after cancellation — apparently, even when Netflix itself cancels the show. Sense8 is a very special case indeed as the streaming service canceled the Wachowski-created series after its second season.

Now its back, but just for one last episode to allow writers to wrap things up after previously ending the show on a cliffhanger. Fans and the Wachowskis haven’t quite given up on a season 3 just yet, but the 2-hour series finale was perhaps more than they were expecting.

All of the main cast and most of the supporting have returned for the final episode as a group of seven psychically connected individuals struggle to rescue the eighth member of their “sensate cluster” from a menacing organization.

The final Sense8 episode drops on June 8.

The Ranch season 3 – Image: Netflix

The Ranch: Season 3

I will say right now that The Ranch doesn’t sound like a show that is in my wheelhouse. It sounds like a derivative, lowbrow, multi-camera sitcom which is not my style of comedy at all.

I’m more on the Arrested Development side of the spectrum for sitcoms. However, there was something in the description of it that kept me reading about it and had me interested — against my natural instincts.

Maybe it was the fact that they film a comedy about a ranch on a soundstage in front of a live studio audience — which sounds practically impractical — or maybe it was just the lure of Sam Elliott — who of course plays a hard to love patriarchal type character — or maybe it was the grudgingly good reviews from critics who would ordinarily dismiss a show like this.

Whatever the reason, The Ranch is back for season three and drops the first half of episodes on June 15.

Le Carillon, the site of one of the attacks. (Netflix)

November 13: Attack on Paris

November 13 is a three-part documentary series about the Paris terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015. The documentary incorporates interviews with witnesses, firemen, police, and former president Francois Hollande as they give detailed accounts of their experiences that day.

Brothers Jules and Gedeon Naudet are the award-winning filmmakers of the documentary 9/11, a film that started out as a documentary about a Manhattan fire brigade when the attacks happened.

November 13 is titled in France as Fluctuat Nec Mergitur, the traditional motto of Paris that means “She is tossed by the waves but doesn’t sink.” The motto had a resurgence of popularity after the Paris attacks to represent the city’s resilience in the face of adversity.

“We wanted to convey that the moment where you see the worst of humanity, the best is always present and is always stronger,” says Jules Naudet.

Its available to watch now.

The Hollow — Image: Netflix

The Hollow

Not much is known about The Hollow, an otherworldly animated series produced by Slap Happy Cartoons Inc., which infinitely adds to the intrigue.

We do know that its about three teenagers who mysteriously awake in an underground bunker in a bizarre otherworld. Together they must face strange beasts, odd strangers, and magical dangers as they make their way through the maze-like world to get back home.

If the synopsis and the mystery don’t already have you hooked, the animation style definitely will. A screenshot of the three teens coming out of the bunker reveals an atmospheric and detailed artistry.

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Each of the three is equally distinct from the other, the light of the bunker spilling out into the darkness before them as they open a door onto a new world we can – for now – only imagine.

The Hollow drops on Netflix June 8.

Bethany Lewis

Traveler, reader, fan of many things. Graduated Boston University with an MFA in Film Studies, current day job working at a dude ranch in Arizona.