13 Netflix Originals coming in June to start the summer off right

Designated Survivor: Season Three – June 7

As is the case with many fan-favorite shows these days, Designated Survivor started out ABC but couldn’t quite pull in the numbers to justify renewal after its second season. And so it has found a second home on Netflix for season three, whether to continue forward or to bring its story to a close.

Designated Survivor follows Keifer Sutherland as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Thomas Kirkman. He is the designated survivor for the State of the Union address, a person in the presidential line of succession appointed to be physically distant from an event attended by the President and immediate successors in case of a disaster. He unexpectedly ascends to the place of President of the United States when a terrorist attack kills all those in line before him. Season three will follow him as he campaigns to keep the job to which he was appointed.

Tales of the City – June 7

Tales of the City is based on a series of novels by Armistead Maupin and is a revival of the critically acclaimed PBS miniseries of the same name, as well as two follow up series. Laura Linney and Olympia Dukakis are reprising their roles from the original series as Linney’s Mary Ann returns to San Francisco and reunites with her daughter and ex-husband 20 years after leaving them behind to pursue her career.

The original series was a huge rating success for PBS but was also the subject of controversy surrounding themes of homosexuality and usage of nudity. PBS declined to be involved in further sequels due to funding threats, but Linney and Dukakis have appeared in all revivals to date.

This new series, which continues to explore the trans and queer themes of the original, boasts Orange is the New Black’s Lauren Morelli as showrunner, a whole line up of trans writers and directors behind the scenes, Ellen Page as Mary Anne’s daughter Shawna, and trans actress Jen Richards as young Anna.