Best TV Shows Of 2024: Best New Shows In May And June

Having trouble keeping up with all the great TV that seems to arrive every single week? Here are some pointers about what you need to stream next

By Chris Miller, Feature Writer

Summers like this are a treat for sports fans, with the Euros and Olympics alongside Wimbledon, the Tour de France, the British F1 Grand Prix, the Men’s T20 Cricket World Cup and more. But plenty of us aren’t glued to sport 24/7, and even the biggest enthusiasts need a break from the sporting drama now and then. So if you’re looking for entertainment during the summer months, we’ve got you covered. We’ve rounded up the best shows from the past couple of months, and it’s the perfect time to catch up on them.

So treat yourself to one of our 10 best shows from May and June 2024 – with more suggestions below. Here are our picks.

Doctor Who

Find the 2024 series now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

What it is: Less of a regeneration, more of a hard reboot for the beloved sci-fi drama, with Russell T Davies (who resurrected it in 2005) back on board as showrunner and Sex Education’s Ncuti Gatwa at the controls of the TARDIS.

Number of episodes: 8 x 45-50 minutes

Why you should stream it: Whether you’re a long-time fan or never quite got on board with Who, this series (variously known as 40, 14 and 1) has had a huge injection of energy with flamboyant villains, spectacular effects and plots that’ll make your pulse race. But best of all is the relationship between Gatwa’s Fifteenth Doctor and companion Ruby Sunday (Millie Gibson). The characters bonded over both being foundlings trying to find their place in the world – but the actors have such brilliant chemistry that it’s a joy to watch them share the screen.

Bridgerton

Find season 3 now in Apps > Netflix

What it is: The return of the extra-saucy Regency drama about high-society types scandalised by a gossip sheet as they strive to find spouses and impress the Queen.

Number of episodes: 8 x 52-71 minutes

Why you should stream it: The costumes are gorgeous, the music is terrific, and the extra helping of sauce is delightful – but don’t overlook the fact that Bridgerton has sparkling writing and interesting characters. Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) comes to the fore in this season and that’s great news for viewers, as she provides endless sparks with both her paramour Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and her former friend Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) as the societal intrigues thicken. After a two-year hiatus, it’s a relief to find that Bridgerton is still enormous fun.

Insomnia

Find it now on Paramount+

What it is: Line Of Duty’s Vicky McClure stars in an adaptation of Sarah Pinborough’s novel about a woman who stops sleeping and must confront her painful past.

Number of episodes: 6 x 45 minutes

Why you should stream it: Like 2021’s Behind Her Eyes, also from a Pinborough novel, Insomnia is a propulsive, mysterious and frankly addictive series that’ll have you unhesitatingly going straight to the next episode. As McClure’s Emma unravels, we’re pulled into her chaotic mind and experiencing her trauma – but at the same time we question if what we’re seeing is real and how much is simply her perception. It uses elements of various genres – mystery, thriller, horror, supernatural drama – to great effect, and there’s a committed and appealing performance by one of Britain’s best TV actors at its centre.

We Are Lady Parts

Find series 2 now in Apps > Channel 4

What it is: The continuing adventures of the all-female, all-Muslim punk band as they grapple with their newfound popularity and the outside influences that make being Lady Parts a challenge.

Number of episodes: 6 x 25 minutes

Why you should stream it: This brilliant comedy is written with verve and directed with relentless energy by Nida Manzoor, one of the brightest new stars of British television. There are plenty of messages in here – about finding your identity, navigating the rules of society, the realities of art v commerce – but they never detract from the fact that WALP is a constantly hilarious sitcom performed by a terrifically appealing cast. Anjana Vasan’s comic timing is impeccable as guitarist Amina (entering her villain era), but this series’ star is Sarah Kameela Impey as headstrong Saira, battling against a system that wants to keep her down but refusing to compromise. Simply essential viewing.

The Boys

Find season 4 now in Apps > Prime Video

What it is: The hit anti-superhero show is back for a fourth season as the resistance meets more and more obstacles while Homelander (Antony Starr) descends further into brutality and corruption.

Number of episodes: 8 x 1 hour (episodes weekly on Thursdays, season finale 18 July)

Why you should stream it: It’s never been a subtle show but this season The Boys is more in-your-face than ever, with events mirroring numerous recent events in American politics, from violent protests to child trafficking propaganda. The mounting atmosphere of authoritarian repression is highly unsettling, while Homelander’s way of dealing with his childhood trauma is – to say the least – not for the faint of heart.

And yet there are quiet moments that hit just as hard, as Hughie (Jack Quaid) copes with his father’s illness, or Butcher (Karl Urban) contemplates his own mortality. Plus, of course, there’s that sauna scene… Always shocking, always entertaining, The Boys is better than ever.

Inside No. 9

Find series 9 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

What it is: Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith’s macabre anthology series bowed out after nine series of blackly comic half-hour vignettes.

Number of episodes: 6 x 30 minutes

Why you should stream it: With each episode somehow centred on the number nine, we should have realised there would be nine series – but the announcement that it would end was still an unpleasant shock. And this final series was one of the best, from the CCTV murder mystery of “Mulberry Close” to the escape-room rug-pull of “CTRL-ALT-ESC”, before – in an Inside No. 9-worthy twist – Pemberton and Shearsmith subverted everything viewers were expecting with a magnificently funny and heartwarming finale, proving how unpredictable, versatile and prodigiously talented they are. Whatever this pair do next, we can’t wait to see it. But in the meantime, this series remains a phenomenal achievement.

Queenie

Find it now in Apps > Channel 4

What it is: A twentysomething south Londoner navigates friendships, dating, housing and all the other aspects of young urban life, while caught between the expectations of two cultures, in this adaptation of Candice Carty-Williams’s bestseller.

Number of episodes: 8 x 25 minutes

Why you should stream it: Have you ever watched something and thought that it could be your life playing out on the screen? That’s how we felt as we saw Queenie Jenkins make one regrettable decision after another, particularly those that involved men who weren’t worthy of her time to begin with.

But Dionne Brown’s Queenie retains both her razor-sharp wit and her loyal sisterhood of friends, making for a moving and thought-provoking series that will have you rooting for, laughing with and relating hard to the titular character. And while Brown shines in the lead role, the talented supporting cast including Joseph Marcell (The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air), Llewella Gideon (Top Boy), Jon Pointing (Big Boys) and Sally Phillips (Bridget Jones’ Diary) give fantastic performances as well.

The Tattooist Of Auschwitz

Find it now in On Demand

What it is: An adaptation of Heather Morris’s bestselling book, which was inspired by the story told to her by Auschwitz survivor Lali Sokolov about the love that endured in the darkest of times.

Number of episodes: 6 x 1 hour

Why you should stream it: The importance of remembering the horrors of the Holocaust can never be overstated – but as well as honouring the dead and learning the lesson from history, we should also remember the survivors. Lali’s story is about courage, hope and the power of love to sustain people in desperate circumstances. The Tattooist Of Auschwitz is not an easy watch, but it’s a beautifully crafted drama that will reward viewers with every episode – just like the book it’s based on. It also has a rare and spellbinding TV appearance from legendary actor Harvey Keitel as the older Lali.

Douglas Is Cancelled

Find it now in Apps > ITVX

What it is: A comedy about a trusted news anchor (Hugh Bonneville) who becomes persona non grata when a bad-taste joke he made in private goes viral.

Number of episodes: 4 x 1 hour

Why you should stream it: After years of dramas (Doctor Who, Inside Man, Dracula), it’s a pleasure to have writer Steven Moffat back in the comedy arena where he made his name with the likes of Joking Apart and Coupling. The intergenerational conflict over what is and isn’t acceptable behaviour is ripe with comic potential and Moffat teases plenty of nuance from it, with awkward interactions, power imbalances and pointed subtext aplenty.

Bonneville is one of Britain’s most reliable comic leads, his hangdog face suggesting someone who’s always just been insulted. We’re also delighted to see Moffat reunited with Karen Gillan and Alex Kingston, for whom he wrote so memorably during his time on Doctor Who – they’re excellent foils for Bonneville here.

The Responder

Find series 2 now in Apps > BBC iPlayer

What it is: A second series for the hard-hitting, Liverpool-set drama starring Martin Freeman as a first-response police officer mired in corruption and squalor.

Number of episodes: 5 x 1 hour

Why you should stream it: On its surface it’s a police drama. But The Responder’s script – written by former Merseyside Police officer Tony Schumacher – takes viewers on a no-holds-barred ride into one man’s psychological torment, as Freeman’s Chris Carson grapples with the nigh-on impossible decisions an officer in his position has to make. And the second series upped the ante, as Chris’s relationship with his wife Kate (MyAnna Buring) deteriorated further and his moral compass spun wildly, putting him and others in danger.

These episodes brought a chink of light, though, as Chris reconciled with his estranged father and they began to build a relationship of sorts. Tom Carson was played by Titanic and Lord Of The Rings star Bernard Hill, who sadly died just as the series premiered, leaving us with a reminder of his stellar talent.