30 Summer TV Shows to Watch in 2018

Summertime doesn’t have to mean a lack of amazing television. In fact, this summer is bringing so many great TV shows to look forward to that we can barely keep up — from brand new series we can’t wait to see to returning favorites we look forward to every year.

Our team has put together a list of summer TV shows we’re excited to watch, or are already watching this summer, and when you can catch them. Note that these are only shows that already have premiere dates.

Here are 30 Summer TV Shows to Watch in 2018:

1. Elementary

While it has never been a ratings juggernaut, Elementary has beaten the odds with continued renewal because CBS believes in it — and for good reason. If twisty cases, sharp dialogue, and new personal drama aren’t enough reason to tune in, I direct you to Lucy Liu in a variety of fitted suits.

– Caitlin Wyneken

2. The 100

The 100 Season 5 is in full swing and the post-apocalyptic drama is better than ever. After a massive six-year time jump and an eleven-month hiatus, The 100 has fully become the show it always intended to be.

Clarke and all of our other favorite characters are showing us the importance of love and family at the end of the world. Tune in to find out who your heroes have become in order to survive.

The 100 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

– Samantha Coley

3. Queen Sugar

Tensions rise between Nova, Charley, and Ralph Angel as conflicting ideals threaten the survival of the Bordelon farm and their family altogether. The captivating series Queen Sugar, created by Ava DuVernay, teaches us the nitty and gritty reality of a southern black family that will do whatever it takes to protect their people, their families, and their legacy.

Queen Sugar returns for Season 3 tonight on OWN.

– Candice Horde

4. Animal Kingdom

In what has become a summer TV staple for TNT, Animal Kingdom follows a teenage boy who moves in with the Codys, a criminal family clan governed by matriarch Smurf (Ellen Barkin) following the death of his mother. As the series moves into its third season, viewers can only expect higher stakes and more twists from the dark, intriguing drama.

Animal Kingdom Season 3 premieres tonight on TNT.

– Ashley Bissette Sumerel

5. Reverie

Want a procedural with a twist? Try Reverie, NBC’s new series that sounds like two parts Inception and one part Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, with a little Law and Order thrown in.

Person of Interest’s Sarah Shahi stars as a former hostage negotiator who must now rescue people trapped in a virtual reality dream world.

Reverie begins Wednesday, May 30th at 10/9c on NBC.

– Lacy Baugher

6. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

The Netflix original comedy starring Ellie Kemper is back for Season 4 this summer, and we can’t wait to binge it. Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt follows Kimmy in her journey to start life over in New York City after living in a cult for fifteen years.

Now that Kimmy has gotten her college degree, she’s entering the workforce — but she still has a lot to learn. It promises to be a fun season, for sure.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Season 4 hits Netflix on May 30th.

– Ashley Bissette Sumerel

7. Pose

Get ready for an introduction to the ball scene in FX drama Pose! Set in the late 1980s, the series will bring together two realities of New York City at that time: the underground drag and ballroom scene and the acceleration of consumption in Manhattan.

With TV’s biggest trans series regular cast in history and some well-known faces, Pose is primed to get you on your feet and keep you entertained.

The series premiere of Pose is set for June 3rd at 9/8c on FX.

– Alamin Yohannes

8. Dietland

Dietland promises to be a darkly funny satire about Plum Kettle (Joy Nash), a ghostwriter for the editor of one of New York’s hottest fashion magazines.

The series, which is based on Sarai Walker’s 2015 best-selling novel of the same name, also stars Julianna Margulies and explores many issues faced by women today, including patriarchy, misogyny, rape culture, and unrealistic beauty standards.

Dietland premieres June 4th on AMC.

– Ashley Bissette Sumerel

9. Younger

If you haven’t binge-watched Younger yet, what are you even doing with your life? The juicy TV Land dramedy is set to return June 5th, and we can’t wait to see more of Liza’s twisted and tangled life.

When we last saw Liza she was torn once more between Josh and Charles, this time thinking perhaps they were both permanently out of reach. Rarely can any show pull off a compelling love triangle, but Younger does it so perfectly and we cannot get enough.

Are you team Josh or team Charles? Let’s be real; we’re all team Liza.

Younger returns Tuesday, June 5th at 10/9c on TVLand.

– Samatha Coley

10. Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger

For fans of Runaways and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Freeform brings us a raw teenage superhero drama full of heartbreak and hope. Cloak & Dagger follows the lives of Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt) and Tyrone Johnson (Aubrey Joseph), two teenagers from very different backgrounds who find themselves with superpowers which are mysteriously linked to one another.

With Marvel blockbusters like Avengers: Infinity War and Deadpool hitting the big screen this summer, don’t pass up on a small screen adventure that is sure to pack a punch and dazzle us with the newest additions to the Marvel universe.

Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger premieres on Thursday, June 7th at 8/7c on Freeform.

– Alicia Gilstorf

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