What to watch in the summer: "Gossip Girl", "Loki", "Elite" and other series not to be missed

Shot from the TV series "Gossip Girl"

Strong women, real stories, sequels to the cult "Gossips" and "Elite", a new project from the team that worked on "Big Little Lies", horror based on Stephen King and much more - we are making a list of what we are going to watch and discuss in the next three months.

Gossip Girl

Director: Karina Evans
Cast: Emily Elin Lind, Whitney Peak, Tavi Gevinson, Kristen Bell
When: July 8

What all fans of the unforgettable "Gossip Girl" series were waiting for, after the release of which the famous Blake Lively, Leighton Meester and several other actors woke up! The fact that a new "Gossip Girl" is being prepared became known two years ago. But filming was slowed down by the pandemic. This summer, we'll finally see what's happening at an elite New York school, a decade after the events of the last season of the original series.

The creators of the project say about the plot only that social networks and their influence on our whole life play an important role in it. And, of course (which could be expected), the authors of the "reboot" have already announced a greater inclusiveness of the project compared to the first "Gossip Girl", which ended in 2012. Joshua Safran, one of the writers and producers of both series, said that unlike its predecessor, the new project will feature "not only white protagonists," but also "a lot of queer content." In fairness, it should be noted that the topic of LGBTQ was raised in the first series, but now, apparently, it will be given a much more significant place.

Shot from the TV series "Gossip Girl"

Surprises are promised, but they will not be revealed ahead of time: of course, we are waiting for someone from the original lineup to appear in the new Gossip Girl. So far, only the participation of Kristen Bell has been confirmed - as before, as the "voice" of "Gossip Girl".

Nine Perfect Strangers

Director: Jonathan Levin
Cast: Nicole Kidman, Luke Evans, Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale
When: August 18

Obviously one of the most anticipated premieres of the season - based on the novel by Liana Moriarty, who wrote "Big Little Lies". When the book came out, Liana became the first Australian author whose novel made its debut on the New York Times bestseller list right away at number one. Now the writer has eight novels, they have been translated into 40 languages ​​and sold over 20 million copies. Accordingly, the audience literally waits for every screen version of Moriarty's works with bated breath.

The fresh project Hulu was filmed by the team that worked not only on the TV series "Big Little Lies", but also on the sensational last year's "Play Back". Among the screenwriters of all the films mentioned is David E. Kelly, he also produces them together with Nicole Kidman (and this duet is also something of a quality mark).

Nicole Kidman in the series Nine Strangers

Nine Strangers follows the events at an elite wellness resort in Australia where nine people arrive. Residents of big cities want to escape from the stressful everyday life, heal their soul and body, and finally change their lives. This is what Masha, the head of the resort, promises them - she is played by Nicole Kidman (by the way, Masha is Russian). However, nine strangers, each of whom, of course, have their skeletons in the closet, still have no idea what will happen to them during these 10 days.

"Elite" (Élite)

Director: N / A
Cast: Carla Diaz, Diego Martin, Martina Cariddi, Manu Rios
When: June 18

The Spanish TV series about teenagers studying at the prestigious Las Encinas school, launched on Netflix in 2018, and has fallen in love with viewers far beyond Spain. Next in line is a new, fourth season (in February, by the way, the shooting of the fifth has already begun).

Shot from the TV series "Elite"

"Elite" can hardly be called a typical youth soap opera about relationships and sex, although there is plenty of it in the series. Rather, it is a detective story, because every time a certain crime becomes the basis of the plot, and it is not easy to reveal the truth about the incident. Against the background of the investigation, the authors introduce into the narrative a lot of hot topics for the younger generation: here and same-sex relationships, and racial prejudices, and social inequality, and addictions. At the same time, the creators of the project do not go into moralizing, and most of the heroes can hardly be classified as positive or negative.

In the upcoming season, there will be many new characters that will replace the heroes who have dropped out of the project. Judging by the trailer, passions will only heat up: the fourth season is rich in explicit scenes, intrigues, scandals, and LGBTQ-themed stories. Right before the start of the sequel, from June 14 to 17, four additional episodes of "Elite" will be released - about how the heroes spent their summer holidays (also, of course, very boring).

Loki

Director: Keith Herron
Cast: Tom Hiddleston, Owen Wilson, Sophie Di Martino, Gugu Embata-Ro
When: June 9

One of the most popular characters in the Marvel Universe, played by Tom Hiddleston, has finally got his own show, where the whole plot develops around his person. The six-part project was filmed by Marvel for Disney + streaming.

Loki TV series poster

The mini-series will tell the story that takes place after the events of the 2019 tape "Avengers: Endgame". Loki, who kidnapped the Tesseract, is arrested in the mysterious organization "Office of Temporary Changes", and he will have to answer for his misdeeds. The god of deception and the supervillain is faced with a choice: either he will be erased from reality, or he will contribute to the organization.

Kevin Can F ** k Himself

Directors: Osmani Rodriguez, Anna Dokoza
Cast: Annie Murphy, Alex Bonifer, Mary Hollis Inbonden
When: June 13

The series, filmed in the genre of black comedy, clearly demonstrates what would happen if an exemplary housewife from a standard sitcom suddenly rebelled against the surrounding reality.

The main character, Alison, discovers that she has played with an ideal wife, and her life is less and less happy. Well, the cause of troubles, as it seems to her, is her husband, who is always sitting on the couch. And now all Alison thinks about is how to change her life and get rid of Kevin, and in a radical way.

Alison stars Annie Murphy, Alexis from the comedy series Shitts Creek, last year's Emmy Award winner.

"Mr. Corman"

Director: Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Arturo Castro, Shannon Marie Woodward
When: August 6

A must-see for everyone who is not indifferent to Joseph Gordon-Levitt: he is here as a director, screenwriter, and leading actor, of course. His hero Josh Corman is a talented musician who only in his dreams builds a stellar career, but in reality he teaches music to sixth graders (almost like in the movie "Soul"!). The bride leaves the hero, and his school friend settles in instead. Josh does not lose hope, but the midlife crisis is making itself felt - he is worried about loneliness and unfulfilled ambitions and missed opportunities. These emotional rushes of the protagonist set the course for the plot of the series, which the press called quality dramedies about the generation of those over 30.

However, critics write that the series turned out to be life-affirming, "gloomyly funny, surprisingly beautiful and touching."

Shot from the TV series "Mr. Corman"

Dr. Death

Directors: Kim So-yeon, Maggie Keely, Jennifer Morrison
Cast: Joshua Jackson, Alec Baldwin, Christian Slater, Anna Sophia Robb
When: Summer 2021

The series is based on the podcast of the same name, which, in turn, tells a real story that took place in the United States several years ago. Neurosurgeon Christopher Dunch, who worked in various clinics in Dallas, was nicknamed Doctor Death by journalists and was eventually sentenced to life imprisonment for crippling dozens of people. Danch was extremely self-confident, had a good education, and carefully cleaned up negative reviews about himself on the Internet. Colleagues who assisted the surgeon were horrified by the gross mistakes the doctor made. At the same time, Danch continued to operate for years, changing clinics, and he called any claims against him only as slander and intrigues of enemies. As it turned out, already when the grandiose scandal nevertheless arose, long-standing problems with alcohol and drugs also affected his "skill". The would-be physician was sentenced to life imprisonment when it became known that 33 of37 operations performed by him ended with "unforeseen complications", including the death of two patients. Previously, no American doctor had ever received such terms for negligence.

Joshua Jackson in the series "Doctor Death"

In 2018, a six-part podcast was released in which journalist Laura Bale explored Danch's story. In the new series, the infamous surgeon is played by Joshua Jackson, while Alec Baldwin and Christian Slater act as Danch's colleagues trying to stop him.

"In the rhythm of life" (Physical)

Directors: Craig Gillespie, Lisa Johnson, Stephanie Cone
Cast: Rose Byrne, Deirdre Friel
When: June 18

And again in the spotlight is a housewife tired of everyday life in a desperate attempt to change a bored life. A new reality for the heroine Rose Byrne opens the world of aerobics - a crazy fashionable hobby in the 80s era, when the action of a 10-episode film takes place. Ahead of Sheila, who is initially looking for a cure for her own complexes in training, is waiting for an amazing reincarnation - into a confident and domineering businesswoman with the glory of a real fitness guru.

Poster for the series "In the rhythm of life"

The director's trio includes Craig Gillespie, who loves strong female characters. On his account the sports drama "Tonya Against All", the sensational "Cruella" and the upcoming premiere - the mini-series "Pam and Tommy".

Sex / Life

Directors: Jessica Borsicki, Sheri Foxon, Patricia Rosema
Cast: Sarah Shahi, Mike Vogel, Margaret Odette, Adam Demos
When: June 25

Another exemplary wife and mother, although in the past, is a carefree New York party girl, now yearning for her former freedom. In fact, at the center of the plot of this Netflix series is a love triangle: a husband, a wife and ... a diary that she keeps and where she describes events from the past. Namely - his whirlwind romance, which once ended in a broken heart. Billy, the heroine of Sarah Shahi, is captured by her fantasies, mixed with real memories, but at one moment the secret, as usual, becomes apparent: her husband finds a diary. Billy thinks this might ruin their marriage, but in reality, it’s just the beginning.

"Sex / Life" TV series poster

Lisey's Story

Director: Pablo Larrain
Cast: Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Dane DeHaan, Jennifer Jason Leigh
When: June 4

The Apple TV + project with a stellar cast is based on the novel of the same name by Stephen King - and this fact speaks volumes. Lizzie (Julianne Moore) is the widow of a famous writer. After the death of her husband, the heroine is left alone with a whole mountain of problems - from the mental disorder of her sister to the danger in the face of a stalker obsessed with the labors of her late husband. There is something completely inexplicable, which also haunted the writer and with which Lizzie now has to face. She needs to understand a variety of riddles, and, as it turns out, there are much more of them in her husband's biography than she thought.

Julianne Moore in The Lizzie Story

The chair

Director: Daniel Gray Longino
Cast: Sandra Oh, Bob Balaban, Jay Duplass, David Morse
When: August 27

This Netflix series has not yet received an official name in the Russian-language version, but from English the chair can be translated not only as "chair" or "chair", but also as "chairman" or "professor". In this case, we are talking about the position of the head of the Department of English Literature at Pembroke University. For the first time, this place is occupied by a woman - Ji Yun, played by Sandra O., famous on the TV series "Killing Eve" and "Grey's Anatomy". She is a woman, she is Asian, and she has to try very hard to prove to others that she deserves a high position. At the same time, amusing situations constantly arise around the heroine: the six-part project was filmed in the dramedy genre.

The miniseries was prepared by a team led by David Benioff (producer of Game of Thrones) and his wife, actress Amanda Peet, who acted as the scriptwriter this time.

The Chair promo

Only Murders in the Building

Directors: Jamie Babbitt, Sherine Dubis, Gillian Robespierre, Don Scardino
Cast: Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, Martin Short
When: August 31

At the end of the summer, Hulu will show a 10-episode comedy detective, created by "comedy veteran" Steve Martin, along with several other writers. Martin himself, as well as Selena Gomez and Martin Short (also a recognized master of the genre) play the roles of three strangers, who are few in common - they are neighbors in an elite house on the Upper West Side and have a passion for detective stories. Everything develops in such a way that this trinity is involved in the most real investigation of the crime, because something mysterious is happening around them, and the killer may be very close.

The Western press writes that Murders in One Building is "the perfect mix of comedy, detective and thriller that we have been missing."

Selena Gomez in Murders in the Same Building

Halston

Director: Daniel Minahan
Cast: Evan McGregor, Bill Pullman, Rebecca Diane, Rory Culkin, Vera Farmiga
When: May 14

The series premiered on Netflix in mid-May, but if you haven't had time to watch it yet, it's time to do it, because the project has been long awaited and actively discussed. The miniseries starring Evan McGregor is named after the key character, American designer Roy Halston. This man was one of the most notable figures in American fashion of the 60s, fame came to him thanks to the hat that Jacqueline Kennedy wore at the inauguration of her husband. And then the outfits from Halston - luxurious, but at the same time laconic - have gained popularity with many top stars, including Greta Garbo, Elizabeth Taylor, Lauren Bacall and others. The designer was a regular at Studio 54, was friends with Liza Minnelli and Andy Warhol. In the late 1980s, the fashion designer was diagnosed with HIV and died in 1990 at the age of 57.

Evan McGregor in the TV series Halston

Netflix's "Halston" traces the life story of a designer from the moment he took off. Some critics are already calling this role the best in McGregor's career.

The Underground Railroad

Director: Barry Jenkins
Cast: Tuso Mbedu, Chase W. Dillon, Aaron Pierre
When: May 14

Another spring premiere you might have missed. The series, featured on Amazon Prime Video, combines the genres of historical drama and fantasy. It is based on the 2017 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel "The Underground Railroad" by American writer Colson Whitehead. The novel was ranked 30th on The Guardian's list of the 100 best books of the 21st century two years ago, and critics praised the author's skillful mix of America's sore subject of slavery and fantasy adventure format. Combines historical truth and metaphorical images. In a word, the book is undoubtedly important and relevant in a new way, and therefore the film adaptation was only a matter of time.

It all takes place in the 1800s, when a girl named Cora tries to escape from a cotton plantation in the southern United States, where she works in inhuman conditions along with other black slaves. From Caesar, who arrived at the plantation, Cora learns about the mysterious underground railway, which can help get out to freedom.

It is interesting that the "Underground Railroad" is the designation of a really existing secret system that helped fugitive slaves to hide in those days: they traveled along secret routes to the northern states and the Canadian border. This system, in general, had nothing in common with the railway, but gave birth to a legend among the slaves that somewhere underground there were really rails on which "freedom trains" go. It is in such a form, fantastic for that era, that this system is presented both in Whitehead's novel and in the TV series by Barry Jenkins.

Shot from the series "Underground Railroad"

"Loneliness" (Solos)

Directors: Sam Taylor-Johnson, Zach Braff, David Weil, Tiffany Johnson
Cast: Anne Hathaway, Helen Mirren, Constance Wu, Morgan Freeman, Ouzo Aduba
When: May 20

And this project Amazon Prime Video, launched in May, we also cannot fail to mention - already only because of one stellar cast. Work on the series was carried out in the midst of a pandemic, and, as the Western press writes about Loneliness, the project absorbed the whole gamut of feelings that everyone experienced in one way or another during self-isolation - from a feeling of hopelessness to fear of the future.

Anne Hathaway in the TV series Loneliness

The sci-fi series has been actively compared to Black Mirror. It consists of seven episodes - separate stories. The heroine of one of them gets the opportunity to communicate with herself in the past and the future, another character, suffering from an incurable disease, meets a robot that will replace him in his own family after death.

The main part of the series "Loners" is just concentrated on the theme of life and death. And the main idea, according to the creators of the tape, is to show that "even in the most acute moments of loneliness, in circumstances of fragmentation, we are all connected with each other."

Things to know (Q&A)