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Returning Summer TV Shows 2021

38 Major TV Shows Returning For New Seasons This Summer

Gone are the days of summer TV being the land of bad reality shows and reruns — now, there are just as many must-watch shows during the summer months as any other time of year! Summer 2021 is turning out to be a season of renewal and new hopes in a lot of different ways, and that attitude seems to be carrying over to the TV schedule as well.

Over the next few months, dozens of our favourite shows in every genre imaginable are coming back for new seasons, many of which have been off the air for months or even years! To keep track, we've put together this handy guide of all the returning shows this summer — keep reading to see when your favourite will be back!

Image Source: Freeform

1. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series

  • The scoop: Disney+'s tongue-in-cheek teen musical series is back for another year of high school drama (both the on and offstage kind). This year, the school is putting on a production of Beauty and the Beast, but the road to opening night is going to be far from a fairytale for our favourite Wildcats.
  • The premiere date: May 14
Image Source: Disney+

2. Good Witch

  • The scoop: Hallmark's long-running series returns for another summer in the small town of Middleton, with the Merriwick women at the centre of it all.
  • The premiere date: May 16
Image Source: Everett Collection

3. Shahs of Sunset

  • The scoop: The Bravo reality series returns for its ninth (yes, ninth!) season of wild drama among the wealthy elite of Los Angeles.
  • The premiere date: May 16
Image Source: Everett Collection

4. Superman & Lois

  • The scoop: Following a two-month hiatus, the latest CW superhero show will return to finish its first season, with Clark, Lois, and their sons bracing for the threats to their family. The show has already been renewed for a second season.
  • The premiere date: May 18

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5. The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills

  • The scoop: It wouldn't be summer without big-name reality TV, and Real Housewives is the true classic. The women of Beverly Hills are back in their eleventh season, taking on new challenges and, of course, creating new drama.
  • The premiere date: May 19

6. Who Killed Sara?

  • The scoop: Netflix is wasting no time in giving answers (and more questions) to its surprise smash hit crime thriller. In season two, Alex will continue his quest to get justice for his sister's death, all while investigating the mysterious revelations he's found in her diary.
  • The premiere date: May 19
Image Source: Everett Collection

7. The Chi

  • The scoop: The Showtime drama is pulling no punches in addressing another significant issue: its upcoming fourth season will tackle the real-life issues of race, police brutality, and racial injustice in America.
  • The premiere date: May 23

8. Duncanville

  • The scoop: Amy Poehler's Fox animated comedy returns for a second season of family hijinks. Before the second season even began, Fox renewed it for a third, so there's plenty more story to come!
  • The premiere date: May 23
Image Source: Everett Collection

9. In Treatment

  • The scoop: It's been over a decade since this HBO drama last aired, but it's back for a fourth season. The show is now led by Uzo Aduba, playing a Los Angeles therapist who's treating an eclectic group of patients, each with their own complex stories.
  • The premiere date: May 23

10. Master of None

  • The scoop: Another entry in the "surprise return" column is this Netflix comedy, which hasn't been on the air in four years. This season will centre on Lena Waithe's Denise, with original star and creator Aziz Ansari only making a few appearances as Dev.
  • The premiere date: May 23

11. Mr. Inbetween

  • The scoop: The FX comedy is airing its third and final season this summer. As hitman Ray mourns the loss of someone close to him and tries to keep his family together, he's also going "freelance" for the first time, which presents him with huge but dangerous opportunities.
  • The premiere date: May 25

12. The Bold Type

  • The scoop: Season five will be the end of the road for Kat, Jane, Sutton, and their friends, but before they go, there are still six episodes to wrap it all up. New career moves loom for all three women — and old loves are back for one last try.
  • The premiere date: May 26

13. Madagascar: A Little Wild

  • The scoop: The Peacock/Hulu animated series brings back all your favourite Madagascar characters for another season of funny adventures for the whole family.
  • The premiere date: May 27

14. The Kominsky Method

  • The scoop: Another "final" season for this summer — and this one will be missing one key cast member. Alan Arkin will not appear in this season, and much of the season will deal with the fallout among Norman's circle from losing their longtime friend.
  • The premiere date: May 28

15. Lucifer

  • The scoop: Part two of Lucifer's fifth season will finally air on Netflix this summer. The new half-season will focus heavily on the divine "family" drama with God showing up to intervene in the squabbles between his sons.
  • The premiere date: May 28

16. American Ninja Warrior

  • The scoop: NBC's reality competition series will return for its usual summer season, sharing the incredible stories (and equally incredible feats) of a whole new batch of competitors.
  • The premiere date: May 31

17. Hell's Kitchen

  • The scoop: The reality cooking show is back for another season of intense competition, incredible cooking, and Gordon Ramsey shouting.
  • The premiere date: May 31
Image Source: Everett Collection

18. America’s Got Talent

  • The scoop: America's biggest talent show returns for yet another season, with the celebrity panel of judges watching some of the most creative, daring, and just plain talented people who come to perform for them and for the whole viewing audience.
  • The premiere date: June 1

19. MasterChef

  • The scoop: Ready for another summer of impressive cooking? A new batch of home chefs compete through an increasingly difficult series of challenges, all hoping to become the next MasterChef.
  • The premiere date: June 2
Image Source: Everett Collection

20. Why Women Kill

  • The scoop: The Paramount+ anthology's second season is set in 1949, exploring themes of beauty, belonging, and betrayals. It will star Allison Tolman, Lana Parilla, Matthew Daddario, and Nick Frost.
  • The premiere date: June 3

21. The Bachelorette

  • The scoop: Katie Thurston is ready to go as your next Bachelorette, and we can't wait to see her journey to love begin! Michelle Young, the other new Bachelorette, will have her own season later this year.
  • The premiere date: June 7

22. Ms. Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries

  • The scoop: Love quirky mysteries? The '60s-set mystery series is back on Acorn TV after a two-year hiatus, with mod detective Peregrine trying to balance her crime-solving work with her relationship with partner-in-crime-solving James.
  • The premiere date: June 7

23. Home Before Dark

  • The scoop: Apple TV+ is bringing back its mystery series for a second season. Based on the real stories of child journalist Hilde Lisko, the show will continue to show Hilde's investigations into the strange happenings of her small lakeside town.
  • The premiere date: June 11
Image Source: Everett Collection

24. Love Victor

  • The scoop: The first season of the Hulu dramedy ended on a cliffhanger, with Victor finally getting the guy but also coming out to his parents, whose reactions we haven't seen yet. The new season will continue to follow Victor and his friends as they navigate the ups and downs of high school and family life.
  • The premiere date: June 11
Image Source: Everett Collection

25. Tuca & Bertie

  • The scoop: adult swim rescued the former Netflix animated comedy, bringing it back for a new season. The voice cast, including Tiffany Haddish, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun, are all set to return for the new batch of episodes.
  • The premiere date: June 13

26. Elite

  • The scoop: The teenagers of Netflix's breakthrough Spanish series are back for another season of lies, betrayal, romance, and melodrama.
  • The premiere date: June 18

27. Rick and Morty

  • The scoop: Season five of the adult swim comedy promises all of the same things you love about the ongoing wild adventures of mad scientist Rick and his grandson Morty.
  • The premiere date: June 20

28. In the Dark

  • The scoop: Even before airing the CW crime drama's third season, the network renewed it for a fourth instalment for next year. Season three will continue to follow Murphy, a blind woman who now works to solve crimes with the help of a colourful supporting cast.
  • The premiere date: June 23
Image Source: Everett Collection

29. Central Park

  • The scoop: The Apple TV+ animated musical comedy will sound a little different when it returns for season two: Emmy Raver-Lampman is taking over the role of Molly from Kristen Bell. The series has also been renewed for a third season.
  • The premiere date: June 25

30. A Discovery of Witches

  • The scoop: In the second season of the AMC fantasy drama, professor Diana and her vampire beau Matthew arrive in 1590s London, trying to escape from the enemies pursuing them and discovering new possibilities of their own powers.
  • The premiere date: June 27

31. Riverdale

  • The scoop: The fifth season of the CW drama returns from hiatus with a fresh batch of episodes over the summer. As the FBI investigation continues and the case gets more complicated, each of our characters finds themselves in the middle of a more violent and dangerous game.
  • The premiere date: July 7
Image Source: Everett Collection

32. Making the Cut

  • The scoop: Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum will return to host the second season of Amazon's fashion design competition. Shiona Turini and Prabal Gurung will guest judge during the season, joining judges Jeremy Scott and supermodel Winnie Harlow.
  • The premiere date: July 16
Image Source: Everett Collection

33. Ted Lasso

  • The scoop: The breakout comedy from Apple TV+ returns for a second season, again starring Jason Sudeikis as hapless coach Ted Lasso. Despite his team's total lack of success and the mockery of the media, he's trying to stay upbeat, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
  • The premiere date: July 23

34. Roswell, New Mexico

  • The scoop: Season three of the CW's alien sci-fi drama will hopefully answer some of the lingering questions left by season two's cliffhange, such as what will bring Liz back to Roswell and what's up with that creepy Max clone in the caves?
  • The premiere date: July 26
Image Source: Everett Collection

35. Stargirl

  • The scoop: Courtney (aka Stargirl) and her friends managed to put a stop to the Injustice Society's plans in season one, but the second season is sure to be full of new threats, both super and ordinary. The end of season one hinted at the arrival of new villains like Eclipso and The Shade, plus at least one "Golden Age" hero.
  • The premiere date: Aug. 10
Image Source: Everett Collection

36. Star Trek: Lower Decks

  • The scoop: The "everyman" Star Trek animated series focuses on the support crew on an unremarkable Starfleet ship, with a second season packed with more funny sitcom-y stories and sci-fi weirndess.
  • The premiere date: Aug. 12

37. Bachelor in Paradise

  • The scoop: Following a year off in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the beachy, summery Bachelor spinoff is back with a new batch of Bachelor Nation faves looking for a second (or third) chance at love at a tropical resort.
  • The premiere date: Aug. 12
Image Source: ABC

38. The Walking Dead

  • The scoop: After eleven seasons, AMC's zombie-adventure drama is finally wrapping up, with the first half of its final season airing this summer. Daryl, Carol, Maggie, and their allies will come face-to-face with the Commonwealth, a huge network of survivor communities numbering over fifty thousand people.
  • The premiere date: Aug. 22

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