An exclusive look at 26 of summer 2021's must-watch TV shows

Where did Avengers-era Loki (Tom Hiddleston) escape to after stealing the Tesseract during Avengers: Endgame's time heist? That's what Disney+'s latest Marvel series will finally reveal. Spanning six episodes, Loki is about the Time Variance Authority – a bureaucratic organization tasked with safeguarding the proper flow of time — arresting the titular agent of chaos because they need his help fixing all of the timeline problems he created while on the run with the Tesseract. "My pitch for the show was kind of a big, crazy, fun time adventure," says head writer Michael Waldron. "The TVA is just an entirely new world [with] a new cast of characters, and that's what felt most exciting about the show: building a new corner of the MCU." —Chancellor Agard

High school can be hell — but in this small Texas town, graduation can be even worse. Based on Lauren Oliver's YA novel, Panic follows a group of seniors who face off in a dangerous competition for money and a chance at a better life. The prize pot is bigger than ever, but the challenges are even riskier. Fun fact: Teenagers have a hard time understanding consequences, so this probably won't end well. —Kristen Baldwin

When Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, co-creators of the original 2007 Gossip Girl, first approached writer and producer Joshua Safran about a continuation of CW's beloved teen series, Safran wasn't sure about it. But a weekend of pondering found him drawn back into the scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite. This time around, however, Safran wanted to ensure the series featured a more diverse and inclusive cast (including Emily Alyn Lind, Whitney Peak, and Tavi Gevinson) and authentic, modern storylines. Nonetheless, some things remain guaranteed. "Gossip Girl still has the twists and the turns, and all the sad tragedies and great uplifting moments," says Safran. We already know we'll love her. Xoxo. —Ruth Kinane

The Dating Game — the cheeky, Jim Lange-hosted matchmaking show from the '60s — has been dusted off to help celebrity singles find love. Just like on the original, civilian suitors remain hidden behind a wall while "famous" lonely hearts ask not-so-probing questions. The new twist involves Michael Bolton singing clues about the celeb while cohost Zooey Deschanel holds on to what's left of her dignity. —Lynette Rice

The singer Liniker, a Latin Grammy nominee, is making the jump to TV with this Brazilian original series, a family drama about Cassandra (Liniker),
a transgender São Paulo woman who, while following her dreams, is thrown a curveball: "A woman from her past appears with a boy she says is their son," Liniker explains. "She feels like her dreams have been derailed enough, but she never dared to dream she could be a mom one day. She sees herself in [the boy's] eyes and is transported to her own childhood with a mother who abandoned her." In the process, Liniker hopes the "powerful story" will help "humanize the stories of trans women like me and Cassandra." —Rosy Cordero

Kevin Smith...has...the powah! — to reshape the realm of Eternia. The Clerks director spearheads a new 2D-animated Masters of the Universe: Revelation series that is set after the events of the '80s cartoon. Revelation treats the saga of Prince Adam, who transforms into the muscled He-Man, more like Shakespeare. "People would see this as a goofy IP, but this is a rich tapestry," Smith explains — one that now includes talent like Lena Headey (Evil-Lyn), Mark Hamill (Skeletor), and Chris Wood (He-Man). "We get to tell stories of abuse and isolation," says Smith. "We use these characters that most people consider action figures to tell insanely human stories set in a very inhuman world." —Nick Romano

While the world took an intermission, Cecily Strong and Keegan-Michael Key were trapped in a 1940s musical. In Schmigadoon!, the comedy pros star as an on-the-rocks couple stuck in a madcap town out of a classic movie musical. Strong calls the series "a love letter to Broadway" — and fittingly, theatrical superstars including Kristin Chenoweth and Aaron Tveit play Schmigadoon's residents. "We wanted to honor those artists who've been put on hold," Key says of filming during the Broadway shutdown. For the two stars, who grew up as theater nerds, the curtain rose on long-dormant dreams. "It felt like magic every day," marvels Strong. "You spend six episodes smiling." And maybe doing some jazz hands. —Maureen Lee Lenker

Before getting the call to audition for season 2, Sarah Niles (who played a sympathetic police officer on I May Destroy You) wasn't familiar with Ted Lasso beyond star Jason Sudeikis. "Part of me was going, 'Yeah, yeah, what's the big hoo-ha about?' " she says with a laugh, having now been lassoed, like so many, by the heartwarming comedy. "He's charming, funny, and got good teeth — what more can you say?" Still, Niles can't say much about her character, Sharon, AFC Richmond's new sports psychologist. "People have skepticism about psychology, particularly in athletics, so she's going to come up against some resistance. The strange thing is I've learned a lot about myself while doing this show." —Derek Lawrence

No, you don't need to know anything about wrestling to enjoy what Starz's Heels is cooking. "What I think the audience needs to know is: What is it like to be someone who doesn't want to work a regular 9-to-5 job and has a dream to pursue fame and, in a way, fortune?" says showrunner Mike O'Malley. Set in Georgia, the dark show stars Arrow's Stephen Amell and Vikings' Alexander Ludwig as Jack and Ace Spade, two brothers who clash in the ring, as well as outside of it over their family's legacy. Says Amell, "When we actually do mix it up physically, there's a real authenticity to it because [Ludwig] brings a lot of intensity." —Chancellor Agard

Almost every season of The Good Fight has ended with an intimate conversation between Diane Lockhart (Christine Baranski) and Adrian Boseman (Delroy Lindo) in which they try to make sense of the mad world they faced in the preceding episodes. So, the Paramount+ legal drama couldn't let Lindo leave without giving the two lawyers one final contemplative scene like that in the season 5 premiere, as revealed by the accompanying exclusive photo. "It's a lovely scene that reflects the affection the characters have for each other, as well as the affection we have for the characters and the actors," says co-creator Michelle King. "We were very grateful we were able to get Delroy to come back for the first episode so that we could send Boseman off the way he deserved to be." —Chancellor Agard

Until his final audition, Mekai Curtis had no idea what show or role in the Power universe he was up for. "I didn't care, I just wanted to be on Power," he admits. "So when they told me, 'You're going to play Kanan,' I was like, 'Oh!'" Following the groundbreaking success of Power and sequel series Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan travels back to 1991 and follows 15-year-old Kanan Stark — a "kid trying to figure out who he is in life," says Curtis, and a far cry from the cold-blooded fan favorite played by 50 Cent on Power. —Derek Lawrence

Based on Jeff Lemire's acclaimed comic book series of the same name, this warm drama explores a world ravaged by a devastating disease (too soon?) through
the eyes of Gus (Christian Convery), an inquisitive boy who is part deer, as he abandons his sheltered home in search for answers about his origins. Along the way, he teams up with a band of fellow animal hybrids. "It's a dystopian fable that embraces the hope of the characters, the emotion of the comic, with a bit of humor," says executive producer Jim Mickle. Adds EP Beth Schwartz: "The world's been through so much, it's time someone like Gus showed us there's a better world and future out there for all of us." —Chancellor Agard

Rafael Casal was hesitant to make a TV series based on Blindspotting, the 2018 indie darling he wrote and starred in with Daveed Diggs. "But the idea of creating a vehicle for Jasmine Cephas Jones, who is brilliantly talented, felt like a project we should dive into," says Casal of the Hamilton alum who appeared in the film as his onscreen partner. In the TV version, Casal serves as showrunner and reprises his short-tempered Miles (who's now incarcerated), but the focus shifts to Ashley (Jones) as she and their son move in with Miles' eccentric mom, Rainey (Helen Hunt). Says Jones: "It marries comedy and drama in a way that people in regular life handle tragic situations." —Derek Lawrence

Annie Murphy is trading one irreverent show title for another. After six seasons on the Emmy-winning comedy Schitt's Creek, for which she earned her own supporting actress statue, she's now the star of Kevin Can F**k Himself, a high-concept dramedy she sums up well: "It's a show about the sitcom wife we've grown used to, but we see her not through her husband's eyes anymore," Murphy says. "We see her in the life that she lives when she's not serving sandwiches and being the butt of the joke." Through her character Allison's experience, the show ingeniously exposes how "there's so much misogyny and sexism and bigotry and racism that's just kind of glossed over by a laugh track." —Marcus Jones

Amina Hussain (Anjana Vasan) is looking for love. But what the geeky Ph.D. student doesn't realize is that love might not come in the traditional form of a husband. When she's recruited to play guitar for the all-female band Lady Parts, everything changes. "It opens her eyes to what life can be," says creator Nida Manzoor, who's using the show as an opportunity to defy clichés. "I found myself, given my Muslim background, being asked to write dramas that featured stereotypical depictions of Muslim women. We Are Lady Parts centers around a group of Muslim women who are complex, idiosyncratic, awk- ward, powerful, fearful, and most important, funny." —Samantha Highfill

By the end of Love, Victor's season 1 finale, the title character (Michael Cimino) had built up the courage to finally come out to his parents. But the episode ended before he — and viewers — could see their reaction. Season 2 immediately resolves that cliffhanger, picking up in that tense moment before a 10-week time jump skips to the end of summer. "Victor gets a much deserved, really epic summer and start to the school year with his new boyfriend, Benji [George Sear]," co-creator and executive producer Isaac Aptaker reveals. But Victor's happy bubble threatens to pop when he comes out again — this time publicly, at school — and some of his basketball teammates call foul. "The locker room is a really loaded, often scary place," Aptaker says. —Sydney Bucksbaum

Inspired by BB Easton's book, 44 Chapters About 4 Men, this sexy drama stars Sarah Shahi as horny housewife Billie, who's struggling with being a devoted wife and mother and craving the freer, wilder days of her youth. Enter fantasies about former flame Brad (Adam Demos) to spice things up. "It's a nostalgia- fueled, sparkly fever dream, rose-colored-glasses view of the past — and the best sex you ever had," series creator Stacy Rukeyser tells EW. With all female directors and mostly female staff behind the scenes, Sex/Life explores desire from a woman's perspective and throws in a "healthy dose of objectifying and fetishizing the male form," along the way. Hot girl summer 2021 is here! —Ruth Kinane

This reboot of the 1989 Tom Hanks film of the same name stars Josh Peck as U.S. Marshal Scott Turner, the son of Hanks' character. Like his dad before him, he inherits as his partner a large unruly dog that he doesn't want but grows to love. Five different dogs were used to portray Hooch, which at times was like "one giant mis- hap," Peck says. "You kind of hope they get close to what you want them to do, and then the human actors just adjust to whatever they're doing," he explains. "But the dogs and I both work great when it comes to treats. We really bonded in that way." As for whether we might see a Hanks cameo, Peck says he wouldn't count it out: "I'll milk every resource. Tell him he can have my trailer." —Lauren Huff

Creator-star Joseph Gordon-Levitt isn't playing himself on Mr. Corman, but he's not not playing himself. "He's like if I had different luck and made some different choices," the actor says of his character Josh Corman, a fifth-grade teacher whose musical ambitions haven't panned out. "He loves teaching, but he also wrestles with the insecurities that come with being an artist," Gordon-Levitt says. Meanwhile, he's broken up with his fiancée, Megan (Juno Temple), and moved in with his high school friend Victor (Arturo Castro), another character drawn from real life. Explains Gordon-Levitt, "I'm still close with a group of my high school friends, and a lot of who they are is in both Victor and Josh." —Tyler Aquilina

This deeply personal thriller — based on the 2006 best-selling novel by Stephen King, who also wrote the adaptation — follows title character Lisey Landon (Julianne Moore). Two years after her famous novelist husband (Clive Owen) dies, she's battling repressed memories and a series of disturbing events. Moore says fans of the book should find much to like about the show, which plays with all the same genres. "It's all in there," she says. "Because there's so much in it — psychological horror, romance, mystery, a science-fiction-like quality, sort of scary brutality — sometimes I was like, holy cow, what now?" —Lauren Huff

Titus Welliver returns to close a final case as tireless LAPD detective Harry Bosch (at least before moving on to a still-untitled IMDb TV spin-off series). Season 7 finds Bosch investigating the death of a 10-year-old girl in an act of arson, and his pursuit of justice once again pits him against powerful forces. Meanwhile, his steadfast partner J. Edgar (Jamie Hector) grapples with the fallout from a fateful decision. —Oliver Gettell

What if instead of Steve Rogers, Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) actually became the first Super Soldier? That creative brainstorming exercise is the heart of What If...?, the Marvel Cinematic Universe's first animated series. The anthology reimagines numerous major events from the movies in game-changing ways, and also features Chadwick Boseman, who was able to reprise T'Challa via voice work before his death. —Sydney Bucksbaum

After facing off against President Trump as the title character in last year's Showtime limited series The Comey Rule, Jeff Daniels is sticking with law enforcement in this searing family drama. He plays Del Harris, chief of police in a small American Rust Belt town, a place marked by economic and cultural distress. Things get even more complicated when his girlfriend's son is accused of murder. —Gerrad Hall

If Homeland, The Undoing, and The Fugitive had a threesome, the resulting baby might be this mystery thriller from the teams behind the international hit Fauda and The Killing. Lior Raz stars as Segev, whose life unravels after his wife is killed in a suspicious hit-and-run accident in Tel Aviv. Out for revenge, Segev teams up with an ex (Sanaa Lathan) to find answers, only to uncover a disturbing number of questions about the woman he married. —Kristen Baldwin

This show had us at "Space Bitch." That's the name of the airborne wrestler pictured here, who's about to bring the pain on Lady Andrea The Giant (voiced by Bebe Neuwirth). Created by Steve Conrad (Patriot), this stop-motion animation dramedy tells the story of a missing power player (Kurtwood Smith) and the detectives (Jimmi Simpson and Da'Vine Joy Randolph) on the case. As for Lady Andrea...she's a prime suspect, thanks to Space Bitch. —Kristen Baldwin

The dark comedy follows 1980's housewife Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne) as she works to create a life for herself, all the while grappling with an eating disorder and the all-too-cruel things we'd only ever say to ourselves. "I had this desire to write about a difficult struggle in my life, which was an eating disorder," says series creator Annie Weisman. "That came together with this idea of wanting to write about the 1970s turning into the '80s and this time of transition for women, as the waning of the women's movement led to this flowering of financial empowerment." That empowerment, for Sheila, comes through aerobics. After years of being the supportive wife, she throws on a leotard and prioritizes her own success. "It's such a story about America," Byrne says. "It goes from the We Generation to the Me Generation and is about money and wealth, and Reaganomics." —Samantha Highfill

For more from our Summer TV Preview, pick up the June issue of Entertainment Weekly — with covers featuring Lil Nas X, Mj Rodriguez, Bowen Yang, and Lena Waithe — or find it on newsstands now. Don't forget to subscribe for more exclusive interviews and photos, only in EW.