June streaming highlights: the movies and series you just can’t miss

Did you hear about the new restaurant on the moon? Great food, but no atmosphere. My June movie and series highlights are sure to create a good atmosphere – even if some might take your breath away.

The Acolyte (miniseries)

As a diehard Star Wars fan, I find the High Republic era the most exciting one. Disney’s produced plenty of Star Wars content in recent years, but it’s all set shortly before or after the films. As a result, there’s little room for completely new locations, fresh characters and unfamiliar political landscapes.

The Acolyte, however, goes back 100 to when the Jedi Order was at the height of its power. Never again would its members be more numerous, more powerful and more popular. And rarely has the galaxy experienced such a glorious time – centuries of no conflicts the Jedi couldn’t keep at bay. In this time, the Sith are nothing but a myth. This is also reflected in the Jedi’s splendid, golden robes.

So far, the High Republic era’s only been covered in books and comics. For many, The Acolyte will be the first and an extremely exciting point of contact with this era. The series aims to show how such a powerful order could stand in its golden age and on the brink of chaos at the same time. I’m particularly excited, as Star Wars co-aficionado Patrick Vogt and toy expert Ramon Schneider will be joining me on the budding digitec podcast Spoilerfabrik (in German) to discuss, analyse and review the series – spoilers and all.

When: 4 June
Where: Disney+

Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (miniseries)

«Sweatpants are a sign of defeat. You lost control of your life, so you bought some sweatpants.» That’s a famous quote by star fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. These kinds of controversial statements were part of what made him an icon beyond the fashion industry. Paired with his unique ability to combine classic elements with modern influences – without sweatpants. Now there’s a series about him.

2024 seems to be the year of TV series about fashion moguls. In January, Disney launched Cristóbal Balenciaga, followed one month later by Apple’s The New Look, a series about Christian Dior. Hulu’s now jumping on the fashion bandwagon with a series about Karl Lagerfeld, who, unlike the first two fashion designers, didn’t shape the 1940s and 1950s, but mainly the 1980s. Lagerfeld’s played by Daniel Brühl. However, the series was produced in French. Interesting decision.

When: 7 June
Where: Disney+

The Boys – Season 4 (Series)

Exploding penises. Flying offal. Fascist superheroes. Perverted dolphins. Orgies. Milk. All keywords that sum up the content of The Boys. And every time I ask myself whether the level of this series can sink any lower, I regret it. The answer’s always the same – absolutely.

Nevertheless, as crazy as it may sound, the series manages to mix action bordering on glorification of violence, dark humour and well-developed characters. The Boys may seem dumb at times, but it’s also a nuanced satirical commentary on our social media-driven and star-glorifying society. No wonder the series is considered one of the best contents on Amazon Prime. The fourth season is a must see.

When: 13 June
Where: Amazon Prime Video

Tschugger 3 (series)

«Tschugger» is what people in the Swiss region of Valais call a police officer. If you haven’t seen the first season, it’s about time. David Constantin, screenwriter, director and leading actor all in one, has definitely proven that Swiss television can have a sense of humour. The first season was terrific. I still have to catch up on the second one. What I love about Tschugger is that it always feels like a trashy blend of 1970s crime thriller and a Magnum knockoff.

The series revolves around policeman Bax (David Constantin). Since solving his last, spectacular murder case, no stone has been left unturned. Thanks to therapy, Bax has swapped his life as a policeman for a new, moderately successful life as a smoothie courier in Berne. But his past catches up with him when a hidden will and two murders disrupt his peaceful new life. This awakens Bax’s dormant criminal instincts.

Top tip: the series has been available on Play Suisse for quite a while. On SRF, it will only be broadcast starting November.

When: 13 June
Where: Sky Show

Presumed Innocent (miniseries)

Presumed innocent is often used to describe someone who seems as guilty as hell, but there’s no evidence to prove it.

In this miniseries, actor Jake Gyllenhaal plays lawyer Rusty, who has to clear his name. When his colleague’s murdered, he becomes the prime suspect. After all, they’d been having an affair and she’d ended things shortly before her death. Rusty’d been covering it up to make sure his wife doesn’t find out. But the truth comes to light and his lies collapse like a house of cards. So is Rusty guilty of murder?

By the way, the novel by Scott Turow, on which the series is based, was already made into a movie in 1990. Back then, Harrison Ford played the leading role. That movie might be worth watching, too.

When: 14 June
Where: Apple TV+

House of the Dragon – Season 2 (series)

Game of Thrones is still recovering from the catastrophic ending of the eighth and final season. After all, HBO’s fantasy chamber drama was once regarded as perhaps the best TV series ever produced. But then Dany forgot that the Iron Fleet still existed, and Tyrion, the smartest man in all of Westeros, thought it was a good idea to hide women and children in the crypt of Winterfell. Insiders know what I’m referring to. For fans, this killed the series.

But true to the saying in the religion of the Drowned God on the Iron Islands «what is dead may never die», a successor was created with House of the Dragon. One that’s set over 100 years before Game of Thrones. It centres around the ruling Targaryen family, who entered into a magical blood pact with dragons hundreds of generations ago and used them to conquer the continent of Westeros. At least – as we know from Game of Thrones – until all dragons were killed in the bloodiest civil war of all time: the Dance of the Dragons. That was the beginning of the end of the Targaryen family. That’s what House of the Dragon is about.

HBO has returned to its old strengths. Instead of simplistic characters and plots that favour action over logic and suspense, they’ve approached the story more slowly and thoughtfully. The first season of House of the Dragon only prepared the ground for the country’s political turmoil. Now the real civil war begins. I’m curious to see how extreme the second of a total of five planned seasons will be.

When: 16 June
Where: Sky Show

FEDERER: Twelve Final Days (documentary)

Roger Federer. Enough said.

When: 20 June
Where: Amazon Prime Video

Supacell (miniseries)

A group of ordinary people from South London unexpectedly develop superpowers. There’s no obvious connection between them – except that they’re all Black. As they grapple with the impact on their daily lives, one man must bring them together to protect the one he loves. All this while a group of ruthless agents, who’ve noticed their special abilities, are hot on their heels. Why? Nobody knows.

Supacell sounds interesting. Especially because the series was created by Rapman, a British rapper, music producer, screenwriter and film director. He’s only known to a small audience so far. The creator of Blue Story attracted attention with his special narrative style and debate about socially relevant topics. In fact, he’s already received several awards for his work, including the Member of the Order of the British Empire. Let’s see what Rapman brings to the superhero table.

When: 27 June
Where: Netflix

Have I missed any must sees this month? Let me know in the comments.