By Ishani Nath

Every month, Ishani Nath, pop culture expert, journalist and the most avid tv-watcher I have ever met, is sharing her top picks for new shows, movies and documentaries to stream on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video, CBC Gem, Crave, Disney+ and Netflix Canada, plus the one older release she thinks you should check out. Here’s what she’s recommending this month.

Things are finally starting to look—literally and figuratively—brighter. 

In addition to the welcome warm weather and lengthening days of spring, 50 percent of Canadians have officially received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose. Lemme tell you, I can finally feel my body slowly, and cautiously, unclenching. After a rough winter, summer 2021 is promising to be one for the books. 

The show I can’t shut up about: Let’s be real, I am planning to spend as much time as possible outdoors, soaking up the sun in June—and this Apple TV+’s docuseries Tiny World encouraged me to truly appreciate nature’s biggest stars that come in teeny tiny packages. 

I started watching this 12-episode series, narrated by Paul Rudd, at the height of lockdown, when the news was scary and it was hard to envision what the future held. The big picture, with horrifying headlines coming out of Columbia, India, Palestine and Israel, was overwhelming. Disappearing into Tiny World was a way to zoom in, fading away the scary larger picture to focus solely on the incredible life of a multicoloured Peacock Mantis Shrimp or a pygmy marmoset, the world’s smallest monkey. The two season series will take you from the Australian outback to the rainforests of Madagascar, and will leave you with a greater appreciation for the little wonders of the world in our own backyard.

In between (safely distanced) summer picnics and long strolls, here are a few other titles to enjoy this June:

Apple TV+

Home Before Dark, Season 2 (Premieres June 11)

A dramatic, mystery series inspired by the reporting of a young investigative journalist, Hilde Lysiak, and directed and executive produced by Jon M. Chu. In season two, when a mysterious explosion hits a local farm, reporter Hilde Lisko (Prince) begins an investigation that will lead her to fight a powerful and influential corporation – with the health of her family and Erie Harbor in the balance. 

Physical (Premieres June 18) 

Set in the idyllic but fragile beach paradise of sunny 1980s San Diego, Physical is a half-hour dark comedy following Sheila Rubin (Rose Byrne), a quietly tortured, seemingly dutiful housewife supporting her smart but controversial husband's bid for state assembly. But behind closed doors, Sheila has her own darkly funny take on life she rarely lets the world see. She's also battling a complex set of personal demons relating to her self-image… that is, until she finds release through the unlikeliest source: the world of aerobics.

Amazon Prime Video

Girls5eva (Premieres June 4 on STACKTV on Amazon Prime)

A one-hit-wonder girl group from the 90s are giving their pop star dreams one more shot. Stars powerhouse cast Sara Bareilles, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Busy Philipps and Paula Pell.

Flack, Season 2 (Premieres June 11)

Equal parts drama and comedy, Anna Paquin stars as Robyn, a flack; a sharp and witty PR agent who’s an expert at her craft but a self-saboteur when it comes to her personal life. With the world of high-stakes public relations as the perfect backdrop, the second season of Flack centers on Robyn and her colleagues who must figure out how to make the best of bad situations and manage to get out unscathed.

Mary J. Blige’s My Life (Premieres June 25)

A look at the life and work of Grammy-winning artist Mary J. Blige.

September Mornings (Premieres June 25)

After leaving her hometown and birth name behind, Cassandra (Liniker Barros) starts to get her life on track with a place of her own for the first time, a boyfriend who she loves and a steady job as a courier in downtown São Paulo, she begins fulfilling her dream of being a cover artist of Vanusa, a famous Brazilian singer from the 70s. However, her life takes an unexpected turn when her ex, Leide (Karine Teles), shows up with Gersinho (Gustavo Coelho) and claims he is Cassandra’s son.

CBC Gem

Our People Will Be Healed (Premieres June 1)

Our People Will Be Healed, from Alanis Obomsawin (When All The Leaves Are Gone), reveals how a Cree community in Manitoba has been enriched through the power of education. The Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre in Norway House, north of Winnipeg, receives a level of funding that few other Indigenous institutions enjoy. Its teachers help their students to develop their abilities and their sense of pride.

When the Children Left (Premieres June 1)

Exploring the hardships of one woman's journey as she travels home to pay homage to her sister, who had to leave her isolated community for basic education and never returned. An official selection of the ImagineNATIVE Film Festival 2019.

Êmîcêtôsêt: Many Bloodlines (Premieres June 1)

A Cree filmmaker and her white partner document their pregnancy and journey to parenthood. From the search for an Indigenous donor and midwife to their concerns about raising a child as an interracial queer couple, the joy of having a child together gives them the courage to overcome any obstacle. An official selection of Hot Docs 2020, where it was awarded the Betty Youson Award for Best Canadian Short Documentary.

CBC Music In Studio At The Junos: The Block Session (June 1)

Each weeknight on CBC Music, The Block travels musically across genres. Using hip hop as a central tenet, the show crosses many intersections within Black music from across the diaspora. For this special live Junos edition hosted by Angeline Tetteh-Wayoe, The Block celebrates Black musical achievement of the past, present and future with a selection of live performances from Michie Mee, Ammoye, Dijah SB, JRDN, Choclair and more. 

CBC Music In Studio At The Junos: Reclaimed Session (June 3)

Connecting the generations and Indigenous nations across Turtle Island and beyond, this Reclaimed session features performances from this year’s Indigenous Juno Award nominees and the next wave in Native music. From Nunavut to Wiikwemkoong, Denendeh to Tkaronto, hosts Duncan McCue and Jarrett Martineau celebrate the sounds of Indigenous folk, roots, blues, powwow step and moccasin gaze.

Call the Midwife, Season 7 (Premieres June 4)

The year is 1963, and the midwives find themselves tested both personally and professionally as never before.  Nurse Crane (Linda Bassett, Kinky Boots) finds her authority questioned from an unexpected quarter, Sister Monica Joan (Judy Parfitt, Girl with a Pearl Earring) is forced to accept her failing faculties, and the much-loved characters are joined by West Indian midwife Lucille Anderson (Leonie Elliott, Black Mirror).

Blackstone, Season 4 (Premieres June 4)

The fourth season follows the Blackstone First Nation as they try to rebuild their community after the fire. Manipulative and tormented Andy (Eric Schweig, The Last of the Mohicans) faces his demons in the Remand while trying to elude a murder charge. Leona (Carmen Moore, Rustic Oracle) searches for two missing youth when rumors arise they may be involved in an underground human trafficking circle in the city. Gail (Michelle Thrush, Pathfinder) continues to be haunted by the stabbing, the death of her child, and past mistakes. As newly appointed Chief, Victor (Nathaniel Arcand, Pathfinder) feels the pressure of leading the reserve, while attempting to achieve financial stability for Blackstone. Daryl (Steven Cree Molison, Brokeback Mountain) begins a new relationship with a connected loan shark, which becomes threatened after an unexpected betrayal.

Crave Canada

Intergalactic (Premieres June 4) 

Written by award-winning showrunner, Julie Gearey (Prisoner’s Wives, Cuffs, Secret Diary of a Call Girl), this sci-fi series tells the story of a fearless young cop and galactic pilot, Ash Harper (Savannah Steyn, A Discovery of Witches), who has her glittering career ripped away from her after being wrongly convicted of a treasonous crime, and exiled to a distant prison colony. But on the way there, Ash's fellow convicts stage a mutiny and seize control of their prison transfer ship.

Betty, Season 2 (Premieres June 11) 

Based on creator Crystal Moselle's 2018 Sundance hit Skate Kitchen, Betty returns to Crave for a second season, premiering Friday, June 11 at 11 p.m. ET. The series follows five young women on journeys of self-discovery against the backdrop of New York City's male-dominated skateboarding scene. In Season 2, the five protagonists are stepping firmly into womanhood and tackling all the challenges it brings. As they navigate the pressures of adulthood, their male counterparts start to step up, step in, and become true allies, forming a united front for the greater good. Set in the last chapter of 2020, the season captures the late summer and early fall COVID-19 months in New York City, where masks and outside activities are the norm.

Blindspotting (Premieres June 13) 

Blindspotting centres on Ashley (Jasmine Cephas Jones, #FREERAYSHAWN, Hamilton An American Musical) who is nipping at the heels of a middle class life in Oakland until her partner Miles (Rafael Casal) is suddenly incarcerated, leaving her to navigate a chaotic and humorous existential crisis when she is forced to move in with Miles' mother Rainey, played by Helen Hunt. Rainey is a woman who has strong opinions and holds family above all else. Benjamin Earl Turner, Atticus Woodward (Shameless), Jaylen Barron (Free Rein), and Candace Nicholas-Lippman (Good Trouble) also star.

The United States vs. Billie Holiday (Premieres June 18)  

The legendary Billie Holiday, one of the greatest jazz musicians of all time, spent much of her career being adored by fans across the world, all while the Federal Department of Narcotics targeted her with an undercover sting operation led by black Federal Agent Jimmy Fletcher, with whom she had a tumultuous affair. Star of the film, Andra Day, was nominated for an Oscar, and won a Golden Globe® for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance.

Veneno (Premieres June 24) 

Based on the real-life story of 90s trans icon La Veneno, this series follows Valeria (Lola Rodríguez), a young journalism student who meets and instantly bonds with her idol, Cristina “La Veneno” Ortiz Rodríguez (Jedet, Daniela Santiago, and Isabel Torres). The two women were born in very different times, but their stories become intertwined when Valeria writes a book about La Veneno. As she begins to write Cristina’s memoir, Valeria is plunged into a winding story full of victory and tragedy; friendship and heartbreak; loyalty and abuse; fame and freefall; but always defined by courage and self-love. Veneno weaves between Cristina’s past and present to paint a portrait of a complex woman who, in daring to break boundaries and refusing to dim her own light, paved the way for so many others to shine.

Disney+

Loki (Premieres June 9) 

Marvel Studios’ Loki features the God of Mischief as he steps out of his brother’s shadow in a new Disney+ series that takes place after the events of Avengers: Endgame. 

Luca (Premieres June 18) 

Set in a beautiful seaside town on the Italian Riviera, Disney and Pixar’s original feature film Luca is a coming-of-age story about one young boy experiencing an unforgettable summer filled with gelato, pasta and endless scooter rides. Luca (voice of Jacob Tremblay) shares these adventures with his newfound best friend, Alberto (voice of Jack Dylan Grazer), but all the fun is threatened by a deeply-held secret: they are sea monsters from another world just below the water’s surface.

Love, Victor, Season 2 (Premieres June 18) 

The popular teen dramedy returns as Season 2 finds a newly out of the closet Victor entering his junior year at Creekwood High. But being out brings with it new challenges, as Victor faces a family struggling with his revelation, a heartbroken ex-girlfriend in Mia, and the difficulties of being an openly gay star athlete—all while navigating the excitement of his relationship with Benji.

Netflix Canada

Jiva! (Date TBD) 

A street dancer juggling a dead-end job, family duties and a rocky love life realizes her moves are her ticket out of her working-class Durban township.

Carnaval (Premieres June 2) 

After a breakup, an influencer takes her friends on a free trip to Bahia's vibrant Carnival, where she learns life's not just about social media likes.

Feel Good, Season 2 (Premieres June 4) 

As Mae tries to reconnect with George—and herself—after her relapse, she begins to realize she'll have to face her past in order to move forward.

Breaking Boundaries: The Science of Our Planet (Premieres June 4) 

Breaking Boundaries follows the scientific journey of world-renowned scientist Professor Johan Rockström. It tells the story of the most important scientific discovery of our time—that humanity has pushed Earth beyond the boundaries that have kept our planet stable for 10,000 years, since the dawn of civilisation.

Awake (Premieres June 9) 

After a global event wipes out humanity's ability to sleep, a troubled ex-soldier fights to save her family as society and her mind spiral into chaos.

Lupin: Part 2 (Premieres June 11) 

Pursued by Hubert and his henchmen, Assane scrambles to find Raoul and wins an unlikely new ally as he draws up a grand plan to reveal Hubert's crimes.

Skater Girl (Premieres June 11) 

In the inspiring feature film Skater Girl, a teen in rural India must fight against all odds to follow her dreams of becoming a skater and competing in the national championship.

Elite Short Stories (Premieres June 14) 

Four new stories that take place during the summer before the start of the new year in Las Encinas.

Hospital Playlist, Season 2 (Premieres June 17) 

It’s another season of extraordinary days for the doctors and patients inside a hospital, where birth, death and everything in between coexist.

Elite, Season 4 (Premieres June 18) 

A strict principal and four new students arrive at Las Encinas, bringing an onslaught of romantic entanglements, intense rumors and a fresh mystery.

Good on Paper (Premieres June 23) 

After years of putting her career ahead of love, stand-up comic Andrea Singer has stumbled upon the perfect guy. On paper, he checks all the boxes but is he everything he appears to be?