The end of the month is fast approaching, which means it’s time to start looking ahead at what your streaming options will be for June. In terms of Disney+, that means the return of acclaimed restaurant-set The Bear, through FX, and the debut of the latest highly anticipated Star Wars series, The Acolyte. That’s just to get started.
And, hey, in May’s line-up we didn’t even mention the new Doctor Who, starring Ncuti Gatwa as the Fifteenth Doctor. We’re now about halfway through the eight-episode season – the first ever to launch on Disney+ – and the show looks set to wrap on 22 June. Time to catch up before the finale!
The First Omen (Film)
Technically it’s still a May release, but we have to note the surprise small screen drop of recent horror prequel The First Omen, which apparently goes harder and is better than it has any right to be. Set before the events of classic The Omen, a young nun (Nell Tiger Free) is sent to Rome in 1971 to serve the Church. There she has her faith tested as she uncovers a terrifying conspiracy that hopes to birth evil incarnate. Also with Tawkeef Barhom, Sonia Braga, Ralph Ineson and Bill Nighy.
Watch The First Omen from 30 May.
Star Wars: The Acolyte (Series)
The Star Wars franchise has been thriving on the small screen, and that looks to continue with The Acolyte, which takes place in the High Republic era, a Golden Age for the Jedi Order, and a period around 100 years before Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace. Featuring a global cast, that includes Lee Jung-jae, Amandla Stenberg, Manny Jacinto, Jodie Turner-Smith and Carrie-Anne Moss, The Acolyte sees a Jedi Master forced to investigate a shocking series of Jedi murders, which pits him against a former Padawan learner. Dark forces are stirring…
The Acolyte debuts with two episodes on 4 June officially (but 5 June according to the South African Disney+ newsletter). After that, the other six episodes will be released weekly.
Becoming Karl Lagerfeld (Miniseries)
Adapted from the bestselling biography ‘Kaiser Karl’, this original series out of France sends viewers back to 1970s Paris and documents the rise of flamboyant German fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, played by Daniel Brühl. Glamour, ego battles, extravagant celebrations and destructive passion collide as previously unknown ready-to-wear designer Karl, with dandy Jacques de Bascher at his side, goes up against his friend, haute couture genius Yves Saint Laurent, and his formidable associate, Pierre Bergé.
All six episodes of the series come to Disney+ on 7 June.
Under the Bridge (Miniseries)
True crime fans will definitely want to check out Under the Bridge, based on Rebecca Godfrey’s book about the 1997 disappearance and murder of fourteen-year old Reena Virk (Vritika Gupta), and the shocking revelations about her killers. The series is also another welcome chance to experience the talent of Killers of the Flower Moon’s Lily Gladstone, as she plays a local police officer alongside Riley Keough as author Goddfrey, with events shown through their eyes.
Watch all eight episodes of Under the Bridge from 12 June.
Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown (Documentary Series)
National Geographic and Hulu, under the Disney banner, have collaborated on a “One Day in America” series yet again with Cult Massacre: One Day In Jonestown, a comprehensive documentary series that explores one of the most disturbing mass murder-suicide events of all time. Combined with rare footage from inside the cult, survivors and eyewitnesses tell the story of how Jim Jones’s vision for a Utopian community in Guyana fell prey to disaster.
The three-part Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown starts streaming on 17 June.
We Were the Lucky Ones (Limited Series)
As a reprieve from all this real-life darkness, here’s a life-affirming (if harrowing) historical drama based on a true story, and Georgia Hunter’s bestselling novel of the same name. The series follows the story of one Jewish family in Poland, who are separated at the start of World War II. Facing different nightmare situations, they are prepared to do anything to survive and, later, reunite, even with continents between them. The ensemble cast is led by Joey King and Logan Lerman.
All eight episodes are available on Disney+ from 19 June.
The Bear Season 3 (Series)
Arguably saving the best for last is the next season of FX’s critically acclaimed, and multi-award-winning The Bear. Part comedy, part drama, with a big serving of stress, the series is about food, family and the demands of just surviving in the restaurant business. In this season, fans are invited along to see what new trials and tribulations are in store for Carmy and the gang as they push harder than ever to achieve culinary excellence. The cast is headed up by Jeremy Allen White (as Carmy), Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri.
Watch all ten episodes from 27 June.