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Netflix
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We Bury the Dead
Film, Australia/US, 2025 – out 25 June
In the new zombie film from Zak Hilditch – whose oeuvre includes the excellent Auspocalypse drama These Final Hours – the US government has made kind of a big boo-boo, accidentally detonating an experimental weapon off the coast of Tasmania. It’s killed hundreds of thousands of people and turned many of them into flesh-chewing ghouls. Daisy Ridley plays Ava Newman, an American who travels to a quarantined Tassie, joining a body-recovery unit in order to search for her missing husband. In this world, some people recover from the whole zombie outbreak thing; others remain brain-munching monsters for good.
We Bury the Dead won’t set your pants on fire, but it’s a rock-solid genre piece, most effective in its portrayal of how people emotionally adapt to catastrophic circumstances.
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Office Romance
Film, US, 2026 – out 5 June
In what may be the most searching cinematic examination of the human condition in many years, Jennifer Lopez stars as the CEO of an airline company with a strict anti-fraternisation policy – what we call in Australia a “bonk ban”. This poses problems when she falls for one of her new employees (Brett Goldstein, AKA Roy Kent from Ted Lasso), who naturally falls for her too.
Lines featured in the trailer, like “since I first walked into your office, I’ve believed in everything,” indicate a script that’s been doused in molten cheese then rolled through a sugar factory. Does Office Romance look good? No. Does it look algorithmically primed to shoot straight to Netflix’s No 1? You betcha.
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I Will Find You
TV, US, 2026 – out 18 June
This eight-part series adapts Harlan Coben’s novel of the same name, which was described by the Guardian’s Alison Flood as “a fantastically breakneck prison break/fugitive adventure story”. Sold! It stars Sam Worthington – best known for becoming an honorary Na’vi in the Avatar movies – as David Burroughs, a man serving a life sentence for killing his three-year-old son. Years later, when he receives evidence suggesting the child may actually still be alive, David resolves to break out of prison (because that’s so simple, right?) and pursue the truth.
Honourable mentions: Dating the Enemy (film, 1 June), Spider-Man: Homecoming (film, 3 June), Spider-Man: Far From Home (film, 3 June), The Witness (TV, 4 June), The Polygamist (TV, 12 June), Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (film, 19 June), Babe (film, 21 June), Wicked: For Good (film, 25 June), Gladiator II (film, 27 June).
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Stan
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Beast
Film, Australia, 2026 – out 4 June
Tyler Atkins’ Australian martial arts drama plucks moves from a very familiar playbook, telling the story of a former MMA fighter (a strong, stoic Daniel MacPherson) who reluctantly agrees to take on an old nemesis. As I wrote in my review: “I was surprised to find myself as invested in the film as I was … There are times when the writing and staging lay it on a little thick, though Beast never becomes too heavy-handed or on-the-nose.”
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The Killings at Parrish Station
TV, Australia, 2026 – out 24 June
Australian comedian Ben Jenkins has made a sharp pivot into deadly serious territory with this dual-timeline murder mystery series. The narrative alternates between 1987, when two detectives (Mia Wasikowska and Xavier Samuel) investigate the brutal murder of four scientists, and 37 years later, when a spate of similar killings unfolds. The trailer is certainly intriguing, pairing Australia’s stark, sun-baked landscapes with unsettling visions of cult rituals and all sorts of creepy goings-on.
Honourable mentions: Final Destination (film, 4 June), Troy (film, 6 June), Single White Female (film, 10 June), This is Spın̈al Tap (film, 20 June), Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (film, 27 June), The Spongebob Movie: Search For SquarePants (film, 30 June).
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SBS On Demand
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Pasa Faho
Film, Australia, 2026 – out now
This gracefully staged, gently affecting Melbourne drama about a turbulent stretch in the life of a struggling Nigerian shoe salesman premiered at last year’s Melbourne International film festival and finds a fitting home on SBS, which is giving it its worldwide free-to-air premiere. Okey Bakassi delivers an impressively layered performance as the aforementioned salesman Azubuike, whose 12-year-old son Obinna (Tyson Palmer) moves in with him around the time he learns that his shop’s lease is about to expire.
This is a MacGuffin, for the film is more interested in relationships and identity than plot mechanics. Obinna, for instance, is largely disconnected from Igbo traditions and customs, prompting Azubuike to reconnect him his heritage while juggling mounting pressures in his personal and professional life. Warmly lit cinematography complements the film’s generous spirit and understated emotional pull.
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This is Not a Murder Mystery
TV, Belgium, 2025 – out 4 June
I love the premise of this, erm, murder mystery. Set in an English estate in 1936, the key characters are real-life artists associated with the surrealist movement: Salvador Dalí, Max Ernst, Man Ray, Sheila Legge and Lee Miller. Murders begin occurring, but here’s the twist: each killing appears to be inspired by surrealist artworks. According to the Guardian’s Rhik Samadder: “This is Belgian cosy crime, studded with artistic Easter eggs and enrobed in sumptuous 1930s décor.”
Honourable mentions: Iris (film, out now), Going Down (film, 5 June), Coldwater (TV, 10 June), A Prophet (TV, 18 June), Gomorrah: The Origins (TV, 25 June), Escape from New York (film, 30 June), Under the Skin (film, 30 June), Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai (film, 30 June).
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ABC iView
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Ground Up
TV, Australia, 2026 – out 7 June
Fans of Utopia and The Hollowmen will dig this satirical comedy starring Sam Pang as an AFL administrator, tasked with establishing a new Tasmanian team and the construction of a new football stadium. Expect lots of “bureaucracy gone mad”: long and pointless conversations, way too many meetings, way too much red tape. I’ll have more to say in my review; stay tuned.
Honourable mentions: Race Around the World (TV, 7 June), Stuff the British Stole season 3 (TV, 9 June), Rolf Harris: Primetime Predator (TV, 9 June), Deep End: The Scott Miller Story (TV, 22 June), Small Prophets (TV, 23 June).
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HBO Max
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Life, Larry, and the Pursuit of Unhappiness
TV, US, 2026 – out 27 June
A new Larry David comedy series produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, with the former president trading deadpan banter with David himself? Once upon a time that might have sounded bizarre, but nothing feels particularly weird any more in this loud and surreal world.
This is David’s first project since wrapping up Curb Your Enthusiasm in 2024, and will feature sketches inspired by major moments in American history, filtered through the comedian’s trademark awkwardness (exhibit A: a teaser imagining what David might have done on V-J Day). The cast includes several Curb veterans and an array of well-known comedy players.
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Mad Men seasons 1-7
TV, US, 2007–2015 – out now
Set in the advertising industry of the 1960s, Matthew Weiner’s hugely influential series is a feast of mid-century cool – loaded with beautiful attire, glittering bar carts, wood-panelled offices and some very good-looking people. Chief among them is Jon Hamm’s Don Draper, a brilliant creative director concealing dark personal secrets. Mad Men became one of the defining dramas of television’s prestige era, justifiably acclaimed for its writing, performances and recreation of a rapidly changing America.
Honourable mentions: Mad Max (film, out now), Mad Max: Fury Road (film, out now), Sex and the City 2 (film, out now), Practical Magic (film, out now), Dead of Winter (film, 5 June), Caddyshack 1 and 2 (film, 6 June), The Mask (film, 13 June), Son of the Mask (film, 13 June), Best in Show (film, 19 June), House of the Dragon: season 3 (TV, 22 June), Sucker Punch (film, 27 June).
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Amazon Prime Video
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Over Your Dead Body
Film, US, 2026 – out 10 June
It’s not exactly the sweetest premise of all time. An embittered married couple – actor Lisa (Samara Weaving) and director Dan (Jason Segel) – head to a remote cabin, each secretly planning to murder the other. Things get a little more complicated, and a lot more chaotic, when the couple encounter three violent criminals who’ve been hiding in the attic. In the words of Variety critic Owen Gleiberman: “Hands are stabbed, feet are liquidated, fingers are severed, bodies are impaled … it’s like a video game staged by Hitchcock.”
Honourable mentions: Groundswell (film, 5 June), Every Year After (TV, 10 June), Shelter (film, 11 June), 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple (film, 14 June), Christy (film, 17 June), Normal (film, 18 June), See You at Work Tomorrow! (TV, 22 June)
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Binge
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Tip Toe
TV, UK, 2026 – out 2 June
The new series from It’s a Sin and Queer as Folk creator Russell T Davies is set around Manchester’s Canal Street, one of Europe’s most famous LGBTQ+ neighbourhoods. It centres on the increasingly volatile relationship between neighbours Clive (David Morrissey) and Leo (Alan Cumming), the owner of a run-down gay bar, and explores issues such as how online culture – including misinformation – has exacerbated ignorance and intolerance.
I’ve only seen the first episode, but it’s gripping from the outset: well-paced, sharply staged and deeply unsettling. The show’s themes crystallise in a memorable scene in which Leo, wearied from years of fighting for gay rights, is told by a friend: “You’re queer in 2026 – you’re a political act.”
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Wicked: For Good
Film, US, 2025 – out 25 June
Picking up after Elphaba’s dramatic break with the Wizard of Oz at the end of Wicked, the second chapter follows the future Wicked Witch of the West as she lives in exile, unfairly branded a public menace by Oz’s propaganda machine. Cynthia Erivo reprises her role opposite Ariana Grande’s Glinda, who becomes increasingly entwined with the Wizard’s regime. Like its predecessor, Wicked: For Good plays in grand and glossy Hollywood mode, but lacks the first instalment’s spark and feels bloated. They really should have been one film.
Honourable mentions: Ray (film, 1 June), The Plague (film, 23 June), Wicked Dear England (TV, 28 June), Mr X (TV, 30 June).
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Disney+
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The X-Files: I Want to Believe – Director’s Cut
Film, US, 2026 – out 11 June
Arriving in cinemas six years after the final season of the original The X-Files, I Want to Believe plays out like an elongated “monster of the week” episode, with Mulder (David Duchovny) coming out of retirement to investigate – alongside Scully (Gillian Anderson), of course – a case involving a missing FBI agent and a potentially psychic priest (Billy Connolly). It’s perfectly watchable, though not especially cinematic, and falls well short of the TV show’s finest episodes.
But perhaps Chris Carter’s new director’s cut will elevate the material. The film-maker has spoken about how his original vision – a genuinely frightening, horror-aligned thriller – was softened by the studio. This revised version reportedly restores the 2008 film’s grislier elements, “bringing to life something that for me was on the page and never got to the screen”.
Honourable mentions: Inside Man (film, 1 June), Dante’s Peak (film, 1 June), Not Suitable for Work (film, 2 June), Alice and Steve (TV, 8 June), Avatar: Fire and Ash (film, 24 June), The Bear season 5 (TV, 26 June).
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Apple TV
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Cape Fear
TV, US, 2026 – out 5 June
There have been two cracking film versions of Cape Fear, the best-known being Martin Scorsese’s 1991 film starring Robert De Niro as the menacing ex-con Max Cady, who terrorises the family of the lawyer he blames for his imprisonment. In this five-part series produced by Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, that role is played by Javier Bardem, who has more than proven his mettle as a force of pure menace, most memorably as hitman Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men. He might even be more menacing than Sideshow Bob, who effectively played Max Cady in The Simpsons’ famous Cape Fear parody.
Honourable mentions: Sugar season 2 (TV, 5 June), Camp Snoopy season 2 (TV, 26 June).
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