TV Premiere Highlights Coming (And Being Removed) On Disney+ UK In June 2023
June on Disney+ brings a set of new and returning shows from across their brands, along with some new Original series, including a brand new Marvel series, and a series based on a beloved UK classic film. However, before we get to the highlights comic to Disney+ UK in June 2023, I feel we have to address the elephant in the room, and the things that are being removed later this week…
The May Content Purge
Just before the weekend, it was revealed that Disney+ is removing a pile of content from the streaming service globally on 26th May 2023. These include a large number of Disney+ and Star Originals, such as titles like Artemis Fowl, Big Shot, The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers, Dollface, Turner & Hooch, The Mysterious Benedict Society, Diary of a Future President, Willow, The World According to Jeff Goldblum, Y: The Last Man, Little Demon and Pistol, plus a number of other series (longer list at the bottom of this article.)
The official reason for this ‘purge’ is that Disney+ is “in the process of reviewing the content on our services to align with the strategic changes in our approach to content curation. As a result, we will be removing certain content from our streaming platforms.” This is basically corporate speak for – we can save money by removing these shows, no longer paying residuals to people who created it, and writing off the content. It means these projects, which the various creative people involved poured their heart and soul into, will no longer be available to watch anywhere, at least for the foreseeable future, which totally sucks. It, of course, also sucks for the viewing public, especially if you’re halfway through one of these shows when it gets removed later this week!
It’s a strange choice, especially when some of these shows have not been on Disney+ all that long. We’ve seen content removed before from streaming services, but usually, that is when contracts expire on shows which are bought in from outside studios. These shows are owned and made by Disney themselves and this appears to be purely a decision to save money by effectively throwing them into a black hole, somewhat similar to what happened at DC with the ‘Batgirl’ film. It’s a really frustrating precedent that studios now think it’s perfectly okay to just delete someone’s creative work, never to be seen again, just to save money, but this is where we are…
Anyway… On to the June highlights…
Disney+ Originals & UK Exclusive June 2023 Highlights
Avatar: The Way Of Water – 7th June 2023 (Film)
Avatar: The Way of Water reaches new heights as James Cameron returns to the world of Pandora. Set a decade plus after the events of the first film, this breathtaking new movie tells the story of the Sully family and introduces audiences to the majestic ocean Tulkun.
Saint X – 7th June 2023 (Series)
The series, which is told via multiple timelines, upends the girl-gone-missing genre. It explores how a young woman’s mysterious death, during an idyllic Caribbean vacation, creates a traumatic ripple effect that eventually pulls her surviving sister into a dangerous pursuit of the truth.
Flamin’ Hot – 9th June 2023 (Film)
Flamin’ Hot is the inspiring true story of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia), the Frito Lay janitor who channelled his Mexican American heritage and upbringing to turn the iconic Flamin’ Hot Cheetos into a snack that disrupted the food industry and became a global pop culture phenomenon.
The Full Monty – 14th June 2023 (Series)
Taking place 25 years after the original British smash hit, the eight-episode series will follow the same band of brothers as they navigate the post-industrial city of Sheffield and society’s crumbling healthcare, education, and employment sectors. The comedy-drama will uncover what happened to the gang after they put their kit back on, exploring their brighter, sillier and more desperate moments. It will also highlight how the fiercely funny world of these working-class heroes – still residing in Sheffield – has changed in the intervening decades.
Stan Lee – 16th June 2023 (Documentary)
100 years of dreaming. 100 years of creating. 100 years of Stan Lee. Directed by David Gelb, the documentary chronicles the legend’s fascinating life and time at Marvel where he co-created characters such as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Black Panther, The Incredible Hulk, The X-Men, Thor, Ant-Man, Nick Fury and many more.
Secret Invasion – 21st June 2023 (Series)
In Marvel Studios’ new series Secret Invasion, set in the present-day MCU, Nick Fury learns of a clandestine invasion of Earth by a faction of shapeshifting Skrulls. Fury joins his allies, including Everett Ross, Maria Hill, and the Skrull Talos, who has made a life for himself on Earth. Together, they race against time to thwart an imminent Skrull invasion and save humanity.
‘World’s Best’ – 23rd June 2023 (Film)
In the midst of navigating the tumultuous hardships of adolescence, 12-year-old mathematics genius Prem Patel discovers his recently deceased father was a famous rapper and immediately sets out to pursue a career for himself as a rap superstar. While his recent actions may appear reckless and the quickest way for him to lose everything, Prem, empowered by imaginative hip-hop music-fueled fantasies where he performs with his father, is determined to find out if hip-hop truly is in his DNA. As his father always used to say, “the world’s best never rest.”
‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ Season 4, Part 2 – 28th June 2023 (Returning Series)
‘9-1-1: Lone Star’ explores the high-pressure experiences of first responders, including police officers, firefighters and dispatchers, who are thrust into the most frightening, shocking and heart-stopping situations in Texas. These emergency responders must try to balance saving those who are at their most vulnerable with solving the problems in their own lives. The show draws from real-life, high-pressure experiences of first responders who regularly face heart-stopping situations that are often unpredictable, intense and uplifting at the same time. As we return for the tenth episode of season four, Tommy (Gina Torres) goes paramedic crew-to-crew against her former employer, private contractors Paragon Medics. Owen (Rob Lowe) hits it off with a beautiful woman he meets at a fundraiser.
Other Notable Additions
Outside of the various premieres above, ‘Killing Eve’ Season 2 lands on 7th June, and ‘Love Trip: Paris’ drops on 14th June. There is also ‘Saving Giraffes: The Long Journey Home’ coming on the 23rd June.
Disney+ May Content Purge
This is a list of the shows that we know of which are being removed in the 26th May 2023 content purge on Disney+ worldwide. There are likely to be more shows than this too…
- The Mysterious Benedict Society
- Big Shot
- The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers
- Willow
- The Making Of Willow
- The One And Only Ivan
- Timmy Failure
- Be Our Chef
- Magic Camp
- The Right Stuff
- Pistol
- Roseline
- Harmonious Live!
- Cheaper By The Dozen
- Better Nate Than Ever
- Stargirl
- Rogue Trip
- Shop Class
- Dollface
- The Quest
- Earth To Ned
- Harmonious Live!
- Pentatonix: Around the World for the Holidays
- Y: The Last Man
- The Hot Zone
- The Premise
- Foodtastic
- Artemis Fowl
- Stuntman
- Family Reboot
- Darby And The Dead
- Disney Fairy Tale Weddings
- Love In The Time Of Corona
- America the Beautiful
- Everything’s Trash
- Best In Snow
- Little Demon
- Turner & Hooch
- Super/Natural
- Among The Stars
- Big Feb
- The Princess
- Pick of the Litter
- Own the Room
- More Than Robots
- Black Beauty
- Clouds
- The Real Right Stuff
- Diary Of A Future President
- Weird But True
- Flora & Ulysses
- Just Beyond
- Maggie
- Encore
- The World According To Jeff Goldblum
- Best In Dough
- Wolfgang
- It’s a Dog’s Life With Bill Farmer
In addition to all of these shows arriving (and being removed), Disney+ UK has taken to “surprise dropping” shows without any warning over the last few months, so make sure you check out the UK TV Premiere Dates page for the latest updates. If you want to keep track of these or any other show, you can also add them via our Never Miss system, and you’ll be notified when it gets a UK premiere date.
