Summer television has become just as hot as the temperatures expected to accompany the season, but save some room in your schedule for more than just the final season of "Dexter" or "Breaking Bad."
The networks — and even streaming services like Hulu — have a bevy of movies, documentaries, specials, cartoons, comedy series and reality competitions in store for viewers between June and September.
Among them: Marilyn Monroe's personal struggles and triumphs will be examined in HBO documentary, "Love, Marilyn," Discovery Channel will broadcast Nik Wallenda's daring tightrope walk across the Grand Canyon (live!) and Seth Meyers gets animated in new Hulu original series, "The Awesomes."
SEE ALSO: 10 movies you need to see this summer
"Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer"
Premieres: June 10 on HBO
Why It's Worth Watching: Pussy Riot, a Russian feminist punk-rock collective, made headlines last year when three members were arrested for staging a performance on the soleas of Moscow's Cathedral of Christ the Savior. (They "got what they asked for," Russian President Vladimir Putin said for the record.) Directors Mike Lerner and Maxim Pozdorovkin give viewers a front row-seat to the controversial trial.
"Love, Marilyn"
Premieres: June 23 on HBO
Why It's Worth Watching: Coinciding with the 50th anniversary of Monroe's death, the documentary features readings of recently uncovered private handwritten letters, diaries, notes, poems, journals and notebooks, read by the likes of Elizabeth Banks, Adrien Brody, Ellen Burstyn, Glenn Close, Viola Davis, Paul Giamatti, Lindsey Lohan, Jeremy Piven, Uma Thurman and Marisa Tomei.
"Jodi Arias: Dirty Little Secret"&"The Anna Nicole Story"
Premieres: June 22/June 29, respectively, on Lifetime
Why It's Worth Watching: You love Lifetime's brand of made-for-TV drama that is ripped from the headlines and artistically exaggerated for your guilty-viewing pleasure. This summer, it's a twofer: Jodi Arias' brutal murder of former lover Travis Alexander, then Anna Nicole Smith's tragic life just a week later. You already know what to expect, but here are the trailers:
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