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Seasons change, but these 5 summer series are made for binge-watching

Cheo Hodari Coker knew early on exactly how he'd bring Marvel's Luke Cage to life: as a Western.

"A mysterious man with no name comes into town, and the person who controls the saloon also controls law in the town," Coker spins. "And one person who knows the secret says basically, 'I need you to come out of retirement.' It's a very simple Shane, Unforgiven formula. And when you add hip-hop and you add superpowers to it, it becomes this."

This season, which was released on Netflix on June 22, sets up Luke 2.0. Luke is a known entity now — everybody knows his name and everybody knows what he can do. That helped drive the story.

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"What would it be like when you have a superhero who lives in the neighborhood, you know where to find him," Coker says. "Let's see what superhero life is like in the age of Twitter and Instagram."

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But this season wasn't just about exploring Luke's newfound fame and glory (yes, there's an app for that). It's about the growth of all the characters. That includes Mariah Stokes Dillard (an exhilarating Alfre Woodard) and her boyfriend-business partner Hernan "Shades" Alvarez (Theo Rossi).

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After Woodard improvised part of a kiss with the younger Shades at the end of season one, Coker was inspired to grow something else. He decided to do "an entire arc on that relationship."

"Hollywood is comfortable with a 65-year-old man ... with a 25-year-old girlfriend. But if you dare have a mature woman with a younger man, people are like, 'Uh,'" he says. Then he adds, "Alfre is incredibly sexy."

And then there's Detective Misty Knight (Simone Missick), who is grappling with the injuries she sustained during a fight in The Defenders. ("At its base, the show really is rooted around its strong black female characters," says Coker.)

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Speaking of The Defenders, that show made it so that Coker had to figure out a way to kick off Luke 2.0 that didn't involve the story of how he was cleared and got out of prison, where he was headed when the first season ended.

"The last thing I wanted to do at the end of season one

Luke back to jail," he says. But not being tied to his homecoming gave the show "more of a chance to reboot."

Coker may have had to go another direction, but he was prepared to explore the world of Luke Cage anyway. Take this season's big bad, for instance: Bushmaster. John McIver (an intense Mustafa Shakir) looms large in the annals of comic-book Luke Cage and is an intriguing character here, all rage and blunt force.

"[Marvel Television president] Jeph Loeb always says you want to make sure that if you told the story from the villain's perspective, the villain would be the hero of his own story," he says. "I view Bushmaster less as

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than as an antagonist who is really the protagonist of his own story."

Astute observers know that Bushmaster's arrival could portend more trouble for Luke. Well, yes, but Coker is quick to quell any notion that viewers might get Cage comic-book opponents the Serpent Society: "No."

The former music journalist fills the silences with some of the best music to ever hit the small screen, including another appearance by Faith Evans, whose former husband's portrait has a starring role in the series. Rakim also shows up with a straight-up homage to Cage.

Coker got his dream of an album to match the hard-hitting tone of the series. He even studied musical groups that managed to avoid a sophomore slump, hoping to avoid one of his own and "level up."

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"For me, I consider the show essentially a conscious album with dialogue," he says. "One of the things I say about Luke Cage is that it's a bulletproof version of Lemonade."

But, two years in, his dreams of adding another beloved character from the comic books still hasn't come to pass.

"Every single year, I try to work in a newspaper angle," the former journalist says. "Like ... we've been trying to get the character of Phil Fox into the show for two seasons now. The whole arc of Luke's father started out with Phil Fox being a journalist getting close to Luke and writing about him."

When the late Reg E. Cathey was cast as Luke's preacher father and Coker wrote a sermon for him in one take, that went out the window.

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"It didn't work," says Coker.

Here are some other summer TV series that you should binge. 

Virginia (Karrueche Tran) and Quiet Ann (Judy Reyes) have some quiet time in "Claws."
Virginia (Karrueche Tran) and Quiet Ann (Judy Reyes) have some quiet time in "Claws." (TNT)

From scratch: Claws, last summer's breakout hit, caught fire at the very start and never let up. Niecy Nash plays Desna, who leads a motley crew of manicurists who buff nails and, behind closed doors, launder money for the Dixie Mafia for its pill mill in the same strip mall. The show is dark with blood, guns and threats and other mob families galore. It's also bright, because, well, Florida, and because Nash brings it. Every. Time. TNT

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No, it's not a remake of Clue: Cloak and Dagger is the latest, moody addition to the Marvel Television universe. Two troubled teens, Tandy Bowen and Tyrone Johnson, lead almost parallel lives, something the creators of these series show with a heavy hand right at the beginning. They have powers that are strongest when they're in close proximity to each other, one a creature of light, the other dark. It's a little on the nose, but it'll do. The premiere leaves more questions than answers, but at least they are questions you want the answers to. So ... streaming. A word of warning: Don't come here looking for the origin story from the comic book. Freeform

Nuri and Yasir in front of Insomnia Cafe.
Nuri and Yasir in front of Insomnia Cafe.(Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. )

Good stuff: Love Is ... is way more nuanced than that one-panel comic. This show is based on the real life and love of one of Hollywood's true power couples, Salim and Mara Brock Akil. In their hands, love is messy and emotional and primed for a second season thanks to a beautiful reception by ardent fans. Michele Weaver and Will Catlett (Black Lightning) inhabit their characters so fully and the supporting players are marvelous. That includes a stellar turn as Betty by Houston native Loretta Devine, who had a monologue from the show go viral. And for good reason. Oprah.com

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Reality is funny: Nailed It nails the hijinks that can go on in the kitchen of someone who isn't used to kitchens. The show invites people to try to re-create baked goods of the masterpiece variety for a $10,000 prize. Those people usually fail, and host Nicole Byer usually laughs. Netflix

For more TV news, views and reviews, follow @DawnBurkes on Twitter.