After a little slump this July — aside from the Olympics — TV is back in fighting form this August. The last full month of summer brings the end of Netflix's mind-bending The Umbrella Academy, the premiere of potential new hits like Prime Video's Batman: Caped Crusader and Netflix's Kaos, and the return of a few anticipated series in their prime, like HBO's Industry, Hulu's Only Murders in the Building, and Prime Video's The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. But the headline event should be Apple TV+'s stellar Pachinko, which, as a bonus, has one of the best opening credits sequences around. Never skip it.
Our guide to the best TV in August is divided into three sections: the best shows and movies to watch this month, the best shows to watch by streaming service, and a calendar of TV highlights. Whatever you're looking for, you'll find it below.
How many Batman TV shows are there? Seven? 23? 172? Well, add one more, as this animated series about the Dark Knight hits Prime Video at the top of the month. Produced by J.J. Abrams, Matt Reeves (director of The Batman), and Bruce Timm (creator of Batman: The Animated Series), Batman: Caped Crusader features Hamish Linklater as the voice of Batman, Christina Ricci as Catwoman, Jamie Chung as Harley Quinn, and Diedrich Bader as Two-Face. The series was originally set up at Max, but was scuttled and picked up by Prime Video, which has already renewed it for a second season. -Tim Surette [Trailer] [Review]
Everything has changed for the Brellies, and that's not an exaggeration. At the end of The Umbrella Academy Season 3, the Hargreeves siblings lost their superpowers. It happened after their father, Reginald (Colm Feore), tried to reprogram the universe by extracting their bodily particles but was stopped by Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) — whom he had struck a secret deal with. We're expecting the fourth and final season of The Umbrella Academy to answer our burning questions, the biggest among them being: Will the Brellies get their powers back? Here's everything we know about the final season. -Kat Moon [Trailer]
After two simmering seasons, Industry has quietly established itself as one of the best and most underrated shows on TV. Returning for its third season in a shiny new Sunday night time slot, it might just be time for the finance drama to get a well-deserved boost in viewership. The series picks up after that explosive finale which saw Harper (Myha'la) eager to get back into the finance world after her unceremonious firing by Eric (Ken Leung), her boss/mentor/father figure. Back at Pierpoint, Eric, Yasmin (Marisa Abela), and Robert (Harry Lawtey) are figuring out whether Lumi, a new green tech company led by Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington), will help or hurt their careers. -Allison Picurro [Trailer]
When Pachinko premiered in 2022, we said the show "pushed TV toward a more connected future." The story, based on Min Jin Lee's The New York Times bestselling novel of the same name, is told in three languages, set across three countries, and follows three generations of one family. Season 1's finale was marked by despair, as our main character Sunja (Minha Kim) watched her husband Isak (Noh Sang-hyun) get arrested by the Japanese police. But Pachinko is all about Sunja weathering the storms in her life, and the episode ended with her trying to start anew as her family's provider — something we're bound to see more of in Season 2. Yuh-Jung Youn stars as the older version of Sunja, and the cast also includes Lee Minho, Anna Sawai, and Jin Ha. -Kat Moon [Trailer]
It wouldn't be Only Murders in the Building without a cliffhanger death in the finale. And our latest victim, from the end of Season 3, is none other than Sazz Pataki (Jane Lynch), Charles-Haden Savage's (Steve Martin) stunt double from his TV show Brazzos. Along with his podcast-producing pals Oliver Putnam (Martin Short) and Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), Charles sets out to find the one behind Sazz's death — and figure out whether he himself was the murderer's true target. Only Murders in the Building Season 4 promises the trio's most expansive investigation yet, not least because a Hollywood studio interested in developing their podcast leads them on a journey to Los Angeles. -Kat Moon [Teaser]
Jeff Goldblum as Zeus? Can I just stop there? I might need to, because the description on this dark comedy about Greek mythology is rather vague. As Zeus fears the end of his reign and an apocalypse on Earth, three humans discover they are part of a prophecy that can hopefully stop it all. Come for Goldblum, stay for David Thewlis as Hades. KAOS was created by The End of the F***ing World's Charlie Covell, so expect things to be delightfully messed up. -Tim Surette [Teaser]
Have you heard? Tom Bombadil is making his live-action debut. Despite being well known to fans of the books, the mysterious Lord of the Rings character has never appeared in a major TV or movie adaptation — until now. Rory Kinnear will debut his take on Old Tom in Season 2 of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, a show that already boasts a cast list even longer than its title (and the budget to match). And here's another piece of Middle-earth gossip: Sauron (Charlie Vickers) is getting a new look, assuming the guise of a blond elf. Here's everything else we know about The Rings of Power Season 2. -Kelly Connolly [Trailer]
Netflix is heating up August with a pair of its most beloved series. Emily in Paris, which everyone feels compelled to watch rather than wants to watch, it seems, kicks off Part 1 of its fourth season in the middle of the month, with lots of drama in store after the revelations from the Season 3 finale. Will Emily finally find love so that she can just lounge around in a pair of sweatpants and an oversized t-shirt? If only things were that easy. Plus, the superhero drama The Umbrella Academy is back for its final season, bringing to a close four seasons of dysfunctional family drama and seriously psycho superpowers. And AMC has arranged for several of its shows — including Fear the Walking Dead, Interview with the Vampire, and Dark Winds — to join Netflix's library, and it's a treasure trove of quality television that you may have missed over the last several years. Here's our list of the best shows and movies on Netflix in August, plus everything coming to and leaving Netflix in August.
More on Netflix:
Maybe House of the Dragon is keeping you busy enough, but if you're still looking to fill the Succession-sized hole in your heart with an HBO drama that's a little more grounded in reality, you should give Industry a try. The finance drama will return for its third season in August, with two HBO alums — Game of Thrones' Kit Harington and Barry's Sarah Goldberg — joining the cast. Other than that, it's a big month for docuseries on Max, like the true crime series Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth? and Chimp Crazy, which follows the wild story of the bond between a woman and a chimpanzee. Here's our list of the best shows and movies on HBO and Max in August, plus everything coming to HBO and Max in August.
More on HBO and Max:
There aren't a lot of interesting new shows and movies on Hulu in August, but do they all need to be good when one is among Hulu's best? Only Murders in the Building returns for Season 4 toward the end of the month, with Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez reprising their roles as true-crime junkies who investigate real crimes. And this time, they're headed out of the building and over to Hollywood! Elsewhere, Season 5 of the animated comedy Solar Opposites touches down on Aug. 15, legal drama Reasonable Doubt is back for Season 2 on Aug. 22, and the docuseries After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun premieres Aug. 28. Here's our list of the best shows and movies on Hulu in August, plus everything coming to Hulu in August.
Want to know what half a billion dollars looks like? To Prime Video, it looks like its big-budget fantasy television series The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The show, based on J.R.R. Tolkien's popular books, heads into Season 2 with a lot to prove to both Prime Video and fans after the lukewarm reception to its first season. With a season of experience under its belt and a lot of setup for the whole series out of the way (and a whole lot of cash), there's reason for fans to be optimistic that they'll see some improvement. If elves and orcs aren't your thing, then tune in to the action-comedy film JACKPOT!, starring Akwafina as a "lucky" lottery winner and John Cena as the man who protects her from an onslaught of opportunists who can claim her prize if they can kill her. The streamer's other big release this month is Batman: Caped Crusader. Here's our list of the best shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video in August, plus everything coming to Prime Video in August.
Apple TV+'s epic, intimate TV adaptation of Pachinko was one of the best shows of 2022. If the second season lives up to the first, it's going to be a must watch. The multilingual drama's new season kicks off Aug. 23, near the tail end of a busy month for Apple TV+. The streamer's other big titles in August include the docuseries Cowboy Cartel (Aug. 2), the Matt Damon-Casey Affleck film The Instigators (Aug. 9), and the comedy Bad Monkey (Aug. 14). Meanwhile, Steph Curry makes his comedy debut in Peacock's Mr. Throwback (Aug. 8), and, also on Peacock, John Woo remakes his 1989 film The Killer (Aug. 23), with Nathalie Emmanuel in the lead.
More on Apple TV+, Peacock, Disney+, and Paramount+:
Thursday, Aug. 1
Batman: Caped Crusader (Season 1, Prime Video)
A Good Girl's Guide to Murder (Season 1, Netflix)
Influenced (Season 1, Prime Video)
Love Is Blind: Mexico (Season 1, Netflix)
Miss Teen USA (Special Event, The CW)
Unstable (Season 2, Netflix)
Friday, Aug. 2
Cowboy Cartel (Docuseries, Apple TV+)
Modern Masters: SS Rajamouli (Documentary, Netflix)
Rebel Moon — Chapter One: Chalice of Blood (Film, Netflix)
Rebel Moon — Chapter Two: Curse of Forgiveness (Film, Netflix)
Saturday, Aug. 3
30 for 30: Dude Perfect: A Very Long Shot (Documentary, ESPN)
Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost Tapes (Documentary, HBO)
Sunday, Aug. 4
39th Annual Stellar Gospel Music Awards (Special Event, BET)
73rd Miss USA Pageant (Special Event, The CW)
Tuesday, Aug. 6
At Witt's End — The Hunt for a Killer (Docuseries, Hulu)
Hard Knocks: Training Camp With the Chicago Bears (Docuseries, HBO)
Wednesday, Aug. 7
Dance Moms: A New Era (Season 1, Hulu)
Love Is Blind: U.K. (Season 1, Netflix)
Thursday, Aug. 8
Kennedy, Sinatra, and the Mafia (Documentary, Sundance Now)
Mr. Throwback (Season 1, Peacock)
One Fast Move (Film, Prime Video)
Taken Together: Who Killed Lyric and Elizabeth? (Docuseries, Max)
The Umbrella Academy (Season 4, Netflix)
Friday, Aug. 9
13 Days in Ferguson (Special, CBS)
Blue Ribbon Baking Championship (Season 1, Netflix)
The Braxtons (Season 1, We TV)
The Instigators (Film, Apple TV+)
Sunday, Aug. 11
American Godfathers: The Five Families (Docuseries, History)
Gangland Chronicles (Season 1, History)
Hollywood Black (Docuseries, MGM+)
Industry (Season 3, HBO)
SEAL Team (Season 7, Paramount+)
Monday, Aug. 12
Solar Opposites (Season 5, Hulu)
Wednesday, Aug. 14
Bad Monkey (Season 1, Apple TV+)
The Challenge (Season 40, MTV)
Daughters (Documentary, Netflix)
Rhythm Masters: A Mickey Hart Experience (Documentary, ESPN)
Worst Ex Ever (Season 1, Netflix)
Thursday, Aug. 15
Bel-Air (Season 3, Peacock)
Emily in Paris (Season 4, Netflix)
Jackpot! (Film, Prime Video)
Friday, Aug. 16
Rick and Morty: The Anime (Season 1, Adult Swim)
RuPaul's Drag Race Global All Stars (Season 1, Paramount+)
The Union (Film, Netflix)
Sunday Aug. 18
Chimp Crazy (Docuseries, HBO)
OceanXplorers (Docuseries, National Geographic)
Monday, Aug. 19
The Anonymous (Season 1, USA Network)
Tuesday, Aug. 20
Face to Face with Scott Peterson (Docuseries, Peacock)
Langston Kerman: Bad Poetry (Comedy Special, Netflix)
Muslim Matchmaker (Season 1, Hulu)
Untold: The Murder of Air McNair (Documentary, Netflix)
Wednesday, Aug. 21
Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE (Season 1, Netflix)
Wyatt Earp and the Cowboy War (Docuseries, Netflix)
Thursday, Aug. 22
Fifteen-Love (Season 1, Sundance Now)
Reasonable Doubt (Season 2, Hulu)
Secret Lives of Orangutans (Documentary, Netflix)
That '90s Show (Season 3, Netflix)
Friday, Aug. 23
Incoming (Film, Netflix)
The Killer (Film, Peacock)
The New York Times Presents: Lie to Fly (Documentary, FX)
Pachinko (Season 2, Apple TV+)
The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat (Film, Hulu)
Sunday, Aug. 25
City of God: The Fight Rages On (HBO Latino)
Tuesday, Aug. 27
Only Murders in the Building (Season 4, Hulu)
Untold: Sign Stealer (Documentary, Netflix)
Wednesday, Aug. 28
After Baywatch: Moment in the Sun (Docuseries, Hulu)
Killer Lies: Chasing A True Crime Con Man (Docuseries, National Geographic)
Thursday, Aug. 29
KAOS (Season 1, Netflix)
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Season 2, Prime Video)
Terminator Zero (Season 1, Netflix)
Friday, Aug. 30
The Deliverance (Film, Netflix)
K-Pop Idols (Docuseries, Apple TV+)
