By Sara Bright
As the long summer nights begin to draw in, the television schedule is heating up. August’s slate is less a trickle, more a flood, with major series returning and ambitious new sagas making their debut. Here’s a guide to the essential viewing that will be dominating screens this month.
Chief of War
Premiere: 1 August on Apple TV+
Jason Momoa has poured his own heritage into Chief of War, a project that feels intensely personal. He doesn’t just star; he co-created and co-wrote the entire thing. The series is a sprawling historical epic set in late 18th-century Hawaii, telling the true story of Kaʻiana, a warrior who set out on a brutal campaign to unite the islands against the threat of Western colonisation. With a predominantly Polynesian cast and a clear commitment to authenticity, this promises a raw, visceral look at the violent birth of a kingdom.
Wednesday
Premiere: 6 August on Netflix
Wednesday Addams is back for a second term at Nevermore Academy, and the anticipation is palpable. The first season was a genuine phenomenon, a perfect storm of Tim Burton’s gothic style and Jenna Ortega’s star-making performance. This time, Wednesday finds herself targeted by a new serial killer while navigating the school’s shifting dynamics. The new intake is just as impressive, with Steve Buscemi joining as the new principal and Joanna Lumley as Grandmama. Expect more of the dark, witty wordplay that made it a global hit.
Platonic
Premiere: 6 August on Apple TV+
The strange, funny truth of male-female friendship after 30 is the engine of Platonic. Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne return as the chaotic best friends whose bond throws their otherwise stable adult lives into disarray. The show’s magic lies in the easy, lived-in chemistry between its leads. The second season promises fresh hurdles for them to navigate – or, more likely, to stumble through together. As the synopsis teases, they try to be each other’s rock, but “sometimes rocks break things.”
Alien: Earth
Premiere: 12 August on FX and Hulu
The Xenomorph is finally coming home. For the first time, the iconic monster will stalk its prey on our own planet. Handled by Noah Hawley, the man who turned Fargo into prestige television, this isn’t just a monster hunt. Set years before the original 1979 film, the story centres on the investigation of a crashed spaceship and a hybrid synthetic named Wendy, who possesses the mind of a child. The premise alone is chilling.
Butterfly
Premiere: 13 August on Prime Video
Daniel Dae Kim stars in and executive produces this globe-trotting spy thriller. He plays David Jung, a former American agent in hiding in South Korea whose past comes back to haunt him. His old employers send a sociopathic young operative, Rebecca, to hunt him down and eliminate him. The premise is a classic spy setup, but its power will lie in the dynamic between the seasoned, weary operative and his ruthless pursuer.
Hostage
Premiere: 21 August on Netflix
Suranne Jones and Julie Delpy facing off in a political thriller is enough to grab anyone’s attention. Jones plays the British Prime Minister and Delpy the President of France. During a summit, the PM’s husband is kidnapped and the French President is blackmailed, forcing the two leaders into a fierce rivalry. The show hinges on a terrifying question: what happens when a geopolitical crisis becomes intensely personal?
Peacemaker
Premiere: 21 August on HBO Max
John Cena’s surprisingly soulful meathead is back. A spin-off from The Suicide Squad, the first season of Peacemaker found a massive audience with its blend of outrageous violence and unexpected heart. The second season, written entirely by James Gunn, throws Christopher Smith into a dimension-hopping conflict where he encounters a more peaceful version of his world, forcing him to reckon with his own violent nature.
Long Story Short
Premiere: 22 August on Netflix
From the mind behind BoJack Horseman comes a new animated comedy that chronicles the lives of the Schwooper siblings. The series jumps through time, exploring the small triumphs and major compromises that define a family. Fans of BoJack‘s unique blend of surreal comedy and gut-punch realism have been waiting for this. It promises a sharp, poignant look at the ties that bind.
The Terminal List: Dark Wolf
Premiere: 27 August on Amazon Prime Video
This prequel shifts the spotlight from Chris Pratt’s James Reece to the original show’s most compelling character: Taylor Kitsch’s Ben Edwards. Set five years before the first season, Dark Wolf charts Edwards’ journey from Navy SEAL to a shadowy CIA operative. It’s a deep dive into the moral compromises and psychological toll of a life spent in covert operations, promising the same gritty authenticity that defined its predecessor.
