The best new shows and movies to stream in August 2021

While July has been a fabulous streaming month chock full of blockbuster movies and non-stop sports action (not to mention the return of Ted Lasso), August is looking quite strong for TV. Get ready for a new comedy series on Hulu from Taika Waititi, the latest installment of the NFL docu-series Hard Knocks, the reboot of a ’70s classic, and the final season of a beloved sitcom.

New movies to stream this month
New TV shows and limited series to stream this month
Upcoming sports events to stream in August
What’s streaming in September 2021?

Read on for all the details on what to stream (and where) this August.

New movies to stream

The Suicide Squad

Release date: August 6
Where: HBO Max
Early reviews for the follow-up to 2016’s Suicide Squad have been positive; CNET called it “cinematic trash poetry,” “a gory, glorious, and deranged delight,” and a “scabrous, side-splitting and surprisingly smart supervillian romp” all within the first paragraph of its review.

Much of the original cast—including Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn—returns, with Idris Elba and John Cena, plus “a shark that talks like Sylvester Stallone” joining the squad in leading roles. Parents should be very mindful of violence and bad language. The Suicide Squad will be available to stream for 30 days.

Val

Release date: August 6
Where: Amazon Prime Video
Most people remember Val Kilmer from ’80s and ’90s turns in movies like Top Gun, Tombstone, and Batman Forever: He was handsome, brooding, and a capital-A Actor. What many might not know is that he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2017, and now speaks through an electronic voice box. Val is an autobiographical retrospective on Kilmer’s career, starting with old footage from his childhood and meandering through five decades’ worth of personal triumphs, tragedies, and random side projects. Multiple reviews have cited his early ’80s footage of a very young Kevin Bacon and Sean Penn, with whom Kilmer once shared a Broadway stage. Val, which hit theaters on July 23, is a pretty fascinating behind-the-scenes look at an interesting Hollywood career.

Coda

Release date: August 13
Where: Apple TV+  
Earlier this year Coda, a family drama about the teenage daughter of two hearing-impaired parents (CODA stands for “child of deaf adults”), was the first film ever to sweep all the major awards at the Sundance Film Festival. Emilia Jones stars as a 17-year-old who discovers a talent for singing and music, and finds herself torn between her own dreams and family obligations. Oscar winner Marlee Matlin also stars, as her mother.

Paw Patrol: The Movie

Release date: August 20
Where: Paramount+
If you have children in your life, chances are you’re already quite familiar with Ryder, Chase, Marshall, Sky, et al. From what we can tell, the plot of this new animated movie is just more of the same: that devious Mayor Humdinger is up to no good in a nearby city, and it’s up to the pups and their new friend Liberty the Dachshund to save the day. Stars like Tyler Perry, Randall Park, Yara Shahidi, and even Kim Kardashian have lent their voice talents to the film, which bows simultaneously in movie theaters and on Paramount+.

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

Release date: August 23
Where: Netflix
We’ll have to wait till December for season 2 of Netflix’s live-action Witcher series, but in the meantime this animated, anime-style prequel by the Korean studio Mir can tide us over. Nightmare of the Wolf is set before the events of the show, and focuses on Geralt’s mysterious mentor Vesemir.

TV shows and limited series to stream

Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami

Release date: August 4
Where: Netflix
We suspect this new Netflix docu-series was created to fill the Narcos-shaped hole in many hearts (still no word on when Narcos Mexico Season 3 will premiere). Going off the lively music, bright colors, and upbeat commentary in the trailer, you almost wouldn’t know this was a show about two drug kingpins indicted in one of the largest drug cases in U.S. history that was basically a real-life Scarface. Cocaine Cowboys will feature six 45-minute episodes.

Mr. Corman

Release date: August 6
Where: Apple TV+  
Joseph Gordon-Levitt (you may know him from anything ranging from 10 Things I Hate About You to Inception or Snowden) is the star, writer, director, and executive producer of this new dramedy about a dedicated public school teacher in a rut. Apple says the ten-episode series “speaks for our contemporary generation of 30-somethings: rich with good intentions, poor with student loans, and yearning to become real grown-ups sometime before they die.” Ted Lasso star Juno Temple moonlights here as Mr. Corman’s ex-fiancee; other stars include Debra Winger, Arturo Castro, and Jamie Chung.

Reservation Dogs

Release date: August 9
Where: Hulu
Co-created by Taika Waititi (who seemingly makes everything cool), this new comedy series about four Indigenous teenagers in rural Oklahoma presents an irreverent spin on coming-of-age hijinx and contemporary Native American life. Co-creator Sterlin Harjo conceived the show based on his own experiences growing up in Oklahoma; all of the main cast, writers, and directors on the series are Indigenous.

Fantasy Island

Release date: August 11
Where: Hulu
We could all use a bit of wish fulfillment these days, no? This reboot to the wacky 1970s anthology series starring Ricardo Montalban and Hervé “Da plane!” Villechaize sees Roselyn Sanchez star as Elena Roarke (a descendant of Montalban’s Mr. Roarke). She, too, runs a luxury resort where every guest’s dreams come true—although they rarely turn out as expected. NB: The show premieres on August 10 on Fox, with each weekly episode streaming one day later on Hulu. If you absolutely must watch in real time, be sure to check out Locast.

Hard Knocks ’21: Dallas Cowboys

Release date: August 10
Where: HBO Max
This long-running sports docu-series follows one NFL team during the five weeks leading up to the start of the regular season. Shot and produced nearly in real time and narrated by Liev Shreiber, Hard Knocks reliably introduces underdogs and coaching dilemmas, and shows the soft, silly side of NFL players that we rarely get to see otherwise. (For instance, check out Carl Nassib giving his teammates an impromptu investment seminar a few years back.) This season will feature the Dallas Cowboys, who are always good for drama thanks to their spotlight-loving owner and the built-in storyline of quarterback Dak Prescott returning from a devastating knee injury.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 8

Release date: August 14
Where: Hulu
The final season of this consistently hilarious sitcom premieres on NBC on August 13 (again, check out Locast if you want to watch it live). Given that the show has been off the air since America’s racial reckoning and anti-police protests in 2020, there’s been much speculation about how it will address Americans’ evolving attitudes towards law enforcement (some even posited that the precinct would shut down and they’d all become postal workers). From the preview above, however, it looks like Andy Samberg’s Jake Peralta still bleeds blue. Brooklyn Nine-Nine will air weekly on NBC, with episodes available on Hulu one day later.

Modern Love Season 2

Release date: August 13
Where: Amazon Prime Video
This anthology series based off a popular and long-running New York Times column was a surprise hit for Amazon in 2019. Season 2’s eight self-contained episodes will see star turns from the likes of Kit Harington, Andrew Rannells (directing an episode based on an essay he actually wrote), Minnie Driver, Anna Paquin, Garrett Hedlund, Dominique Fishback, and others.

Nine Perfect Strangers

Release date: August 18
Where: Hulu
Nicole Kidman made big waves when she deigned to step onto the small screen to star in the miniseries Big Little Lies based on Liane Moriarty’s book of the same name. Now she’s teamed up once again with showrunner David E. Kelley for another Moriarty tale, in which nine strangers collide at a mysterious health and wellness resort. The varied and promising cast also features Melissa McCarthy, Manny Jacinto, Bobby Cannavale, Regina Hall, Luke Evans, and Michael Shannon.

The Chair

Release date: August 20
Where: Netflix
Netflix only just dropped the trailer for this six-episode series starring Sandra Oh as the newly appointed Chair of the English department at a prestigious college. It looks to be a dark comedy (her specialty!) satirizing academic in-fighting and modern-day campus politics, with a stellar and offbeat cast including Jay Duplass, Holland Taylor, and Bob Balaban.

American Horror Story Season 10

Release date: August 26
Where: Hulu
Ryan Murphy’s campy horror anthology series returns with “Double Feature,” which will include two separate storylines, one about sea monsters, the other about aliens. Macaulay Culkin joins a cast featuring series regulars like Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, Billie Lourd, and others.

Only Murders in the Building

Release date: August 31
Where: Hulu
Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez team up in this mystery-comedy series about neighbors trying to solve a murder that occurred in their Manhattan apartment building. Highlights from the trailer include a stacked cast of cameos, and an amusing plotline about making a true-crime podcast. If ever there was a show for Millennials to watch with their parents, this would be it.

Sports events to stream in August

August is a great month on the global sports calendar: the Olympics run through August 8; India and England face off in a month-long cricket series; there are two Formula 1 races; and Manny Pacquiao steps back into the ring to fight undefeated Errol Spence Jr. in a boxing match on August 21.

What’s streaming in September 2021?

The back half of Billions returns on September 6, American Crime Story: Impeachment (about Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky) begins on September 7, and the horror movie Malignant premieres on HBO on September 10. Apple TV’s The Morning Show will also return for its long-awaited season 2, and of course the 2021 NFL season kicks off on September 9.

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