What to watch on streaming in August: Netflix, Disney, Amazon, Binge, Foxtel, Apple and more

From the most anticipated to the best, there are some unmissable shows coming to streaming this month.

The Game of Thrones prequel House Of The Dragon might be the biggest and splashiest of new streaming shows this month, but there are actually some gems you might love even more, including the very excellent The Bear, one of the best series of the year so far.

House of the Dragon (Foxtel and Binge, August 22): One of the most anticipated shows of the year, the Game of Thrones prequel is set hundreds of years before the original series, during the reign of the Targaryens. The scheming and intrigue is centred on characters jostling to become heir to the throne of Viserys I – basically it’s Succession but with 17 dragons.

The Bear (Disney+, August 31): Intense and stressful but oh-so-amazing, The Bear follows Carmy, a talented chef who has worked in some of the world’s best restaurants. But now he’s back home in Chicago after his brother inexplicably suicided and leaves Carmy a beloved but shambolic sandwich restaurant. It’s a brazen and emotionally truthful series with stunning performances — and it punches you right in the feels.

The Bear is on Disney+.

A League of their Own (Amazon Prime, August 12): Set in the same world as the beloved Penny Marshall movie, the TV version follows a new group of characters in the WWII women’s baseball league. It stars Abbi Jacobson, Chante Adams, D’Arcy Carden and Nick Offerman, with Rosie O’Donnell set to make a cameo. But the real question is, is there now crying in baseball?

She-Hulk (Disney+, August 17): Jennifer Walters is a thirty-something go-getter lawyer specialising in cases involving superheroes. She also happens to be cousins with Bruce Banner and after receiving a transfusion from her green relative, now also has the tendency to hulk-out. More comedic than some of the other Marvel streaming series, the show stars Tatiana Maslany, Mark Ruffalo and Jameela Jamil.

The Sandman (Netflix, August 5): After three decades and several attempts to mount Neil Gaiman’s sprawling fantasy epic, a screen adaptation of The Sandman is finally here. Starring Tom Sturridge, the series follows Morpheus, an all-powerful being who rules the dream and nightmare realm. But when he’s captured and held captive for a century, his absence threatens the very fabric of humanity’s reality.

The Sandman is on Netflix.

Thirteen Lives (Amazon Prime, August 5): Ron Howard’s dramatisation of the extraordinary Thai Cave Rescue focuses on the British divers who helped save the 12 boys and their coach trapped in a cave after monsoon rains flooded their exit. Starring Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen and Joel Edgerton, it’s a gripping narrative that foregoes the gloss of Hollywood drama.

Bad Sisters (Apple TV+, August 19): Irish actor and writer Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe) is a superstar, so anything she has a hand in gets an immediate look. Horgan created the 10-episode series which also stars Claes Bang, Annemarie Duff, Brian Gleeson and Eve Hewson. The comedy follows the death of the brother-in-law to the tight Garvey sisters, who are in the sights of the life insurance investigators who are convinced they all had a motive to murder.

Life After Life (Britbox, August 18): Adapted from Kate Atkinson’s acclaimed 2013 novel, Life After Life has a great cast led by Thomasin McKenzie, Sian Clifford and Jessica Brown Findlay. The four-part series is a weepy drama to tug on those heartstrings because its main character, Ursula, is someone who dies time and again, rebirthed each time for her story to swirl around historical moments of the early 20th century.

Never Have I Ever S3 (Netflix, August 12): The third and penultimate season of Mindy Kaling’s coming-of-age comedy series returns with more of Devi’s adventures and misadventures in growing up as a second-generation immigrant kid in California. But teenage love triangles aren’t the only focus with the series exploring the cultural specificities of the Indian-American diaspora experience, shading in the complexities of its teen and adult characters.

Reservation Dogs is on Binge and Foxtel.

Reservation Dogs S2 (Foxtel and Binge, August 4): A. gem of a show, the low-key coming-of-age comedy returns with a second season and more stories about its teenage Native American characters. It’s a clever, culturally illuminating and emotionally resonant series which luxuriates in its beats about home, belonging and growing up.

Tales of the Walking Dead (AMC+, August 14): Apparently there are still more Walking Dead stories to tell, lots of them and in small bites (pun intended, sorry). The fourth TV show in the zombie franchise, Tales of the Walking is an anthology series that follows a different story each episode. Among the cast are Parker Posey, Anthony Edwards, Samantha Morton, Terry Crews and Olivia Munn.

8 Nights Out West (ABC iview, August 7): A companion piece to anthology film Here Out West, actor Arka Das spends eight nights exploring the culinary traditions of Sydney’s western suburbs with his co-stars and collaborators on this foodie tour through cuisines including Lebanese, Chilean, Vietnamese, Burmese and more.

Wedding Season (Netflix, August 4): Confusingly, there are two streaming titles called Wedding Season to be released within five weeks of each other. This one is an American rom-com movie about a career-focused young woman who is set up on a date with a young man with equally relentless and meddling parents. So, the pair pretend to embark on a relationship to get their folks off their backs. You can guess what might happen.

Echoes is on Netflix.

Echoes (Netflix, August 19): Since they were children, identical twins Leni and Gina have secretly swapped lives. As adults, this means sharing homes, husbands and even a child, and without anyone knowing. But their dangerous game becomes even more perilous when one of the sisters disappears. The series stars Michelle Monaghan and Matt Bomer and was created by Australian writer Vanessa Gazy.

Sherwood (Foxtel, Binge and Fetch, August 14): The victim may have been killed with a bow and arrow but that doesn’t mean you should expect Robin Hood to show up. This British drama explores a mining town still haunted by the strike of 1984, the spectre of which re-emerges when a prominent activist is killed.

I Am Groot (Disney+, August 10): Awww, remember how cute Baby Groot was? He’s the star of five new short films on Disney’s streaming platform because if there’s one thing that the House of Mouse is going to do, it’s to exploit every piece of intellectual property in its arsenal and wring every last drop out of them. On the other hand, Baby Groot really is so damn adorable.

Win the Week (ABC iview, August 3): This weekly news quiz show is possibly one of the most chaotic – and entertaining – formats on TV. Everyday Australians go up against famous faces as the debate the headlines, but to win, you’ll need more than your wits, you’ll need the ruthless drive to cheat and betray your way to victory. Celebrity guests include Wendy Harmer, Tony Armstrong, Nazeem Hussain and Mark Humphries.

Samaritan (Amazon Prime, August 26): The Sylvester Stallone movie tells the story of a young boy who suspects his 70-something neighbour may actually be the legendary superhero Samaritan, who was long ago presumed dead after some derring-do. But if Samaritan really is alive, how do you convince him to come out of retirement for the city that desperately needs him?

The Thief, His Wife and The Canoe (Foxtel, Binge and Fetch, August 18): This is based on the extraordinary real-life case of John Darwin, a prison officer who faked his own death only to reappear more than five years later. It stars Eddie Marsan and Monica Dolan.

The Thief, His Wife And The Canoe is on Foxtel, Binge and Fetch.

The Bridge (Paramount+, August 19): The wilderness survival genre is experiencing a resurgence and The Bridge is part of that movement. Twelve contestants are dropped into the Tasmanian wilderness and together they must build a 330m-long bridge over 17 days. All they have are basic tools, their hands and the drive to win $250,000. The series is narrated by Hugo Weaving.

My Brilliant Friend S3 (SBS On Demand, August 11): This wonderful Italian drama premiered its first two seasons on Foxtel but with its third, is moving to SBS On Demand, which will now also carry the earlier instalments. Based on Elena Ferrante’s beloved “Neapolitan” novels, it’s the story of intense and dramatic friendship between two women, spanning momentous times in Italy’s history.

Luck (Apple TV+, August 5): Sam is unlucky. You could even call her the unluckiest person in the world. When she stumbles upon the mystical land of good and bad luck, she and some magical creatures uncover a force more powerful than luck. This animated movie from Skydance features the voice talents of Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg and John Ratzenberger.

Code 404 (Stan, August 4): British actor Stephen Graham is at a point in his career that there is a solid argument to be made that if he’s in it, whatever that project is, it’s worth checking out. Code 404 is a police procedural dramedy set in the near future. Graham and Daniel Mays play two investigators and when one of them is killed on the job, he’s resurrected in AI form.

Couples Therapy (Paramount+, August 11): Selling itself as the anti-MAFS, observational reality series Couples Therapy is based on an international format which takes viewers into the emotional nitty-gritty of three couples dealing with challenges in their relationships. It promises to showcase open and honest communication, respect and no concocted drama.

The Porter is on SBS On Demand.

The Porter (SBS On Demand, August 25): This Canadian historical drama tells an oft-neglected story, that of the black train porters who worked the railways which crossed Canada and the US, and the grit, brotherhood and desire for change which led to the world’s first black workers’ union. The 1920s-set dramatised series is focused on a community in Montreal that is sometimes dubbed as the “Harlem of the North”.

Glorious (Shudder, August 18): Very much a comedy as well as a horror, this movie starring Ryan Kwanten had the honour of hiring J.K. Simmons to voice a god who communicates through a glory hole. Yes, that kind of glory hole – are there any others? That’s a rhetorical question, don’t email. Kwanten plays a traveller going through a hellish hangover when he gets drunk at a rest stop and the next morning, while hungover, becomes trapped in a toilet as a pawn in a bigger horror.

6 Festivals (Paramount+, August 25): This Australian film is centred on three friends who share a deep love of music and the need to exorcise some demons. Wanting to escape from their realities, they concoct a plan to hit six music festivals. The movie stars Rasmus King, Yasmin Honeychurch and Rory Potter with appearances from Dune Rats, G Flip, Bliss n Eso, Peking Duk, B Wise and more.

Darby and Joan (Acorn TV, August 8): Bryan Brown and Greta Scacchi just quietly made a whole TV show together, one that’s a roadtrip story, a love story and a mystery all rolled together. Brown plays a retired detective while Scacchi is a widowed nurse. They crash into each other in the Outback and end up combining forces for their odyssey to find themselves, all while solving a little mystery each episode.

*Binge and Foxtel are majority owned by News Corp, publisher of this website