If August 2023 in the United States turns out to be anything like July, then you will certainly be looking for ways to stay cool during downtime. The wonderful news is this: TV is here for you. A handful of popular returning TV shows will be on hand while Justified: City Primeval parcels out its remaining doses of Raylan Givens’ hat and swagger.
Enter those Rez Dogs along with the Only Murders trio and the final season of Billions, which will only be the beginning of that franchise. From there, Star Wars junkies will somehow receive another new series. Issa Rae’s latest brainchild returns, too, and there’s a Glass Onion-like story brewing for the end of the month. Oh, and we might be seeing the next Squid Game-type success, so keep your eyes on that one.
Here are the must see shows for August.
Physical: Season 3 (Apple TV+ series streaming 8/2)
Rose Byrne’s other Apple TV+ show (she recently scored a hit with Seth Rogen in Platonic) returns for a final season of darkly comedic aerobicizing. That exercise empire, Body By Sheila, is now under threat due to a rival workout goddess portrayed by Zooey Deschanel, so is there enough room on people’s VHS shelves for both fitness moguls to keep shining amid leg warmers and mega-hairstyles? This show has so much bite, and it will be sorely missed by those who dig tales about unhappy housewives who ditch their stifling lives and move onto entrepreneurial success, albeit with its own hazards.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P3BpDkYjlTY
Reservation Dogs: Season 3 (FX series streaming on Hulu 8/2)
The TV world’s favorite four Indigenous teens (Elora Danan, Bear Smallhill, Willie Jack, and Cheese) will bring Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi’s story home in rural Oklahoma. Actually, they are now stuck in Cali and will be attempting to return home, after which they will try to feel out their futures, which look to be a far cry from what they originally imagined when this show began. As always, the assortment of elders will provide more comedy and drama while the community could still stand to heal past wounds that never quite closed.
The Lincoln Lawyer: Season 2 Part 2 (Netflix series streaming 8/3)
The series picked up the same subject matter as the movie, and whaddya know, the show turned into a streaming hit that kept the adventures of Los Angeles’ most talked-about defense attorney. Naturally, Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) is still running business out of his Lincoln’s backseat, where he’ll handle just about every case, and if you’ve been missing Neve Campbell from the continuing Scream franchise, you can find her here as Season 2 continues.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z76liPf7o-4
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty: Season 2 (HBO series streaming on Max 8/6)
Adam McKay brings more of his adaptation of Jeff Pearlman’s Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers, which will see the Lakers prepare to face off with the Boston Celtics in their rivalry for the ages. Expect the personal lives and troubles of Jerry Buss and his team members to play as substantial a role (if not more) than what happens on the court. That’s to be expected in this series, but this season, the show takes on Magic Johnson’s sex addiction, which is only one of many distractions that could cause the team to lose momentum after their phenomenal inaugural season.
Only Murders In The Building: Season 3 (Hulu series streaming 8/8)
The dream team of Steve Martin, Martin Short, and the underappreciated Selena Gomez return once more, and there’s another murder (along with Meryl Streep) that will soon suck them in after a time jump. First, however, the trio must clean up after the resolution of the search for Bunny’s murder, and there shall be no rest for the true crime-obsessed among us. Maybe one day the Emmys will wise up and nominate Selena for this role because she holds her own against comedy legends with a punchy aplomb that will be remembered.
Zombieverse: Season 1 (Netflix series streaming 8/8)
Pay attention to this one because this show could be the next Squid Game. This reality series plops “survivors” into Seoul, South Korea, amid the outbreak of a zombie virus. Various challenges must be completed while the undead remain a constant threat, and we truly are awash with zombie disgustingness these days on TV, aren’t we? No word yet on how this shall be received by viewers of The Walking Dead and The Last Of Us, but it would be mildly surprising if this series isn’t a success.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqR76mqILkU
Rap Sh!t: Season 2 (Max series streaming 8/10 – moving to 11/9)
Issa Rae’s newest premium cable hit will return with Shawna and Mia, two long-lost high school pals who previously came back together as a rap duo, adjusting to music industry demands. That conflict hits a pivotal moment that pushes them to examine whether they can remain themselves or conform, and that’s not the only challenge of this season. The show’s music supervisors spent an inordinate amount of time attempting to clear a certain Drake song, and now, you must tune in to find out whether they got it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hm4tSDlBqyU
Billions: Season 7 (Showtime series streaming on Paramount+ 8/13)
Whaddya know, Damian Lewis’ Bobby Axelrod is somehow back for one last *cough* job. Whether that job involves leaning deep into betrayal remains unknown for the moment, but expect alliances to fall and old wounds to fester. Enemies and friends find their lines blurred, and man, do enough people give Maggie Siff credit for being one of the most magnetic presences within any ensemble cast? I think not, but sure, Corey Still and Paul Giamatti are cool, too. Once this show takes the final lap, Showtime will somehow launch four spinoffs, and Maggie should appear in all of them.
Star Wars: Ahsoka: Season 1 (Disney+ series streaming 8/23)
Rosario Dawson was largely fancast by the Internet as the title character, and we’ll see if the former Jedi Knight can vanquish “an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy,” as revealed by the synopsis. That’s clear as mud, obviously, but in more known quantities, this live-action series will definitely co-star Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Lars Mikkelson, and Eman Esfandi. Additionally, this series looks to follow up on Ashoka’s place at the end of Star Wars: Rebels and her appearance in The Mandalorian Season 2.
