If you’re looking for quality content and storytelling in the month of August that’s new and fresh (rather than say, further exploring what the Criterion Channel has to offer or binging shows you’ve yet to get to like “Vida“), might I suggest looking to TV, rather than films?
While film will have some bright spots in an ultimately dreary month, television has plenty of returning greats and new, intriguing shows that diverge from typical comedies or dramas that are worth diving into. September will be here sooner than we’d like and, with it, the start of festival season in earnest, meaning must-see films will be released on a week to week basis.
READ MORE: ‘Undone’ Trailer: A Trippy, Time-Bending Addition To Amazon’s Content
For now though – and this is unlikely to change with the impending autumn months – we have plenty of great television to wade through that continues to offer megaphones for marginalized and diverse voices to holler through, especially when compared to the opportunities given in the film business.
“Dear White People”
What You Need to Know: Starring Logan Browning and adapted from the film of the same name (that one starring Tessa Thompson), “Dear White People” has been one of the few series adaptations that have benefited from the breadth of storytelling the television format allows. Season 3 will see more time spread among the many characters as Browning’s Sam deals with the fallout of the end of Season 2, a change of pace that befits a cast as sprawling as this.
Release Date: Season 3 premieres August 2 on Netflix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvPbJdDKKds
“Preacher”
What You Need to Know: Starring a truly excellent cast of Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, and Joseph Gilgun, “Preacher” has never quite lived up to the talent displayed by its three leads. Despite a first season that set the stage for an intriguing and grizzly series, the show lost its footing with material that never seamlessly translated from graphic novel to the screen. Season 4 brings the end to the show and while fans who have tagged along on the hyper aren’t likely to disembark so close to the finish line, with its tone set and story in pieces, don’t expect any surprise new viewers. It’s best to think of “Preacher” as an experiment – there’s clearly a path from the Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon series to television. The problem is that the writers needed to soak their scripts in high octane insanity more often to match characters such as a supernaturally gifted Preacher and his friend, the nihilistic vampire.
Release Date: The final season premieres August 4 on AMC
“GLOW”
What You Need to Know: With very little showing again at this year’s Emmys, it’s time we face the fact that “GLOW,” just about to enter its third season following a critically-beloved second, might never receive the acclaim it deserves. While Betty Gilpin has been nominated for her extraordinary work, the entirety of the show is worth binging on Netflix – and definitely worth catching up on if you’ve missed it thus far. With the relocation to a Las Vegas setting and the genius casting of Geena Davis, the show is getting a good shake up to place the character driven series on new and unfamiliar territory. Our critic wrote of Season 2, saying that it was an improved, more confident version of Season 1, writing “GLOW remains one of TV’s top contenders.”
Release Date: Season 3 premieres August 9 on Netflix
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQaCxIJX0J0
“The Terror: Infamy”
What You Need to Know: One of the best shows of 2018, for its bleak nature alone, “The Terror” is one of the few shows where we can understand why it wasn’t an instant appeal to all viewers. While Season 1 featured the surprisingly claustrophobic setting of a ship stranded in ice as members of the crew staved off their increasingly primal urges and descents into madness, “The Terror: Infamy” (a new entry to the ever growing breed of anthology series) places its characters in more familiar horrific trappings. Set during World War II, specifically during the internment of Japanese-Americans following the attack on Pearl Harbor, there’s a sense of real, enraging and timely gravitas that will be carried with it.
Release Date: Season 2 premieres August 12th on AMC
“Succession”
What You Need to Know: For a series that we deemed one of the five best shows of 2018, it’s easy to miss “Succession” on HBO with series such as “Game of Thrones,” “Barry,” “Westworld,” and “Veep” dominating the conversation. But with two of those finished and two offseason, this might be the perfect time for Season 2 to air, as people have been scrambling for something new and binging the first season of the familial drama in preparation. Executively produced by Jesse Armstrong and starring Hiam Abbass, Brian Cox, Kirean Culkin and more, this satirical drama/comedy makes the most of its superb cast with a show that doesn’t easily fit in any box.
Release Date: Season 2 premieres August 12 on HBO
