New TV Series and Returning Shows Coming in August 2026
August 2026 brings a packed television schedule, with major returning hits, ambitious literary adaptations, superhero mysteries, adult animation and several completely new series. Netflix, Apple TV, Prime Video, Hulu, Paramount+, HBO Max and other platforms all have notable premieres lined up throughout the month.
Here are the most anticipated new and returning TV shows arriving in August 2026.
Lioness — Season 3
Premiere date: August 2
Where to watch: Paramount+
Taylor Sheridan’s espionage thriller returns with another dangerous assignment for Joe McNamara. Season three once again stars Zoe Saldaña, Nicole Kidman, Morgan Freeman and Michael Kelly.
The new storyline brings hidden networks, foreign operatives and personal betrayals closer to Joe’s own life. While continuing to lead the Lioness programme, she must balance the demands of national security against the growing consequences for her family. The eight-episode season will release weekly on Sundays.
The Librarians: The Next Chapter — Season 2
Premiere date: August 2
Where to watch: TNT
The magical adventure series returns for a second chapter filled with supernatural artefacts, mythical creatures and new threats to the balance between magic and the ordinary world.
The new Librarian team will face a powerful rival while continuing its mission to contain dangerous magic and protect unsuspecting civilians. Season two premieres on TNT, with episodes expected to arrive weekly.
Futurama — Season 14
Premiere date: August 3
Where to watch: Hulu and Disney+
Fry, Leela, Bender and the Planet Express crew are back for another round of absurd intergalactic adventures.
Season 14 promises space pirates, laboratory-grown meat, elaborate scams and the unexpected return of Dr. Zoidberg’s lost love. New episodes will stream weekly on Mondays through Hulu in the United States and Disney+ in international markets.
The Chelsea Detective — Season 4
Premiere date: August 3
Where to watch: Acorn TV
Detective Inspector Max Arnold returns to investigate another collection of murders hidden behind the elegant streets, expensive homes and privileged lifestyles of Chelsea.
The fourth season consists of four new cases. Despite the fashionable London setting, Max and his colleagues continue to uncover deception, greed, resentment and violence beneath the neighbourhood’s polished exterior. Episodes will arrive weekly through August 24.
Ted Lasso — Season 4
Premiere date: August 5
Where to watch: Apple TV
After a three-year break, Ted Lasso returns to the football world for an unexpected fourth season.
Jason Sudeikis reprises his role as the relentlessly optimistic American coach. The new chapter reunites viewers with familiar AFC Richmond characters while opening a different phase in Ted’s personal and professional journey. The central question is whether his empathy-driven approach can work when the team, the competition and Ted himself have all changed.
One Hundred Years of Solitude — Part 2
Premiere date: August 5
Where to watch: Netflix
Netflix concludes its large-scale adaptation of Gabriel García Márquez’s landmark novel.
The second part continues the multigenerational history of the Buendía family and the mythical town of Macondo. The arrival of the railway brings technological progress and commercial expansion, but it also introduces exploitation and the forces that will push the town towards its downfall.
Directors Laura Mora and Carlos Moreno oversee the concluding episodes of this visually ambitious Colombian production.
1670 — Season 3
Premiere date: August 5
Where to watch: Netflix
The Polish historical satire returns to Adamczycha for another season of aristocratic vanity, family disputes and deliberately modern social commentary.
Jan Paweł remains obsessed with reclaiming his noble status. His ambitions, however, prevent him from noticing the problems developing within his own household and among the villagers who are increasingly affected by his decisions.
The Shards
Premiere date: August 5
Where to watch: FX and Hulu
Based on Bret Easton Ellis’s novel, The Shards is a psychological thriller set in early-1980s Los Angeles.
The story follows a group of wealthy teenagers whose carefully controlled lives begin to fracture when a mysterious new student enters their circle. At the same time, a serial killer appears to be targeting young people across the city.
The series combines coming-of-age drama, obsession, paranoia and murder mystery, filtered through the distinctive excess and unease associated with Ellis’s work. Hulu officially lists the series premiere for August 5.
Sterling Point
Premiere date: August 5
Where to watch: Prime Video
Prime Video’s new young-adult drama centres on Annie, a young woman spending the summer in Muskoka, an isolated and scenic region north of Toronto.
Across eight episodes, she must navigate grief, first love, secrets and betrayal within a seemingly idyllic lakeside community. All episodes are scheduled to become available at once, making Sterling Point one of August’s principal binge releases.
Ricky Gervais: Alley Cats
Premiere date: August 7
Where to watch: Netflix
Ricky Gervais moves into adult animation with a comedy about a disorderly group of feral urban cats.
The series follows their vulgar conversations, territorial conflicts and chaotic attempts to survive life on the streets. Its irreverent tone and intentionally offensive humour place it firmly in the adult-animation category rather than among conventional family cartoons.
Reacher — Season 4
Premiere date: August 12
Where to watch: Prime Video
Alan Ritchson returns as former military investigator Jack Reacher.
Season four is based on Lee Child’s novel Gone Tomorrow. A disturbing encounter with a stranger on a subway pulls Reacher into a conspiracy involving powerful enemies operating at the highest levels of society.
The season launches with three episodes, followed by weekly releases through September 16. Prime Video has already renewed the series for a fifth season.
Women in Blue — Season 2
Premiere date: August 12
Where to watch: Apple TV
The Mexican crime drama, also known as Las Azules, returns with María promoted to lieutenant.
The discovery of a murdered student activist leads María, Valentina, Gabina and Ángeles into an investigation connected to the 1968 student massacre. As additional bodies appear, the officers begin to suspect that someone is carrying out a personal form of justice.
The case forces the women to confront corruption within the system they are trying to serve. New episodes will arrive weekly through September 30.
Lanterns
Premiere date: August 16
Where to watch: HBO and HBO Max
One of the most significant new DC Studios television projects of the year, Lanterns stars Kyle Chandler as Hal Jordan and Aaron Pierre as John Stewart.
The story follows the two Green Lanterns as they investigate a murder in the American heartland. Rather than functioning purely as a conventional superhero adventure, the series has been presented as a grounded mystery with science-fiction and police-drama elements.
Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt and Poorna Jagannathan also appear in the cast.
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia — Season 18
Premiere date: August 17
Where to watch: FX and Hulu
Television’s most dysfunctional bar owners return for an eighteenth season.
Dennis, Dee, Mac, Charlie and Frank remain trapped in their familiar cycle of terrible schemes, personal grudges and spectacularly selfish decisions. After so many years, the appeal of the series remains unchanged: the characters almost never learn anything, and every attempt at success produces a new disaster.
The season premieres through FX and will be available for streaming on Hulu.
Average Joe — Season 2
Premiere date: August 19
Where to watch: Paramount+
Deon Cole returns as Joe Washington, an ordinary plumber whose life was transformed after he discovered that his late father had stolen money from dangerous criminals.
Season two finds Joe dealing with the consequences of that discovery while facing new threats, complicated alliances and increasingly difficult moral decisions. The combination of crime thriller, family drama and dark comedy remains central to the series.
Outer Banks — Season 5
Premiere date: August 20
Where to watch: Netflix
The Pogues return for their final adventure.
After suffering a devastating loss, the group pursues revenge and redemption while searching for another valuable artefact. The final season is expected to resolve the remaining conflicts between the Pogues, their enemies and the treasure-hunting world that has repeatedly placed them in danger.
Netflix describes season five as the last ride for John B, Sarah, Kiara, Pope, Cleo and the remaining members of the group.
Adults — Season 2
Premiere date: August 27
Where to watch: FX and Hulu
The comedy about a group of young friends attempting to function as responsible adults returns for its second season.
The characters continue to share a home while confronting unstable relationships, financial pressure, work problems and the realisation that none of them is as independent or emotionally mature as they imagined.
Season two will premiere on FX and stream through Hulu.
Dark Matter — Season 2
Premiere date: August 28
Where to watch: Apple TV
Apple’s multiverse thriller returns with Joel Edgerton and Jennifer Connelly.
The first season followed physicist Jason Dessen as he was abducted into an alternative version of his own life and attempted to find his way back to his family. Season two continues the consequences of that journey, expanding the dangers created by multiple realities and competing versions of the same people.
The new season premieres globally on August 28, with weekly episodes expected to follow.
What to Watch in August 2026
August offers an unusually varied television lineup. Viewers looking for large-scale drama have Lioness, Reacher, Lanterns and Dark Matter. Comedy fans can choose between Ted Lasso, Futurama, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, 1670 and Alley Cats. Crime and mystery are represented by The Chelsea Detective, Women in Blue, Average Joe and The Shards.
Meanwhile, One Hundred Years of Solitude and Outer Banks bring two major Netflix stories closer to their conclusions. With premieres spread across the entire month, August 2026 should provide new episodes almost every week on every major streaming platform.