The August Watchlist: 16 must-see TV shows this month
David Farnor | On 05, Aug 2018
Netflix. Amazon Prime Video. BBC iPlayer. NOW. Walter Presents. There’s so much TV to watch these days in so many places that it can be hard to keep up. Every month, we boil down what’s on the box to the essentials you need in your streaming queue.
From Disenchantment to the long-awaited Season 4 of Better Call Saul, this is your August TV watchlist – what’s worth watching, why and where you can find it online in the UK.
Bodyguard
Any show from the makers of Line of Duty goes straight to the top of our must-see list, and Bodyguard is no exception. Written by Jed Mercurio, and starring Richard Madden (Game of Thrones) and Keeley Hawes (The Durrells), the series is set in and around the corridors of power. It tells the fictional story of David Budd (Madden), a heroic but volatile war veteran now working as a Specialist Protection Officer for the Royalty and Specialist Protection Branch (RaSP) of London’s Metropolitan Police Service.
When he is assigned to protect the ambitious and powerful Home Secretary Julia Montague (Hawes), Budd finds himself torn between his duty and his beliefs. Responsible for her safety, could he become her biggest threat?
Bodyguard UK air date:
When?26th August (9pm)
What channel? BBC One
Watch online in the UK:
BBC iPlayer
New episodes available weekly live and on-demand
Better Call Saul: Season 4
AMC’s Breaking Bad spin-off gets better with every season, as it delicately, patiently traces the journey of Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) from would-be good-guy lawyer to corrupt slime ball. The thrill of getting closer to the world of Walter White is stronger than ever, but even more tantalising is the chance to see Jimmy’s reaction to Season 3’s unexpected finale, as his relationship to the law and Kim (Rhee Seehorn) are in growing jeopardy. Meanwhile, Mike Ehrmantraut (Jonathan Banks) takes a more active role in Gus Fring’s employ, just as the cartel is thrown into chaos. Episodes arrive every Tuesday, within 24 hours of their US broadcast.
Better Call Saul S4 UK air date:
When? 7th August
What channel? Netflix UK
Watch online in the UK:
Netflix UK (£7.99 a month)
Available all at once on-demand
The Innocents
This intriguing British supernatural drama follows teenagers Harry and June, who run away from their repressive families to be together. At the same time, they’re derailed by an extraordinary discovery – June’s ability to shape-shift. A mysterious professor, Halvorson, reveals that June is not alone: there are more shifters out there like her, and he claims to be able to cure June and reunite her with the mother who deserted her three years ago. But as their journey becomes increasingly fraught with danger, Harry and June’s love for each other is tested to breaking point and they’re faced with a choice: keep their innocent dream alive, or risk everything. With a case that includes Clique’s Sorcha Groundsell and Guy Pearce, this has shot right to the top of our watchlist.
The Innocents UK air date:
When? 24th August
What channel? Netflix UK
Watch online in the UK:
Netflix UK (£7.99 a month)
Available all at once on-demand
Disenchantment: Season 1
Miss Futurama, or long for the days when The Simpsons was good? Then Netflix’s new original is for you, as Matt Groening returns for a new animated comedy that follows the misadventures of a hard-drinking princess, her feisty elf companion and her personal demon.
Disenchantment UK air date:
When? 17th August
What channel? Netflix UK
Watch online in the UK:
Netflix UK (£7.99 a month)
Available all at once on-demand
Judge Romesh
Romesh Ranganathan takes on US court series with his own comedy series for Dave. The show sees Romesh holding court over real life disputes, casting his trademark acerbic wit over each. His complete lack of legal smarts makes for amusingly incompetent debates, while Tom Davis (Murder in Successville) and Kerry Howard (Witless) as his bailiff and court clerk bring their own helping of laughs. It premieres on Wednesday 8th August, with episodes already available to watch on UKTV Play.
Judge Romesh UK air date:
When? 8th August (10pm)
What channel? Dave
Watch online in the UK:
UKTV Play
New episodes available weekly live and on-demand
All or Nothing: Manchester City
Amazon’s award-winning run of behind-the-scenes sports documentary turns its eye to the Premier League in a first for UK football teams. The exclusive series offers fans around the world a glimpse into the historic club in its record setting, Premier League winning year.
All or Nothing: Man City UK air date:
When? 17th August
What channel? Amazon Prime Video
Watch online in the UK:
Amazon Prime Video (£5.99 a month)
Available all at once on-demand
Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan
Amazon’s modern reinvention of the Tom Clancy hero. John Krasinski plays Jack Ryan, an up-and-coming CIA analyst thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time. The series follows the titular character as he uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the centre of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale.
Jack Ryan UK air date:
When? 31st August
What channel? Amazon Prime Video
Watch online in the UK:
Amazon Prime Video (£5.99 a month)
Available all at once on-demand
Succession
A bitingly funny, provocative new drama series created by Jesse Armstrong (In the Loop, Peep Show) and starring Brian Cox. On his 80th birthday, media magnate Logan Roy (Cox), whose imminent retirement was thought to be a given, shocks his family by announcing he’s staying on indefinitely as CEO of his huge media conglomerate, Waystar/Royco. The news comes as a heavy blow to his son an heir apparent, Kendall, and tempers begin to flare among Logan’s other children as they each question their father’s intentions. Exploring themes of power, politics, money and family, Succession is an often outrageous account of the pitfalls of being part of a wealthy, but emotionally challenged, family dynasty. The first nine episodes will be released all at once on 2nd August, with the finale available to stream on-demand from 6th August, following its US premiere.
Succession UK air date:
When? 2nd August (9pm)
What channel? Sky Atlantic
Watch Succession online in the UK:
Sky / NOW (£8.99 a month – an Entertainment Membership auto-renews at £8.99 a month until 1st September 2020, £9.99 thereafter unless cancelled))
Available live and on-demand weekly
Ghoul
Hot on the heels of Sacred Games, Netflix breaks yet more new ground with the debut of this Indian horror series. It follows a newly minted military interrogator, who arrives at a covert detention centre only to discover that some of the terrorists held there are not of this world.
Ghoul UK air date:
When? 24th August
What channel? Netflix UK
Watch online in the UK:
Netflix UK (£7.99 a month)
Available all at once on-demand
Peng Life
The internet’s sharpest restaurant critic, Elijah Quashie – aka the Chicken Connoisseur – hosts a brand new review show on Channel 4 that separates the street from the elite. Joining Elijah are his twin mates Nelson and Wilson and the trio hit the streets to test out some of the most deluxe experiences money can buy. Helping Elijah, Nelson and Wilson taste the VIP life across the four-part series will be a plethora of famous faces, including Winnie Harlow, David Haye, Professor Green and Jodie Kidd, as they try out everything from supercars and a private jet to the more humble canal barge and budget coach ride. What will they decide is worth the top dollar? Can the Chicken Connoisseur survive the jump from YouTube sensation to Channel 4 presenter? Tune in to find out.
Peng Life UK air date:
When?10th August (11.05pm)
What channel? Channel 4
Watch online in the UK:
All 4
New episodes available weekly live and on-demand
Hang Ups
A UK remake of Lisa Kudrow’s web series Web Therapy, this new comedy stars Stephen Mangan as Richard Pitt, a therapist with a chequered professional career, who finds himself at a crossroads in life – a crossroads precipitated by the startling realisation that his life appears to be falling apart at the seam. And so he comes up with a new idea: working from home and providing online sessions to clients. The original series was a hilarious improvised gem. With Mangan joined by a stellar cast – including Katherine Parkinson, Charles Dance, Celia Imrie and Richard E Grant – the odds are high that Britain’s own comedy talent can replicate the magic.
Hang Ups UK air date:
When?8th August
What channel? Channel 4
Watch online in the UK:
All 4
New episodes available weekly live and on-demand
Ozark: Season 2
After a promising first season, Jason Bateman’s thriller about a family drawn into a world of drugs and financial corruption has real potential to become a major Netflix original. As we return for Season 2, the Byrdes face danger from every side as the cartel, the Snells and the Langmores all threaten to bring down the new life they’ve built in the Ozarks.
Ozark S2 UK air date:
When? 31st August
What channel? Netflix UK
Watch online in the UK:
Netflix UK (£7.99 a month)
Available all at once on-demand
Fear the Walking Dead: Season 4 Part 2
AMC’s zombie spin-off get one step closer to The Walking Dead this year, with Part 1 of Season 4 introducing Morgan Jones (Lennie James) to this alternative perspective of the world. As these wary new friends fight for each other, against each other and against a legion of the dead to somehow build an existence, Morgan’s arrival also means a farewell to other familiar faces to make for additional new cast members. The wait to find out what that means for the rest of Season 4 is finally over. (Don’t have BT TV? The series will (eventually) arrive on Amazon Prime Video too.)
Fear the Walking Dead: S4 UK air date:
When? 13th August (9pm)
What channel? AMC on BT TV
Watch online in the UK:
BT Player (BT TV)
Available live and on-demand weekly from 9pm
Young and Promising: Season 3
Created by the award-winning writer and lead actress Siri Seljeseth, this semi-autobiographical Norwegian comedy is a delight. It follows three ambitious women in their 20-somethings, living in the heart of Oslo, coping with their transition to adulthood. Life has it demands; lovers, friends, family and work, combined with the rising expectations these women set for themselves. The third season finds Siri, Nene and Alex more distant than ever before; Siri is trying to break into screen-writing and is making progress both professionally and romantically: Nene is similarly experiencing professional success after the launch of her first novel; and Alex’s dreams are on the brink of coming true as she auditions for roles in New York, although life stateside is not as glamorous as it seems. Already commissioned for a fourth season, if you like Fleabag and Girls, you’ll like this.
Young and Promising S3 UK air date:
When? 3rd August
What channel? Walter Presents
Watch online in the UK:
All 4
Available all at once on-demand
For the People
To celebrate the launch of Sky Witness (formerly Sky Living), the latest series from hit-maker Shonda Rhimes makes its UK premiere. Set in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, this new courtroom drama follows six talented young lawyers working on opposite sides of the law and handling the most high-profile and high-stakes federal cases in the country. These young lawyers will be put to the test both personally and professionally as their lives intersect in and out of America’s most prestigious trial court.
For the People UK air date:
When? 6th August (10pm)
What channel? Sky Witness
Watch For the People online in the UK:
Sky / NOW (£8.99 a month – an Entertainment Membership auto-renews at £8.99 a month until 1st September 2020, £9.99 thereafter unless cancelled))
Available live and on-demand weekly
Krypton
Syfy’s Superman prequel series, executive produced by writer/producer David S. Goyer, is set two generations before the destruction of Superman’s home planet. It follows Seg-El (British actor Cameron Cuffe – The Halcyon), the legendary Man of Steel’s grandfather, who is faced with a life and death conflict. With Krypton’s leadership in disarray and the House of El ostracised, Seg is prompted into action by the arrival of Adam Strange (Shaun Sipos – The Vampire Diaries), who’s travelled from present-day Earth to warn Seg of an insidious plot to change the past and prevent the birth of the last son of Krypton – a plot he believes to have been orchestrated by the Super-Villain Brainiac (Blake Ritson – Da Vinci’s Demons). Fighting to redeem his family’s honour and protect the ones he loves, Seg is also entrusted with protecting the future of his legacy – a destiny that will see the birth of the greatest Super Hero ever known.
Peng Life UK air date:
When?19th August (9pm)
What channel? E4
Watch online in the UK:
All 4
New episodes available weekly live and on-demand