What are you going to be watching in August? With thanks to our friends at Nando‘s, we round up everything coming to streaming services this month, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, Apple TV+, Neon and TVNZ OnDemand.

The biggies

Nine Perfect Strangers (limited series, first three episodes on Amazon Prime Video on August 20, weekly thereafter)

Is The White Lotus not stressful enough for you? Then buckle in, because here’s another show about rich people gathered in a luxury resort while trying to escape their problems. Nine Perfect Strangers, based on the book by Liane Moriarty (Big Little Lies), focuses on a wellness resort run by a mysterious Russian woman (Nicole Kidman in a bewildering wig and more bewildering accent). Guests arrive for a 10-day retreat that seems less about “wellness” and more about “uncovering devastating trauma within oneself”. It sounds like tense watching, but with a cast that includes Melissa McCarthy, Regina Hall and Bobby Cannavale, this is one not to miss. / Sam Brooks

Neon’s Documentary Spotlight (on Neon from August 1)

Sick of the plights of the fictional? Want to dive back into the real world? Look no further than Neon’s documentary spotlight, which brings many of the best documentaries from the past year to the platform. The documentaries range from an in-depth look of the Covid outbreak on the Diamond Princess cruise ship, the story of a small town’s fight against Elon Musk, a wide-ranging look at Obama’s rise to the presidency, and a tender reflection on the tragic life of Chyna, one-time WWF superstar and ninth wonder of the world. Read our piece detailing them all right here. / SB

The Panthers (on TVNZ on Demand from August 15, weekly on TVNZ1)

The year is 1974. Will ‘Ilolahis (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), the black sheep of his Tongan family and “The Professor” of the streets, is sick of seeing his community stuck fighting against a broken system. Inspired by the Black Panther movement in the USA, ‘Ilolahia and a group of likeminded folks form The Polynesian Panthers, becomig the revolutionaries their community needs them to be. This six part series drops in its entirety on August 15, but if you want to watch it on broadcast, it’ll be on Sunday nights at 8.30pm starting that same day. / Sam Brooks

The Chair (on Netflix from August 20)

I admit, a series about the new head of department at a small liberal arts college doesn’t exactly scream “rollicking good time”. But what if I told you it starred Sandra Oh, of Grey’s Anatomy and Killing Eve fame, in her first truly comedic role? And that the cast includes indie darling Mark Duplass and stone cold legend Holland Taylor? And that it was created by the multi-talented Amanda Peet, who was so good as Betty Broderick on Dirty John, and is co-produced by Game of Thrones showrunners DB Weiss and David Benioff, Peet’s husband? And that the key art for the show depicts Oh behind a nameplate that reads “F*cker in charge of you f*cking f*cks”? Now you’re interested, right? / Catherine McGregor

The notables

Kevin Can Go F**K Himself (on Amazon Prime Video from August 27)

There’s high concept TV, and then there’s whatever the hell Kevin Can F**k Himself is. The Emmy-winning Annie Murphy does a 180 from her cheery Schitt’s Creek character to play Allison, the downtrodden wife of boorish, man-child Kevin. The twist – and it’s a doozy – is that this is show of two halves: a gritty prestige TV relationship drama about a woman struggling to free herself from her domineering husband and a cheesy multi-camera sitcom (complete with laugh track) in which Allison’s marriage is depicted through a familiar  oafish husband/hot wife “comedic” lens. Whatever Kevin Can F**k Himself is, it definitely won’t be boring. / CM

The Cabins (on Neon from August 23)

As the sun begins to fade on our beloved Love Island, The Cabins swoops like a chiselled bombshell ready to turn our reality-loving heads. Created by the team behind Love Island, The Cabins is a dating show with a simpler, more wholesome vibe – think cosy log cabins and fireside D&Ms, hot tubs and fairy lights, and lots of fluffy cushions. It’s basically a reality version of Virgin River, but instead of a stubbly Martin Henderson we get 12 hornbag singles who pair up and spend 24 hours together to see if they have a future. Completely bonkers, can’t wait to love it. / Tara Ward

Clickbait (on Netflix from August 25)

In a perfect world this series would earn its name by being promoted hyperbolically but delivering nothing but a bunch of tedious social media posts when you press play. In fact, the eight-part Clickbait, which is set in the US but shot in Melbourne, is billed as a “cyber-thriller”. It centres around a character played by Adrian Grenier (who made his name playing the star at the centre of the comedy Entourage), a man whose online life turns out to be a whole lot different to his wholesome family man appearance.What gives real hope for Clickbait is the pedigree of its creator-showrunner, Tony Ayres, whose back catalogue includes The Slap, one of the most impressive television programmes to be created in Australia this century. / Toby Manhire

Only Murders in the Building (on Disney+ from August 30)

Given the pace of its growth and the bloatedness of its tropes, it’s no wonder the true-crime podcast genre has quickly become a focus for pastiche. But none comes so star-studded as Only Murders in the Building, a 10-parter starring comedy colossus Steve Martin, alongside the celebrated pop star and actor Selena Gomez and Martin Short, who you’ll recognise but you probably won’t be sure where from. The plot could not be less surprising: three strangers set about investigating a crime, only to find themselves drawn deeper than they’d ever imagined. But with Martin sharing a writing credit, it could be a cracker. / TM

The films

Tig Notaro: Drawn (on Neon from August 6)

Tig Notaro’s half-hour Live set from 2012, performed only four days after she was diagnosed with stage two breast cancer, remains one of the highlights of 21st century standup comedy; her later special, Boyish Girl Interrupted, isn’t far off either. Now Notaro is back with a new special, but you won’t see her on screen – Drawn is entirely animated. It’s a reminder that while Notaro’s most acclaimed work is her more vulnerable, tragic stuff, she’s also a deeply accomplished absurdist and her sillier material is up there with the best of the best. If you can find a video of her simply pushing around a stool on the set of Conan, do yourself a favour and watch – it’ll be the funniest thing you see all week. Consider Drawn a must-watch, whether you’re an avid stand-up fan or not. / SB

He’s All That (on Netflix from August 27)

This is a gender-flipped remake of semi-problematic 90s teen movie She’s All That starring TikTok sensation Addison Rae as Padgett (not a name), who accepts a challenge to turn the inexplicably symmetrical yet socially noxious Cameron (Tanner Buchanan, from Cobra Kai) into the most popular boy in school. Rachael Leigh Cook returns, as a completely unrelated character to the one she played in the original, and according to Wikipedia, Kourtney Kardashian has a kameo. Thanks, I hate all of it. / SB

Coda (on Apple TV+ from August 13)

Coda, an acronym for “child of Deaf adults”, was the hit of this year’s Sundance Festival, and was purchased by Apple TV+ for a record $25 million. Emilia Jones plays Ruby, the hearing girl in a culturally Deaf family who run a fishing business on the Massachusetts coast. She joins the choir club, where she kills it, and after being encouraged to apply for music school she has to decide between helping her family and pursuing her singing dream. Grab your tissues and get ready for some red eyes, because this one is not just the hit of Sundance, but the tearjerker of the year. / SB

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This post is made possible by our friends at Nando’s. 

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The rest

Netflix

August 1

Joker

Spy Kids

Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost Dreams

August 3

Top Secret UFO Projects: Declassified

Pray Away

Shiny_Flakes: The Teenage Drug Lord

August 4

Control Z: Season 2

Car Masters: Rust to Riches: Season 3

Cooking with Paris

76

Cocaine Cowboys

August 6

Hit and Run

Navarasa

Vivo

The Swarm

August 9

Shaman King

August 10

Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang

Untold: Malice at the Palace

Gabby’s Dollhouse: Season 2

August 11

Bake Squad

The Kissing Booth 3

Misha and the Wolves

August 12

AlRawabi School for Girls

Lokillo: Nothing’s the Same

Monster Hunter: Legends of the Guild

August 13

Brand New Cherry Flavour

Gone for Good

The Kingdom

Valeria: Season 2

Beckett

Fast & Furious Spy Racers: South Pacific

August 17

Untold: Deal with the Devil

Go! Go! Cory Carson: Season 5

August 18

The Defeated

Out of My League

The Secret Diary of an Exchange Student

Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes

August 20

The Chair

Everything will be Fine

Sweet Girl

The Loud House Movie

August 22

Cats

August 23

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf

August 24

Untold: Caitlyn Jenner

Oggy Oggy

August 25

Open Your Eyes

Clickbait

Motel Makeover

Post Mortem: No One Dies in Skarnes

John of God: The Crimes of a Spiritual Healer

Bob Ross: Happy Accidents, Betrayal and Greed

August 26

Family Reunion: Part 4

Edens Zero

August 27

Titledown High

He’s All That

I Heart Arlo

August 28

Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha

August 31

Good Girls: Season 3

Sparking Joy

Untold; Crime and Penalties

Neon

August 1

Rescued Chimps of the Congo With Jane Goodall

Bruno

August 2

The Last Cruise

August 3

Vice Versa: Between Musk and Mars

Jane Eyre

August 4

Hooking Up

August 5

White Famous

Milk

The Legend of the Underground

August 6

Vice Versa: Chyna

Tig Notaro: Drawn

August 7

Archive

The Day Sports Stood Still

August 8

The L Word: Generation Q: Season 2

Vice Versa: HIV: The Neglected Pandemic

Bellbird

August 9

The Equalizer

August 10

Mr Inbetween: Season 3

August 11

Rockabye Island

Daisy Quokka – World’s Scariest Animal

August 12

Five Bedrooms: Season 2

The Kid Detective

August 13

Keas: New Zealand’s Witty Daredevils

The Croods: A New Age

August 14

The Lost Husband

August 15

Deceit

Honest Thief

August 16

FBI: Most Wanted: Season 2

August 17

Willy’s Wonderland

August 18

Super Why: Season 3

100% Wolf

August 19

War and Peace

August 20

The Dark Side of Football

David Attenborough’s Light on Earth

An American Pickle

August 21

Cinema Toast

Target Number One

The War with Grandpa

August 22

The Glorias

August 23

The Cabins

August 24

Doug To The Rescue

August 25

Bad Boys

Bad Boys 2

August 26

Twin Peaks: Season 1

Housesitter

August 27

Flatbush Misdemeanours

Love Island USA: Season 3

Freaky

August 28

Let Him Go

August 29

Irresistable

August 30

Assault on Precinct 13

August 30

Britannia: Season 3

August 31

The Man with the Iron Fists

TVNZ on Demand

August 1

Smother

August 2

Darwin+Newts: I’m On It

Darwin+Newts: Let’s Science It

August 9

Debris

K-Pop Academy

K-Pop Academy: Dance Lessons

August 15

The Panthers

August 17

Bachelor in Paradise: Season 7

August 23

Brave New World

The Drawing Show

August 28

Departure

August 31

Nurses

Disney+

August 4

Short Circuit

Disney Junior Muppet Babies

August 6

Hip Hop Uncovered

A Wilderness of Error

Hysterical

Criminal Minds: Season 15

Black Widow (1987)

Impact with Gal Gadot

Sharks vs. Dolphins: Blood Battle

August 11

What If…?

Spidey and His Amazing Friends

August 13

The Predator (2018)

August 18

Diary of a Future President: Season 2

Gigantosaurus: Season 2

Growing Up Animal

August 20

Maze Runner: The Death Cure

Red Sparrow

Flooded Tombs of the Niles

August 25

The Empty Man

August 27

Vacation Friends

Cruella

Disney Princess Remix: An Ultimate Princess Celebration

August 31

Only Murders in the Building

Amazon Prime Video

August 2

The Craft: Legacy

August 6

Cruel Summer

S.O.Z: Soldados O Zombies

The Croods: A New Age

Let Him Go

August 12

Evangelion:1.11 You Are (Not) Alone

Evangelion 2.22 You Can (Not) Advance

Evangelione 3.33 You Can (Not) Redo

Evangelion 3.0+1.01 Thrice Upon a Time

August 13

Modern Love: Season 2

Star Trek: Lower Decks: Season 2

August 14

Priest

Grown Ups

Underworld Awakening

Takers

Legion

The Bounnty Hunter

Money Monster

August 15

Safe House

August 16

I Saw The Light

The Bronze

August 20

Nine Perfect Strangers

August 21

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

August 23

Elementary

August 26

Rosehaven

August 27

Kevin Can F**K Himself

Dawn Raid

August 30

The Pursuit of Happyness

Ghost Rider

Hitch

Fun with Dick and Jane

AppleTV+

August 6

Mr. Corman

August 13

Coda

August 27

See: Season 2

Acorn TV

August 2

Lost Letters Mysteries

August 9

Murdoch Mysteries: Season 11 + Christmas Special

The Circuit: Season 1 and 2

August 16

Harbour Lights

Emma Fielding Mysteries

August 23

Republic of Doyle

Murdoch Mysteries: Season 12

August 30

Dark Heart

The Hatton Garden Heist