It’s getting hot out there, so go watch all your shows.
As we enter the final month of a very hot summer, I encourage you to embrace the indoors (with a little bit of House of the Dragon and a little bit of Lord of the Rings and a little bit of A League of Their Own) and all that TV is offering up this month.
In addition to the shows mentioned above, Paste TV will be covering Marvel’s first TV comedy She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (August 17 on Disney+), Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney buying a soccer team in FX’s Welcome to Wrexham (August 24), The Patient—a new series from the creators of The Americans starring Steve Carrell (August 30 on Hulu)—and much, much more.
In other words, the TV is on, the TV is on, the TV is on. Here are the five new under-the-radar shows you can’t miss this month.
1. This Fool
Stars: Chris Estrada, Frankie Quinones, Laura Patalano, Michelle Ortiz, Julia Vera and Michael Imperioli
Premiere Date: All 10 episodes premiere August 12 on Hulu
Comedian Chris Estrada stars as Julio, a 30-year-old who lives at home, has an ex-girlfriend (Michelle Ortiz) that his family adores and works at the gang rehabilitation center known as Hugs Not Thugs. When Julio’s cousin Luis (Frankie Quinones) gets out of jail and moves in with Julio and his mom, Julio is forced to take stock of his life while trying to get Luis to commit to leaving crime in his past (first up: making the perfect cupcake). But Luis still sees Julio as his annoying younger cousin. Keep an eye out for Michael Imperioli as the cranky minister overseeing Hugs Not Thugs.
2. Bad Sisters
Stars: Sharon Horgan, Anne-Marie Duff, Eva Birthistle, Sarah Greene, Eve Hewson, Claes Bang, Brian Gleeson, Daryl McCormack, Assaad Bouab and Saise Quinn
Premiere Date: The first two episodes premiere August 19 on AppleTV+. A new episode premieres every Friday until the finale on October 14.
Sharon Horgan who turned a one night stand into poignant hilarity in Catastrophe is back with a 10-episode dark comedy about the Garvey sisters. When Grace’s (Anne-Marie Duff) husband John Paul (Claes Bing) suddenly dies in an accident, Ursula (Eva Birthistle), Bibi (Sarah Greene), Becka (Eva Hewson) and Eva (Horgan) must protect their sister especially when life insurance agents Thomas (Brian Gleeson) and Matthew (Daryl McCormack so fantastic recently in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande) start investigating John Paul’s untimely death. And how did the sisters feel about Grace’s husband? Well the first episode of the series is called “The Prick.”
3. Echoes
Stars: Michelle Monaghan, Matt Bomer, Daniel Sunjata, Ali Stroker, Karen Robinson, Rosanny Zayas, Michael O’Neill, Celia Weston, Gable Swanlund, Tyner Rushing, Hazel Mason, Ginger Mason, Alise Willis, and Maddie Nichols
Premiere Date: All seven episodes premiere August 19 on Netflix
Like Sarah Michelle Gellar, Lisa Kudrow, Mark Ruffalo and Ewan McGregor before her, Michelle Monaghan stars opposite herself as identical twins Gina and Leni. Leni is married to Charlie (Daniel Sunjata) living a glamorous Hollywood life while Gina, who is married to Jack (Matt Bomer), has never left the small Virginia town they grew up in. When Gina goes missing, Leni, clearly the black sheep of the family, returns home to try to figure out what happened to her sister and confront her past. The local sheriff (Karen Robinson) knows the sisters are hiding something. And, after the first episode, viewers will too.
4. Sprung
Stars: Garret Dillahunt, Martha Plimpton, Phillip Garcia, Shakira Barrera, James Earl, and Clare Gillies
Premiere Date: The first two episodes premiere August 19 on FreeVee. A new episode premieres every Friday until the finale on September 16.
Fans of My Name is Earl and Raising Hope know that Greg Garcia’s shows have a delightfully distinct and offbeat sense of humor. Garcia is back with a comedy set at the onset of the pandemic. Prison roommates Jack (Garret Dillahunt) and Rooster (Phillip Garcia) are unexpectedly, that’s right, sprung from jail due to COVID-19. They move in with Rooster’s mom Barb (Martha Plimpton who reunites with her Raising Hope co-star Dillahunt) and Jack’s also newly released prison girlfriend Gloria (Shakira Barrera). How will this group of grifters get by?
5. The End is Nye
Stars: Bill Nye, Seth MacFarlane and Brannon Braga
Premiere Date: All six episodes premiere August 25 on Peacock
Bill Nye the Science Guy is back with a six-episode series about potential global disasters. You may be thinking . . . really is this what we need right now? But with Nye, Seth MacFarlane and Brannon Braga at the helm, the quirky series is guaranteed to make you laugh as Nye guides viewers on what can be done about “six world-ending disasters.” “Together we can save Earth with science” promises in the trailer. And you know what? I kind of believe him.
Amy Amatangelo, the TV Gal®, is a Boston-based freelance writer and a member of the Television Critics Association. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter (@AmyTVGal).
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