By Tim Lowery and Saloni Gajjar. Clockwise from top left: Alien: Earth (Photo: Patrick Brown/FX), Long Story Short (Image: Netflix), Peacemaker (Photo: HBO Max), Chief Of War (Photo: Apple TV+)
August is shaping up to be a pretty big month in television for period dramas thanks to Apple TV+’s Chief Of War and a Starz’s Outlander prequel. Meanwhile, Prime Video drops a spin-off of The Terminal List‘s and a new spy series starring Lost‘s Daniel Dae-Kim. And as far as big franchises, John Cena dons his Peacemaker helmet for the show’s long-anticipated return, while, in MCU land, the world of Black Pantherwidens with a new animated saga. Plus, Netflix welcomes another original series from BoJack Horseman‘s Raphael Bob-Waksberg, and—in the biggest TV news of August—Noah Hawley presents Alien: Earth. Here is The A.V. Club’s guide to what to watch on TV next month.
Created by Marvel storyboard artist Todd Harris, the animated series Eyes Of Wakanda expands the lore of Black Panther. Specifically, it focuses on Wakandan warriors called the Hatut Zarare, who carry out dangerous missions to retrieve vibranium artifacts. Not only do they travel the world for this, but they also move through various historical periods via the Sacred Timeline (including alternate realities and dimensions), as established in Doctor Strange: The Multiverse Of Madness. EOW is shown through the POV of Noni (Winnie Harlow), a disgraced Dora Milaje fighter, and the show’s voice cast also includes Cress Williams and Steve Toussaint. [Saloni Gajjar]
Jason Momoa and his Chief Of War co-creator, Thomas Pa’a Sibbett (Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom), cannot resist a major underwater moment, as evidenced by footage of the actor riding a shark in this show’s trailer. The 19th-century set series, inspired by the rebellion against Hawai’i’s unification, centers on a warrior’s fight to stop Western colonization of the islands. Momoa and Sibbett, who also worked together on The Last Manhunt, wrote all nine episodes, and the Game Of Thrones alum directed the finale. Told mostly from the perspective of Indigenous characters, Chief Of War has an ensemble that features Temuera Morrison, Kaina Makua, and Te Ao o Hinepehinga. [Saloni Gajjar]
King Of The Hill season 14 (Hulu, August 4)
After rumors swirled in 2017 that Fox was interested in bringing back Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’ animated favorite, the revival of the show is finally coming to Hulu. And you can definitely expect the titular Arlen, Texas, denizen to be thoroughly confused by all-gender restrooms, Uber ratings, and modern life in general: “I don’t know how to kick someone’s ass over Zoom,” he proclaims in the trailer, “but I’ll figure it out.” [Tim Lowery]
Outlander: Blood Of My Blood (Starz, August 8)
It wouldn’t be an Outlanderspin-off if time travel weren’t involved. This prequel tracks how Jamie Fraser’s parents (portrayed by Harriet Slater and Jamie Roy) fell in love in 18th-century Scotland. It also charts the romance between Claire Beauchamp’s mom and dad (played by Hermione Corfield and Jeremy Irvine) during World War I in England. And, thanks to the ancient stone circles in the Highlands (the same ones that transported Claire back in time in the original’s premiere), everyone’s paths cross when the Beauchamps land up in 1714 Scotland. As a bonus, fans can look forward to seeing younger versions of Outlander faves like Murtagh Fraser (Rory Alexander) and Jocasta Mackenzie (Sadhbh Malin). [Saloni Gajjar]
Alien: Earth (FX, August 12)
Fargo‘s Noah Hawley takes over the Alien franchise with a cool-looking and -sounding prequel set two years before the events of Ridley Scott’s original film. In 2120, the planet is being ruled by five mega corporations, with synths and Cyborgs co-existing. Enter the CEO of a tech company, who develops a hybrid: a synthetic robot with human consciousness named Wendy (Sydney Chandler). When a Weyland-Yutani spacecraft crash-lands in a crowded city with different alien species—not just the Xenomorphs!—onboard, Wendy and her newly formed team investigate and try to stop these creatures. Timothy Olyphant, Alex Lawther, Essie Davis, Adarsh Gourav, and David Rysdahl round out the cast. [Saloni Gajjar]
Butterfly (Prime Video, August 13)
At the heart of Butterfly, an action-packed spy thriller, lies a family secret. The six episodes, based on the graphic novel of the same name, center on David Jung (Daniel Dae Kim), a skilled U.S. agent who has been presumed dead for the past couple of decades. Except he’s very much alive—and reunites with his now-adult kid, Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), who trained to become a covert operative just like him. Father and daughter team up to bring down the agency that recruited them because Rebecca is being framed by them for a crime. And along the way, the duo attempts to repair their fractured relationship. [Saloni Gajjar]
The Twisted Tale Of Amanda Knox (Hulu, August 20)
Hulu reenacts another headline-grabbing case in this eight-episode limited series, which tells the tale—a very twisted one, some might say—of the American-exchange student who was locked up for murdering her roommate in Italy back in 2007. This Is Us scribe K.J. Steinberg created the show, which stars streamerregular Grace Van Patten, the great Sharon Horgan, John Hoogenakker, Francesco Acquaroli, and Giuseppe De Domenico. [Tim Lowery]
Peacemaker season two (HBO Max, August 21)
More than three years after its premiere, Peacemakerpunches its way onto our screens again. In season two, mercenary vigilante Chris Smith (John Cena) and his A.R.G.U.S. pals—including Leota (Danielle Brooks) and Harcourt (Jennifer Holland)—battle a revenge-seeking Rick Flag Sr. (Frank Grillo). A big storyline features the pocket dimension introduced in James Gunn’s Supermanearlier this summer, which likely explains why Peacemaker meets his doppelgänger in the trailer (and could potentially bring Chukwudi Iwuji’s Clemson Murn back into the fold). Expect appearances from Nathan Fillion and Isabela Merced, who play Justice Gang members Guy Gardner and Hawkgirl, as well as Sean Gunn reprising his brief movie role as DCU villain Maxwell Lord. Gunn wrote all eight installments and directed a couple of them as well. [Saloni Gajjar]
Long Story Short (Netflix, August 22)
Raphael Bob-Waksberg is back with his first Netflix show since the fantastic BoJack Horseman. The animated comedy Long Story Short chronicles the Schwooper siblings from (like Bob-Waksberg) Northern California, with the series bouncing between years and portraying their ups and downs as kids and adults. Paul Reiser, Lisa Edelstein, Max Greenfield, Michaela Dietz, and Ben Feldman lead the voice cast. This one can’t arrive soon enough. [Tim Lowery]
The Terminal List: Dark Wolf (Prime Video, August 27)
Seven months after American Primeval, Taylor Kitsch returns to the small screen to star as CIA operative Ben Edwards in this prequel to The Terminal List. The new action drama delves into Edwards’ backstory and reveals a dark past from his time as a Navy SEAL and special-intelligence agent. Co-created by David DiGilio and TTL author Jack Carr, this show also sees Chris Pratt reprising his role as Commander James Reece from the original. [Saloni Gajjar]
More August premieres
August 3 The Yogurt Shop Murders (HBO)
August 6 Platonicseason two (Apple TV+) Wednesdayseason two, part one (Netflix)
