In August's TV premieres, we meet Nine Perfect Strangers and Marvel wonders What If…?

Nicole Kidman, Sandra Oh, Rosa Salazar, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt lead August's TV premieres

By Danette Chavez, Saloni Gajjar, Sam Barsanti, Gwen Ihnat | July 27, 2021 | 5:00am

TV News Nine Perfect Strangers

In August's TV premieres, we meet Nine Perfect Strangers and Marvel wonders What If…?

Clockwise from left: Sandra Oh in The Chair (Photo: Eliza Morse/Netflix); Nicole Kidman in Nine Perfect Strangers (Photo: Vince Valitutti/Hulu); Captain Carter in Marvel Studios’ What If…? (Image: Disney+); and Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin in Only Murders In The Building (Photo: Craig Blankenhorn/Hulu) Graphic: Natalie Peeples

August typically provides a bit of a respite before the big fall TV push, but there are still enough exciting premieres and returns on the horizon to prevent you from having to rely on the final days of the Tokyo Olympics or a Ted Lasso rewatch. Early next month, Showtime takes a closer look at the hidden history of the UFO, while Fox invites you to an all-new Fantasy Island (heavy emphasis on the “fantasy.”) Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo introduce viewers to the scrappy teens of Reservation Dogs, Nicole Kidman starts a cult (sort of) in Nine Perfect Strangers, and Sandra Oh goes back to school in The Chair. And, now that Jonathan Majors and Loki have opened the door to the multiverse, Marvel presents the alternate universe versions of some of its most famed heroes, from Captain America to the Guardians Of The Galaxy.

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Obama: In Pursuit Of A More Perfect Union (HBO): Premieres August 3

This three-part HBO documentary will air over three nights beginning on August 3. Directed by Peter Kunhardt, In Pursuit Of A More Perfect Union follows President Barack Obama’s personal and political journey, combining his speeches, interviews, and previously unseen footage and photos with conversations with his colleagues, friends, and critics. The docuseries showcases how his spiritual formation was inspired by a generation of Black leaders and Obama’s own hopes for a more inclusive nation. [Saloni Gajjar]

Cooking With Paris (Netflix): Premieres August 4

Though she sparked a subgenre of reality TV with The Simple Life, Paris Hilton is just now catching up with the trend of celebrity cooking shows. In the last few years, we’ve seen the arrivals of The Chef Show, Dinner At Tiffani [Amber Thiessen]’s, Amy Schumer Learns To Cook, and Selena + Chef. Now Hilton is set to make a hopefully more concerted effort to learn to cook in Netflix’s Cooking With Paris. A press release promises an opportunity for Hilton to “showcase her culinary expertise (or lack thereof), glam kitchen wardrobe, and party-throwing skills with some of her fab celeb friends.” This is just the latest in a slew of reality TV projects for the heiress, following her revealing 2020 documentary, This Is Paris, for which she partnered with YouTube. [Danette Chavez]

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Mr. Corman (Apple TV+): Premieres August 6

Joseph Gordon-Levitt returns to the small screen with Mr. Corman, a darkly comedic series that aims to reflect the lives of thirtysomething millennials. The 3rd Rock From The Sun alum pulls triple duty in as series creator, director, and star: He plays Josh Corman, a man who often thinks he “sucks as a person.” Josh is a failed musician who now works as a fifth grade teacher at a public school, often pondering the meaning of his life. He suffers from anxiety, loneliness, and depression now that his ex-fiancé Megan (Juno Temple) has moved out, and high school buddy Victor (Arturo Castro) has moved in. [Saloni Gajjar]

UFO (Showtime): Premieres August 8

Glen Zipper has already created and executive produced documentaries on and Cat People, which naturally means it’s time for him to turn his eye to UFOs. Premiering on Showtime, UFO is a four-part docuseries premiering that examines the government’s research into unidentified flying objects, and the role that private corporations and the military may have played in keeping the truth—whatever it is—hidden. The series is directed by Mark Monroe and Paul Crowder, and is produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot. (Zipper previously teamed up with Abrams for the Netflix docuseries .) that the Pentagon has for years considered the possibility that there’s something out there, UFO is bound to raise viewer questions and interest. [Danette Chavez]

Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu): Premieres August 9

Taika Waititi and Sterlin Harjo’s new comedy Reservation Dogs centers on four Native American teenagers in rural Oklahoma who are prepared to steal the money they need to travel to the mysterious and faraway land of… California. The teens want to honor a friend who died after living out his dream of moving to the Golden State. They also want to get away from their town and the local gang, but it won’t be as easy as they think. The group will have to outmaneuver a police officer (Zahn McClarnon), survive a turf war against a tough rival gang, as well as terrifying and hilarious Indigenous spirits. Reservation Dogs marks another important milestone for Native representation on TV—every writer, director, and series regular on the show is Indigenous. [Saloni Gajjar]

Fantasy Island (Fox): Premieres August 10

The 1970s hit ABC series Fantasy Island has already been rebooted as a failed 1990 series with Malcolm McDowell, and . Now here it comes again, this time via Fox, with Devious Maids’ Roselyn Sanchez as the enigmatic Elena Rourke, your host at the island resort that fulfills your deepest desires (no Tattoo-like character in sight, although there definitely are some planes). The trailer looks fun, with real-life marrieds Dave and Odette Annable switching bodies, and another couple finding a fountain (really, a waterfall) of youth. Plus, the network is teasing upcoming appearances by original Melrose Place vets Laura Leighton, Daphne Zuniga, and Josie Bissett. We’re smiling already. [Gwen Ihnat]

What If…? (Disney+): Premieres August 11

“What If?” comics have been a semi-regular feature in the Marvel universe, giving writers and artists a chance to see how things would look if they had worked out differently from the established canon, and now the Marvel Cinematic Universe is big enough and popular enough that Marvel Studios can make a What If…? series of its own. The animated Disney+ show looks like it’s going to run through a bunch of alternate universe versions of MCU stories, like turning Peggy Carter into Captain America and T’Challa (voiced by Chadwick Boseman in his final Marvel performance) joining the Guardians Of The Galaxy. Marvel has been tight-lipped on the rest of the cast, but it definitely includes Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher and (as far as we can tell) nearly everyone who has ever been in an MCU movie who isn’t Chris Evans, Chris Pratt, or Robert Downey Jr. [Sam Barsanti]

Brand New Cherry Flavor (Netflix): Premieres August 13

We’re not entirely certain what’s going on in the trailer for Brand New Cherry Flavor, a pulpy new series written by Nick Antosca (, ) and Lenore Zion. But the idea of watching Rosa Salazar get revenge with some help from Catherine Keener (and, possibly, the occult) is enough to pique our interest. The show is set in 1990s Los Angeles, and follows a filmmaker named Lisa Nova (Salazar), who’s having trouble navigating the industry. When Lisa is betrayed by someone close, she turns to a makeup artist played by Keener, sporting just the most voluminous hair. Salazar and Keener alone could make this a compelling two-hander, but the cast also includes Manny Jacinto, Eric Lange, and Jeff Ward. Antosca reunites with Channel Zero director Arkasha Stevenson, who helmed the first episode. [Danette Chavez]

Heels (Starz): Premieres August 15

After eight years as The CW’s Green Arrow, Stephen Amell puts down the bow and arrow for some hand-to-hand combat. He leads the new Starz series Heels, which is set in the small town of Duffy, Georgia. Amell plays Jack Spade, a professional wrestler who adopts the villainous role of a “heel” to fight his younger brother Ace (Alexander Ludwig) in scripted matches— but outside of the ring they find it difficult to shed those personas while warring for control over their late father’s wrestling promotion and vying for national attention. Kelli Berglund plays Crystal Tyler, a valet and Ace’s love interest who fights for her own place in the male-dominated wrestling world. Created by Loki’s Michael Waldron, the drama will also look at how the Spades’ wrestling business has impacted Duffy as a whole. [Saloni Gajjar]

Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu): Premieres August 18

Nicole Kidman hive, rise up. The actress leads Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers, based on author Liane Moriarty’s 2018 novel of the same name. Kidman plays a mysterious Russian woman named Masha who runs a health resort called Tranquillum House. The eight-episode limited series follows guests during a 10-day retreat at the luxurious center as each of them struggle to find mental and physical well-being. However, with each passing day, they unravel as they learn (and reveal) dark secrets about each other as well as their host. The cast is stacked with notable names like Melissa McCarthy, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Shannon, Luke Evans, Regina Hall, Manny Jacinto, and Samara Weaving. [Saloni Gajjar]

The Chair (Netflix): Premieres August 20

Amanda Peet goes behind the scenes for The Chair, serving as writer, executive producer, and showrunner for the six-episode Netflix dark comedy. creators David Benioff (who’s married to Peet) and D.B. Weiss also executive produce the series, which is the first to come from their massive deal with Netflix. Peet chose wisely regarding star and subject matter, entering the thorny world of academia just in time for back-to-school season: Emmy winner Sandra Oh plays Dr. Ji-Yoon Kim, the first female chair of the English department at prestigious Pembroke University and one of the few people of color on staff at the school. She’s trying to figure out how to juggle the many plates of her struggling department, while navigating a quasi-flirtation with a scandal-plagued professor (Jay Duplass). Or was she hired just to take the fall for the department’s less-than-stellar reputation? The more-than-stellar cast also includes Holland Taylor, Bob Balaban, Nana Mensah, David Morse, and Everly Carganilla. [Gwen Ihnat]

The Witcher: Nightmare Of The Wolf (Netflix): Premieres August 23

Though he has yet to make his live-action debut on Netflix’s (he’ll be in season two), Vesemir is mostly shown in the Witcher books and video games as a past-his-prime grump who complains about how the young (or at least younger) witchers like Geralt spend all of their time going on fantastical adventures with their bard friend and sleeping with sorceresses rather than just killing monsters. Finally, though, standalone prequel special Nightmare Of The Wolf will go back in time to show Vesemir when he was a sword-swinging, quip-slinging badass, untold years before the mainline events of The Witcher—Geralt probably won’t show up, then, unless a scowling, white-haired baby gets dropped off at the witcher HQ. Theo James is voicing Vesemir in Nightmare Of The Wolf, with Kim Bodnia stepping into his live-action boots when season two comes along. [Sam Barsanti]

Clickbait (Netflix): Premieres August 25

If represents Netflix’s earnest attempt to probe at the personas we cultivate on social media, then Clickbait kind of looks like a Lifetime dramatization of the dangers of buying into those curated images. The series, which comes from creator Tony Ayres and Christian White, stars Adrian Grenier as Nick Brewer, who appears to be a model husband to Sophie (Betty Gabriel) and big brother to Pia (Zoe Kazan). But one day, Nick vanishes from their lives and shows up on some kind of livestream, with cards that read “I abuse women” and “At 5 million views, I die.” Is Nick confessing, or is he caught up in something else? This American-Australian thriller aims to find out, along with exploring how “our most dangerous and uncontrolled impulses are fueled in the age of social media.” [Danette Chavez]

Only Murders In The Building (Hulu): Premieres August 31

Hulu’s titillating mystery-comedy Only Murders In The Building hails from Steve Martin, This Is Us’ Dan Fogelman, and John Hoffman. Martin co-stars along with Martin Short and Selena Gomez; they play Charles, Oliver, and Mabel, respectively—three neighbors who are obsessed with true crime. Their love for all things grisly takes a dark turn when a death occurs in their fancy Upper West Side building. The trio decide to try and solve the crime using their knowledge and begin recording a podcast to document their findings. In the process, they uncover secrets that go back years, each more explosive than the next, only to discover that a killer might be living amongst them. Amy Ryan and Nathan Lane co-star. [Saloni Gajjar]

Returning

season-two premiere (August 8); season-two premiere (August 10); season-two premiere, season-eight premiere (August 12); season-two premiere (August 13); season-two premiere (August 18); season-two premiere (August 20); season-11 premiere, season-two premiere (August 22); Double Feature premiere, season-12 premiere (August 25); season-two premiere (August 26); season-two premiere (August 27)