10 New Movies and TV Shows to Watch in August 2021
Life’s just better when there’s a new Nicole Kidman psychological thriller series to look forward to.
Step away from the stifling summer heat with this month’s selection of new movies and TV shows coming to the screens of Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Max subscribers. Fans of the Kissing Booth trilogy/Jacob Elordi's face will be able to wave a bittersweet goodbye to the series as the third film lands on Netflix on August 11th, and Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building will mark Selena Gomez’s return to acting after a brief hiatus.
In addition to the new titles that are on their way, classics such as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Inception, and My Girl will be landing on Netflix while The Babysitter’s Club, Black Swan, and The Hate U Give will be making their way to Hulu. In a surprising turn of events, a selection of NBC shows formerly thought only to be available on Peacock moving forward will also be returning to Netflix, including 30 Rock and Friday Night Lights.
Check out L’OFFICIEL’s roundup of the impressive slate of titles hitting streaming services this month as summer winds down below.
No, not Suicide Squad (2016), we’re talking The Suicide Squad (2021), the upcoming DC film which will feature yet another all-star cast including a returning Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn, John Cena, Idris Elba, Pete Davidson, Viola Davis, and more—most of whom portray a gaggle of supervillains who are humanity’s only hope to save the world. Upon their release from Belle Reve, a prison used to contain metahuman criminals, the villains join Task Force X and must venture into a remote jungle for a search-and-destroy mission. Catch the film in theaters and on HBO Max beginning on August 6th.
In the final installment of the Kissing Booth trilogy, Elle (Joey King) is faced with the most difficult decision of her life—move across the country with her boyfriend Noah or attend college at Berkeley with her best friend Lee, with whom she always dreamt of going to college. As their final summer before college unravels, Elle and Lee attempt to fulfill a salvaged Beach Bucket List they made as children—but will it be their last hurrah? Find out on August 11th on Netflix.
Move over Project Runway. The Hype is a new reality show competition of 10 streetwear professionals who must compete in challenges where they’ll have to demonstrate not only their design skills but also their entrepreneurial sense and delivery in order to evade elimination. The eight-part series features Migos’ Offset as a judge alongside Beyoncé’s go-to stylist Marni Senofonte and Bephies Beauty Supply founder Beth Birkett. Tune in to the series premiere on August 12th on HBO Max.
An original Hulu documentary, Homeroom follows the students of Oakland High’s class of 2020 as they confront living through the pandemic as well as a whole host of other issues, including test scores, college applications, and a push to eliminate the school district’s police force. Tackling the intersectionality of education, health care, and criminal justice, the documentary follows students as they attempt to pave a better and more equitable world for themselves. Tune into Hulu on August 12th to watch the documentary, the third in a series directed by Peter Nicks and executive produced by Ryan Coogler.
A man named Beckett’s romantic getaway with his girlfriend in Greece takes a turn for the worse when a tragic car accident thrusts them into the center of a dangerous political conspiracy. In a fight for his life, Beckett (played by Denzel Washington’s son, John David Washington) must dodge danger at every turn as he attempts to make it to the US embassy and fight for his life. Catch the action-packed thriller on Netflix on August 13th.
Nicole Kidman and screenwriter-producer David E. Kelley are back with yet another thriller for us to feast our eyes on after collaborating on smash-hit series of recent years The Undoing and Big Little Lies. Based on the novel by Liane Moriarty (who also penned Big Little Lies), Kidman is joined by a star-studded cast including Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Regina Hall, and more as she plays the mysterious owner of a wellness retreat on which nine city folk seeking self-exploration and healing choose to embark. It soon becomes clear, however, that things at Tranquillum House are not all they seem, and something more sinister than any attendee had foreseen may be brewing. Watch the season premiere on Hulu on August 18th.
Although Issa Rae’s Insecure will be drawing to a close this year, the Emmy and Golden Globe contender has another HBO Max series in the works—a reality series following the lives of a Black twenty-somethings friend group in Los Angeles set to premiere on August 19th. Intended to be an authentic and relatable portrayal of the joys and struggles of young adulthood, the show will share a glimpse into “young Black L.A. life,” as Rae puts it.
Sandra Oh’s new comedy series The Chair follows Ji-Yoon Kim, the first woman of color to become the chair at a major university, as she attempts to resuscitate its failing English department. Premiering on Netflix on August 20th, the show is executive produced by Amanda Peet and Game of Thrones’ David Benioff and D.B.Weiss.
A remake of the legendary 1999 hit rom-com She’s All That, He’s All That will feature TikTok star Addison Rae and Cobra Kai’s Tanner Buchanan in a modern retelling of the classic film with a gender-swapped twist. The movie is being directed by Mean Girls director Mark Waters and will be Rae’s first film debut as she plays popular girl Padgett who is tasked with turning Buchanan’s geeky character Cameron into a hunk. Although a trailer hasn’t yet been released, the film itself will be arriving on Netflix on August 27th.
From the comedic mind of Steve Martin and John Hoffman, Only Murders in the Building follows three strangers, played by Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin Short, who reside in the same NYC apartment building and share an obsession with true crime—only to find themselves in the midst of one. When a murder happens in their building, the trio team up to crack the case, unraveling unsettling secrets about the building’s past in the process. Tune in to the series premiere on August 31st on Hulu.
