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It's been another banner month for movies and shows. August 2026 brought us the fabulous and funny Spa Weekend in theaters and my favorite new serial killer show on streaming. There have even been a number of returning titles that rose to the top, including Ted Lasso season four and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia season 18.
Here, allow me to cut through the "skips" (ahem, The Shards, anyone?!) to bring you what to watch this month—aka the five best shows of August 2026.
Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Ted Lasso—they all have one big thing in common: they decided to move back to the U.K. In the highly anticipated return of Ted Lasso, Ted is recruited by Rebecca (Hannah Waddingham) and Keeley (Juno Temple) to fly across the pond once more, this time to coach a women's soccer team. This additional season could have been a massive disaster. After all, season three ended with a tidy little bow, seemingly bringing the critically acclaimed show to a perfect finish. Fortunately, Ted Lasso remains as good as ever. As my colleague wrote in her review, "The series is just as sharp and heartfelt and topical as it was when we last left off. The beauty of the show is that it so effortlessly mixes humor and kindness, but also doesn’t shy away from tackling the authentic personal struggles that the characters endure head on."
Technically, this incredible show dropped in the final days of July, and I'm sad to say I missed it—until now. And, without question, this serial killer thriller is my favorite new series on streaming at the moment. Emmy Rossum (of Shameless fame) plays an NYPD-officer-turned-FBI-agent who makes the career switch after experiencing some horrific personal trauma. In a pencil-pushing position at the FBI, she's drawn into a case involving a female serial killer (Lola Petticrew) who seems to be targeting men connected to sex crimes and sex trafficking. Furious is such a wild watch, and it draws you in immediately. It's just as exciting as the other female-led cat-and-mouse drama Killing Eve (minus the romantic relationship between detective and killer). 10/10 would recommend.
Of this month's top shows, Ms. X has probably flown furthest under the radar. The must-watch is another crime-thriller, except it also features a heavy helping of comedy. Mia (Melissa George) is a suburban housewife and mother who thinks she's made a shocking discovery: her husband is cheating on her. Naturally, she hires a bumbling private investigator (Dean O'Gorman) to find out the truth. In a fun twist, things are way worse than she ever imagined, and she's quickly drawn into a dangerous world of drug lords and cartels. The quirky writing and nuanced performances make Ms. X a fresh, breezy and enjoyable watch.
There has been a lot of superhero content thrown our way this month, from the big-budget Spider-Man: Brand New Day to the mutant-forward reveals at Disney's D23 Expo. But before you get superhero fatigue, allow me to recommend the newest offering from DC and HBO, Lanterns. The dramedy follows Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) as he is forced to train his Green Lantern replacement, John Stewart (Aaron Pierre). Amidst the mixed-results training sessions, the duo try to solve a murder mystery with a sci-fi twist. The chemistry between Chandler and Pierre is solid, keeping the show more in the "buddy cop" category than the "superheroes save the world" category. I highly recommend, whether you're counting down the days until Avengers: Doomsday or not.
Last, but certainly not least, I must insist that you stick with It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia—even if this is its 18th season. Dennis, Mac, Dee, Charlie and Frank are back and just as raunchy, inappropriate and disastrous as ever. The show follows five friends ("The Gang") who spend all of their time in a Philadelphia bar. Antics (and belly laughs) ensue. This time around, the antics are off the wall, taking things way too far in the best way possible. Don't believe me? The first episode is called "Frank Marries a Corpse," and, well, that pretty much sums it up.
And if all of these shows don't do it for you (or you've seen them all already), here are recs from even earlier this year. Happy streaming!
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