Whether you want to laugh yourself silly with the incessantly irreverent Difficult People or suit up to protect New York City with Jessica Jones and the rest of The Defenders, August has plenty of new outings from your favorite programs. Catch up before they hit the small screen!
What it is: New York City is a town of dog-eat-doggers, and Julie and Billy (played by Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner) are all bark and no bite. Difficult People charts their friendship as they flounder in pursuing careers in comedy.
Why you should watch it: This popular Hulu series features two whip-smart comics at the top of their writing game behaving badly. Though they live up to the program’s title (and then some), they never become so difficult that they lose their heart. Plus with scene-stealing supporters like on-the-rise comic Cole Escola in the ensemble’s wings, Difficult People ultimately goes down easy. It returns for season 3 Aug. 8.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Hulu, Microsoft, PlayStation Video, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 7.5 hours
What it is: You’ve seen it before: The self-help guru famed for fixing others’ personal lives is secretly a wreck on her own personal home front. But creator Marti Noxon’s heartfelt series for Bravo (the network’s first scripted program) is an original and as funny as it is relatable thanks to a memorable turn from House alum Lisa Edelstein.
Why you should watch it: It’s not often that we get to see women over 40 divorcing, dating, and sexing onscreen, and that’s what made the quirky Girlfriends’ Guide such a breath of fresh air upon its 2014 debut. Season 4 premieres Aug. 17.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 21 hours
What it is: The world is not necessarily in need of another Marvel Cinematic Universe program, but we’re certainly in want of one! Though this marks the debut outing of The Defenders on Netflix, it brings together the best of the streaming platform’s previous Marvel characters, including Charlie Cox as Daredevil, Krysten Ritter as Jessica Jones, Mike Colter as Luke Cage, and Finn Jones as Iron Fist; time to binge those heroes’ Netflix installments before Defenders premieres Aug. 18.
Why you should watch it: Little is known about the series’ premise other than the four join forces in New York City to take down a common enemy. But anytime Krysten Ritter is on TV is a good time, especially when she’s the ass-kicking Jessica Jones.
Where to watch: Netflix — catch up now on Luke Cage, Jessica Jones, Iron Fist, and Daredevil before you binge Marvel’s The Defenders mid-month.
Commitment: Approx. 48 hours
What it is: Ever wonder about the story behind the screen you’re looking at right now? Halt and Catch Fire is a fictionalized account of a trio of techies who take advantage of the personal computer boom in 1980s Texas’ Silicon Prairie.
Why you should watch it: Anyone with a thirst for techy period dramas will love what Halt and Catch Fire is dishing out, but the series’ greatest asset is its cast of compelling characters, Lee Pace as Joe MacMillan, Scoot McNairy as Gordon Clarkmost, Toby Huss as John Bosworth, and powerful leading ladies Mackenzie Davis as Cameron Howe and Kerry Bishé as Donna Clark. Season 4 premieres Aug. 19.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Microsoft, Netflix, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 22.5 hours
What it is: This acclaimed satire from creators David Crane and Jeffrey Klarik stars Tamsin Greig and Stephen Mangan as Beverly and Sean Lincoln, a husband-wife, writer-producer duo. When their hit British series gets sold for a U.S. adaptation, they fly off to Hollywood to learn that their creative vision is at stake—and a demanding diva-fied Matt LeBlanc is their new star and collaborator.
Why you should watch it: We haven’t seen Matt LeBlanc have this much fun on the small screen since his heyday as Joey Tribbiani of Friends fame. Playing an exaggerated version of his worst self-absorbed sitcom star self, he keeps the rat-a-tat series afloat by letting us in on the joke of behind-the-scenes Hollywood. Episodes’ fifth and final season premieres Aug. 20.
Where to watch: Amazon, Google Play, Hulu, PlayStation Video, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 17 hours
What it is: This Starz sports sitcom from creator Mike O’Malley takes its title from the feeling pro basketballer Cam Calloway lives with after having made his fame and fortune on the court — and his opportunistic family back in inner-city Boston aren’t letting him feel any better about it.
Why you should watch it: Led by an excellent performance from Jessie T. Usher as Cam and produced by the game’s great LeBron James himself (surely there’s some autobiographical points snuck in here), Survivor’s Remorse is a smart and crackling 30-minutes of TV. It wrapped its third season as strong as ever, and season 4 premieres Aug. 20.
Where to watch: Amazon, FandangoNOW, Google Play, Microsoft, PlayStation Video, Vudu
Commitment: Approx. 13.5 hours
What it is: This critically acclaimed Netflix original takes a closer look at formidable and feared Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar (played by Wagner Moura) and his criminal contemporaries in seasons 1 and 2.
Why you should watch it: Beyond its precision in documenting the history of the drug trade that still plagues that part of the world today, Narcos is riveting and entertaining television, boasting fine performances and tight scripts. (Also noteworthy is the fact that said scripts are often in Spanish, making it unlike much else you’ll find on TV.) Season 3, which focuses on the rise of the Cali cartel, drops September 1.
Where to watch: Netflix
Commitment: Approx. 15 hours
