August Newsletter

Hi there, and welcome to the latest edition of Substream! Your go-to source for honest, unpretentious streaming news, reviews, and recommendations.

In this month’s newsletter:

• Everything to look out for in August

• July streaming reviews

• Industry news and announcements

Don’t forget, you can always check out this newsletter or past newsletters here.

NEW THIS MONTH
Woe What a Month

Friday, August 1

• My Oxford Year (Netflix, New romance starring Sofia Carson)

• Chief of War (Apple TV+, New drama series starring Jason Momoa, 9/19 finale)

• Built In Birmingham: Brady & the Blues (Prime Video, New sports docuseries)

• Running with the Wolves (Hulu, 4-part docuseries on Mark Consuelos and Kelly Ripa’s Italian soccer team, All episodes available)

Tuesday, August 5

• Hard Knocks: Offseason with the Buffalo Bills (HBO, New docuseries)

Wednesday, August 6

• Wednesday (Netflix, S2-A, 9/4 S2-B)

• Platonic (Apple TV+, S2, 10/1 finale)

• The Buccaneers (Apple TV+, S2 finale)

• Eyes of Wakanda (Disney+, New Marvel series, All episodes)

Friday, August 8

• Freakier Friday (Theatrical release, Sequel to the 2003 film)

• Outlander: Blood of My Blood (Starz, New drama series)

Sunday, August 10

• The Gilded Age (HBO Max, S3 finale)

Monday, August 11

• Sullivan’s Crossing (Netflix, S3, All episodes)

Wednesday, August 13

• Butterfly (Prime Video, New spy thriller series, All episodes)

Thursday, August 14

• And Just Like That… (HBO Max, S3 finale)

Friday, August 15

• Smoke (Apple TV+, New crime drama series starring Taron Egerton, S1 finale)

Wednesday, August 20

• The Map That Leads to You (Prime Video, New romance starring Madelyn Cline & KJ Apa)

• The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox (Hulu, New drama limited series)

Thursday, August 21

• Peacemaker (HBO Max, S2, 10/9 finale)

• Hostage (Netflix, New British political thriller limited series)

Friday, August 22

• Invasion (Apple TV+, S3, 10/24 finale)

Monday, August 25 

• Upload (Prime Video, S4; Final season, All episodes)

Wednesday, August 27

• The Terminal List: Dark Wolf (Prime Video, New action-drama prequel series, 9/24 finale)

Thursday, August 28

• The Thursday Murder Club (Netflix original film starring Pierce Brosnan & Helen Mirren)

• My Life With the Walter Boys (Netflix, S2, All episodes)

Friday, August 29

• The Roses (Theatrical release, Comedy starring Olivia Coleman & Benedict Cumberbatch)

JULY REVIEWS
To Binge or Not to Binge

Stick
Owen Wilson stars as Pryce Cahill, a former professional golfer who goes all-in to mentor a teenage phenom with high potential. A mostly light-hearted comedy, this series borrows some major themes from ‘The Color of Money’, and has an excellent soundtrack. While likely not your new all-time favorite, this is a easy watch. All episodes now available on Apple TV+.

Heads of State
An action-comedy starring Idris Elba as Prime Minister of the UK and John Cena as President of the US. Public rivals, the two are forced to rely on each other when they become the targets of a foreign adversary. This movie is nothing groundbreaking, but it’s definitely good fun. Streaming now on Prime Video.

Nine Perfect Strangers
Nicole Kidman returns as Masha — queen of psychedelics, this time at a boutique wellness hotel in the Austrian Alps with nine new strangers. This wasn’t as compelling as season one, but things get significantly more interesting around the halfway mark if you’re up for it. All episodes streaming now on Hulu.

Too Much
Megan Stalter (‘Hacks’) stars as Jessica, a small-time producer in New York reeling from a broken relationship. She takes a job in London, and quickly meets Felix, a walking series of red flags. Fan’s of HBO’s ‘Girls’, and Lena Dunham’s cringe-style sense of humor will enjoy this one. Streaming now on Netflix.

Duster
From J.J. Abrams, this 1970s drama follows a getaway driver (Josh Holloway) and a young FBI agent (Rachel Hilson) as they take on a notorious crime syndicate. The series starts a bit slow, but is ultimately a solid watch with a killer soundtrack. HBO recently announced its cancelation, so we won’t be getting a second season.

Sullivan’s Crossing
Your new favorite guilty pleasure show — this is essentially ‘Virgin River’ with a few tweaks and unsurprisingly, is based on novels by the same author. If you find comfort in predictability and want to watch Chad Michael Murray chop firewood, you can catch seasons 1-2 now on Netflix, season 3 now on cwtv.com or later this month on Netflix, and season 4 summer 2026.

TOP STORIES
In Case You Missed It

TV & FILM PRODUCTION

• ‘Ted Lasso’ begins production on S4, Apple TV+ reveals first look.

• ‘Harry Potter’ first look revealed by HBO, filming begins, 2027 release date set.

• ‘Queer Eye’ begins production on 10th and final season.

• ‘The Devil Wears Prada 2’ adds Lucy Lui, Justin Theroux, BJ Novak, and Pauline Chalamet to the cast.

• ‘Practical Magic 2’ begins filming with Dianne Wiest and Stockard Channing returning, and new cast members including Lee Pace (‘Foundation’) and Maisie Williams (‘Game of Thrones’).

RENEWALS & CANCELATIONS

• ‘Wednesday’ gets early S3 renewal from Netflix.

• ‘Stick’ is renewed for S2 at Apple TV+.

• ‘The Bear’ is renewed for S5 by FX.

• ‘Slow Horses’ gets early renewal for S7 at Apple TV+ ahead of S5 release this fall.

• ‘Virgin River’ gets early S8 renewal ahead of S7 release, making it Netflix’s longest-running scripted series.

• ‘The Gilded Age’ renewed for S4 at HBO after strong S3 ratings.

• ‘Untamed’ is renewed for S2 at Netflix.

• ‘Pulse’ and ‘The Residence’ are canceled by Netflix after one season.

NEWS & DEVELOPMENTS

• Emmy nominations were announced.

  • Major leading series include Severance, The Penguin, The Studio, and The White Lotus.

  • The award show airs Sunday, September 14 on CBS and Paramount+.

  • You can view the full list here plus snubs and surprises here.

• ‘Verity’ starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson gets October 2, 2026 theatrical release date from Amazon MGM.

• Jennifer Anniston will star in and executive produce Apple TV+’s ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died,’ based on Jennette McCurdy’s bestselling memoir.

• ‘My Best Friend’s Wedding’ sequel in the works at Sony Pictures, Celine Song to write.

• Penn Badgley and Meghann Fahy will star in a new rom-com from Amazon MGM titled ‘You Deserve Each Other.’

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