The Most Anticipated TV Shows of August 2023

This August, prepare to have your heart broken and pieced back together again with a great teen romance, engrossing coming-of-age tales, and a soul-stirring performance from Sigourney Weaver. Heartstopper is back for a second season while Reservation Dogs prepares to say goodbye after three seasons of captivating stories. In The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Weaver stars as June, who offers refuge to domestic abuse survivors even as she tries to bury her own past. And in the eclectic animated series Strange Planet, Dan Harmon and Nathan W. Pyle raise big questions via some little blobs.

End-of-summer TV has plenty of laughs in store as well, courtesy of the Rez Dogs, Craig Robinson, Gaby Hoffmann, and the notorious podcasting trio of Only Murders in the Building. Your trusty Primetimer editors and writers have picked the most exciting debuts and returns of August; scroll to the end for a list of other notable premieres.

Reservation Dogs Season 3 (FX)

Premieres August 2

FX’s Reservation Dogs is back for one last hurrah. After their transformative journey to California, the Rez Dogs are returning home. In Season 3, Elora (Devery Jacobs) considers applying to college, Willie Jack (Paulina Alexis) is determined to heal her community, and Cheese (Lane Factor) continues to live with his adoptive grandmother. While the rest of the gang looks ahead, Bear (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai) finds himself feeling completely adrift. He embarks on a soul-searching adventure in the desert, alongside his spiritual companion (Dallas Goldtooth) and a quirky conspiracy theorist named Maximus (Graham Greene). As the dramedy comes to a close, Reservation Dogs promises to be just as hilarious and heartfelt as before. — Dianna Shen

Heartstopper Season 2 (Netflix)

Premieres August 3

Netflix's coming-of-age queer romantic dramedy was one of the breakout shows of 2022. Season 1 brought together outed queer teen Charlie (Joe Locke) and his rugby-playing crush, Nick (Kit Connor), and Season 2 looks like it's going to make up for lost time with lots and lots of kissing. Based on Alice Oseman's graphic novel and web comic, Heartstopper has earned a legion of very intense fans, some of whom hounded Connor out of the closet last year (Connor came out as bisexual on social media last year).

That ought to have some extra resonance this season, which looks to be at least part about Nick coming out on his own terms. The new episodes also promise a class trip to Paris, plus the continuation of the love story between Elle (Yasmin Finney) and Tao (William Gao). Prepare to sigh emphatically. — Joe Reid

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (Prime Video)

Premieres August 4

Just a few months after the release of Saint X, Alycia Debnam-Carey finds herself at the center of a new mystery in The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart. Based on the novel by Holly Ringland, the limited series stars Debnam-Carey as Alice, who is taken in by her grandmother June (Sigourney Weaver) after her parents die in a mysterious fire. When she first arrives at June's flower farm, which serves as a refuge for abused women, Alice (played in early episodes by Alyla Browne) is so overwhelmed by her trauma that she's unable to speak, but she finds her voice as she begins to learn the language and meaning of the native plants.

Years later, as an adult, Alice discovers the extent of her grandmother's duplicity, prompting her to question everything she knows about her family and their complicated, volatile history. The result is one of the most gripping book-to-TV adaptations of the year, anchored by a powerhouse performance from Weaver as the farm's enigmatic leader. — Claire Spellberg Lustig

Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty Season 2 (HBO)

Premieres August 6

It’s showtime once again on HBO, as Max Borenstein and Jim Hecht’s irreverent sports drama tracking the Los Angeles Lakers’ road to glory returns. Season 1 of Winning Time took a cheeky origin story approach, building the team that would rule the hardwood for more than a decade and introducing foolhardy visionary Dr. Jerry Buss (John C. Reilly). The second season features more dazzling game play, but makes it clear that, even with Earvin “Magic” Johnson (Quincy Isaiah) on board, the Lakers are still a work in progress. Success is fleeting, as Paul Westhead (Jason Segel) appears to learn in the new trailer.

Rivalries take center court in Season 2: Magic’s got Larry Bird (Sean Patrick Small) in his sights; his own ascension stokes the flame of competition in his  teammate Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Solomon Hughes); and of course, there’s some good old-fashioned bi-coastal antagonism between Boston and Los Angeles. — Danette Chavez

Only Murders in the Building Season 3 (Hulu)

Premieres August 8

The somewhat disappointing second season of Only Murders in the Building did have at least one major bright spot: the ending, which flashed forward a year to the opening of Oliver's (Martin Short) new play, where the lead actor, played by Paul Rudd, drops dead. Hello, Season 3! Meryl Streep’s joined the cast as one of the actors in the play who may have had reason to murder. Setting the new murder mystery in the environs of a Broadway play opens the show up to a whole new subculture, in addition to the Upper West Side condo and podcasting milieux. The cast is once more full of seasoned Broadway pros, including Matthew Broderick and Ashley Park. Plus, Jesse Williams may be playing a new love interest for Mabel (Selena Gomez) — that shot in the trailer of her in a wedding dress raises many questions indeed. — Joe Reid

Strange Planet (Apple TV+)

Premieres August 9

Dan Harmon’s latest foray into adult animation is a slight departure from his usual existential dread. Based on Nathan W. Pyle’s web comic of the same name, Strange Planet follows a series of blue, blob-like aliens exploring all the absurdities of everyday human existence. Just like us, these charming creatures are on a quest to wholeheartedly embrace both the mundane and the extraordinary moments that make life so beautiful. The series boasts a Community mini-reunion, with Danny Pudi lending his voice to one of the characters. Joining him in the cast are Tunde Adebimpe (Rachel Getting Married), Demi Adejuyigbe (The Amber Ruffin Show), Lori Tan Chinn (Awkwafina is Nora From Queens), and Hannah Einbinder (Hacks). — Dianna Shen

Miguel Wants to Fight (Hulu)

Premieres August 16

This Hulu movie brings together a dream team for coming-of-age stories: director Oz Rodriguez’s 2020 film Vampires vs. the Bronx viewed adolescence through a horror-comedy lens, while Miguel Wants to Fight scribes Shea Serrano and Jason Concepcion brought the winning teen comedy of Primo to Amazon Freevee earlier this year. Here, they have fun with a different rite of passage: getting in a fight.

We know, it’s better to talk through your problems and try to reach a non-violent solution – but Miguel’s (Tyler Dean Flores) desire to get in a scuffle seems almost relatable. Maybe he wants to leave his pals (played by Imani Lewis, Christian Vunipola, Suraj Partha) something to remember him by; maybe he feels leaving the town he grew up in should be more painful; or maybe Miguel’s just seen too many Bruce Lee movies. Whatever the outcome, we can count on absurd but compelling action. — Danette Chavez

Killing It Season 2 (Peacock): Premieres August 17

Craig (Craig Robinson) found the key to his future in an unlikely industry. In Killing It Season 1, he teamed up with Uber driver Jillian (Claudia O’Doherty) in an attempt to win a python-hunting contest and fund his surefire million-dollar idea. If that season was about the pitfalls of reaching success, Season 2 of Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici’s comedy is poised to chronicle how much harder it is to maintain it, especially when Craig and Jillian decide they want to keep their hands clean among a cast of characters who do all their business in legal gray areas.

But it wouldn’t be any fun to give Craig everything he’s dreamed of just yet anyway — the more trouble he gets into with Jillian, the more hilarious the series becomes. Rell Battle and Scott MacArthur return for Season 2 alongside guest stars Dot-Marie Jones, Beck Bennett, Kyle Mooney, and Timothy Simons. — Brianna Wellen

More Notable August Premieres

Physical (Apple TV+): Third and final season premiere, August 2
Big Brother (CBS): Season 25 premiere, August 2
Demons and Saviors (Hulu): Limited series premiere, August 3
The Big Nailed It Baking Challenge (Netflix): Series premiere, August 4
The Chi (Showtime): Season 6 premiere, August 6
 Zombieverse (Netflix): Series premiere, August 8
Painkiller (Netflix): Series premiere, August 10
The Challenge: USA (CBS): Season 2 premiere, August 10
Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip With Sam and Graham: Adrenaline Country (Starz): Season 2 premiere, August 11
Billions (Showtime): Seventh and final season premiere, August 13
Solar Opposites (Hulu): Season 4 premiere, August 14
90 Day: The Last Resort (TLC): Series premiere, August 14
Invasion (Apple TV+): Season 2 premiere, August 23
Star Wars: Ahsoka (Disney+): Series premiere, August 23
Archer (FXX): 14th and final season premiere, August 30
Adventure Time: Fiona and Cake (Max): Series premiere, August 31
One Piece (Netflix): Series premiere, August 31