It’s been three years since HBO’s Game of Thrones came to a disappointing end, but now the fight for control of the Iron Throne is back in action via House of the Dragon. A prequel to Game of Thrones set 200 years before the original show, House of Dragon has a lot riding on it. Following in the footsteps of The Most Popular Show in HBO History, the new fantasy drama needs charm at least some of the millions of viewers who felt burned by the Game of Thrones May 2019 finale. HBO developed several Game of Thrones prequels in the last few years and even ordered a pilot for a spinoff which was film but ultimately never saw the light of day. Tens of millions of dollars have been thrown into making House of the Dragon the success it needs to be. We'll get to find out how if it was money well spent this week.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Disney Plus, August 18)
Billed as Marvel’s first half-hour TV comedy, this nine-episode series stars Tatiana Maslany as Jennifer Walters, a lawyer and the cousin of Dr. Robert David Bruce Banner, also known as Hulk (played by Mark Ruffalo). After suffering a significant injury, Bruce gives Jennifer a blood transfusion, delivering her Hulk-ish powers. However, unlike Bruce, Jennifer’s personality and intelligence remain steady when she turns into a 6-foot-7-inch version of herself. Jennifer likes being a She-Hulk as it gives her more confidence. As a lawyer specializing in cases involving super-humans, Jennifer's client list includes returning MCU characters, including Ruffalo, Benedict Wong as Sorcerer Supreme Wong, and Tim Roth as Emil Blonsky. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is the eighth Marvel Studios-produced series to debut on Disney Plus, which has helped the platform gain a substantial number of subscribers since launching in November 2019.
The Undeclared War (Peacock, August 18)
Set in 2024, this six-episode series revolves around 21-year-old cyber security intern Saara Parvan (Hannah Khalique-Brown), who finds herself in the middle of high-stakes cyber warfare after a routine stress test of internet infrastructure goes awry. Saara and a team of British-based data analysts attempt to fight off a cyber-attack on the UK electoral system while simultaneously trying to prevent war with Russia, the country behind the attacks. The series was directed and co-written by seven-time BAFTA-winner Peter Kosminsky (Wolf Hall). In addition to Khalique-Brown, the cast includes Oscar-winning actor Mark Rylance (Bridge of Spies), Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz), Adrian Lester (Trigger Point), Maisie Richardson-Sellers (Star Wars: The Force Awakens), and Alex Jennings (The Crown). The series premiered in England on June 30. “It’s all exceedingly well-made too, with director Peter Kosminsky drawing what should be a career-making performance out of young lead Hannah Khalique-Brown while maintaining tension and great visual style across the six episodes,” wrote The Sydney Morning Herald’s Brad Newsome.
Bad Sisters (Apple TV Plus, August 19)
This dark 10-episode comedy series follows the Garvy sisters, who are bound together by the premature death of their parents. An adaptation of the Belgian show Clan, Bad Sisters follows two different timelines and is co-written, executive produced by, and stars Sharon Horgan (Catastrophe, Shining Vale). “Razor-sharp dialogue and laugh-out-loud moments create space for heavier themes, as the show investigates complex family structures, sisterly relationships, and emotional abuse, all whipped up in a delicious Horgan melee,” wrote the London Evening Standard’s Elizabeth Gregory. The first two episodes of the series debut on Aug. 19, with one episode dropping each week until the finale on Oct. 14.
Babysitter (Mubi, August 19)
Adapted from the 2017 eponymous play by author Catherine Léger, this French-language film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year. The story follows a Cédric (Patrick Hivon), whose perfect suburban life implodes when a clip of him drunkenly accosting a television reporter goes viral. Consequently, Cedric loses his job and alienates his depressed wife, who is in charge of their shrieking infant daughter. Enter babysitter Amy (Nadia Tereszkiewicz), a young woman who turns the couple’s lives upside down. “Monia Chokri’s sophomore film is a jaw-dropping laugh riot wearing the skin of a horror throwback,” wrote IndieWire’s Siddhant Adlakha.
The Next 365 Days (Netflix, August 19)
The super-tawdry 365 Days, a first Polish film adaptation of Blanka Lipińska’s eponymous novel trilogy, created quite a bit of, er, platform engagement when hit Netflix in June 2020. The series is focused on Laura, a Polish sales manager who is kidnapped by Massimo, a rich mafioso, and given 365 days to fall in love with him. The softcore fantasy- drama immediately made Netflix’s daily Top 10 list in over 90 countries worldwide and was the fourth most searched for film on Google globally in 2020. The second installment, 365 Days: This Day, released in April 2022, featured more sexcapades and a marriage. The third installment of the erotic thriller, 365 Days 3 continues to focus on Laura and Massimo's “complex” relationship. There is also Laura’s fate to contend with -- She was shot in the second film. While critics absolutely despise the franchise -- Variety ‘s Jessica Kiang called the second movie “piping hot trash” -- there’s no denying that sex sells. 365 Days: This Day inspired over 78 million hours of viewing -- and perhaps a few little future sales managers and rich mafiosos -- when it debuted on Netflix in April.
House of the Dragon (August 21, HBO Max)
This Game of Thrones prequel series is set two centuries before the original fantasy drama series and centers around the Targaryen family as they fight for control of the Iron Throne. Based on George R.R. Martin’s book Fire & Blood, the series follows the Dance of the Dragons, the Targaryen civil war between siblings Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) and Rhaenyra (Emma D'Arcy), who fought against each other to claim the throne after the death of their father. This spinoff has a lot to live up to. Game of Thrones was the most-watched show in HBO’s history. The highly criticized finale in 2019 garnered close to 20 million viewers on the night it aired linearly. Question is, will Throne fans return after being disappointed with the eighth and final season of the series? “The trick here is, you don’t want to just remake the original show. You want to make a show that feels related and honors the original, but also feels like its own," HBO Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys told The New York Times.
The Killer Nanny (Discovery Plus, August 21)
Three years after the O.J. Simpson murder trial was televised, one of the disgraced football star’s lawyers, Barry Scheck, was back in front of Court TV cameras. This time, he was defending 25-year-old British au pair Louise Woodward, who had been charged with murdering the eight-month-old baby she was in charge of. The televised live trial transfixed the nation, which was split over whether the defendant committed the crime. Did she shake the baby to death on purpose, or was it a mistake? Twenty-five years later, evidence is reexamined with unprecedented access to witnesses, the defense team, the prosecution, and members of the jury who decided her fate. The Killer Nanny is this week’s true crime must-see.
Anne (Acorn TV, August 22)
This four-part drama based on a true story follows Anne Williams (played by Maxine Peake) on her 20-plus-year quest to discover the truth behind her son’s untimely death during a soccer match. Her 15-year-old son Kevin attended the April 15, 1989, Liverpool vs. Nottingham FA Cup semi-final at England’s Hillsborough Stadium. Chaos ensued and left 97 people crushed to death, including Kevin, and 766 people injured. Fans were originally blamed for the disaster, but thanks to Anne and other advocates, the coroner’s original verdict of accidental death was overturned, and the 97 deaths were considered to be the result of negligence by the South Yorkshire Police. “For a quarter of a century, Anne Williams fought the official narrative about the Hillsborough disaster that took her 15-year-old son. This painful, tender drama shows her fight.” wrote The Guardian’s Jack Seale.
Lost Ollie (Netflix, August 24)
This adaptation of the 2016 William Joyce children’s book Ollie’s Odyssey is about a stuffed toy bunny, Ollie, who loses his human owner, Billy, and embarks on a countrywide search for the boy in order to return home. If this four-part series, made with live-action and CG animation, reminds you of Toy Story, it should. The premise is very similar but expect Lost Ollie to bring more tears than laughter. Directed by Oscar winner Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), each episode is 45 minutes. "It's definitely an adventure, it's definitely fun, but I also wanted it to deal with loss," series creator Shannon Tindle told Entertainment Weekly. "I don't think people talk about it enough. I wanted to have something that talked about it right up front, worn on his sleeve."
Welcome to Wrexham (Hulu, August 24)
From executive producers Rob McElhenney (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia) and Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool), this docuseries follows the two Hollywood stars as they take ownership of a struggling 5th tier soccer team, the Wrexham Red Dragons, who are based in a working-class town in North Wales. The hope is to turn the underdog club into a team the whole world can root for. Problem is neither stars have any experience in soccer or working with each other. The actors took over the club in 2021 and invested $2.3 million into its infrastructure. A high-stakes, fish out of water story starring McElhenney and Reynolds is hard to resist.
Katrina Babies (HBO Max, August 24)
This documentary tells the story of what happened to New Orleans residents who were children when Hurricane Katrina hit in August 2005. From first-time director Edward Buckles Jr., who was 12 years old when Katrina arrived, the film's subjects were between 3 and 19 years old during the time of the disasgter. Some stayed in New Orleans after being pulled from filthy waters and enduring days of fear and hunger. Others fled the city, living in poisonous FEMA trailers and wondering if they’d ever be able to go home. When asked why he was making a documentary about a subject that has been well documented, Buckles Jr. told Parents Magazine, “That's the problem. We're treating Katrina as if it's finished, as if that story is old. How can you say that we don't want to hear anything about Katrina when no one spoke to the kids? We're missing a whole different dynamic." The docu premiered at Tribeca Festival in June and won the festival’s first-ever Human/Nature Award, and also received The Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director.
