Stream It This Week: TV Premieres August 17–23, 2026

The current summer shows I’m into right now: Anna Pigeon (USA), The Shards (FX, Hulu), Lioness Season 3 (Paramount+), and Furious (Hulu). Anna Pigeon is a curious one, mostly because it’s the first new USA drama in about six years, and it premiered to decent viewership numbers in a streaming era where most basic cable networks have given up on scripted originals. It’s also an easy, lightweight crime-drama watch in a retro USA kinda way—check out the first two episodes free on YouTube.

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX, FXX, Hulu) Season 18 premiere: The longest-running live-action comedy on TV returns for an “expanded” 18th season of 10 episodes—funny, considering that It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia used to produce 10 to 13 episodes every year. This season opens with “Frank Marries a Corpse,” as Frank (Danny DeVito) attempts to wed last season’s Golden Bachelor contestant Sam (Carol Kane), even though she’s very much deceased, because money (the show’s still got it). I began writing about Always Sunny and The Gang (Charlie Day, Glenn Howerton, Kaitlyn Olson, and Rob McElhenney) in 2005(!), and they haven’t let me down yet. Two episodes premiere on August 17. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia S18 trailer

Cocktail Wars (E!) New reality series: Lance Bass and Joey Fatone of N’Sync host a new mixology competition show, in case you’ve been wondering how it’s going these days for the guys who aren’t Justin Timberlake. Me, I’m always on the lookout for new cocktail recipes that aren’t “1 tumbler of freezer vodka filled to the brim, with an optional twist of lime,” so I’m mildly interested in Cocktail Wars. Two of 10 episodes drop on August 18. Cocktail Wars trailer

Take a Hike! (Netflix) New reality series: Four celebrities (Dowoon, Lee Chae-min, Tarzzan, and … Car The Garden?) who’ve never hiked tackle Korea’s snowy mountains and risk certain death (but not really). By the way, these are Korean celebrities, in case you thought there was a glaring gap in your current pop-cultural knowledge. Take a Hike! trailer

Kelsey Cook: Happy Hour (Netflix) Standup comedy special

VOD movies rent/buy: Toy Story 5 (2026; animation/family), The Last Assassins (2026; action/sci-fi), Romeria (2026; drama), Rose of Nevada (2026; fantasy/horror)

Lucky (Apple TV) Season 1 finale: Since Lucky was intended for a limited run, Episode 7 is most likely its series finale, but who knows? The show’s popularity with audiences and critics might trigger a second season, which would be a terrible idea: Lucky has been barreling toward an ultimate conclusion since it launched in July, and not even Apple money could (or should) retain this killer cast. In the end, I’m hoping that the action-packed crime drama serves up some deserved consequences for John (Timothy Olyphant), who trapped his daughter Lucky (Anya Taylor-Joy) in a life of larceny she never asked for—he’s charming, but he’s also a complete bastard. If you haven’t yet checked out Lucky, now’s the time to binge the season. Lucky trailer

Average Joe (Paramount+) Season 2 premiere: Dark dramedy Average Joe moves from BET+ to Paramount+ for its second season, because BET+ was shut down and absorbed by the larger +. Media consolidation generally sucks for non-shareholders, but this corporate turn of events could get some more streaming eyes on Average Joe, a snappy actioner about a plumber (Deon Cole, who you may remember as the wild card character on Black-ish) unwittingly left on the hook for his late father’s multimillion-dollar criminal debt (not far plot-removed from Lucky). If you’re looking for your next Paramount+ favorite, this could be it. Average Joe S2 trailer

ER: Caught on Camera (TLC) New series

Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing (Netflix) Documentary premiere

Here the Whole Time (Netflix) Movie premiere

Love Is Blind: UK (Netflix) Season 3 premiere

Booked: First Day In (A&E) Season 5 premiere

Expedition X (Discovery) Season 12 premiere

Passenger (Paramount+) Movie streaming premiere: Like other theatrical horror hits of 2026, Passenger made back more than double its budget earlier this year, but without the critical accolades of Backrooms and Obsession (an impossible bar to clear, anyway). Passenger is a basic “killer on the road” tale, about a demonic shapeshifter (Joseph Lopez) terrorizing a “van life” couple (Jacob Scipio and Lou Llobell) on the long, spooky blacktop stretches of the Southwest. It’s nothing groundbreaking, but Passenger is good for a scare or 6(66)—just don’t watch it before your Labor Day weekend road trip. Passenger trailer

Outer Banks (Netflix) Season 5 premiere: It’s the final season for Outer Banks, a drama about pretty teens with problems searching for treasure in the swamps of North Carolina. Even if you’ve never watched a minute of the series, Outer Banks’ Season 5 trailer makes a high-velocity case for finally adding it to your Netflix queue while simultaneously rescuing the banger Tame Impala song “Half Full Glass of Wine” from Entourage soundtrack purgatory (useless TV and music trivia: I’m full of it). Outer Banks S5 trailer

Blood Sacrifice (Netflix) New series

S&X (Netflix) New series

Chompoo: Lost & Forgotten (Netflix) Documentary premiere

Disney Worldbuilders (Disney+) Special

Lion (Nat Geo, Disney+, Hulu) New docuseries

Novak Djokovic: The Wolf in Winter (Prime Video) Movie premiere

The Girls: A Khloé Kardashian Project (Hulu, Disney+) New reality series: “Step inside Khloé Kardashian’s inner circle as her closest friends navigate the highs and lows of motherhood, marriage, dating, business, and life in the spotlight,” says Hulu. “From career milestones and family challenges to girls’ trips, launch parties, and life-changing decisions, these ambitious women come together through their shared connection to Khloé.” First of all, this is just The Kardashians with more odious, non-familial outsiders. Second, how is it a “project”? Thirdly, The Girls is going to be a hit no matter how much I complain about it—resistance is futile. The Girls: A Khloé Kardashian Project trailer

Conan O’Brien Must Go (HBO Max) Season 3 premiere: This season, Conan travels to India, the Netherlands, Morocco, and the Philippines on Warner Bros. Discovery’s dime. Why are Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers still hanging onto their antiquated, ultimately doomed late-night talk shows when they could be traveling the world like Coco? Trump comedy will die with him, and then what? Get in while the gettin’s good. Conan O’Brien Must Go S3 trailer

Mother Mary (HBO, HBO Max) Movie streaming premiere

The Dynasty: UConn Huskies (Apple TV) New docuseries

Facing El Chapo (Netflix) Documentary premiere

Unlawful Attraction (LMN) Movie premiere

Stillwater (Apple TV) Season 5 premiere

VOD movies rent/buy: Bury the Devil (2026; horror/thriller), Peter Asher: Everywhere Man (2026; documentary/music)

The Babysitter’s Double Life (Lifetime) Movie premiere: Broke college student Lia (Courtney Fulk) has a fling with a rich dad, whose financial assistance leads her to start a babysitting service for lonely, divorced fathers. No sooner than you can say “Lifetime twist,” her business becomes a full-blown prostitution ring with her as the unsuspecting madame. Don’t ever change, Lifetime.

Love Finds You (Hallmark) Movie premiere

The Run for a Million (CBS, Paramount+) Special

Three Housewives and a Body (Lifetime) Movie premiere: During a girls’ night party with Jackie, Lorelai, and Ella (Christie Osterhus, Rachel Hendrix, and Segen Gebremariam), a violent home invasion leads the trio to kill the intruder—in self-defense, of course. Because of Jackie’s dark secret (spoiler: He’s her ex and she’s been pretending to be dead herself) and this being a Lifetime movie, they have to dispose of the body rather than call the police. This movie has appeared in other countries as Housewives Murder Pact, but Three Housewives and a Body is clearly the superior title—USA! USA! USA!

The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only Live (AMC+) Music special: See Lestat (Sam Reid) and his theater-camp band perform songs from the series live at the Beacon in New York City (well, not “live,” as this was taped in June and screened at San Diego Comic-Con in July). Some cool songs, but why does the band need three guitar players? Must be a vampire thing. The Vampire Lestat: One Night Only Live preview