We’re eight months into the year, can you believe it? Feels like time skated by and now we’re in August with the summer nearly over and the most wonderful time of the year in broadcast inching closer to us. Yes, I’m talking about the fall premieres!
They’re just a month and some change away, so I’m leaving a link here for you if you want to take a look at what’s coming to ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC. As I mentioned in my post about Fall TV, Ghosts is one of the shows that’s been delayed until next year with exception to the Halloween and Christmas specials set to drop.
However, I do have some good news. The first four seasons of Ghosts is now available to stream for free on Pluto TV. You can watch episodes on-demand and there’s also a dedicated 24/7 channel if you’d liked to have the show on why you go about your daily tasks.
Sadly, the CW still hasn’t released its fall premiere dates. But for my fellow fans of the network’s pre-Nexstar era programming, Jane the Virgin, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, and iZombie are also on Pluto TV this month, so there’s that to enjoy in the meantime.
The FAST platform is collecting CW shows like gemstones at this point. I know that’s because CBS is the CW’s momma and their five year exclusive deals on Netflix ran out but still! I love to see it.
As for my curated picks, it’s a light fare for August. If you’d like to skip straight to my thoughts on the three shows I’m personally diving into, follow me down the rabbit hole.
Wednesday, August 5 - Sterling Point (Prime Video)
All 8 episodes
The latest coming-of-age drama to premiere on Prime Video follows Annie Jacobson, a 17 year old who inherits her grandfather’s island in Canada. Her time there contrasts the life she built with her twin brother and adoptive father in New York City where she was raised. But coming to the island opens doors to the past she wasn’t prepared for and begins to put her mother’s life in context, including the reveal of a sister she never knew she had.
Side note: While Sterling Point is an original story and not a book adaptation, the series being a part of Prime Video’s lean into YA and NA content does make me think on the strategy Sandra Lehner delved into concerning the company’s look to BookTok and community driven engagement for carving out a new streaming identity. Check it out, here.
Friday, August 7 - Anna Pigeon at 10 p.m. (USA Network)
Weekly release, 10-episode season | Based on a book
The eponymous character, from the mystery series by Nevada Barr, is a park ranger who fell into the job after a devastating loss sees her leaving the city she once called home. She’s aiming to outrun the demons dogging her steps by solving crimes on national park grounds however she has to. Anna isn’t one to let anything or anyone get in her way.
Sunday, August 16 - Lanterns at 9 p.m. (HBO Max)
Weekly release, 8-episode season | Based on comic characters
Earth’s first Green Lantern Hal Jordan is John Stewart’s reluctant trainer as the pair investigate a murder in America’s heartland. But truth is, this is bigger than mysterious alien deaths, there’s a conspiracy brewing that looks to be tied to the presence of Manhunters on the planet.
Friday, August 21 - Mother Mary (HBO Max)
Streaming release
The film follows the eponymous pop icon as she reunites with her former costume designer who also happens to be her estranged best friend. It’s the eve of Mary’s comeback performance, and she needs Sam’s help. As the two work together, wounds from the past begin to surface as long-buried feelings are unearthed.
Sunday, August 23 - Three Housewives and a Body at 8 p.m. (Lifetime)
TV Movie
Written by Lauren Greenwood (CUT TO: Writing a Movie on Substack), this thriller follows three best friends—Lorelai, Jackie, and Ella—who all live in the same neighborhood. Their lives take a sharp left turn when, during a girl’s night, a home invader they accidentally kill turns out to be Jackie’s abusive ex.
The trio make a pact to keep quiet about what happened but guilt over what they’ve done starts to eat at Lorelai. The problem though is that going to the police isn’t easy now that they’ve covered up a man’s death, and Lorelai’s own life is under threat.
Ad break: Want to learn more about Lauren and her perspective on made-for-TV movies? Check out my interview with the screenwriter where she dives into what makes TV movies “good business” and how the storytelling medium is growing.
Prime Video keeps sucking me in with their offerings. While Year After Year wasn’t exactly my cup of tea (though I am glad the series got a second season), Sterling Point absolutely looks to be up my alley.
Once again we’re in Canada, which is increasingly becoming the natural setting for American TV due to the high cost of production stateside, but instead of bouncing in and out of a past and present timeline, this drama sits firmly in a coming-of-age narrative about a teenage girl.
What took me by the hand and jotted the series down as a must-watch in my work journal is the story around newfound sisters, Annie and Ramona. I gasped when the trailer revealed that plot and became deeply invested in how the discovery of the others existence would affect their perception of themselves, their mother, and the life they thought they knew.
I’m anticipating some good drama between the fathers, Joe and Steven, and I want to know how Annie’s brother, Conner, is going to handle Ramona’s presence. It’s just been him and his twin sister, now they’re adding a third sibling to the mix. All of this just seems so, so delicious. Then you add the sprinkling of young love, too, and I’m just a goner. I shall be seated.
In truth, I’m watching Anna Pigeon on the strength of my enjoyment of Tracy Spiridakos’ Det. Hailey Upton in the FBI/Chicago P.D. crossover. She almost got me to drop into the long running NBC procedural, but I managed to stave off that compulsion and bided my time until she’d star on a program I could start from its premiere.
I’m happy that I did because this USA Network series brings something different to the table. It’s set in a national park with Spiridakos playing a ranger. Often, cop dramas take place in big cities. Sometimes they’re off the beaten path in a southern locale or southwestern but for the most part we’re on the East or West coast with the occasional small town focus like Murder in a Small Town (coming back in 2027!). So a national park is a nice change of pace with the opportunity to learn about how law enforcement operates in those areas.
Technically, Anna Pigeon isn’t a police procedural since it focuses on a park ranger, but the show is a crime drama that will have a mystery/investigation of the week so I’m lumping it in with the rest. That’s going to be the appeal, especially for Chicago P.D. fans who tune in to see what Spiridakos’ new show is like.
I haven’t talked about this much, if at all, on Substack but I love superheroes. Being a millennial kid, I grew up with WB Saturday morning cartoons, Cartoon Network at its peak, Smallville, and Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man.
I don’t remember where the original X-Men series or the animated Spider-man adaptations aired but I was in BoBos and barrettes watching those. By the time I was a young adult, Arrowverse was finding its footing on The CW so I was tapped into to DC TV and poured one out for that era when Superman & Lois ended. FOX’s Gotham is also a really good show that more people should know about. Anyway, as you can see, I love superhero television.
But I admit that HBO Max’s comics programming hasn’t really captured me. At least, not until The Penguin, which I had faith in because it’s set in the same universe as Matt Reeves’ The Batman (my fave btw, emo!Bruce forever). I’m giving Lanterns a chance because Justice League was a staple for me back in the day and Coach is in this. Clear eyes, full hearts, can’t lose, okay? The TV you love or performances from actors that stick with you have a way of opening you up to programs you might have bypassed.
I mean this also happens to be a (space) cop drama, and I am nothing if not piqued by different takes on a well-tread genre. Anna Pigeon is on this list for that very reason. I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised by this trainee-trainer, opposing personalities thrown together begrudgingly, mystery-filled series.
That’s it for my August picks! What are you watching this month?
ICYMI
I concluded my coverage of The Vampire Lestat with a behemoth of an analysis of the finale. Saw the fandom was mixed on the closing episode, but I enjoyed it once I got a handle on the narrative. Can’t express how excited I am for Interview with the Vampire season 4, Queen of the Damned!
Lucky is streaming on Apple TV. It is delivering like I hoped it would. Reacher’s Alan Ritchson recently told Variety that he wants Hollywood to rethink the action hero. He was specifically talking about putting characters with everyday jobs in the middle of the action instead of always having trained military or federal agents in the driver’s seat. But I think Lucky falls in this category, too, because she’s a con woman who was raised in the life but didn’t want to be a part of it, gets caught up in some mess that has to do with her husband and her father, and has the FBI and the mob on her tail. She’s not your typical action lead and the story is so engaging. I’m covering the show over on Forbes.
I’ve been thinking about The Devil’s Mouth, Prime Video’s latest thriller. This time of the shark variety. Wrote a review. Just going to leave my Substack note with my thoughts on the film here.
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