Picture: BBC / Netflix
Next month will be absolutely stacked when it comes to new series, with hundreds of episodes of shows from Netflix and other providers coming to the United States and around the world. We’ve picked out our most anticipated Netflix Original titles and sifted through all the best new licensed titles, too, heading to those in the US (other regions will vary).
We’re still getting word of more titles scheduled to hit Netflix throughout August 2024 (we’re tracking all the US releases for the month here and the UK here), with lots more to be announced. Still, if you’re outside of the United States and are a bit disheartened that many new licensed titles aren’t coming your way from the list below, you’ll be happy to hear many will be getting Mad Men and Lost plus other titles.
Best Netflix Original Series Coming in August 2024
The Umbrella Academy (Season 4)
The Umbrella Academy has been a low-key success for Netflix over the years. It’s not Netflix’s biggest show on its roster, but it’s got a global audience, and they’re loud and passionate, too. It will sadly be bowing out with its final batch of episodes and under a bit of a dark rainy cloud, given that its showrunner, Steve Blackman, was the subject of an expose by RollingStone last month.
Nevertheless, that shouldn’t mean we can’t enjoy what promises to be a dramatic conclusion for the Hargreeve siblings following three seasons on unadulterated chaos. The set-up to season 4 is that the siblings are now in a reset timeline following the events of season 3 with their powers stripped from them. It is not a great time, given that a new nefarious organization is on the horizon.
The entire fourth and final season arrives on Netflix globally on August 8th, 2024.
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder
Emma Myers has become a global star thanks to her starring role in Netflix’s Wednesday series. Now, she’ll be getting her own time in the limelight, headlining this British series in which her character is investigating a murder after the police have already shut the case down.
All regions of Netflix are picking up the first season of A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder on August 1st except the United Kingdom, where the show resides (at least currently) exclusively on the BBC and is streaming via the BBC iPlayer.
Emily in Paris (Season 4 – Part 1)
Love it or loathe it, Emily in Paris is back for three outings in 2024, with the main series split up into two parts and a Netflix Stories entry released day-and-date with part 1.
Emily is taking a holiday this season, heading off to Italy following the dramatic events of the third season’s finale. Part 1 arrives on August 15th globally, with the second part only a month later on September 12th.
Breathless (Season 1)
Looking internationally for our next pick, we’re particularly excited about this new medical series coming out from Spain (and not just because I got to tour the set a few months ago) that will star Najwa Nimri, Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, and Blanca Suárez amongst a slew of other Spanish actors and actresses. It comes from the creator of Elite (and other well-known Netflix series) and follows the daily pressures of the team at a Valencian hospital.
For years now, Netflix has been solely reliant on Grey’s Anatomy when it comes to medical dramas, but with an influx of more licensed pickups (The Resident and New Amsterdam) plus Netflix’s upcoming Pulse series and, of course, Breathless, we’re now going to be spoiled for choice.
Breathless hits Netflix towards the end of the month, with every episode dropping on August 30th.
Worst Ex Ever (Season 1)
To end our four Netflix Original picks, we land with a spin-off documentary series from Blumhouse, the studio behind your favorite horror movies. Serving as a spin-off to the popular series Worst Roommate Ever, which just released its second season (with a third on the way), this show applies a similar format, with dreadful roommates replaced by psychotic partners in dysfunctional relationships.
All four episodes that feature testimony from the subjects it covers, plus animated reenactments making up Worst Ex Ever, land on Netflix globally on August 14th, 2024.
Best Licensed Series Coming to Netflix in August 2024
Let’s move into the licensed shows heading to Netflix in the US, with availability in other regions varying dramatically.
Monsieur Spade (Limited Series)
Monsieur Spade – Picture: AMC
Three of the five recommendations we’ll give you below are from the landmark deal where AMC will be licensing 13 titles to Netflix in August 2024, with a further two in January 2025 (as we first reported).
Clive Owen headlines this neo-noir thriller and has a Netflix connection in the form of its co-creator Scott Frank, having produced two big Netflix Originals in the past: The Queen’s Gambit and Godless. It’s a slickly produced miniseries where you’ll follow a retired detective living in a picturesque town in Southern France. Brutal murders and a young girl who seemingly possesses powers manages to get him back on the case.
As with all the other AMC shows, Monsieur Spade will be added to Netflix on August 19th.
The Venture Bros. (Multiple Seasons)
Picture: Adult Swim
We first scooped that The Venture Bros was coming to Netflix in the United States on August 16th just recently, and the reaction to that news was immense. The series makes its return to Netflix after being away from the platform for what is coming up in 10 years and marks the first Adult Swim title back on Netflix for eight years!
We don’t know exactly how many seasons are hitting Netflix US just yet, but whatever collection Netflix does land, don’t pass up on the opportunity to give the show a watch.
Kevin Can F**k Himself (Seasons 1-2)
Picture: AMC
Moving swiftly back to the AMC pickups, our next pick is an underrated comedy that, while we don’t think will be the most-watched of the new arrivals, we believe is easily one of the best it’s adding.
Annie Murphy plays Allison Devine McRoberts, a woman who is living quite literally in a sitcom. While her husband is around, everything is bright and shiny but when he leaves, there’s a dark undertone that everything is not quite right. The series reminds me of some of the earlier episodes of Community in that it’s meta and wickedly smart. Both seasons will be joining Netflix.
UnREAL (Seasons 1-4)
Picture: Lifetime/Hulu
Marti Noxon and Sarah Gertrude Shapiro were behind this drama series that aired on Lifetime before getting a shortened final season on Hulu in the mid-to-late 2010s. The drama depicts what life is like for the people who are making your favorite reality TV series and all the manipulation from behind the scenes that creates the drama-filled end result.
While that final season is far from the ending the show deserved, the early seasons are incredibly engaging from start to finish, with some superb performances from its leads, Shiri Appleby and Constance Zimmer.
Interview with the Vampire (Season 1)
Picture: AMC
At last but certainly not least, we conclude our final licensed pick with a third pick from the AMC selection: the first season of Interview with the Vampire. This series has an immense fanbase, but it has been waiting for a big opportunity to hit the mainstream, and this could be that chance.
The gothic horror series, previously adapted into a film, is one of two Anne Rice adaptations coming to Netflix as part of this deal with this title following the vampire Louis de Pointe du Lac.
Sadly, only the first season will hit Netflix on August 19th, with the second season locked to AMC+ for the foreseeable future. Another good reason to jump in is that the show was just recently given the green light for a third season.
Missed our list of the best new series on Netflix in July 2024? Revisit them all in the link just there.
What new series are you looking forward to checking out on Netflix next month? Let us know in the comments.