Some happy news to report, besides the fact that it is time for another “What’s On” posting. The news we herald is that due to heavy lawsuits, the Warner/Paramount merger is on a long hold – until July of 2027 or when the lawsuits are resolved, whichever comes sooner. Though we don’t know what would happen to the Warner Bros. Studios and all its content, including HBO, if the merger fails, we just hope the Ellisons & Zaslav are out of the picture for good soon. (Find details here.) Until all that shakes down, we just have HBO to enjoy. Here is a look at content for August
A few quick points:
- The Lantern’s Light Shines this Month!
- The Seattle Seahawks Soar
- Whitmer Thomas Tries to Crack Us Up
- Michaela Coel & Hunter Schafer Grace the Screen
- Plus, Beware THE MONSTERS OF GOD
- And Conan Can’t Go Yet
HBO Original Series: LANTERNS –
Now that is something to get excited over! So this DC series sort of fumbled its PR campaign, but it all calmed down with the launch of this trailer. It debuted at this year’s Comic-Con and put to rest all the qualms fans were having pretty quickly. Now all we need to do is enjoy the upcoming eight-episode premiere season.
It debuts SUNDAY, AUGUST 16 at 9:00 pm ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on HBO Max. Based on the DC comic characters from Green Lantern, Green Lanterns are intergalactic peacekeepers who wear rings that give them extraordinary powers. The series follows experienced Lantern Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) as they investigate a murder in Rushville, Nebraska, which Jordan believes is an extraterrestrial incident and leads them to darker mysteries and reckonings. Chandler and Pierre are joined by Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, Ulrich Thomsen, Nathan Fillion, J. Alphonse Nicholson, and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
HBO in association with Warner Bros. Television and DC Studios. The show’s pilot is co-written by Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof, and Tom King, who are co-creators for the series. Mundy serves as showrunner. The first two episodes are directed by James Hawes, with Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel, and Alik Sakharov also tapped to direct. The series is executive produced by Mundy, Lindelof, King, James Gunn, Peter Safran, Ron Schmidt, and Hawes.
HOUSE OF THE DRAGON still reigns! It has two big episodes to go in August. It continues with its penultimate episode of the season on SUNDAY, AUGUST 02 at 9:00 pm. It is actually over an hour long by eleven minutes. The following week, SUNDAY, AUGUST 09 is the season finale. You don’t want to miss it.
Hey, did you know they have a little parody series playing that recreates highlights from each season this year? Yeah, it is called HOUSE OF THE DRAG, and it stars drag queens. Here is the latest one.
On a more serious note, provided extras on HBO Max & YouTube include “MIC’D UP”. It is a quick clip of a director’s approach and on-set discussions for any given episode this season. Here is the latest one of those as well. You’re welcome.
LIFE, LARRY AND THE PURSUIT OF UNHAPPINESS has its final installment to air in August. It does so on FRIDAY, AUGUST 07 (9:00 – 9:45 pm) and repeats immediately following. What historic moments get skewered by Larry to wrap up the season? And remember, those who don’t know history…are doomed to watch Larry David repeat it.
Both LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER and REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER have returned from their summer hiatuses. Oliver’s show returned last week with a discussion on how the Trump family’s cryptocurrency ventures have overshadowed their other businesses, and how they’ve created massive conflicts of interest for the Trump administration. His nineteenth installment of the season lands SUNDAY, AUGUST 02 (11:00-11:40 pm). Maher came back the last day of July, so he continues in August beginning FRIDAY, AUGUST 07 (10:10-11:10 pm).
Original Series Exclusive to HBO Max: He has been to Norway, Argentina, Thailand, Ireland, Spain with Javier Bardem, New Zealand with Taiki Waititi, and Austria. Where will he go next? We are talking about Conan O’Brien, of course, and his HBO Max travel show CONAN MUST GO. In this riotously funny stint, Conan experiences local cultures and connects with fans he previously met on his podcast. He begins again exclusively on the streamer starting FRIDAY, AUGUST 21 and runs for four installments.
Are you watching STUART FAILS TO SAVE THE UNIVERSE? The ten-episode series continues its run on THURSDAYS in August. Comic book store owner Stuart Bloom is tasked with restoring reality after he breaks a device built by Sheldon and Leonard, accidentally bringing about a multiverse Armageddon. Stuart is aided in this quest by his girlfriend Denise, geologist friend Bert, and quantum physicist/all-around pain in the ass Barry Kripke. Along the way, they meet alternate-universe versions of characters we’ve come to know and love from The Big Bang Theory. To be honest, I’ve never even seen a full episode of its parent show, so this means little to me. The series stars Kevin Sussman (Stuart), Lauren Lapkus (Denise), Brian Posehn (Bert), and John Ross Bowie (Barry). For those who do have their eyes on it, here is a Weeks Ahead clip.
HBO International Titles: Out of Taiwan comes a drama title for August. It is THE PRODUCER. No, it is not an Oriental take on the Mel Brooks classic. It is a ten-episode series spoken in Mandarin Chinese with English subtitles. Around the year 2000, Liao Miao-jun (an actress who goes by the name 9m88), who had just graduated from university, accidentally became the assistant for ace music producer Wu Pei-zu (Tony Yang). Miao-jun is resilient but reckless; Wu is talented but hard to please. With different famous singers as their clients, this funny pair of mentor and mentee is bound to create new sparks they never imagined. Through conflicts and compromises, the two face the challenges together to shoulder the responsibility and sense of mission as “the producer”. I know, not for everyone, but it makes its way to HBO Max on FRIDAY, AUGUST 28, nevertheless. THE INVISIBLE GUEST is a movie from across the way, but I’m not sure if it is the 2016 original from Spain from 2016 or the Indonesian adaptation from 2026, though I suspect it is the latter version. In it, a young businessman wakes up in a hotel room locked from the inside with the dead body of his lover next to him. He hires a prestigious lawyer, and over one night they work together to clarify what happened in a frenetic race against time. It arrives on FRIDAY, AUGUST 07 on HBO Max.
HBO & HBO Max Theatrical Movies: There are, as of now, three movies debuting during HBO’s Saturday night lineup in August. We say “as of now” because a new title could surface at any moment. I mean, look what happened with MORTAL KOMBAT II in July. The titles for August are The Strangers: Chapter 2, Normal, and Mother Mary. Below is a look at each.
The Lionsgate film THE STRANGERS: CHAPTER 2 leads us off. It debuts SATURDAY, AUGUST 08 (8:00-9:40 pm ET/PT), and on HBO Max the night prior. As the title says, it is the chilling next chapter in the franchise. Maya (Madelaine Petsch) survived a hellish night being attacked by a trio of masked maniacs. But Scarecrow, Dollface, and Pin-Up Girl are back to finish their bloody business, leading Maya into another fight for her life. The trailer gives you a dose of the horror that awaits with this flick.
The latest collaboration between Bob Odenkirk and the creators of John Wick and Nobody, director Ben Wheatley’s kinetic neo-Western action film, called NORMAL, stars Odenkirk as an unassuming substitute sheriff with a troubled past. Sheriff Ulysses’ provisional posting to the quaint Midwestern American town of Normal was meant to be a welcome respite from both his marital woes and recent moral injuries in the line of duty. But when a botched bank robbery interrupts the town’s tranquil pace, a dark secret is inadvertently exposed, and Ulysses soon discovers that the town is anything but normal. Joining Odenkirk are Henry Winkler (watch out for this guy, I mean he tricked us good in BARRY), Lena Headey, Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellan, Brendan Fletcher, Reena Jolly, and Peter Shinkoda. It hits HBO on SATURDAY, AUGUST 14 (8:00 – 9:31 pm ET/PT) and on HBO Max the night prior.
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22 (8:00 – 9:51 pm ET/PT) and on HBO Max the night prior are the times to catch the debut of A24’s MOTHER MARY. Long-buried wounds rise to the surface when iconic pop star Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) reunites with her estranged best friend and former costume designer Sam Anselm (Michaela Coel) on the eve of her comeback performance. The work also stars Hunter Schafer, Atheena Frizzell, Kaia Gerber, Jessica Brown Findlay, Alba Baptista, Isaura Barbé-Brown, with Sian Clifford and FKA twigs. It is written and directed by David Lowery. He is best known for The Green Knight (2021) and Pete’s Dragon (2016).
Of course, other movies rotate back into the schedule. I’ll just call out a few: Barbarian, Bells Are Ringing, Murder on the Orient Express (2017), Orphan, Practical Magic, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, The Wrong Man, The Yearling, The Cabin in the Woods, The Strangers: Chapter 1 and The Strangers: Prey at Night.
HBO Documentary Films: Filmmaker Eric Goode follows his first love – reptiles – into the dark and gonzo underworld of exotic animal smuggling. In this global network, everyone is chasing the ultimate prize, whether it be owning the rarest of species, claiming the biggest fortunes, or taking down the most elusive criminals. The billion-dollar criminal enterprise is fueled by extreme obsession for these creatures, driving many to push the boundaries of laws and environmental ethics. As he digs deeper, Goode uncovers a labyrinth of outlaw traffickers, bombastic collectors, and the dogged law enforcement agents on their tails.HBO Documentary Films presents MONSTERS OF GOD, a five-part documentary, beginning THURSDAY, AUGUST 06 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT).
–Episode 1: “The Fever”
Debut date: THURSDAY, AUGUST 6 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
The obsessive “fever” to own rare and dangerous animals sends the illegal reptile trade increasingly underground, fueling a dark, billion-dollar smuggling industry populated by notorious and ruthless dealers. The story begins with a fierce rivalry between reptile dealers Hank Molt and Tommy Crutchfield, whose animosity escalates to a macabre iguana trafficking case, as early efforts of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service pursuit begins to take shape.
–Episode 2: “Operation Cobra”
Debut date: THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT)
Florida reptile dealer Ray Van Nostrand enters the fray and takes the trade business into the dark underworld of Miami drug smuggling and gun running with his connection to known cocaine cowboy Mario Tabraue. As the operation grows more dangerous and complex, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) begins closing in to bring the operation down.
–Episode 3: “Smuggler’s Inn”
Debut date: THURSDAY, AUGUST 20 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Ray’s son Mike Van Nostrand attempts to legitimize and capitalize on the family business by building a massive import and export empire that turns reptiles into a booming global commodity. But when his father re-enters the picture, Ray pulls Mike back into illicit trade and ups the stakes, this time involving even more exotic creatures and dangerous international dealer Anson Wong.
–Episode 4: “Operation Chameleon”
Debut date: THURSDAY, AUGUST 27 (9:00-10:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Fresh out of prison, Tommy Crutchfield re-emerges during a new era of high-end, ostensibly legal reptile dealing – the breeding of genetically modified rare animals that can command enormous prices. As the lure of illegal smuggling proves too great, U.S. authorities launch “Operation Chameleon” and uncover a vast trafficking network that entangles dealers and major zoos institutions in the global wildlife trade.
Final installment debuts THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 03.
HBO Original Specials: Whitmer Thomas returns for another stand-up gig. In his second HBO stand-up special, comedian, musician, and actor Whitmer Thomas digs into his small-town Alabama upbringing… and his ongoing quest to be cool. Joined onstage by his bandmates and closest friends – Jeremy Ritchie, Clay Tatum, Budd Diaz, and brother Johnny McCann – Whitmer shares irreverent and heartfelt stories chronicling his chaotic adolescence, from pranks and skateboarding to ruining a Benihana birthday party. Blending original songs, photos, and home videos, WHITMER THOMAS: TERMINAL CREW OF DUDES is a funny and deeply personal tribute to the people and moments that shape us. Written and performed by Whitmer Thomas; directed by Clay Tatum and Whitmer Thomas. Check out the trailer and check out his special when it debuts on FRIDAY, AUGUST 14.
HBO Max Kids & Family: The HBO Max original series ISADORA MOON presents more installments about the half fairy, half vampire imp that’s pictured here. Her adventures continue on THURSDAY, AUGUST 13 on the streamer. There is also THE ROBOT CHICKEN ADULT SWIM SPECIAL uploading on FRIDAY, AUGUST 31.
HBO Sports: HARD KNOCKS: TRAINING CAMP WITH THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS marks the franchise’s first appearance on the 21-time Sports Emmy-winning series. Its signature all-access coverage will unfold this summer at the Seahawks training camp in Renton, Washington, and will feature head coach Mike Macdonald, quarterback Sam Darnold, 2025 Associated Press (AP) NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and defensive standouts Devon Witherspoon and Byron Murphy II. The long-standing series runs for five installments beginning TUESDAY, AUGUST 04 (9:00-10:00 pm ET/PT).
Other Shows On HBO or HBO Max: Broadcast faves ABBOT ELEMENTARY presents Season 5 on SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, and the premiere season of GEORGE & MANDY’S FIRST MARRIAGE hits the streamer on FRIDAY, AUGUST 07. Also, a special collection has been set up. In honor of the 78th Primetime Emmy Award nominations, stream a lineup of Emmy-nominated programming on HBO Max. From acclaimed favorites like THE PITT, HACKS and EUPHORIA to first-time nominees including A KNIGHT OF THE SEVEN KINGDOMS, TASK, and IT: WELCOME TO DERRY, plus standout documentaries and specials, HBO Max is home to television’s most celebrated storytelling. Find all the acclaimed nominees curated in one spot.
Next Month’s Tease: Take a guess! Will we see WAR or YOUTH in September?
Last Month’s Tease: We asked you if you knew which NFL team(s) were featured in the latest iteration of HARD KNOCKS. The answer is last year’s champs – the Seattle Seahawks.
Final Clip: Hope you’re not skittish of reptiles. Here is the trailer for the HBO Documentary Films presentation MONSTERS OF GOD.
Enjoy HBO and HBO Watch!
