{"id":722519,"date":"2026-08-01T09:30:16","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T09:30:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/722519\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T09:30:16","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T09:30:16","slug":"im-a-tv-editor-these-are-the-10-best-shows-to-watch-in-august","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/722519\/","title":{"rendered":"I’m a TV editor – these are the 10 best shows to watch in August"},"content":{"rendered":"

Given the heatwaves that have hit the UK in the past few weeks, you\u2019d be forgiven for not having turned on your television since the World Cup<\/a>. Then again, the coolness of a dark living room with a fan is the perfect escape from the heat \u2013 so you might as well reach for the remote. <\/p>\n

And with another heatwave on the way, thank god there\u2019s some decent TV coming up this month. From the return of Ted Lasso<\/a> and Ludwig<\/a> to new series from Ricky Gervais<\/a> and the DC universe, all tastes are accounted for. Here\u2019s everything to watch in August:<\/p>\n

Ted Lasso<\/p>\n

\"BrendanBrendan Hunt as Coach Beard, Jason Sudeikis as Ted and Tanya Reynolds as Alice (Photo: Colin Hutton\/Apple)<\/p>\n

The third series of Apple TV\u2019s sickly sweet football comedy was supposed to be its last, but thanks to star and writer Jason Sudeikis<\/a> having a fresh idea for his eponymous coach, it\u2019s back. This time, Ted is taking charge of Richmond\u2019s second-division women\u2019s team \u2013 other than that, details have been kept under wraps. We do know, however, that the whole gang is returning, including Hannah Waddingham\u2019s witty Rebecca<\/a> and the ultimate will-they-won\u2019t-they couple Keeley (Juno Temple) and Roy (Brett Goldstein).<\/p>\n

Wednesday 5 August, Apple TV <\/p>\n

Big Chicken: A Fast-Food Conspiracy <\/p>\n

\"TVMo Gilligan investigates the global fast-food chicken industry (Photo: Netflix)<\/p>\n

In the latest documentary from Louis Theroux\u2019s<\/a> production company Mindhouse, comedian Mo Gilligan<\/a> investigates the ins and outs of the global fast-food chicken industry. As well as uncovering the economic and industrial reasons for the popularity of fried chicken, he also interrogates how it has developed a stereotypical association with certain ethnicities. Perhaps most interestingly, Gilligan commits himself to eating fried chicken three times a day for 28 days to find out how it can affect our bodies. Rather him than me.<\/p>\n

Wednesday 5 August, Netflix <\/p>\n

The Shards <\/p>\n

\"FX'sIgby Rigney as Bret and Kaia Gerber as Susan (Photo: FX\/Disney+)<\/p>\n

Based on Bret Easton Ellis\u2019s 2023 novel<\/a> and made by television\u2019s enfant terrible Ryan Murphy<\/a>, The Shards is a sexy, twisty horror. Set in 1980s LA at a prestigious high school, we meet leader of the popular gang Bret (inspired by the author<\/a> and played by Rigney), whose life begins to unravel with the arrival of a mysterious new student \u2013 and the growing prominence of a ruthless serial killer known as The Trawler. As his group of glamourous, privileged friends party away, they have no idea of the terror that awaits them.<\/p>\n

Thursday 6 August, Disney+ <\/p>\n

Possession <\/p>\n

\"AlfredGugu Mbatha-Raw as Claudia (Photo: Des Willie\/Snowed-In Productions\/Sky UK Ltd)<\/p>\n

In this spooky, supernatural thriller, Bafta-nominated Gugu Mbatha-Raw<\/a> plays Claudia, an ambitious lawyer who travels to Jamaica to help her client, the wealthy aristocrat Oliver Connaught (Jonny Lee Miller), with an inheritance claim. A local man named Cudjoe East (Sheldon Shepherd) has been left a former plantation house in the former owner\u2019s will \u2013 a house that Connaught believes should belong to him. As the story switches between the modern day and the past, Claudia is haunted by the house\u2019s history, and the true horrors of British colonialism and the slave trade are laid bare. <\/p>\n

Thursday 6 August, Sky Atlantic\/Now <\/p>\n

Alley Cats <\/p>\n

\"AlleyRicky Gervias as Gus, Tom Basden as Ponce, David Earl as Puke, Andrew Brooke as Fang, and Diane Morgan as Olive (Photo: Netflix)<\/p>\n

Ricky Gervais\u2019s<\/a> new Netflix \u201cslacker sitcom\u201d boasts an impressive cast of British talent, including Diane Morgan, Kerry Godliman<\/a> and Tom Basden. The twist? They\u2019re all voicing animated feral cats. Gervais is Gus, whose gang \u2013 Olive, Fang, Ponce, and Puke \u2013 have carved out quite a nice life for themselves, scavenging for their dinners and watching TV in an abandoned house. When a lost kitten rocks up, Gus and co take her under their wing, teaching her the ways of the street. But don\u2019t be fooled, this is no sweet family-friendly cartoon \u2013 the tagline reads: \u201cNine lives, zero f***s.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friday 7 August, Netflix <\/p>\n

Mourinho <\/p>\n

\"MOURINHO.Find out why Jos\u00e9 Mourinho is \u2018The Special One\u2019 (Photo: Netflix)<\/p>\n

Real Madrid manager Jos\u00e9 Mourinho<\/a> is the latest star to receive the Netflix documentary treatment, following in the footsteps of David Beckham<\/a> and Kylie Minogue<\/a>. Over three episodes, the series will chart how the Portuguese native went from winning his first Champions League title to becoming one of the most celebrated managers in the world, earning himself the nickname \u201cThe Special One\u201d along the way. There\u2019s also interviews with the man himself, promising unguarded, unprecedented insight from \u201cfootball\u2019s ultimate contradiction: the winner the game can\u2019t live without and can\u2019t always live with.\u201d <\/p>\n

Tuesday 11 August, Netflix <\/p>\n

Lanterns <\/p>\n

Filmmaker James Gunn continues to build on his DC universe following this summer\u2019s rather disappointing Supergirl with a gritty take on the Green Lantern comic books. For the uninitiated, a Green Lantern is a sort of space copper who wields a powerful ring that can create anything the wearer wills it to. In this more realistic reboot, we meet experienced officer Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and his fresh new partner John Stewart (Aaron Pierre), who are paired up to investigate a seemingly average murder in a small Nebraskan town. But soon they discover this is no ordinary killing, and that alien involvement is a real possibility.<\/p>\n

Monday 17 August, HBO Max <\/p>\n

Trigger Point <\/p>\n

\"HTMVicky McClure as Lana Washington (HTM Productions\/ITV)<\/p>\n

If I were explosives officer Lana Washington (Vicky McClure<\/a>), then I would have quit my job long ago \u2013 but she\u2019s clearly hardier than I am, as she\u2019s back for a fourth series of defusing bombs and upending terror plots. We don\u2019t know much about what the new instalment of ITV\u2019s nerve-shredding drama will entail, but a teaser trailer has revealed that Lana and her team will once again be faced with a new plan to blow up London. Meanwhile, it seems as though all those years of almost being blown up \u2013 and losing some loved ones along the way \u2013 is starting to catch up with Lana and having a severe effect on her mental health. <\/p>\n

August, ITV1 <\/p>\n

Ludwig <\/p>\n

\"TXDavid Mitchell as John \u2018Ludwig\u2019 Taylor (Photo: BBC\/Big Talk Studios\/Olly Courtney)<\/p>\n

The first series of the BBC\u2019s quintessential cosy crime drama was a huge success, so no one should be surprised that the puzzle-solving detective is back for round two (and that a third has already been announced). This time, John Ludwig (David Mitchell) \u2013 who was posing as his detective twin brother James in the first series \u2013 is working with the police as a \u201ccrime scene consultant\u201d. But while that means his murder investigations are more legit, there\u2019s a catch \u2013 he\u2019s not allowed to use police resources to track down his still missing brother. <\/p>\n

August, BBC One <\/p>\n

Bookish <\/p>\n

\"BookishMark Gatiss is back as Gabriel Book (Photo: UKTV)<\/p>\n

Cosy crime fans are being treated this month, as Mark Gatiss\u2019s unlikely detective<\/a> is also returning for a brand-new series. Gabriel Book (Gatiss<\/a>) \u2013 aptly named for a man who runs an antique book shop \u2013 has three new mysteries to unravel, ranging from the supernatural to the very fashionable. One will even take Book and his ex-convict assistant Jack Blunt (Connor Finch) out of 1940s London to Germany \u2013 at Christmastime, no less. As ever, there\u2019s a host of special guests appearing in the episodes, including Ruth Codd, Simon Callow, and Jason Watkins. <\/p>\n

August, U&Alibi <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Given the heatwaves that have hit the UK in the past few weeks, you\u2019d be forgiven for not…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":722520,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[96,391,113699,56,54,55,14914],"class_list":["post-722519","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tv","tag-entertainment","tag-tv","tag-tv-guide","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom","tag-what-to-watch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722519","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=722519"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/722519\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/722520"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=722519"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=722519"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=722519"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}