As we always do at this time of the month we’ve been circling the streamer-sphere to see what each of our favourite platforms has planned in the coming weeks. This month we’re adding a new platform to the list, HBO Max. With the service now established in the UK it’s time to see what they have up their sleeves for August 2026.
There’s a huge debut from DC Studios as its next live-action series, Lanterns, arrives on August 17th in the UK. The eight-episode season will roll out weekly. Watch the series’ brand new SDCC trailer below:
The series follows new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), two intergalactic cops drawn into a dark, earth-based mystery with cosmic ties as they investigate a murder in the American heartland.
On August 4 the streamer will debut new documentary series Fukushima: A Nuclear Nightmare. In March 2011, a 9.0-magnitude earthquake – the strongest ever recorded in Japan – unleashed a tsunami that devastated the country’s northeast coast. Entire towns were erased and 20,000 lives were lost, but an even greater threat loomed at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, where the giant wave disabled the cooling systems of three reactors. As radiation levels soared and hydrogen explosions tore through the facility, Japan’s leaders faced the unimaginable prospect of evacuating Tokyo – the world’s largest city with 35 million people.
The series reconstructs the nine harrowing days following the disaster in forensic, real-time detail, from the control-room engineers fighting to prevent a total meltdown, to the political leaders confronting the unthinkable, to ordinary citizens caught in the fallout. At the heart of the story are the power plant workers who were tasked with averting a major catastrophe. It was potentially a suicide mission, commanded by Japan’s prime minister Naoto Kan. Navigating days of isolation and terror, these plant workers – who would later be known as the courageous Fukushima 50 – recount the mounting pressures they faced as they entered the darkened reactors to try to avert the worst outcome, knowing the work might kill them. For years, these men stayed silent, burdened by guilt and stigma rather than celebrated as heroes. Now the control-room supervisor on duty when the disaster began, Ikuo Izawa, and others who were present in those nine fateful days, recount their detailed experiences publicly for the first time.
The next day (August 5) Hard Knocks: Training Camp with Seattle Seahawks will debut. The series 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.
On August 7 the streamer premiere’s five-part series Monsters of God. 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 Original Film Miss You, Love You arrives on August 14. A blunt, grieving widow, Diane Patterson (Allison Janney) is forced to plan her husband’s funeral with a total stranger: her estranged son’s assistant, Jamie Simms (Andrew Rannells). As they fumble through grief and their strange, darkly funny circumstances, buried secrets and long-held resentments surface, but their partnership becomes an unlikely conduit for connection, laughter, and healing for this mother and her unexpected surrogate son.
That’s followed by comedy special Whitmer Thomas: Terminal Crew of Dudes on August 15. 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.
Conan O’Brien returns home to HBO as the end of the month with the third season of Conan O’Brien Must Go. In this riotously funny travel series, Conan O’Brien experiences local cultures and connects with fans he previously met on his podcast. The series premieres on August 22, 2026.
