Its a good thing live sports are coming back, because with a few exceptions, theres not much worth streaming in August.Whether its an extreme version of the typical August content drought, or the first effects of pandemic-related production delays (or both), it should be a good month to either catch up on past shows or tighten the belt and save money on subscriptions.As this column has previously mentioned, consumers can take full advantage of cord-cutting by capitalizing on the ability to add and drop streaming services each month, and all it takes is good planning and timing. Remember, a billing cycle starts when you sign up, not necessarily at the beginning of each month.
Consumers can also take advantage of deals for free streaming trials, as Disney and Apple in particular focus on building subscriber bases rather than growing revenue (for now, at least). Youre never going to get a better deal than free, and the offers wont last forever.
Read: How to get Disney+, Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video or Netflix for free and what to know before you sign up
Free possibilities aside, when its time to decide where your subscription dollars should go, Whats Worth Streaming is here to help. We rate each major streaming service every month as a play, pause or stop, similar to investment analysts ratings of buy, hold and sell, and pick the best content to help you make your monthly decisions.
Heres a look at whats coming to the various streaming services in August 2020, and whats really worth the monthly subscription fee
Netflix ($8.99 or $12.99 a month)
So theres good news and bad news. The good: Netflix
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has dozens of original series, specials and movies coming in August. The bad: Not much of it looks particularly compelling.
Sure, there are new seasons of cult favorites such as Lucifer (Aug. 21), the cop procedural that Netflix rescued after it was canceled by Fox, in which the bored devil solves mysteries with the LAPD, and Brazils dystopian drama 3% (Aug. 14), along with a number of solid-looking documentaries, kids shows, comedy specials and international series Denmarks post-apocalyptic Rain (Aug. 6), the baking game show Nailed It! Mexico (Aug. 7) among others but little that screams you need to see this.
Read: Heres everything coming to Netflix in August 2020 and whats leaving
But there are, at least, two high-profile debuts that may be worth checking out. One is Project Power (Aug. 14), an action movie in which Jamie Foxx and Joseph Gordon-Levitt team up to take down those responsible for a street drug that gives people superpowers for five minutes at a time. It looks intensely stupid, but hey, with good actors, decent flight scenes and nothing in movie theaters, it could scratch that itch for dumb summer blockbusters.
The other is the six-part docuseries Immigration Nation (Aug. 3), which examines the nations broken immigration system from the inside, with behind-the-scenes looks into how Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents do their jobs. Heres where it gets interesting: The New York Times has reported that the Trump administration has threatened legal action to stop the series from being aired before the November election and demanded scenes to be cut, after revelations that it shows potentially illegal acts by ICE agents, as well as scenes of them lying to gain access to immigrants homes, and mocking those they arrest. At this point in time, one has to believe that if the government doesnt want the public seeing it, then its most definitely worth watching.
Whos Netflix for? Fans of buzz-worthy original shows and movies.
Play, pause or stop? Play. Despite the slim pickings of August, Netflix still has a deep, deep library. Take the opportunity to watch a series or two that you missed when they first came out. (The crime thriller Giri/Haji, the old-timey gang drama Peaky Blinders and the Western miniseries Godless come to mind.)
Amazon Prime Video ($12.99 a month)
Its a quiet month for Amazon Prime Video too.
The best of the new additions looks to be Worlds Toughest Race: Eco-Challenge Fiji (Aug. 14), a made-for TV adventure race spanning 10 episodes and 671 kilometers. Bear Grylls hosts, as 66 teams from around the world race for 11 days across the jungles, mountains and waters of Fiji. Think of it as a mix of Survivor and the old ABC Wide World of Sports presentations of the Ironman Triathlon. For sports-starved viewers, it could hit that sweet spot of competition, thrills and cheering for the underdog.
Read: Heres whats coming to Amazon Prime Video in August 2020
Amazon
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will also roll out the teen romance movie Chemical Hearts (Aug. 21), starring Lili Reinhart and Austin Abrams, and a slate of kids shows and older movies. As with Netflix, this is a good time to dive into the library and discover shows youve missed. Try the acclaimed dark comedy One Mississippi, the con-man drama Sneaky Pete or the superhero spoof The Tick, or catch up on the twisted superhero satire The Boys before Season 2 drops in September.
Whos Amazon Prime Video for? Movie lovers, TV-series fans who value quality over quantity.
Play, pause or stop? Play. Not much new, but Eco-Challenge should be legitimately good, and theres a deep library to explore.
Hulu ($5.99 a month or $11.99 with no ads)
Nows also the time to appreciate Hulus vast library of older TV shows because the cupboard of originals is pretty bare in August.
The biggest offering is The Binge (Aug. 28), a teen comedy movie starring Vince Vaughn (whos notably not a teen). Its a parody of The Purge, set in a world where fun is banned, except for one day a year where everyone can drink, take drugs and let loose. It … does not sound great.
See: Heres whats coming to Hulu in August 2020, and whats leaving
The better bet is a re-watch of shows you used to love Lost, The Amazing Race, Community, Veronica Mars or more recent ones that slipped past you The Great, Pen15, The Terror or below-the-radar shows that you didnt even realize you missed such as the comedies The Wrong Mans and Difficult People and the time-travel thriller series 11.22.63.
Whos Hulu for? TV lovers. Theres a deep library for those who want older TV series, and next-day streaming for many current network and cable shows
Play, pause or stop? Pause and think it over. Even though theres not much new, Hulus deep library could still be worth it.
Disney+ ($6.99 a month)
For those of you who picked up a Disney+ subscription in July just to watch Hamilton, its safe to cancel now. Theres not a lot coming in August.
But for those whose kids need their Disney
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fix, there are some family-friendly debuts, most prominently The One and Only Ivan (Aug. 14), the CGI-heavy story of a silverback gorilla whos taken into captivity and forced to perform at a mall circus, and the friends he makes along the way. Brian Cranston stars as Ivans keeper, and Sam Rockwell, Angelina Jolie, Helen Mirren and Danny DeVito do voice work. It looks cute.
Theres also Howard (Aug. 7), a documentary about Oscar-winning lyricist Howard Ashman, new episodes of Muppets Now and a new Phineas and Ferb movie (Aug. 28).
Whos Disney+ for? Families with kids, and hard-core Star Wars and Marvel fans. For those not in that group, its library is lacking.
Play, pause or stop? Pause. If you have kids, its a no-brainer its worth a subscription. If not, then youre not missing much.
HBO Max ($14.99 a month)
HBO Max will have some decent additions in August, but its lack of availability to many streaming viewers will continue to be a frustration.
The main selling point of HBO Max is, obviously, HBO, which has the lions share of new releases. The best of the bunch is likely to be Lovecraft Country (Aug. 16), the adaptation of the acclaimed novel about a young Black man in Jim Crow-era America who travels cross-country to track down his missing father, facing terrors both human and supernatural. It stars Jonathan Majors, Jurnee Smollett, Michael K. Williams and Courtney B. Vance, and looks to be a timely hit.
HBO is also rolling out a new season of its NFL behind-the-scenes docuseries Hard Knocks (Aug. 11), this time focusing on the Los Angeles Rams and Chargers; the documentary The Swamp (Aug. 4), about the corrosive effect of money on Capitol Hill; and a ton of new movies, including Oscar-winner Jojo Rabbit (Aug 1), six older Batman movies (Aug. 1), the Harley Quinn follow-up Birds of Prey (Aug. 18), Richard Jewell (Aug. 8) and Queen and Slim (Aug. 22).
See: Heres everything coming to HBO Max in August 2020, and whats leaving
Maxs selling point will be the original movie An American Pickle (Aug. 6), which stars Seth Rogen in a double role, as Herschel, an early 20th-century immigrant who falls into a pickling vat and wakes up a century later, and as his great-grandson Ben, who Herschel meets in modern-day Brooklyn. Rogen is reliably funny and this seems like a solid fish-out-of-water comedy, with a little heart.
Whos HBO Max for? HBO fans and movie lovers. Though oddly enough, its still NOT for Roku or Amazon Fire users, since Max owner AT&T Inc.
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has yet to hammer out a deal with the two biggest makers of streaming-TV devices.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. If you already get HBO, then by all means explore Max. But the lack of Roku and Amazon compatibility makes it hard to recommend Max for most consumers.
Peacock (free basic level, $4.99 a month with ads, or $9.99 a month with no ads)
Peacock, the streaming service from Comcasts
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NBCUniversal, launched in July without most live sports and with much of its original programming delayed by the pandemic. That situation wont change much in August
Peacock announced a deal in early July to become the U.S. home to English Premier League soccer, offering more than 175 matches during the 2020-21 season. However, the next Premier League season wont start until September, so nothing much to see here yet.
Read:NBCs Peacock is flying into the streaming wars how does it compare to Amazon, Netflix, Disney, Hulu, HBO Max and Apple?
As for originals, Peacock is still relying on overseas shows, launching the British comedy series Hitmen (Aug. 6), starring former Great British Bake-Off co-hosts Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, and the Australian dramedy series Five Bedrooms (Aug. 13), about five single people who buy a house together.
Whos Peacock for? If youre a cord-cutter who misses network TV, the free version of Peacock is great. If youre eligible for Premium through a Comcast or Cox subscription, its also a perfectly fine free addition.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. The free version is nice, but the paid tier will be unnecessary for most people, at least for now.
CBS All Access ($5.99 a month or $9.99 with no ads)
A few months after Star Trek: Picard, CBS All Access is once again reaching into the Star Trek universe in search of a hit.
That would be Star Trek: Lower Decks, an animated workplace comedy about the support crew on a Federation starship, far from the escapades of Kirk or Picard. One encouraging sign: It comes from Mike McMahon, the Emmy-winning writer/producer of Rick and Morty and Solar Opposites
All Access will also bolster its live-sports lineup, signing a deal in July to be the exclusive U.S. streaming home to the UEFA Champions League and Europa League soccer for the next four years, beginning with the Champions League Round of 16 starting Aug. 7. Its all part of ViacomCBSs
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effort to beef up the service, which is expected to relaunch next year.
Whos CBS All Access for? Cord-cutters who miss network TV and sports.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. Theres still not enough to justify the price, and for soccer fans, the Champions League final on Aug. 23 will almost certainly air for free on CBS.
Apple TV+ ($4.99 a month)
Apples
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streaming service has a pair of August releases, both of which like nearly all Apple TV+ shows seem perfectly fine, but not particularly must-see TV.
The new comedy series Ted Lasso (Aug. 14) stars Jason Sudeikis as an American college football coach who despite knowing nothing about soccer gets hired to coach a professional soccer team in England. (Where its called football, so connect the joke dots.) Scrubs producer Bill Lawrence is part of the creative team, which is encouraging. Apple also has Boys State,a film about a mock state-government exercise held by Texas high-school students, which won the Grand Jury Price for documentaries at the Sundance Film Festival.
Whos Apple TV+ for? Thats the big question it offers a little something for everyone, but not enough for anyone, really.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. With the shallowest library of any other streaming service and only one or two originals a month, its still not worth the admittedly low price.
Quibi ($4.99 a month with ads, $7.99 a month with no ads)
Yes, Quibi is still a thing. But at the rate its apparently burning cash and failing to lure subscribers, who knows how long that will last. (Pro tip: If you really want entertaining content that can be consumed in less than 10 minutes, read this Vulture exposé on Quibis behind-the-scenes drama.)
Still, its rolling out high-profile new shows in August, including Kiefer Sutherlands reboot of The Fugitive (Aug. 3), new seasons of Punkd (Aug. 17) and Reno 911 (Aug. 24), and This Joka with Will Smith, a stand-up comedy showcase hosted by the megastar.
Whos Quibi for? Unknown. But if you figure it out, please alert Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman.
Play, pause or stop? Stop. Save your money.read more
What’s Worth Streaming: Here’s what’s worth streaming in August 2020: ‘Lovecraft Country,’ ‘Immigration Nation’ and more
