What to Watch: August

by Julian Spivey and Aprille Hanson-Spivey

Photos: Netflix, Hulu & FX

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​Summer Under the Stars – TCM – All Month Long
August is one of the favorite months of the year for fans of classic films and Turner Classic Movies (TCM) with its annual “Summer Under the Stars” programming, which features the films of one Hollywood legend each day throughout the month. This August features legendary Hollywood figures like Henry Fonda, Audrey Hepburn, Clark Gable, Joan Crawford and Kirk Douglas, while also featuring eight actors for the first time. Those eight actors are Christopher Plummer, Ruby Dee, Pedro Armendariz, Charles Bronson, James Gleason, Gina Lollobrigida, Tom Courtenay and Donald O’Connor. Check out TCM.com for the full schedule.
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King of the Hill: Season 14 (Revival) – Hulu – Monday, August 4
Mike Judge and Greg Daniels’s “King of the Hill” was one of television’s best animated comedies during its initial run on Fox from 1997 to 2009. The series focused on Hank Hill, a propane salesman in Texas, and his family and friends. Judge and Daniels have revived the series more than a decade and a half after it left the air for a 10-episode season 14 on Hulu. Premiering on Monday, August 4, the season will see Hank, voiced by Judge, and his wife Peggy, voiced by Kathy Najimy, retired and returned home to Arlen, and their son, Bobby (voiced by Pamela Adlon), as a grown man – now a chef in Dallas. 
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Wednesday: Season 2 – Netflix – Wednesday, August 6
At the end of the first season of “Wednesday,” Netflix’s popular spin on the classic Addams Family series, we find out who the Hyde is (and the Hyde’s master), Wednesday almost dies, and receives a threatening text that will undoubtedly be a new arc in season two. It’s second season premieres with part one Aug. 6 and part two on Sept. 2. Jenna Ortega will continue her role as Wednesday, with some new faces including Steve Buscemi as principal Dort of Nevermore Academy, Joanna Lumley as Grandmama Hester Frump (Morticia’s mother) and Billie Piper as Isadora Capri, head of the academy’s music. While the first season was gripping and delightfully spooky, the second season will have some work to do to keep up that first season momentum. 

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Alien: Earth – FX – Tuesday, August 12
FX’s big 2025 TV premiere “Alien: Earth,” debuts Tuesday, August 12, with the first two episodes of the eight-episode first season. The series, creator Noah Hawley’s latest project for the network, is a prequel to director Ridley Scott’s 1979 science fiction/horror classic “Alien.” Starring Sydney Chandler, Timothy Olyphant and Alex Lawther, the series sees a space vessel crash-land on Earth, with its inhabitants coming face-to-face with the planet’s biggest threat.

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The Rainmaker – USA Network – Friday, August 15
USA Network is getting back into the original drama series game with “The Rainmaker,” based on author John Grisham’s 1995 novel of the same name. “The Rainmaker,” premiering its 10-episode first season on Friday, August 15, will be the story of a hotshot young lawyer who has been fired from a big-time law firm, who winds up working with a less-than-prestigious firm working out of a converted former restaurant. Milo Callaghan plays the young lawyer, with a supporting cast featuring “Mad Men” vet John Slattery, Lana Parrilla and Madison Iseman.  

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College Football: Week 1 – August 23-August 30 - Various Networks
It’s that time of year again! Football season, with the college football season kicking off on August 23. College football has been starting its season in Ireland over the last few years with the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which features the Iowa State Cyclones taking on the Kansas State Wildcats this year. That game will be on ESPN at 11 a.m. CST on Saturday, August 23. The biggest game of week one – and one of the biggest all season - comes one week later on Sunday, August 30, when the Texas Longhorns travel to Columbus, Ohio, to take on the defending champion Ohio State Buckeyes. That game can be seen on Fox at 11 a.m. CST. Week one games can be seen on a number of networks, including ESPN, Fox, CBS, ABC, FS1, CBSSN, Peacock, BTN, ACC Network, SEC Network, The CW and TNT. Just turn on your television and you’ll find college football.