Below are my streaming recommendations for August across all of the major streaming platforms. This month, I was excited to watch a bunch of new series and movies, but I made sure to throw in some older recommendations as well. As always, I have tried to include multiple genres so I can hit all different tastes and moods. My hope is that I can spotlight new titles, as well as some previous releases that you may not have seen before!
Apple TV
The Dink (2026 film)
I’m surprised it’s taken this long for pickleball to be featured so prominently in a comedy, but I’m glad to see it ushering in a hopefully new era of sports comedies. Dusty (Jake Johnson) is a washed-up tennis pro working at a snooty club run by his father Chuck (Ed Harris). When members start requesting more real estate for pickleball courts instead of tennis courts, the ever-elitist Chuck takes a stand, instituting a tennis duel. The winner of the match decides whether the courts will be for tennis or pickleball. Dusty, always seeking his father’s approval, vies to be the tennis champion, but when he gets hurt and looks for a route to recovery, his doctor prescribes the most horrifying activity possible… pickleball.
If you like this, also check out: Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (Tubi)
HBO Max
Murder on Middle Beach (2020 docuseries, 1 season)
It wouldn’t be a list from me if we didn’t have a true crime option and this month’s throwback true crime recommendation is for MURDER ON MIDDLE BEACH. This is a powerful four-part docu-series created by Madison Hamburg, who explores the unsolved murder of his mother Barbara Hamburg. Extremely personal and at times gut-wrenching, this is a case that will really stick with you. Every few months I look to see if there have been any updates to the case and I hope one day they find who did it.
If you like this, also check out: The Keepers (Netflix)
The Long Walk (2025 film)
Based on a Steven King book of the same name, this story takes place in a dystopian United States where 50 boys (one from each state) set off on a march each year to change their lives and that of their families. If you fall behind the pace, after three warnings, you are killed. The last boy standing is given a large cash prize and is given one wish that the powers that be must fulfill. The cast in this film is excellent, with Cooper Hoffman and David Johnssoon bringing heart and camaraderie to a pretty dark story. And let’s not forget a pretty sinister villain performance from Luke Skywalker himself, Mark Hamill. This movie isn’t for the faint of heart and is going to keep you on the edge of your seat right until the end.
If you like this, also check out: Squid Game (Netflix)
Hulu
Furious (2026 series, 1 season)
When newly-minted FBI Agent Alice Black (Emmy Rossum) begins to work on a case involving a female serial killer (Lola Petticrew), she starts to wonder if the justice she knows is the appropriate punishment for some of the killer’s victims… especially when she discovers these victims have a dark past of their own. This engrossing series is one of the summer’s best; your binge-watching will only be hindered by the weekly episode release schedule from Hulu.
If you like this, also check out: Killing Eve (Netflix)
Redux Redux (2026 film)
REDUX REDUX is the kind of independent film I always want to highlight in these recommendation lists. Irene (Michaela McManus) travels through parallel universes to kill the man that murdered her daughter in every lifetime. Because each universe has slight differences, she hopes in one of these lives, her daughter may still be alive. And maybe she can finally be there to save her. Part sci-fi, part revenge thriller, this film is one you definitely haven’t seen before and probably won’t see one like it again.
If you like this, also check out: Happy Death Day (HBO Max)
Netflix
Ingrid Goes West (2017 film)
Directed and co-written by Matt Spicer, INGRID GOES WEST focuses on our social media-obsessed culture, where everyone’s lives are carefully curated to look perfect. But as the cautionary tale shows, the filtered images don’t quite translate into real life. Being “Insta-famous” isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, and unfortunately Ingrid (Aubrey Plaza) has to learn this the hard way after she moves to Los Angeles to be like her Instagram idol, Taylor Sloane (Elizabeth Olsen). Get your likes, upvotes, and favorites in now because once you see INGRID GOES WEST, you may think twice about your social media presence. I know I did!
If you like this, also check out: Election (Paramount+)
Voicemails for Isabelle (2026 film)
Writer/director Leah McKendrick is my favorite new filmmaker. I first discovered her work in UNSCRAMBLED, and now VOICEMAILS FOR ISABELLE takes her work to the next level. Jill (Zoey Deutch) and her sister are soulmates. But when her sister sadly passes away, Jill decides to keep sending her voicemail updates on her life, not knowing the phone number has been reassigned to Wes (Nick Robinson). He gets amusement from the voicemails and ends up feeling like he knows the woman behind the calls. If only he can meet her in real life… without it being creepy… Emotional, funny, and super romantic, this is the kind of film we need more of. I love that McKendrick leans into the rom-com tropes, making references to some of the all-time greats. “If you’re a bird, I’m a bird.”
If you like this, also check out: People We Meet on Vacation (Netflix)
Paramount+
Dutton Ranch (2026 series, 1 season)
I’m a sucker for YELLOWSTONE, especially Beth and Rip, so I knew I was going to give this show a try. However, I was surprised by just how much I loved the storyline and (no surprise) Cole Hauser and Kelly Reilly’s chemistry is just as red-hot as you want it to be. The season opens with Rip and Beth having to move from Montana after a big portion of the Yellowstone burns in a fire. They decide to purchase a ranch in a small town in Texas, where everyone knows everyone. Most of the town isn’t exactly thrilled when a new couple moves in, especially Beulah Jackson (Annette Bening) the owner of the largest farm in the area. But if we know one thing, it’s that Rip and Beth don’t suffer fools… and the people of Texas learn that quickly. I wasn’t a fan of the final seasons of YELLOWSTONE, but DUTTON RANCH shows there is still a lot more story left with the Dutton family. I can’t wait for season two!
If you like this, also check out: Yellowstone (Peacock)
Peacock
Obsession (2026 film)
OBSESSION is breaking box office records as one of the most successful horror movies of all time on a shoestring budget. But more than that, it is one of the most creative and cerebral films I’ve seen so far this year. Bear (Michael Johnston) has a crush on his friend Nicky (Inde Navarrette) but can’t get the courage to ask her out. One day, while at a magic shop, he buys a novelty wish willow and wishes Nicky will love him more than anyone in the world. When its clear the wish worked, Bear starts to realize he may have gotten more than he bargained. The sign of a good film is how long it sticks with you, and I am still watching and reading deep-dive think pieces to this day… and waiting for someone to bring it up to me in conversation so I can dig into it even more. I can’t wait for the director’s commentary to come out because I will certainly be eating that up. Don’t be surprised if breakout star Inde Navarrette is in the conversation this awards season. She really is that good.
If you like this, also check out: It Follows (Roku Channel)
Prime
Ride or Die (2026 series, 1 season)
I was admittedly a little skeptical about this series because it’s hard to do a consistently humorous spy show. But RIDE OR DIE is a fun, exciting thrill-ride, with an engrossing plot and high-octane action that will make you immediately reach for the remote to start the next episode. Judith (Hannah Waddingham) and Debbie (Octavia Spencer) are longtime best friends. But when Debbie’s life as a politician’s wife goes awry and Judith is exposed as an assassin, they realize they may not know each other as well as they thought. Spencer and Waddingham’s chemistry is immediate, with their banter making it seem like they really have been friends for decades.
If you like this, also check out: Good Girls (Netflix)
