7 new movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max and more this weekend (August 19)
August has already offered up the likes of Prey, The Sandman and Day Shift on streaming services, but this weekend welcomes a whole different caliber of new movies and TV shows.
Leading the charge is Game of Thrones spin-off House of the Dragon, which begins streaming on HBO Max from Sunday. She-Hulk: Attorney at Law looks set to bring yet more Marvel madness to Disney Plus, while Apple TV Plus, Paramount Plus and even Peacock get some exciting new additions, too.
Below, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest new movies and TV shows available to watch on streaming services this weekend.
House of the Dragon (HBO Max)
Without a doubt, HBO’s first true Game of Thrones spin-off, House of the Dragon, is among the most hotly-anticipated new series of 2022.
Based on author George R. R. Martin’s 2018 novel Fire and Blood, the show – set 200 years prior to the events of Game of Thrones – centers on the origins of the Targaryen dynasty. Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Paddy Considine, Rhys Ifans and Emma D’Arcy are just a small part of its vast ensemble cast, and a total of 17 different dragons are expected to feature.
“It’s powerful, it’s visceral, it’s dark, it’s like a Shakespearean tragedy,” Martin has promised fans, so we’re expecting battles, blood and plenty of betrayal. House of the Dragon’s first episode is available to stream from Sunday on HBO Max, with its remaining nine entries set to arrive weekly. UK viewers will be able to catch the show on Sky Atlantic and Now TV.
Available to stream on HBO Max in the US and Sky and Now TV in the UK from Sunday.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (Disney Plus)
Marvel fans, August has not forgotten you – She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has begun streaming on Disney Plus.
We’re just going to go ahead and give you the official synopsis for this one: the series follows Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) as she navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered hulk.
Sounds ridiculous, right? Definitely. But Jennifer Walters – aka She-Hulk – is actually a bona fide Marvel character, having first appeared in 1980’s The Savage She-Hulk #1. As for where the series sits in Marvel’s elaborate Phase 4 timeline? We can’t tell you. And neither can its director. But hey, She-Hulk: Attorney at Law looks like a lot of fun regardless.
Now available to stream on Disney Plus.
The Undeclared War (Peacock)
Peacock subscribers can get in on the action this weekend with The Undeclared War, a new spy thriller series from Wolf Hall showrunner Peter Kosminsky.
This one follows a group of British intelligence analysts who, in the run up to a crucial general election, work to thwart a series of potentially catastrophic cyber attacks. Mark Rylance, Simon Pegg, Alex Jennings and Adrian Lester head up its cast.
By the sounds of things, The Undeclared War could be a perfect choice for fans of Jed Mercurio’s Line of Duty or, more recently, Apple’s Slow Horses. All six episodes are available to stream now on Peacock in the US and Channel 4 in the UK.
Now available to stream on Peacock.
Bad Sisters (Apple TV Plus)
Apple TV Plus subscribers have yet another critically acclaimed series to ponder this weekend in the form of Bad Sisters.
An English-language adaptation of a popular Belgian production, this one centers on the titular Garvey sisters, who, according to Apple, “are bound together by the premature deaths of their parents and the promises they made to always protect one another.”
Sure, that synopsis sounds suitably bleak, but Bad Sisters is actually a black comedy (fronted by its showrunner, Sharon Horgan), and has earned rave reviews for being a “joyous, chaotic ride.” The series’ first two episodes are available to stream now, with the remaining nine due to arrive weekly.
Now available to stream on Apple TV.
Orphan: First Kill (Paramount Plus)
On the subject of orphans, Orphan: First Kill is now streaming on Paramount Plus.
One of the few new horror movies to arrive in 2022, this prequel to Jaume Collet-Serra’s surprisingly popular 2009 film finds Esther (aka the orphan) impersonating the missing daughter of a wealthy American family after escaping from an Estonian psychiatric facility. Grisly stuff.
Not many reviews for the movie haven’t gone live just yet, but we’d wager that fans of the original Orphan will find plenty of similarly bloody thrills to enjoy from Orphan: First Kill.
Now available to stream on Paramount Plus.
Echoes (Netflix)
13 Reasons Why creator Brian Yorkey returns to the Netflix writers’ room this weekend with new thriller series Echoes.
This seven-episode show finds Michelle Monaghan playing a pair of identical twins, Leni and Gina, who regularly swap identities in order to enjoy each other’s different homes, partners and… children? Yes, it all sounds suitably weird, but things get even more complicated when one of the twins disappears. Matt Bomer and Daniel Sunjata also star.
Echoes sounds, to us, like a twisted mash-up of Freaky Friday and Gone Girl – but if that’s your type of movie, we’re more than happy to recommend it.
Now available to stream on Netflix.
Making the Cut season 3 (Prime Video)
We’ll level with you: we’ve only included Making the Cut’s third season on this week’s list in the interest of fairness to Prime Video subscribers. But hey, who doesn’t love a good helping of reality TV?
As usual in this fashion-based series, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn task 12 new designers with challenges and assignments that will test their design skills and ability to run a business.
We’re not sure what more we can say about this one. If you love fashion, give it a go. If not, watch House of the Dragon instead.
Now available to stream on Prime Video.
