Unlucky or not, August brings the national US premieres of 14 new series, seasons, and specials from the UK, Canada, and Ireland, plus the local premieres of 4 British docuseries.
For updates about shows from the UK, Canada, and Ireland added to US linear TV and streaming channels throughout the month, see the British TV Viewing Guide.
Programs and dates are subject to change without prior notice.
Videos below may contain content that is not suitable for everyone.
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NATIONAL PREMIERES
McDonald & Dodds: Season 2 (UK)
Tala Gouveia (Cold Feet) and Jason Watkins (Hold the Sunset) return as DCI McDonald and DS Dodds, a mismatched yet effective pair of detectives who investigate crimes in the historic city of Bath, in three new episodes of this clever and humorous mystery series. (Read this article and this one for Season 2 episode synopses and guest stars.) McDonald & Dodds: Season 2, a BritBox Original series, premieres in North America on Tuesday, August 3, exclusively on BritBox.
Departure: Season 2 (Canada)
The new season of this mystery thriller centers on Kendra Malley’s (Archie Panjabi, The Good Wife) investigation into the crash of an automated high-speed train traveling from Toronto to Chicago that results in numerous deaths and several suspects. Then her inquiry evolves into a manhunt for an FBI prisoner after the Feds get involved. Costarring the late Christopher Plummer (Knives Out) in his final on-screen role, Jason O’Mara (The Man in the High Castle), and Donal Logue (Gotham), Departure: Season 2, a Peacock Original series, premieres in the US on Thursday, August 5, exclusively on Peacock.
RPU: Road Policing Unit (UK)
This reality series follows traffic cops from around Britain as they perform their daily duties up and down the roads of England, giving viewers an up-close-and-personal glimpse into the inner workings of Road Policing Units across the country. RPU: Road Policing Unit premieres in North America on Friday, August 6, exclusively on BritBox.
Adrian Dunbar’s Coastal Ireland (Ireland)
In this two-part docuseries, Adrian Dunbar (Line of Duty, Blood) reconnects with his roots, meets up with old friends, tastes amazing cuisine, sees fantastic feats of engineering, and visits breathtaking locations as he travels the wild and rugged west and north coasts of Ireland. Adrian Dunbar’s Coastal Ireland premieres in the US and Canada on Monday, August 9, on Acorn TV.
Bleed with Me (Canada)
This psychological horror film sees vulnerable outsider Rowan (Lee Marshall, 19-2) invited on a winter getaway to an isolated cabin in the woods by seemingly-perfect Emily (Lauren Beatty, Flashpoint). But after Rowan wakes up with mysterious incisions on her arm, she suspects Emily is drugging her and stealing her blood. Bleed with Me, a Shudder Original Film, premieres in the US on Tuesday, August 10, exclusively on Shudder and the AMC+ streaming bundle.
Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang (UK)
Following numerous appearances on Live at the Apollo, QI, and The Comedy Lineup, multi-award winning comedian Phil Wang takes center stage at the London Palladium, where he explores race, romance, politics, and his mixed British-Malaysian heritage in his first Netflix Comedy Special. Phil Wang: Philly Philly Wang Wang premieres globally on Tuesday, August 10, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.) (Video is an interview)
Misha and the Wolves (UK)
This documentary centers on Misha Defonseca, whose memoir recounts her dramatic story of having survived the Holocaust and lived amongst wolves while walking through Nazi-occupied territory in search of her parents as a young girl. The question is, did she really? Her extraordinary story elicits sympathy — then draws scrutiny. Misha and the Wolves, a Netflix Documentary, premieres in the US on Wednesday, August 11, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Slasher: Flesh & Blood (Canada)
David Cronenberg (Alias Grace) stars in the latest installment of this horror franchise, which sees a wealthy but dysfunctional family gather for a reunion on a secluded island, only to learn that they will be pitted against one another in a cruel game of life and death, all while being stalked by a mysterious masked killer. Nothing is what it seems, and no one is safe. Slasher: Flesh & Blood premieres in the US on Thursday, August 12, exclusively on Shudder and the AMC+ streaming bundle. New episodes debut weekly.
All Creatures Great and Small: Between the Pages
In this 90-minute special, viewers get to know the cast and creators of All Creatures Great and Small, the hit series based on the beloved books by James Herriot. Savor the best moments from the first season, including Dame Diana Rigg in her final role as Mrs. Pumphrey, and look ahead to what might happen in Season 2. All Creatures Great and Small: Between the Pages premieres in the US on Sunday, August 15, at 7:30 PM ET, on PBS (check your local listings). (Photo by Matt Squire © Playground Television (UK) Ltd.)
Time (UK)
Sean Bean (Game of Thrones) and Stephen Graham (Line of Duty) star in this critically-acclaimed drama from Jimmy McGovern (Broken). Mark Cobden (Bean), responsible for the death of an innocent man, is sentenced to four years at the prison where Eric (Graham) does his best to protect those in his charge. Both men are targeted by ruthless inmates and trapped by their mistakes. (For further details, read this article.) Time, a BritBox Original series, premieres in North America on Tuesday, August 17, exclusively on BritBox.
Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes (UK)
In this documentary, British serial killer Dennis “Des” Nilsen narrates his life and recounts his horrific crimes via a series of chilling audiotapes recorded from his jail cell before his death in 2018. (For further details, read this article.) Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes, a Netflix Documentary, premieres globally on Wednesday, August 18, exclusively on Netflix. (You can set a reminder for it now.)
Coroner: Season 3 (Canada)
Serinda Swan (Graceland) returns as Dr. Jenny Cooper, a coroner who investigates suspicious deaths in Toronto in this mystery series based on the “Coroner Jenny Cooper” novels by M. R. Hall. In the Season 3 opener, set in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Cooper investigates the mysterious death of a care worker, whose body is found in her own car. Coroner: Season 3 premieres in the US on Thursday, August 19, at 8 PM ET, on The CW.
24 Hours in Police Custody: Season 8 (UK)
This gripping docuseries returns with another season of fixed-rig and handheld cameras giving viewers close-up details of police arrests and interrogations of suspects and their piecing together of cases as detectives work against the clock to put criminals behind bars. 24 Hours in Police Custody: Season 8 premieres in North America on Friday, August 20, exclusively on BritBox. (Video is from Season 6)
Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths & Secrets: Season 2 (UK)
Historian, curator, author, and presenter Lucy Worsley gives viewers the inside stories of the English Reformation, George IV and the Regency, and the Russian Revolution in three new episodes of this docuseries. Lucy Worsley’s Royal Myths & Secrets: Season 2 premieres in the US on Sunday, August 29, at 8 PM ET, on PBS (check your local listings). (Photo courtesy of Lorian Reed-Drake)
LOCAL/REGIONAL PREMIERES
Select public TV stations and regional networks will begin airing the programs below on or after August 1. Check you local listings or contact the station that serves your area for air dates and times. To request the shows, contact your public TV station or American Public Television.
Anne Boleyn: Arrest, Trial, Execution (UK)
Presented by historian and author Tracy Borman (The Private Lives of the Tudors), this three-part docuseries examines the final days of Anne Boleyn, the second wife of King Henry VIII — covering the period from her arrest and trial to the day of her execution in a thorough, hour-by-hour examination of the evidence and events that reveal what actually happened. Anne Boleyn: Arrest, Trial, Execution is confirmed for airing on Kentucky Educational Television, KENW, KUEN, Maryland Public Television, New Hampshire PBS, PBS North Carolina, WETA, WNED, WSBE, and WXXI. (Photo courtesy of APT)
Railway Murders (UK)
Nicholas Day (Murder Maps, Myths and Monsters) presents this six-episode docuseries, which relates some of Britain’s great tales of railway death, deceit, terror, and cruelty. Under Queen Victoria, the railways spread across Britain like arteries and created a new life for the kingdom — but they also spawned new horrors. Railway Murders is confirmed for airing on KQEH, KRSU, Maryland Public Television, WDSE, and WyomingPBS. (Image courtesy of APT)
A Short History of the English Garden (UK)
Featuring renowned experts in the field, this two-part docuseries looks at how the beloved English garden evolved through the ages to delight the senses from the Roman, Medieval and Renaissance periods. A Short History of the English Garden is confirmed for airing on Georgia Public Broadcasting, Idaho Public Television, KERA, KRSU, Oregon Public Broadcasting, PBS North Carolina, WETA, WNED, WPTO, and WXXI. (Photo courtesy of APT)
Walking Hadrian’s Wall with Robson Green (UK)
In this three-part travelogue presented by Robson Green (Grantchester), the actor treads in ancient footsteps as he makes the journey from Wallsend in the east of England to the isolated Cumbrian village of Bowness in the west. Along the way, he meets quirky characters, hears the lore, and visits landmarks while taking in the dramatic landscapes of what he describes as “one of the greatest feats in construction history alongside the Pyramids and the Panama Canal.” Walking Hadrian’s Wall with Robson Green is confirmed for airing on Idaho Public Television, Kentucky Educational Television, KERA, KRSU, Montana PBS, New Hampshire PBS, Oregon Public Broadcasting, PBS North Carolina, WITF, WPSU, WPTO, and WXXI. (Photo courtesy of APT)
NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS BEING ADDED TO STREAMING SERVICES
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Acorn TV and its digital channels, including Acorn TV on Amazon.
Hinterland: Season 1 (UK/Wales)
What Wallander is to Sweden, the BAFTA Cyrmu Awards-winning Hinterland is to Wales — a noir detective drama with compelling characters and suspenseful stories. It stars Richard Harrington (Lark Rise to Candleford, Poldark) as DCI Tom Mathias, a brilliant, brooding loner on the run from his past, who works alongside DI Mared Rhys (Mali Harries, Keeping Faith, The Indian Doctor), a single mum and hard-working local who knows the land and its people. Together they investigate a series of mystifying murders in the bleakly beautiful coastal town of Aberystwyth. Hinterland: Season 1 begins streaming Monday, August 2, exclusively on Acorn TV. (Also available in Canada)
Missing: Seasons 1 & 2 (UK)
In this compelling investigative series, DS Mary Jane “MJ” Croft (Pauline Quirke, Broadchurch, Birds of a Feather) heads a team at a busy Missing Persons Unit in Dover to solve disappearances, reuniting families or bringing closure to those left behind, as they are often forced to question how well they know their loved ones. Missing: Seasons 1 & 2 begins streaming Monday, August 2, exclusively on Acorn TV.
Fallen Angel (UK)
Based on Andrew Taylor’s “Requiem for an Angel” trilogy (aka “Roth Trilogy”), this three-part drama reinvented the crime genre — revealing a murderer and then rewinding back through her life to reveal how and when she became so twisted. It stars Charles Dance (Game of Thrones), Emilia Fox (Silent Witness), Clare Holman (Inspector Lewis), and Peter Capaldi (Doctor Who). Fallen Angel begins streaming Monday, August 9.
Hinterland: Season 2 (UK/Wales)
Following the events in the Season 1 finale, Season 2 of this Welsh noir crime drama sees DCI Tom Mathias forced to return to work after an arson attack on an isolated farmhouse leaves a mother and child fighting for their lives. Drawn into a community of failing farms and long-standing feuds, Mathias DI Rhys are pushed to the brink as they try to solve this disturbing case. Hinterland: Season 2 begins streaming Monday, August 9, exclusively on Acorn TV. (Also available in Canada)
Hinterland: Season 3 (UK/Wales)
In the final season of this Welsh mystery-crime drama, DCI Mathias is thrown back into an old case that threatens to drive an irreconcilable rift through the team. As he delves into the past, his colleague, DS Sian Owens (Hannah Daniel, Keeping Faith), searches for the perpetrator of the recent arson attack on Mathias’s home. Hinterland: Season 3 begins streaming Monday, August 16, exclusively on Acorn TV. (Also available in Canada)
Republic of Doyle: Season 1 (Canada)
Set against the rugged backdrop of Newfoundland, this comedic crime drama revolves around the dysfunctional Doyle family as they try to make it all work running a father-and-son private investigative agency. The series is created by and stars Allan Hawco (Departure) as the roguish Jake Doyle, alongside Sean McGinley (Single-Handed) as Jake’s father and business partner, Malachy. Republic of Doyle: Season 1 begins streaming Monday, August 23.
Walking through History: Season 1 (UK)
As actor and presenter Tony Robinson (Blackadder) embarks on spectacular walks through some of Britain’s past, he discovers the hidden stories to many of the country’s landmarks, and infuses each walk with an appreciation of some of the striking landscapes and geographical features Britain contains. Walking through History: Season 1 begins streaming Monday, August 23.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on the AMC+ streaming bundle, available on Prime Video Channels and other digital services.
The Kids in the Hall: Seasons 1-5 (Canada)
All five seasons of this groundbreaking, Emmy®-nominated, classic sketch comedy series — featuring
comedians Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson — will be available for fans to relive their favorite characters and sketches, from Cabbage Head and Chicken Lady to Head Crusher. The complete Kids in the Hall begins streaming Monday, August 9, with Season 1, followed by Seasons 2 through 5 on successive Mondays from August 16 through September 6.
Happy Valley: Season 1 (UK)
Sarah Lancashire (Last Tango in Halifax) stars in this gritty crime drama as Catherine Cawood, a police sergeant in a small town where drunkards, drug addicts, and teenage pregnancies are a way of life. Her world is turned upside down when Tommy Lee Royce (James Norton, Grantchester), the man she thinks is responsible for her daughter’s death, is released from prison. Happy Valley: Season 1 begins streaming Thursday, August 12.
Happy Valley: Season 2 (UK)
Set 18 months after the Season 1 finale, Season 2 finds Catherine Cawood back at work and the recipient of the Queen’s Police Medal for gallantry for having rescued Ann Gallagher from Tommy Lee Royce, now serving a life sentence in prison. But when Royce’s mother is killed, Catherine finds herself implicated in a string of murders. While trying to prove her innocence, Catherine is tasked with investigating a human trafficking operation linked to the serial killings. Happy Valley: Season 2 begins streaming Thursday, August 19.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on BritBox and its digital channels, including BritBox on Amazon.
Moone Boy: Seasons 1-3 (Ireland-UK)
Created, written by, and starring Chris O’Dowd (The IT Crowd), this hilarious, semi-autobiographical comedy series centers on Martin Moone (David Rawle, Drop Dead Weird), an 11-year-old boy who concocts many a ridiculous scheme while living with his family and imaginary friend, Sean Murphy (O’Dowd), in the town of Boyle, County Roscommon, Ireland, in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The complete Moone Boy begins streaming Tuesday, August 10.
Blake’s 7: Seasons 1-4 (UK)
Set far in the future, this sci-fi series from Terry Nation (who also created the Daleks in Doctor Who) follows political dissident Roj Blake (Gareth Thomas, Heartbeat) as he leads a group of rebels against the totalitarian Terran Federation. The complete Blake’s 7 begins streaming Friday, August 13.
Agatha Christie’s Marple: Season 6 (UK)
The final season of this popular mystery series finds sleuthing spinster Miss Marple (Julia McKenzie, Cranford) investigating the death of a fellow guest while on holiday in the Caribbean in “A Caribbean Mystery”; delving into a case involving old friends finding refuge at country house in “Greenshaw’s Folly”; and involving herself with newlyweds who begin to build their dream home on land that is supposedly cursed. Agatha Christie’s Marple: Season 6 begins streaming Friday, August 27.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on HBO Max.
Top Gear: Season 29 (UK)
In this season of the hit motoring entertainment show, hosts Paddy McGuinness, Freddie Flintoff, and Chris Harris tackle a giant carnival-inspired Wall of Death driving old insurance write-offs, hurtle down a ski slope in Cyprus in €30 ($36) rental cars, and race around an empty Alton Tower Resort in the latest electrics. Top Gear: Season 29 begins streaming Sunday, August 15.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Prime Video.
Delicious: Season 1 (UK)
Set in Cornwall, this drama stars Dawn French (The Vicar of Dibley), Emilia Fox (Silent Witness), and Iain Glen (Jack Taylor) as Gina, Sam, and Leo — the three sides of a love triangle. Foodie Gina is divorced from Leo, a chef and hotelier who left her for Sam, his current wife, but kept Gina’s recipes for his restaurant. Now Sam suspects he’s having an affair and confides in Gina, only to discover that Gina is the new “other woman.” Delicious: Season 1 begins streaming as a no-additional-charge Prime Video offering from Sunday, August 1, through the end of the month.
Frankie Drake Mysteries: Season 1 (Canada)
Set during the Roaring ’20s in Toronto, this light mystery drama follows Frankie Drake (Lauren Lee Smith, This Life) and her business partner, Trudy Clarke (Chantel Riley, Wynonna Earp), female private detectives at the Drake Detective Agency, as they take on cases that clients don’t want the police involved in or that the police don’t want to get involved in. Frankie Drake Mysteries: Season 1 begins streaming as a no-additional-charge Prime Video offering from Sunday, August 1, through the end of the month.
Titles in this section begin streaming on the dates shown below on Sundance Now and its digital channels, including Sundance Now on Amazon.
Restless (UK)
In this Emmy®-nominated espionage drama, Ruth Gilmartin (Michelle Dockery, Downton Abbey) discovers that her mother, Sally (Charlotte Rampling, Broadchurch), had worked as a spy for the
British Secret Service during World War II and has been on the run ever since. Costarring Hayley Atwell (Howards End) and Rufus Sewell (Victoria), Restless begins streaming Thursday, August 19.
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Did you miss any of the new shows from previous days, weeks, or months? Check out the British TV Viewing Guide and Archives to find out.
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For details about the August premieres of shows from Australia and New Zealand, visit The Down Under TV Place. For those about the debuts of original-language, English-subtitled programs from Europe, visit The Euro TV Place.
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