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TV to watch in August: the return of ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Adults’ is just the exciting beginning
A beloved soccer dramedy, a YA melodrama and a multiverse mystery box headline August’s small screen offerings
August might be a time to say goodbye to the slow-paced days of summer and get the kids ready to return to school. But it is also when viewers will get to say hello to some intriguing new and returning TV shows.
‘Ted Lasso’ season 4
Ted Lasso — Season 4 Official Teaser | Apple TV - YouTube
The return of the heartwarming Apple TV+ dramedy was unexpected, as the third season felt like its last. In season 4, the titular American dispenser of folksy wisdom, played by Jason Sudeikis, who had returned stateside at the end of season 3, heads back to the U.K., not to helm the Premier League’s fictional AFC Richmond but to coach a women’s professional soccer club. It “promises fan-pleasing reunions,” as well as a “compelling new squad to cheer for from the stands (well, sofaplexes),” said Jordan King at Empire. (Aug. 5 on Apple TV+)
‘Sterling Point’
Sterling Point - Official Trailer | Prime Video - YouTube
Following this year’s breakout “Off Campus,” Prime Video looks to further corner the market for YA streaming and Gen Z eyeballs with a new drama. When Annie (Ella Rubin) and her twin brother, Connor (Keen Ruffalo, yes Mark Ruffalo’s son), inherit a remote Canadian island from their grandfather, they are shocked to discover Ramona (Amélie Hoeferle), a sister she didn’t know existed, also laying claim to the property. Writer-director Megan Park’s (“My Old Ass”) series “promises a healthy dose of steamy summer love to go with its side of mystery, as romance blooms between different pairs of characters,” said Maggie Harriman at TV Fanatic. (Aug. 5 on Prime Video)
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HBO Max continues to double down on its IP-driven creative strategy with “Lanterns,” a new series set in the DC Universe. Kyle Chandler (“Friday Night Lights) and Aaron Pierre (“Rebel Ridge”) star as Green Lanterns, intergalactic peacekeepers investigating a murder in rural Nebraska they believe is connected to a broader alien conspiracy. If superhero stories aren’t your thing, the tale is reportedly modeled on the intricate narrative structure of “True Detective.” It “offers the perfect blend of murder mystery and cosmic power elements tied to Green Lantern lore,” said Aeron Mer Eclarinal at The Direct. (Aug. 16 on HBO Max)
‘Adults’ season 2
FX's Adults | Official Trailer | Disney+ - YouTube
The first season of “Adults,” which premiered in 2025, stood out among a slew of Gen Z hangout series that seemed stewed in the same lab. The first season followed the misadventures of 20-something pals Billie (Lucy Freyer), Paul Baker (Jack Innanen), Issa (Amita Rao), and Anton (Owen Thiele), living together in the childhood home of Samir (Malik Elassal). A late season episode where the misfits try and fail to roast a dinner party chicken is one of the single best episodes of any TV show last year.
The new series will see the group trying to stick together despite the development of a messy love triangle between Issa, Paul Baker and Anton. The series continues to entertainingly put a “generational lens on the wins, losses and humiliations of being in your twenties,” said Denise Petski at Deadline. (Aug. 27 on Hulu)
‘Dark Matter’ season 2
Dark Matter — Season 2 Official Trailer | Apple TV - YouTube
Season one of the Chicago-set “Dark Matter,” based on Blake Crouch’s bestselling thriller, was one of the unheralded triumphs of 2024. Joel Edgerton (“Train Dreams”) plays Jason Dessen, a physicist who worked on and then abandoned a box that can transport people between subtly (or sometimes radically) different versions of their universe.
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Kidnapped by a childless version of himself that created the box and transported to a world where he never had kids, he spends the season trying to get back to the placid life he led with his wife, Daniela (Jennifer Connelly), and son, Charlie (Oakes Fegley), only to find that he has competition from a seemingly unending parade of multiverse Jasons. A sweet and thrilling parable about parenthood and the choices we make, it is anchored by Edgerton’s all-in performance as Jason. The series, having exhausted Crouch’s original source material, “will move from themes of regret and reunion to survival and fulfillment,” said Michael Ahr at Den of Geek. (Aug. 28 on Apple TV+)
David Faris is a professor of political science at Roosevelt University and the author of "It's Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics." He's a frequent contributor to Newsweek and Slate, and his work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New Republic and The Nation, among others.
