Heading off on an August holiday, and keen to download some new shows for the flight- or just need something new to get stuck into? This month has plenty of exciting streaming releases, including the much anticipated return of Ted Lasso, coming-of-age drama Sterling Point, and Kaia Gerber’s new thriller The Shards. Here’s what you need to watch.

Ted Lasso Season 4 (Apple TV+)

Ted Lasso returns, despite the fact it looked like we were done with Richmond FC for good.. After what was seemingly a definitive ending in season three, Apple TV+ has revived one of its biggest ever hits for a fourth outing. Jason Sudeikis returns as the eternally optimistic Ted (having already cameo’d in the World Cup final’s half time show), who now finds himself coaching a women’s football team in Richmond. Some of the show’s most familiar faces that made it such a hit are also returning, including Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein and Jeremy Swift, while the new season promises to explore a different side of Ted’s coaching philosophy. If you were a loyal fan of the previous seasons but thought it ended too soon: your wish has been granted.

starts: 5th august

The Shards (FX)

Based on Bret Easton Ellis’ bestselling novel and getting a fair bit of hype online, The Shards is shaping up to be one of the year’s most stylish psychological thrillers. Starring Kaia Gerber, Igby Rigney, Homer Gere and Evan Rachel Wood, it’s a drama slash serial killer thriller that could be your new obsession. Set in 1980s Los Angeles, the series follows a fictionalised teenage version of Ellis himself as his privileged private school life is disrupted by the arrival of an enigmatic new student. At the same time, a serial killer known as The Trawler is terrorising the city, leading Bret to become increasingly suspicious that the newcomer may not be who he claims to be. Dark, unsettling and packed with ’80s nostalgia, The Shards looks to be a big streaming hit.

starts: 6th august

My Brilliant Career (Netflix)

Netflix has been making a habit of adapting classic books into modernised streaming adaptations, with Little House on the Prairie earlier this year and East of Eden still to come. This time, it’s bringing one of Australia’s most beloved novels to the small screen with My Brilliant Career. Based on Miles Franklin’s classic 1901 coming-of-age story, the period drama follows fiercely independent teenager Sybylla Melvyn as she struggles against the social expectations placed upon women in rural Australia. While her family hopes she will marry well and settle into a conventional life, Sybylla dreams of becoming a writer and forging her own path. The series has something of an Australian western vibe so if you love frontiers (and romance), you should give it a shot.

starts: 13th august

Dark Matter Season 2 (Apple TV+)

One of Apple TV+’s biggest sci-fi successes returns this month, promising to move beyond the plot Blake Crouch’s bestselling novel explored in Season 1. Joel Edgerton reprises his role as Jason Dessen, who last time around delved into the fascinating concept of the multiverse and alternative realities. He finally managed to reunite with his family after navigating countless parallel universes at the end of last season, but while he hoped to settle down and move on with his life, things won’t work out that smoothly. Unfortunately, escaping the multiverse turns out to be much harder than simply finding your way home, and comes with plenty of complications. Jennifer Connelly also returns as Daniela, as the series once again explores the consequences of the choices we make in life and the question: “what if we made a different choice at a crucial point”?

statrs: 28th august

Sterling Point (Prime Video)

If you’ve been missing The Summer I Turned Pretty, then Sterling Point might be exactly what you’re looking for, and it’s definitely generating a fair bit of hype. Created by Megan Park, the coming-of-age drama follows teenager Annie Jacobson (played by Ella Rubin) after she unexpectedly inherits an island in Canada from her estranged and mysterious grandfather. Upon arriving, however, she discovers another teenager is already living there and is fully entitled to the property- while Annie is all but trespassing. Annie will soon discover that there’s a lot about her family that she never knew, and that her life might change forever. What follows is a coming-of-age story exploring family and blossoming relationships.

starts: 5th august

Culture, Films & TV

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