The Best New Movies, TV Shows and Books In August

Welp, we’ve entered the doldrums of August. There’s still one more month of summer, but doesn’t the season just have infinitely more promise in June and July? August is when people head back to school, we start mourning the end of summer Fridays, and it feels like film studios blew their loads early by releasing all their summer blockbusters in May.

But never fear; the August click list is here! The Refinery29 entertainment team has compiled the movies and TV shows we’re most looking forward to seeing come August to prove to you that there is great stuff happening in the pop-culture world as we close out summer 2018. Sure, Tom Cruise races around Paris in a death-defying motorcycle/car chase in Mission Impossible: Fallout, but wouldn’t you prefer your spy thrillers with a dash of humor? Ethan Hunt is just so damn serious all the time.

Enter Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis in the hilarious The Spy Who Dumped Me, in which two best friends are unwittingly forced into an espionage adventure all around Europe. It’s a virtual vacation and a chance to laugh at lines like “She’s the Beyoncé of the government.” After you see Tom Cruise crash a helicopter in MI:6, treat yourself to Kunis and McKinnon romping around the Continent with Sam Heughan from Outlander (sans kilt, still incredibly hot).

Also, two of your favorite books are hitting the big screen in August. Crazy Rich Asians is a lavish look at the opulent lives of Singapore’s elite (and what happens when your boyfriend rudely doesn’t tell you that he’s a part of it). The Darkest Minds is a dystopian adventure in which 98% of the world’s children have been wiped out from a pandemic. So, kind of like The Leftovers, but with less Guilty Remnant and more Amandla Stenberg saving the day.

If you’re more of a TV-lover, get ready for the return of The Sinner, now with Carrie Coon (hey, there’s that Leftovers connection). It was last summer’s sleeper hit, and season 2 is revved up and ready to go with a new “why done it” (that’s the new “who done it,” if you hadn’t heard). Netflix has got your back with some new series as well. In Disenchantment, a princess just wants to drink (we’re not in Disney anymore, Toto), and everyone is already talking about Insatiable. Is it as controversial as the chatter says? You’ll just have to watch to find out.

Get even more recommendations for what you’ll be watching this month, ahead.