Lack four legs, pointy ears, and the ability to passively enjoy absorbing the August heat? It’s all good, you can still check out Bob Odenkirk’s most recent action comedy or some of August streaming’s other goodies.

For those who want to play catch-up on some acclaimed films from this year, try either Michaela Coel in a tale of art forgery or one about twin sisters out to literally murder their evil father. Thanks to three different documentaries airing this month, viewers will learn to steer clear of social media, planes built by Boeing, and fast-food fried chicken.  Fans of the offbeat can check out a couple of films asking such questions as “what if the precocious sleuth from ‘Case Closed’ wound up becoming a drunk” or “what if the hot new eating place in town might be following the ‘Soylent Green’ food sourcing model?” 

Just remember to set some time aside as well for the wildest fake pregnancy story you’ll hear this year or a cool new teen lesbian series.

Badly In Love Season 2 (Netflix)--Can even former yankiis (Japanese term for delinquents) find true love?  Find out on this reality dating series, which brings together nearly a dozen ex-yankiis under one roof for two weeks to see if they can find their soulmate.  Expect lots of chaos such as fights, but also see the unexpected blossoming of first love.

Big Chicken: A Fast Food Conspiracy (Netflix)--Comedian and fried chicken lover Mo Gilligan decides to take a page from Morgan Spurlock’s “Super Size Me.”  He’ll eat nothing but fried chicken three times a day for 28 days straight.  His journey will take him from South London to the United States.  Along the way, the viewer will learn both the history of fried chicken and the forces pushing our mass consumption of this dish.

Eighth Grade (Netflix)--Bo Burnham’s highly acclaimed dramedy follows timid eighth grader Kayla Day as she transitions to high school and disastrously struggles to make friends among her classmates.  Meanwhile, Kayla’s single father Mark can’t figure out how to connect with his daughter or even break her social media addiction.

Field Of Dreams (Netflix)--Iowa corn farmer Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) fears growing old without ever achieving his dreams.  When he hears a voice whispering “If you build it, he will come,” he has a vision of a baseball diamond in the middle of his cornfield and the ghost of disgraced Black Sox player “Shoeless” Joe Jackson.  What happens next results in a film that’s earned its place in the National Film Registry.

Flipside (Ovid TV)--Chris Wilcha directs and stars in this documentary about his return to a cherished place of his teen years: the titular New Jersey record store which sold music and celebrated weirdness in equal measure.  But Flipside is now falling apart.  Wilcha’s film follows his quixotic attempts to reverse the store’s misfortunes, but “Flipside”’s also a story about knowing when to let go and move on.

Inside The Trustor Scandal (Netflix)--This true-crime documentary recounts one of Sweden’s biggest financial crimes.  Trustor was an investment company.  In 1997, five people led by one Joachim Poesner bought Trustor through apparently legitimate means.  Yet three months later, those five people managed to scam 600 million kroner from the company but were never punished for their crime.  One big problem is that it’s highly unclear who did what and how.

The Kid Detective (Netflix)--Abe Applebaum once made a name for himself in Willowbrook as a kid detective.  But thanks to the still unsolved disappearance of close childhood friend Gracie Gulliver, Applebaum (Adam Brody) wound up traumatized and became addicted to booze and drugs.  When an orphan named Caroline asks him to investigate the murder of her boyfriend Patrick Chang, the detective hopes solving the case will redeem his reputation.  But he didn’t expect to find a connection to Gracie’s disappearance.

The Last House (Netflix)--In this science fiction/horror tale, a family is trapped inside their own home by eerie rainfall.  The worried father (Wagner Moura, “The Secret Agent”) and the calm but concerned mother (Greta Lee, “Past Lives”) keep from their children the puzzling nature of the outside threat and the possible direness of their situation.  But what happens when it turns out the threat is very much not man-made?

Manila’s Finest (Netflix)—Famed Philippine director Raymond Red returns to feature films with this historical drama set during the First Quarter Storm (the name for the months of anti-Marcos regime protests and civil unrest).  Homer Magtibay, Conrad Belarimino, and Billy Ojeda may look like clean-cut cops, but their personal behavior is anything but clean.  The murder of a slum teenager will lead these cops to deal with MetroCom (Marcos’ special paramilitary force) and the country’s slide to dictatorship.

Pol Pot Dancing (Ovid TV)--Renowned Cambodian court dancer Chea Samy raised with love her husband’s little brother Saleth Sar as her own son.  As one of the few dancers to survive the Khmer Rouge genocide, Samy returns to Phnom Penh to transmit and preserve her knowledge of traditional Cambodian dance.  She would learn later that her foster son grew up to deny his privileged background and become notorious Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot.

The Soul Of The Bossales (Ovid TV)--In Haiti, a bossales is the local term used to describe a rebellious person.  This documentary introduces the viewer to five contemporary bossales, including a satirical columnist and an enigmatic voodoo priest.  These five people embody the political and spiritual resistance that helped Haiti win its independence.

Spoiler Alert (Netflix)--When TV Guide writer Michael Ausiello (Jim Parsons) meets photographer Kit Cowan, the two start dating.  However, both men worry about how long their relationship will last since neither man has ever been in a long term relationship.  Life will throw challenges at them ranging from being closeted to one’s parents to emotional insecurity about their continued attractiveness to life-threatening illness.

Sterling Point Season 1 (Amazon Prime)--Megan Park (“My Old Ass”) created this Young Adult mystery series.  When 17-year-old Annie Jacobson learns she’s inherited a remote island on a Canadian lake from a grandfather she never knew, her trip to the island introduces her to such new friends as the lesbian lothario Ooona and the surly tomboy Ramona.  But what Annie thought she knew about her family will get highly rocked.

Time And Water (Hulu)--Sara Dosa’s new documentary follows Icelandic climate change author Andri Snaer Magnason.  His grandparents died around the same time he and other family members witnessed a glacier dying before their eyes.  Now he struggles with finding ways to express his feelings regarding the grim future awaiting us all on Planet Earth.

I Literally Just Told You Season 4 (Britbox)--This British game show pits four contestants against each other, with the winner being the one with the sharpest memory.  The trouble is, contestants get eliminated thanks to questions about fake ads or apparently trivial incidents during the episode’s filming.

A Child Of My Own (Netflix)--Director Maite Alberdi (“The Mole Agent”) returns to the documentary genre with an offbeat recounting of the notorious Eleonor Alejandra Marin Mendoza case.  Alejandra, as she is known, had always wanted children.  But three previous attempts at pregnancy ended in miscarriages.  Was her solution a deal gone bad or the product of the social pressure regarding motherhood in Mexico?  

My Brilliant Career (Netflix)--This new adaptation of Miles Franklin’s beloved novel takes viewers to 1900 Australia.  Sybylla Melvyn may be a young woman born into poverty but she’s determined to achieve writing success.  Her family is equally determined to see her married off rich so her future husband can help them get out of their financial hole.  To get Sybylla the best prospects of marriage, the young woman’s sent to live with her wealthy grandmother, where she soon catches the eyes of neighbor Harry Beecham and dullard Frank Hawden.  Can Sybylla become both a successful writer and someone who’s fallen in love?

Travis Barker: Louder Than Fear (Hulu)--When legendary rock drummer Travis Barker nearly dies in a devastating plane crash, this man whose performances made him the driving pulse of a generation sets out on a redemptive journey.  Barker may have come a long way from collecting trash in Laguna Beach, but he’s still battling pain, grief, and the fine line between survival and surrender.

Hellcat (Shudder)--When Lena regains consciousness, she finds herself inside a moving camper trailer with a severe wound of unknown origin.  The driver tells Lena they’ve got one hour to reach medical help before things go bad for her.  But as Lena’s physical condition worsens and she possibly starts hallucinating, it’s not clear if the bigger threat is Lena or the driver.

Moria Season 1 (Netflix)--This biopic series recounts the past, present, and future of legendary Argentine diva Moria Casan.  Three different actresses play “La One” at different points of her life.  Casan’s path from showgirl to national icon will also touch on certain bits of Argentine pop culture.

Normal (HBO Max)--Ben Wheatley (“Free Fire”) directs this action comedy starring Bob Odenkirk as Sheriff Ulysses.  He’s the interim head lawman for the prosperous small town of Normal, Minnesota.  His regular routine of handling nuisance crimes gets interrupted when a bungled attempt is made to rob Normal’s bank.  That’s when he stumbles on the town’s very big secret, one that more than a few people are willing to kill to keep hidden.

Inside The Rage Machine (Britbox)--This BBC documentary will disabuse viewers of the notion that being on social media is a harmless activity.  As whistleblowers from Meta and X explain, the companies’ leaders’ ultimate goals are selling ads and raising the company’s stock price.  The most effective way to do so is to have social media algorithms which deliberately push on users extreme content, misinformation, or anything that stokes anger or disbelief.  The result: nuance is worthless and inflammatory statements are rewarded.

Armageddon Time (Netflix)--James Gray’s semi-autobiographical tale is set in Queens in 1980 New York City.  Jewish-American Paul Graff befriends rebellious African-American classmate Johnny Davis.  When Paul and Johnny are caught smoking a joint, the white 6th grader winds up getting sent to a private school financially supported by the father of the Orange Rapist in the White House.  Johnny is forced to secretly live in Paul’s clubhouse to evade foster system workers.

Take A Hike! (Netflix)--In this Korean reality adventure series, a quartet of celebrities with zero interest in hiking wind up taking a midwinter journey across Korea’s snow-capped mountains for the first time in their lives.  As they deal with biting winds and steep climbs, the quartet will face their challenges with a mix of grit and good humor.

Freefall: A Reckoning For Boeing (Netflix)--Rory Kennedy’s follow-up documentary to “Downfall: The Case Against Boeing” considers whether Boeing’s promises to change their dangerous ways were sincere.  The blowing off of a door plug panel on an Alaska Airlines 2024 flight and testimony from whistleblowers suggest the company’s culture of prizing meeting production goals over protecting passenger safety still remains SOP.

Here The Whole Time (Netflix)--Summer break means for sensitive teen Felipe: staying away from the school bullies, binge watching TV, and leaving the outside world behind for two weeks.  But Felipe’s plans go up in smoke when Caio moves in for the duration of the break.  Not only is Caio the most popular guy at school, but Felipe still has a crush on him.

Is God Is (Amazon Prime)--Twin sisters and burn victims Racine and Anaia travel through the American South to fulfill a mission from God.  But God to the sisters is their estranged mother (Vivica A Fox).  And the mission they’re on is to kill their evil father (Sterling K. Brown) for his acts of violence towards them.  The sisters’ quest brings them into contact with others affected by their father’s evil.  Aleshea Harris adapts her titular play for the screen.

Buffet Infinity (Shudder)--Think nothing new can be done with found footage horror?  Then take a look at this use of fake news segments and commercials.  In Alberta’s Westridge County, a new restaurant called Buffet Infinity is becoming a serious challenger to a local restaurant.  But is Buffet Infinity more than just an affordable restaurant?  Could the disappearance of local townspeople be tied to the new restaurant?  And where is Buffet Infinity sourcing its food?

The Dynasty: UConn Huskies (Apple TV)--This 3-part docuseries recounts the history of the highly dominating UConn Huskies Women’s Basketball program.  Under coach Geno Auriemma, the program has resulted in the Huskies winning twelve college basketball titles including the 2025 National Championship.

Facing El Chapo (Netflix)--Carmona and Rosales are two Mexican federal police officers who barely know each other.  They should have been national heroes when the person they arrest during a routine traffic stop turns out to be wanted fugitive drug lord El Chapo Guzman.  They’re now stuck guarding El Chapo until their shift ends, and they must do so in a spot that’s in the heart of a region controlled by the vicious drug lord’s organization.

Mother Mary (HBO Max)--In David Lowery’s psychological drama, famed rock singer Mother Mary (Anne Hathaway) plans to mount a comeback performance after an onstage accident.  But she wants the dress to be designed by her estranged lover and ex-collaborator Sam Anselm  (Michaela Coel).  As the clock ticks down to the show, tense questions arise between the two women.  Did Mary attempt suicide?  Why does Sam refuse to listen to Mary’s music nowadays? 

9/11 Reunited (Hulu)--To mark the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, this docuseries brings together attack survivors and the strangers who saved them.  It also looks at the emotional bonds formed between survivors and rescuers on that traumatic day.

The Christophers (Hulu)—In Steven Soderbergh’s dark comedy, Lori (Michaela Coel) is a young painter and sometime forger who has been enlisted for a job by the estranged children of famed but now secluded artist Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen).  The forging job isn’t to create a Sklar canvas from scratch, but to find and complete a series of unfinished canvases the artist has buried in his home studio.  Sklar’s kids hope the fakes can be sold for lots of money.

MAO (Hulu)—Nanoka Kiba is an ordinary middle school girl who magically gets transported from the present day back to Taisho-era Japan.  Outside a ghost-inhabited village, she meets a mysterious traveler known as Mao.  The duo soon start investigating mysterious killings, cults, and disappearances together.  But Nanoka is linked to Mao in another way, one related to a near fatal traffic accident in the schoolgirl’s past.

Nickel Boys (Amazon Prime)--Ra’mell Ross’ acclaimed adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s “The Nickel Boys” begins with the Jim Crow-era Florida ordeal of Elwood and Turner.  They’re two Black inmates of the segregated Nickel Academy reform school.  Though they become friends, Elwood believes in the promise of the Civil Rights Movement while Turner prefers to keep his head down to avoid further societal mistreatment. 

The Sex Lives Of College Girls Seasons 1-3 (Netflix)--Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble’s dramedy follows the lives of a quartet of 18-year-old college freshmen roommates at Vermont’s Essex College.  The students, who include a wannabe comedy writer and a U.S. senator’s daughter, struggle with the challenges of both classes and adulthood.