Updated on 21 August: we may not be able to go on the holiday of our dreams this year (thanks a lot, Covid-19), but we sure can live vicariously through Netflix’s Million Dollar Beach House.

Much like the streaming platform’s other popular show, Selling Sunset, Million Dollar Beach House offers a bird’s eye view into the day-to-day life of the Hampton’s youngest and most exclusive group of real estate agents, documenting their private lives and posh coastline listings. 

“With 2,500 realtors working the Hamptons market, earning a listing is fierce competition,” reads the official show synopsis, promising a plethora of panoramic beach scenes and multi-million-dollar properties to drool over from afar.

If you’re interested in watching a TV series which “has all the views, all the schmooze, and brokers with a lot to lose”, you’re in luck: Million Dollar Beach House will be available to stream from Wednesday 24 August.

If not, though, don’t despair: there’s plenty more entertainment options available. 

Updated on 14 August: Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Disney smash-hit Moana, has a new film coming to Netflix this month, and it sounds like it’s going to make for addictive viewing.

Telling the story of eternal optimist Amber Appleton (Cravalho), the movie sees her struggle to balance her beloved high school drama club with working long hours at a donut shop to help support herself and her down-on-her-luck single mom (Justina Machado). 

Unable to tell anyone what’s really going on at home, Amber desperately tries to summon the energy each day to present herself to others as “normal”. But, when new obstacles present themselves that threaten her dreams of attending Carnegie Mello, Amber must learn to lean on the strength of her chosen family to move forward. 

Check out the trailer below:

Directed by Brett Haley and based on Matthew Quick’s novel Sorta Like a Rock Star, Netflix promises that All Together Now is a story of finding hope in the darkest of times. 

Which feels… well, which feels incredibly apt for 2020, wouldn’t you say?

As reported on 3 August: Netflix has confirmed that its much-anticipated docuseries [Un]Well will be coming to the streaming platform later this month.

The six-part series has one goal, and one goal only: to investigate controversial wellness fads. This means that each episode takes a deep-dive into those “trends and treatments that catch on like wildfire but that inspire both passionate support and deep scepticism.”

From apitherapy to essential oils, ayahuasca to tantric sex, the series promises to explore all sides of the topic. Which means that, yeah, producers Ken Druckerman, Banks Tarver, Anneka Jones, and Erica Sashin will be making a point of revealing what hurts and works.

Check out the intriguing trailer below:

[Un]Well will be available to stream on Netflix from 12 August.

Updated on 31 July: Netflix has announced a new documentary, Rising Phoenix, which tells the extraordinary story of the Paralympic Games. 

“From the rubble of World War II to the third biggest sporting event on the planet, the Paralympics sparked a global movement which continues to change the way the world thinks about disability, diversity and human potential,” reads the streaming platform’s synopsis of the film.

Directed by Ian Bonhôte and Peter Ettedgui, and featuring athletes such as Bebe Vio (Italy), Ellie Cole (Australia), Jean-Baptiste Alaize (France), Matt Stutzman (USA), Jonnie Peacock (UK), Cui Zhe (China), Ryley Batt (Australia), Ntando Mahlangu (South Africa) and Tatyana McFadden (US), the documentary film looks set to be an important and eye-opening one.

And, better still, we don’t have long to wait: it’s due to become available for streaming on 26 August.

As reported on 28 July: Netflix has now confirmed that 21 August will see the return of the cult TV favourite Lucifer for the first part of its fifth season.

All three series of hit crime drama The Fall, starring Gillian Anderson and Jamie Dornan, will also be available to stream on the platform from 1 August, too.

And film fans will no doubt be pleased to learn that Netflix has also revealed it will be adding a wealth of older movies, including:

• American History X (1998)
• Blade: Trinity (2004)
• Duplicity (2009)
• Flipped (2010)
• Out Of Sight (1998)
• Rumour Has It… (2005)

Later in the month, viewers will be able to view three of the platform’s most-hyped documentaries. The first, Connected, in which science journalist Latif Nasser investigates the ways in which we are connected to each other, the world and the universe, will air on 2 August. On 5 August, we have Anelka: Misunderstood, which will explore the career and controversial legacy of the former France international striker. 

And, that same day, we will have an entire season of true-crime phenomenon World’s Most Wanted, which will take a closer look at all those high-profile criminals who have evaded (and continue to evade) capture.

As reported on 23 July: true-crime fans should also check out Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story. Immigration Nation and John Was Trying to Contact Aliens, meanwhile, offer something a little different – but still every bit as compelling – in the documentary stakes. Cinephiles have a lot of new movies to check out: think action-thriller Project Power, dance comedy Work It, and warmly sensual coming-of-age drama An Easy Girl, to name just three.

If television is more your thing, then don’t worry: you’re getting new seasons of The Rain, Selling Sunset, and Greenleaf to get stuck into. Then there’s The Great Heist, Biohackers, and Takki to enjoy, too. 

All in all? It’s a summer of pure entertainment. So, without any further ado, here’s our pick of what’s new on Netflix this August – and rest assured that we will keep this article fully updated as new titles become available.

The Guys – 1 August

After the terrible events of 9/11, Nick (Anthony LaPaglia), a New York Fire Department captain, is left with the daunting task of delivering the eulogies for eight fallen firefighters who perished during the evacuation of the World Trade Center. Overpowered with emotion and unsure what to say, he gets help from a journalist (Sigourney Weaver) who helps him craft eulogies to honour not only his men who died, but also everyone who lost their lives that day.

The Call – 1 August

An abducted teen (Abigail Breslin) and a veteran 911 operator (Halle Berry) work together over the phone to stop a dangerous serial killer from striking again.

Watch the trailer for The Call below:

The Peanut Butter Falcon – 3 August

In this critically-acclaimed movie, Zak (Zack Gottsagen), a 22-year-old with Down’s syndrome, runs away from a residential nursing home to pursue his dream of becoming a pro wrestler. On his journey, he befriends a mysterious outlaw (Shia LaBeouf) who becomes his coach and ally… but can they truly hope to avoid the social worker tracking them?

Immigration Nation – 3 August

This timely docuseries – which was shot over the course of three years – will examine the controversial work of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, in order to help viewers better understand the processes, pitfalls, and pain of immigration in America.

The Rain: Season 3 – 6 August

According to Netflix’s official synopsis, the third series of this Danish post-apocalyptic drama will pick up exactly where we left off – with Simone (Alba August) and Rasmus (Lucas Lynggaard Tønnesen) butting heads over how best to save humanity in the post-apocalyptic landscape.

“Rasmus wants to infect everyone with the same beta version of the virus that turned him into a superhuman, while Simone insists that there must be a cure. Will they manage to put their differences aside in order to do the right thing?”

Selling Sunset: Season 3 – 7 August

The third series of reality TV show Selling Sunset looks set to be an absolute bingefest: not only will we finally find out who sold the luxurious $40million house (and picked up the commission, too!), but we’ll also get to watch Christine Quinn walk down the aisle in that dramatic goth wedding dress.

Work It – 7 August

When Quinn Ackerman’s (Sabrina Carpenter) admission to the college of her dreams depends on her performance at a dance competition, she forms a ragtag group of dancers to take on the best squad in school… now she just needs to learn how to dance.

Watch the trailer for Work It below:

The Governor – 8 August

This Nigerian TV series tells the story of Angela Ochello (Caroline Chikezie), who suddenly finds herself entangled in a web of political intrigue after the untimely death of the incumbent governor.

Greenleaf: Season 5 – 12 August

Greenleaf follows the story of the eponymous family, who reside in Memphis, Tennessee and run a megachurch with a largely African-American membership base. The official synopsis for season five (via The Chicago Crusader) reads: “The Greenleafs attempt to maintain a united front in the face of losing their church to Bob Whitmore and Harmony and Hope Ministries, but secrets past and present create what could be fatal fractures in the family’s fragile foundation.”

An Easy Girl – 13 August

Set in the summertime on the French Riviera, this award-winning film sees 16-year-old Naima (Mina Farid) become irresistibly drawn into her cousin Sofia’s (Zahia Dehar) free-spirited lifestyle, despite warnings from her concerned best friend.

Project Power – 14 August

On the streets of New Orleans, word begins to spread about a mysterious new pill that unlocks superpowers unique to each user. The catch? You don’t know what will happen until you take it. While some develop bulletproof skin, invisibility, and super strength, others exhibit a deadlier reaction. 

But when the pill escalates crime within the city to dangerous levels, a local cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) teams with a teenage dealer (Dominique Fishback) and a former soldier fueled by a secret vendetta (Jamie Foxx) to fight power with power and risk taking the pill in order to track down and stop the group responsible for creating it.

The Great Heist – 14 August

The Great Heist, also known as El Robo Del Siglo and The Robbery of the Century, is based on the real 1994 bank robbery of the Bank of Republic in Columbia.

Dirty John: Season 2 – 14 August

Much like the first season, Dirty John: The Betty Broderick Story is based on a true story. This time around, though, our focus is on Betty (Amanda Peet), who shot and killed her husband and his second wife in 1989.

Takki – 15 August

Takki – meaning “to chill” in Saudi slang – was an online sensation throughout its four-year run on YouTube, thanks to its unique and authentic perspective into the world of Saudi Arabia’s youth.

Biohackers – 20 August

What if students secretly experiment with biohacking technologies that could change humanity? Biohackers tells a highly-gripping story about friendship, love and revenge at a German University that is overshadowed by a revolutionary biohacking-technology and its ethical implications.

John Was Trying to Contact Aliens – 20 August

John Shepherd spent 30 years trying to contact extraterrestrials by broadcasting music millions of miles into space. In this documentary, we learn how this lonely man gave up on the hope of being contacted, only to find a unique connection right here on Earth.

Watch the trailer for John Was Trying to Contact Aliens below:

Rising Phoenix – 26 August

Rising Phoenix tells the extraordinary story of the Paralympic Games. From the rubble of World War II to the third biggest sporting event on the planet, the Paralympics sparked a global movement which continues to change the way the world thinks about disability, diversity, and human potential.

Unknown Origins – 28 August

In this Spanish drama, two cops (Javier Rey, Antonio Resines) join forces with comic book and cosplay geeks (Brays Efe, Verónica Echegui) in order to nab a killer who’s become obsessed with recreating superhero origin stories.

All images: Netflix