An Agatha Christie mystery, a spy thriller and the final Sharknado movie prevent the August 2018 TV premieres calendar from suffering the late-summer doldrums.
Amazon’s Prime Video presents “Agatha Christie’s Ordeal by Innocence,” a new adaptation of one of the famed writer’s most interesting crime novels. When a wealthy family realizes that the black sheep did not kill the matriarch, they have to figure out what family member is the real killer. Bill Nighy, Anna Chancellor, Christian Cooke, Matthew Goode, Luke Treadaway, Eleanor Tomlinson, Morven Christie, Anthony Boyle and Crystal Clarke star.
Prime Video doubles up on book adaptations with the premiere of “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan” starring John Krasinski as a CIA analyst who is thrown into a dangerous field assignment. Krasinski returns to series TV for the first time since “The Office” ended in 2013.
And finally, the sixth Sharknado film ends the too-silly-to-criticize franchise about Fin Shepard’s battle against the bizarre storms that rockets sharks through the air … to devour humans on land. “The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time” closes out a week of Sharknado programming on Syfy.
August offers something for every taste, from new “Garage Sale Mysteries” movies to “Better Call Saul” to a ton of true crime programming. Check out the full August 2018 TV premieres calendar below.
August 2018 TV premieres calendar
Wednesday, Aug. 1
Streaming
- “Comedy InvAsian,” Hulu (season 1; Asian American comedians do standup)
- “Aranyélet (Golden Life),” HBO Go, Now, On Demand (U.S. premiere, seasons 1-2; Hungarian con man Attila Miklósi tries to go straight but returns to his life of crime, leading his son into same dangerous life)
- “Alea Mutã (The Silent Valley).” HBO Go, Now, On Demand (U.S. premiere; two Romanian teen boys who cover up their presence at scene of a multiple murder)
- “Familiar Wife,” Viki (U.S. premiere; married man discovers that one unexpected choice can change everything about your life)
7 p.m.
- “The Outback,” PBS (series premiere; year among people and animals of Australia’s rugged Kimberley region in North West Australia)
- “Alone Together,” Freeform (season 2; 2nd episode immediately follows)
8 p.m.
- “Wonders of Mexico,” PBS (series premiere; country’s wildlife and culture)
9 p.m.
- “The Sinner,” USA (season 2; when boy murders parents, detective investigates and finds town closes up to hide secrets)
Thursday, Aug. 2
Streaming
- “The Evolution of Our Love,” Viki (U.S. premiere; best friends turn 30 and wonder if they will find love … with each other)
7 p.m.
- “Marvel’s Cloak & Dagger,” Freeform (season 1 finale; followed by linear premiere of Episode 1 of Hulu’s “Marvel’s Runaways”)
8 p.m.
- “Shahs of Sunset,” Bravo (season 7)
- “Braxton Family Values,” WEtv (season 7)
9 p.m.
- “Someone You Thought You Knew?” ID (series premiere; homicide cases often involve those closest to victim)
- “Impractical Jokers,” truTV (mid-season 7 premiere)
- “Bossip on WEtv,” WEtv (season 2)
Friday, Aug. 3
Streaming
- “Like Father,” Netflix (film; after she’s left at altar, workaholic advertising executive ends up on her Caribbean honeymoon cruise with her estranged father)
7 p.m.
- “Battlebots,” Discovery (mid-season premiere)
9 p.m.
- “David Tutera’s CELEBrations,” WEtv (season 3)
- “Mad Dog Made,” Discovery (series premiere; elite military weapons maker Kevin “Mad Dog” McClung creates state-of-the-art hand-held weapons and tools for heroes in action)
10:30 p.m.
- “Animals,” HBO (season 3)
11 p.m.
- “Random Acts of Flyness,” HBO (series premiere; artist Terence Nance explores evergreen cultural idioms such as patriarchy, white supremacy and sensuality)
Saturday, Aug. 4
5 p.m.
- “Cold Justice,” Oxygen (season 5)
6 p.m.
- “Golden State Killer: Main Suspect,” Oxygen (special; life of Joe DeAngelo, Golden State Killer suspect in custody)
8 p.m.
- “A Summer to Remember,” Hallmark (movie; ER doctor retreats to Fiji with her teen daughter)
Sunday, Aug. 5
7 p.m.
- “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days,” TLC (season 2)
8 p.m.
- “Garage Sale Mysteries: The Pandora’s Box Murders,” Hallmark M&M (movie; mysterious puzzle box may hold clue to creator’s killer)
- “Deep State,” EPIX (season 1 finale)
- “Chesapeake Shores,” Hallmark (season 3)
- “Ted Bundy: Serial Monster,” Reelz (2-part doc special; new look at the serial killer; Part 2 airs Aug. 6)
- “Keeping Up with the Kardashians,” E! (season 15)
9 p.m.
- “Ultimate Ninja Challenge,” Discovery (series premiere; 9 contestants take on 24-day survival challenge in Pacific Northwest wilderness)
- “Unexpected,” TLC (season 2)
11 p.m.
- “The Venture Bros.” Adult Swim (season 7)
Monday, Aug. 6
7 p.m.
- “Sugar Town,” ID (doc; how did Victor White III die in police custody?)
8 p.m.
- “Better Call Saul,” AMC (season 4)
9 p.m.
- “Lodge 49,” AMC (series premiere; middle-aged plumbing salesman Ernie’s world of cheap beer, easy camaraderie and promise of Alchemical mysteries may or may not help drifting ex-surfer Dud)
- “POV: Still Tomorrow,” PBS (doc; village woman with no high school diploma becomes China’s most famous poet)
Tuesday, Aug. 7
Streaming
- “Martial Universe,” Viki (U.S. premiere; magical talisman changes a young man’s fate forever)
7 p.m.
- “Bachelor in Paradise,” ABC (season 5)
9 p.m.
- “Castaways,” ABC (series premiere; 12 castaways are dropped alone throughout various islets in Indonesia and challenged to survive)
- “Documenting Hate: Charlottesville,” PBS (“Frontline” premiere; how and why white supremacists and neo-Nazis in America have become emboldened)
- “Wrecked,” TBS (season 3)
Wednesday, Aug. 8
Streaming
- “Three Girls,” BritBox (U.S. premiere; 3-part drama about Britain’s Rochdale sexual abuse and trafficking scandal; see more BritBox premieres here)
8 p.m.
- “Battlebots,” Science (mid-season premiere; same as Aug. 4 on Discovery)
9 p.m.
- “Robot Wars,” Science (U.S. premiere; robot fighting series from Great Britain)
- “Boomtown Builder,” DIY (series premiere; master craftsman Tim McClellan completes inspired transformations of old homes in Arizona’s iconic mining “boomtowns”)
Friday, Aug. 10
Streaming
- “Agatha Christie’s Ordeal by Innocence,” Amazon Prime (3-episode limited series; based on Christie novel about family who learns black sheep son did not kill his mother, but one of them did)
- “Insatiable,” Netflix (season 1; comedy about newly thin woman exacting revenge on those who wronged her when she was heavy)
- “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,” Netflix (film; London writer bonds with colorful residents of Guernsey as she learns about book club they formed during the WWII German occupation)
- “All About the Washingtons,” Netflix (season 1; after Joey Washington decides to retire from hip-hop, his wife Justine pursues own career)
- “Voltron Legendary Defender,” Netflix (season 7)
- “La Casa De Las Flores,” Netflix (season 1; wealthy matriarch tries to maintain family’s facade of perfection after her husband’s mistress exposes their dirty secrets)
7 p.m.
- “Freaky Friday,” Disney (movie; adaptation of stage musical based on movies about mother-daughter body swap)
9 p.m.
- “Chicago Voices,” PBS (“Great Performances” premiere; vocalists pay tribute to Chicago’s wide-reaching influence across blues, jazz, rock, folk, hip-hop, gospel, opera and classical music from Lyric Opera stage)
Saturday, Aug. 11
Streamiong
- “Hide and Seek,” Viki (U.S. premiere; desires and secrets surrounding two women connected by lives of lies)
6 p.m.
- “The Disappearance of Crystal Rogers,” Oxygen (series premiere; examination of mysterious circumstances surrounding Crystal Rogers, who vanished in Bardstown, Kentucky)
8 p.m.
- “Love at Sea,” Hallmark (movie; event planner aboard cruise ship clashes with rookie cruise director)
- “I Am Paul Walker,” Paramount (doc; actor’s family opens up for first time to share untold stories and never-before-seen family footage)
9 p.m.
- “The Vanilla Ice Project,” DIY (season premiere)
- “Fatal Vows,” ID (season premiere)
Sunday, Aug. 12
7 p.m.
- “Teen Choice 2018,” Fox (awards show)
- “Sharknado Week,” Syfy (week-long event; movies each night)
8 p.m.
- “Get Shorty,” EPIX (season 2)
- “Garage Sale Mysteries: The Mask Murder,” Hallmark M&M (movie; plaster “death mask” in storage locker matches face of dead body found with it)
- “Fear the Walking Dead,” AMC (season 4B)
9 p.m.
- “Ballers,” HBO (season 4)
- “Collision Course,” Reelz (new episodes)
9:30 p.m.
- “Insecure,” HBO (season 3)
Monday, Aug. 13
Streaming
- “Bliss,” BritBox (U.S. premiere; comedy follows philandering travel writer as he juggles his two families; more BritBox premieres)
- “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before,” Netflix (film; high school girl’s secret love letters somehow get mailed to each of her 5 crushes)
7 p.m.
- “Sacred Sites,” Smithsonian (season 2)
8 p.m.
- “Evil Lives Here,” ID (season premiere)
Tuesday, Aug. 14
Streaming
- “The Stinky & Dirty Show,” Amazon Prime (season 2B)
8 p.m.
- “Murder By Numbers,” ID (season premiere)
Wednesday, Aug. 15
7 p.m.
- “Born This Way,” A&E (season 4)
8 p.m.
- “The Real Housewives of Dallas,” Bravo (season 3)
9 p.m.
- “Raising Tourette’s,” A&E (series premiere; families raising adolescents with Tourette Syndrome)
Thursday, Aug. 16
Streaming
- “SuperMansion: Summer Vacation Special,” Sony Crackle (special; Jay Pharoah stars as vacationing President Barack Obama, who runs into the team in Hawaii)
7 p.m.
- “Rustic Rustic,” HGTV (series premiere; David and Chenoa Rivera renovate outdated cabins, vacation rentals and bungalows)
9 p.m.
- “Nightwatch Nation,” A&E (doc series; following EMTs in several cities)
Friday, Aug. 17
Streaming
- “Gringo,” Amazon Prime (film; businessman crosses line from law-abiding citizen to wanted criminal)
- “All or Nothing: Manchester City,” Amazon Prime (doc series; its of Manchester City’s 2017-18 soccer season)
- “Disenchantment,” Netflix (season 1; animated series from Matt Groening follows misadventures of hard-drinking princess, her elf companion and her personal demon)
- “Minding the Gap,” Hulu (doc; using 12 years of footage shot in his hometown of Rockford, Ill., featuring his skateboarding friends, Bing Liu explores gap between fathers and sons, discipline and domestic abuse, childhood and adulthood)
- “Magic for Humans,” Netflix (season 1; comedian and magician Justin Williams explores a variety of social and political topics)
7 p.m.
- “WE Day,” ABC (special; celebration of doing good)
9 p.m.
- “Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2018,” PBS (“Great Performances” premiere; orchestra returns for its 15th open-air concert)
Saturday, Aug. 18
8:30 a.m.
- “Esme & Roy,” HBO (series premiere; animated series from makers of “Sesame Street” follows girl and her best monster friend on adventures as best monster babysitters in Monsterdale)
8 p.m.
- “Pearl in Paradise,” Hallmark (movie; photographer tricks romance novelist into helping her on crazy adventure through jungle)
- “Murder Made Me Famous,” Reelz (new episodes)
- “Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow,” Showtime (doc; history of Lynyrd Skynyrd)
9 p.m.
- “The Chris Botti Band In Concert,” PBS (“Great Performances” premiere; jazz trumpeter and his band perform)
Sunday, Aug. 19
6 p.m.
- “Dying to Belong,” Oxygen (doc series; true crime stories of those who killed in order to feel genuinely accepted)
7 p.m.
- “The Last Sharknado: It’s About Time,” Syfy (final movie; Fin travels back in time to stop Sharknado that started it all)
8 p.m.
- “Garage Sale Mysteries: Picture a Murder,” Hallmark M&M (movie; undeveloped photo found in vintage camera owned by recently deceased collector suggests murder)
- “Alaskan Bush People,” Discovery (new season)
9 p.m.
- “Pamela Smart: An American Murder Mystery,” ID (3-part special; look at convicted killer Smart’s case)
- “Collision Course,” Reelz (new episodes)
Monday, Aug. 20
Streaming
- “Mystery Road,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere; detectives investigate disappearance of two young men in a remote town in Australian Outback; more Acorn TV premieres)
9 p.m.
- “X Company,” Ovation (season 3)
- “Little Life on the Prairie,” TLC (docu series; little couple’s pregnancy journey as they move to farm)
Tuesday, Aug. 21
7 p.m.
- “Betty White: First Lady of Television,” PBS (doc; life and career of beloved TV/film legend who celebrates 80 years in show business this year)
8 p.m.
- “Bizarre Foods: Delicious Destinations,” Travel (season 8)
9 p.m.
- “The Devil Speaks,” ID (series premiere; real audio recordings used to study cases)
- “Too Stupid To Die,” MTV (series premiere; bizarre pranks, hilarious antics and outrageous stunts)
Wednesday, Aug. 22
8 p.m.
- “The Story of the Royals,” ABC (2-night special, part 1; lives of the British royal family)
- “Alcatraz: The Greatest Escapes,” Reelz (doc; a look at Frank Morris’s 1962 breakout with three prisoners, and other tales from the notorious prison)
9 p.m.
- “Mr. Mercedes,” AT&T Audience (season 2)
Thursday, Aug. 23
Streaming
- “Rob Riggle’s Ski Master Academy,” Sony Crackle (season 1; celebrity patriot invests all his money and reputation into an Academy celebrating personal watercraft riding)
8 p.m.
- “The Story of the Royals,” ABC (2-night special, part 2; lives of the British royal family)
Friday, Aug. 24
Streaming
- “Crime + Punishment,” Hulu (doc; exposing discriminatory policing practices, intimidation and corruption within the New York Police Department)
- “The Innocents,” Netflix (season 1; teens Harry and June run away from home to be together when they learn June can shape-shift)
- “Safe Harbour,” Hulu (U.S. premiere; 4-part Aussie drama about a yachting group who try to save a lost boat filled with asylum seekers)
- “Ghoul,” Netflix (season 1; new prisoner at remote military interrogation center turns tables on his interrogators)
8 p.m.
- “Treasure Quest,” Discovery (new season)
9 p.m.
- “The Contender,” EPIX (series premiere; 16 fighters push limits in grueling elimination-style fights and test determination to achieve their boxing dreams)
10 p.m.
- “SafeWord,” MTV (season 2)
Saturday, Aug. 25
8 p.m.
- “Season for Love,” Hallmark (movie; newly divorced woman enters a BBQ competition against high-school sweetheart, who is now celeb chef)
- “Mission Galapagos,” BBC America (doc; Galapagos Islands inside and out)
9 p.m.
- “Drew Michaels: The Comedians,” HBO (special; standup)
Sunday, Aug. 26
8 p.m.
- “Garage Sale Mysteries: Murder in D Minor,” Hallmark M&M (movie; dead man’s art collection may have been ill-gotten)
- “America to Me,” Starz (doc series; look into an academic year at Chicagoland’s high performing and diverse Oak Park and River Forest High School)
Monday, Aug. 27
9 p.m.
- “POV: Nowhere to Hide,” PBS (doc; male nurse Nori Sharif films himself and situation around him in troubled central Iraq)
Tuesday, Aug. 28
9 p.m.
- “Greenleaf,” OWN (season 3, part 1)
Wednesday, Aug. 29
8 p.m.
- “Mafia Killers with Colin McLaren,” Reelz (true crime series; real stories of notorious mobsters whose lives of crime have inspired movies and influenced pop culture)
9 p.m.
- “Greenleaf,” OWN (season 3, part 2)
- “Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda,” ID (new season)
Thursday, Aug. 30
Streaming
- “One Dollar,” CBS All Access (season 1; one-dollar bill changing hands connects a group of characters involved in a shocking multiple murder)
Friday, Aug. 31
Streaming
- “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” Amazon Prime (season 1; CIA analyst gets thrown into dangerous field assignment)
- “Ozark,” Netflix (season 2)
- “Paradise PD,” Netflix (season 1; cops in this animated comedy series are the worst responders)
10 p.m.
- “Vaugand,” TV5Monde USA (U.S. premiere; court cases of criminal lawyer Richard Vaugand)