Lose yourself in the worlds of finance, comic book adventures and, above all, fantasy – with this tasty cocktail to savor between dips in the sea
1. Industry (HBO Max)
A group of young traders and bankers try to make their way in the grueling world of finance in London in the aftermath of the 2008 collapse. That’s the premise underpinning Industry, the 2020 BBC drama series later acquired by HBO Max, where season two will start streaming on August 2. In the episodes ahead, Harper, Yasmin and Robert will have to establish new business alliances, most of them American, in order to stay in the game and, especially, find ways to achieve sustainable growth in a world stricken by the Covid-19 pandemic.
2. The Sandman (Netflix)
Neil Gaiman, cartoonist and creator of Prime Video series Good Omens, is back with The Sandman, an adaptation of his comic of the same name that is set to drop on Netflix on the 5th. In the story – which falls in the fantasy genre but also blends in elements of historical drama and mythology – Morpheus, the King of Dreams, tries to mend his cosmic and human mistakes. The series is headed by Gwendoline Christie, an actress who gained international renown through Game of Thrones, and Tom Sturridge, who has worked with Terrence Malick and appeared in the HBO Max series Irma Vep.
3. Locke & Key (Netflix)
Fans of Lovecraft Country are in luck, because on the 10th, Netflix will start streaming season three of Locke & Key. This time round, the series, based on the comics by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodríguez, will have to resolve last season’s dramatic cliffhanger, which looks like having been the quiet before the storm. Buoyed by the popularity of the first two seasons, the platform is promising a new installment even more exciting and explosive, and going beyond the graphic novel it draws from. The cast won’t be quite the same because the characters played by Genevieve Kang, Laysla de Oliveira and Griffin Gluck didn’t fare so well in prior episodes.
4. Five Days at Memorial (Apple TV+)
In a similar way to David Simon’s Treme, this series from Apple TV+, chronicles the immediate impact and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Floodwaters rose, power failed and exhausted caregivers at a New Orleans hospital saw themselves forced to take extreme measures that later led to health problems. Carlton Cuse, one of the creators of the hit Lost, had a hand in the script, while actress Vera Farmiga, known for her roles in The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It and the recent Marvel series Hawkeye, has the leading role. Out on August 12.
5. She-Hulk (Disney+)
Marvel continues to expand its TV and series universe with She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, the female successor to the famous character played by Edward Norton and Mark Ruffalo in the movies. The character, who goes by the name of Jennifer Walters, will acquire the powers of the Hulk, but has to learn how to combine this alterego with her job as a lawyer. Jessica Gao makes her debut as showrunnerin the series and Mark Ruffalo and Tim Roth have already confirmed their appearances. Keep in mind that the latter embodied the Abomination, one of the chief villains in the Hulk storyline. Get ready to enjoy it from August 17.
6. House of the Dragon (HBO Max)
After the outrage and uproar the final season of Game of Thrones provoked on social media, the powers that be at HBO Max have set in motion a series of spin-offs to make it up to the disappointed fans. Arriving on August 22, House of the Dragon is the first of them. The story is set several centuries before the events of Game of Thrones and tracks the beginning of the end of the Targaryen dynasty. The series has drawn on the production and scriptwriting talents of George R.R. Martin, author of “A Song of Ice and Fire”; is directed by Miguel Sapochnik, known for helming epic episodes such as “The Battle of the Bastards” and “Hardhome”; and has Ryan Condal heading up the writing. Come what may, there’ll be blood and fire for some time yet.
7. See (Apple TV)
The third season of another of the fantastic post-Game of Thrones series – See, starring Jason Momoa – premieres on Apple TV+ in August. On the 26th the first episode will become available, in which the beginning of the end of blindness will start to dawn, the premise from which this fiction series sprang. This final chapter promises to be an exceptional one, but also one in which Baba Voss’s mettle will be put to the test one last time amid the menace of the enemies who want to annihilate the new civilization that’s emerging.
8. Andor (Disney+)
Another of the great sagas of recent decades will also continue its expansion on Disney+ via the Andor series. The storyline is linked to the movie Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, and is scheduled to start streaming on the last day of August. The cast will feature actor Stellan Skarsgård, and Diego Luna will play Cassian Andor, who will be seen in various escapades occurring a few years before the formation of the rebels. Two seasons of twelve episodes each have been confirmed so far.
9. The Rings of Power (Prime Video)
And not to be left out is The Rings of Power, the first episodes of which will arrive on Prime Video on September 2. Currently the most expensive series in TV history, it will no doubt make a big splash after the long marketing campaign whipping up interest among lovers of Tolkien’s books and devotees of The Lord of the Rings movies. The story will be set a few thousand years after the events of The Hobbit and Peter Jackson’s legendary trilogy, coinciding with the forging of the great rings. Some episodes have been directed by Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona and among the cast are various familiar faces from that other great fantasy series of recent times, Game of Thrones.
10. The Handmaid’s Tale (HBO Max)
Landing on September 15 is season five of the most popular dystopian series on TV, based on the novels by Margaret Atwood. The Handmaid’s Tale, which has been the vehicle for some very compelling and magnetic performances by actress Elisabeth Moss, spreads its wings with a string of new challenges for her character and her allies in their interminable struggle against the government of the dictatorial regime of Gilead. The satisfying end of season 4 has left fans waiting with bated breath, and augurs for a blistering trajectory for the series, although actor Joseph Fiennes, one of the most psychologically complex antagonists of the HBO Max series, will be conspicuous in his absence.
