We’re in the thick of August, a month that is not traditionally a hotbed of great new releases, but there are still some worthwhile movies and TV shows debuting this week. We’ve got murders, both in the building and on a ship ferrying a vampire. There’s another dramatization of the opioid crisis, a quirky adaptation of a web comic, and a CBS reality show. We’ve seen much more dire weeks in August, for sure! And, if none of the below strikes your fancy, well, they extended Oppenheimer’s Imax 70-mm. run through the end of the month. —James Grebey
Featured Presentations
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The Last Voyage of the Demeter
There’s no Nicolas Cage in this take on Bram Stoker’s iconic bloodsucker. The Last Voyage of the Demeter is an adaptation of just one chapter of the author’s original novel, expanding out the section where Dracula is transported from Transylvania to London on the titular ship into a feature-length bit of nautical vampire horror. —J.G.
➽ If the Meg from last week’s The Meg 2: The Trench attacked the Demeter and fought Dracula, who do you think would win?
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Only Murders in the Building season three
The show’s greatest feat? Getting Meryl Streep on the show to play a bad actress. Selena Gomez, Martin Short, and Steve Martin return as the podcasting trio as they are faced with yet another possible murder as Paul Rudd’s celeb turned theater actor falls to his death onstage during Oliver’s (Short) comeback Broadway play. —Savannah Salazar
➽ I would still live in the Arconia, murders be damned. Finding a good apartment in New York, that’s the real killer!
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Painkiller
Add Painkiller and Hulu’s 2021 effort Dopesick to the same trivia bin as Deep Impact and Armageddon, or Candy and Love and Death, or any other number of dueling movies or shows about the same topic that happen to drop within a year or so of each other. The new Netflix series has some things to distinguish itself, though, starring Matthew Broderick as Purdue Pharma scion Richard Sackler, Uzo Aduba as an attorney investigating OxyContin, and Taylor Kitsch as one of the many who becomes addicted. —J.G.
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Red, White, & Royal BlueÂ
Based on the novel of the same name, this movie feels like the ultimate fanfic or a hard-R Heartstopper. But instead of being about two teenagers falling in love over Instagram, in Matthew Lopez’s directorial debut, the president’s (Uma Thurman trying on a wild Texan accent) son (Taylor Zakhar Perez) falls into a torrid fling with the Prince of Wales (Nicholas Galitzine). The author was inspired by Veep and Hillary Clinton, okay? —S.S.
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Billions season seven
All things must come to an end, even a Showtime series. The seventh and final season of Billions premieres this weekend, and while this might be the last time viewers see Damian Lewis and Paul Giamatti swinging unconscionable sums of money around, it won’t be the last of the franchise. Showtime is making spinoffs titled Millions and Trillions. —J.G.
Animation Station
Strange Planet
The latest Apple TV+ cartoon is an adaptation of Nathan W. Pyle’s popular web comic about blue aliens who note the absurdity of everyday society and existence, broadly. The comics are twee and sweet, which makes the addition of Rick and Morty’s Dan Harmon to the mix for the show intriguing. The voice cast includes Tunde Adebimpe and Hannah Einbinder. —J.G.
Reality Bites
The Challenge season two
​​Veterans of The Challenge face off against competitors from other CBS reality shows, including Survivor and The Amazing Race. —Roxana Hadadi
(Press) Playtime
Gabby’s Dollhouse season eight
So you’ve already watched Bluey several times over, your kids are climbing the walls, and you’re about to rip your hair out. Six new episodes of Gabby are here. —Kathryn VanArendonk
âž½ For real, though? Bluey is the best show on television.
Want more? Read our recommendations from the weekend of August 11.