New month, new TV obsession? You're in the right place. From gripping crime dramas and laugh-out-loud comedies to celebrity competitions and fascinating documentaries, we've rounded up the biggest new TV shows coming to BBC, ITV, Channel 4, 5 and U this August.
Keep scrolling for all the latest series, returning favourites and hidden gems heading to your screen.
BBC | ITV and STV | Channel 4 | 5 | U
New on BBC and iPlayer
Celebrity Traitors (Series 2)
Watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, Thursdays and Fridays from the 1st October
The castle is back!! The cloaks are ready. And trust issues are practically guaranteed. Hosted by Claudia Winkleman, Celebrity Traitors welcomes a seriously impressive line-up including Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us, Time), James Acaster (Taskmaster, Off Menu), Joe Lycett (Late Night Lycett, The Lycett Arms), Maya Jama (Love Island), Miranda Hart (Miranda) and Richard E. Grant (The Outlaws, The Other Bennet Sister) to name a few! One thing's certain: not everyone is telling the truth.
Time (Season 3)
Coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer this October
Jimmy McGovern's BAFTA-winning hit drama is back for a third season, this time taking us inside a young offenders institution. Across three powerful episodes, David Tennant leads the cast as Prison Officer Bailey, alongside Siobhan Finneran, returning as prison chaplain Marie-Louise.
Exploring how incarceration affects both the young people behind bars and the staff responsible for them, the series promises another powerful, thought-provoking watch.
Blue Lights (Series 4)
Watch on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, from Tuesday 29th September at 9pm
If you're only adding one crime drama to your watchlist this month, make it Blue Lights. The acclaimed Belfast-set series returns with Siân Brooke (The Undeclared War, Trying) as Grace Ellis, Martin McCann (Trespasses, Hostage) as Stevie Neil, Katherine Devlin (The Day of the Jackal, Vikings) as Annie Conlon and Nathan Braniff back as Tommy Foster. Expect high-stakes policing, emotional punches and some of the best character-led storytelling on TV!
This City is Ours (Season 2)
Coming soon to BBC Three and BBC iPlayer
It’s official: This City is Ours season 2 is heading to BBC One this autumn! Michael and Diana have barely touched down in Spain before they’re pulled straight back into the fold to face questions about Ricardo’s death. Back in Liverpool, tensions are bubbling among the gang’s remaining members – and an old-school gangster from Robbie’s era is fresh out of prison and looking for compensation for his time.
James Nelson-Joyce, Saoirse-Monica Jackson, Laura Aikman and Julie Graham are all set to return. Joining them are Shaun Evans as former gangster Ozzie Thompson and Álvaro Morte.
The Reluctant Vampire
Sink your teeth into it on BBC One and BBC iPlayer, from Sunday 4th October
Lenny Rush stars in this coming-of-age sitcom based on the books by Eric Morecambe. Set in a timeless English village, The Reluctant Vampire introduces Van (Rush), a young vampire who makes one very surprising discovery after an unexpected encounter with his reflection: he isn’t a vampire at all. With a huge secret to hide, Van must mingle with the locals, work out who he really is and discover what it means to be human!
What’s new on ITV and ITVX (STV and STV Player in Scotland)
The Party
Watch on ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player, from Sunday 11th October
The perfect celebration takes a spectacularly messy turn in tense new thriller The Party. Starring Luke Evans and Tom Cullen, the series whisks us into a glamorous gathering where buried secrets and simmering tensions are ready to erupt. Expect tangled relationships, jaw-dropping revelations and drama by the bucketload.
Winter
Catch it on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player, from Wednesday 30th September
Richard Armitage stars as unconventional forensic pathologist Dr Ethan Winter, whose brilliant mind and rule-breaking methods help the police crack their most complex murder cases. Alongside him, Annabel Scholey plays DI Lauren Bell, a no-nonsense detective every bit as driven as Winter. Together, they make one seriously formidable team!
Adultery
Coming soon to ITV1, STV, ITVX and STV Player
Young lovers Jess and Ollie are wrapped up in the bliss of teenage romance – but when Jess’s dad Tom (Dominic Cooper) meets Ollie’s mum Beth (Romola Garai), there’s an undeniable spark between them too. The question is: can they resist temptation?
Alongside all that binge-worthy drama, Adultery dives into class, grief and the impact of social media, taking viewers on a rollercoaster through passion, parenthood and the fallout from one life-changing affair.
What’s new on Channel 4
Break Clause
Watch on Channel 4, from Thursday 1st October
Ready for a comedy that might feel just a little too relatable? Break Clause introduces recent exes Ben (Samuel Bottomley) and Lil (Lara Ricote). Their relationship may be over, but their tenancy definitely isn’t. Stuck sharing the same flat, they discover that moving on from your first love is hard enough – but moving out might be even harder!
Three Women
Watch on Channel 4, from Sunday 4th October
Adapted from Lisa Taddeo’s bestselling nonfiction book, Three Women follows writer Gia as she sets out to explore female desire in America. Rather than looking at women in general, she seeks out three very different women ready to radically change their lives. As Gia persuades them to share their raw, intimate truths, the connections she forms begin to transform her own life too.
Pierre
Watch on Channel 4, from Monday 5th October
Pierre follows a charming, funny West London duty solicitor who is juggling the pressures of his job, a fragile personal life and juuuust about keeping his finances in check. But when his young Black client, Michael, is murdered, everything changes. As the police rush to portray Michael as a criminal, Pierre refuses to let the truth stay buried. One man’s fight for justice soon uncovers a chilling web of corruption running far deeper than he imagined – right into the foundations of the institutions meant to protect us.
Like your justice served with a generous side of chaos? Pierre could be your next big obsession.
Fellow Travellers
Watch on Channel 4, from Wednesday 14th October
Based on Thomas Mallon’s 2006 novel, Fellow Travellers follows political staffers Hawkins Fuller and Tim Laughlin, whose paths collide at the height of the Lavender Scare in the 1950s. Even with the constant threat of discovery hanging over them, their love only grows stronger in the years that follow.
Spanning the Vietnam War protests of the ’60s, the disco-fuelled hedonism of the ’70s and the AIDS crisis of the ’80s, expect a sweeping, volatile romance across three turbulent decades.
Leading the story are Matt Bomer and Jonathan Bailey.
What’s new on 5
NFL on 5
Kick off Sundays on 5Action at 5pm and 5 at 9pm
Touchdown! The NFL is back on 5 with two huge live games every Sunday, bringing all the tackles, touchdowns and edge-of-your-seat action straight to your screen. Dermot O’Leary, Sam Quek and two-time Super Bowl winner Osi Umenyiora are on hand to break down the biggest moments, joined by celebrity guests and NFL stars throughout the season. Whether you know every play or you’re brand new to the game, this is your front-row seat to the greatest show on turf!
What's new on U
The Good Place
Watch on U and U&Drama, from 1st October
Get ready: all four seasons of The Good Place are landing on U!
The Good Place introduces Eleanor Shellstrop (Kristen Bell), who arrives in the afterlife’s Good Place despite knowing she was hardly a saint during her time on Earth. With help from her fellow residents, she tries to find her way through this seemingly perfect paradise – only to discover that things aren’t quite as heavenly as they first appear…
Looking for a bigger TV to watch all your favourite shows on? We've got youuuu! And if you want even more suggestions of what to watch, check out the new shows coming later this year!
