The range of stuff that's new on Netflix is as wide as ever in August 2023. When it comes to the biggest streaming service, we often wonder, "What isn't new on Netflix?"
This month features several high-profile movies, including Gal Gadot's Heart of Stone, the interactive rom-com Choose Love and the Sandler family extravaganza You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah.
On the television side, fan-favorites Heartstopper and The Lincoln Lawyer roll out new episodes, while the opioid epidemic is the subject of the star-studded limited series Painkiller.
Here are our picks for the best of what's new on Netflix this month.
Heartstopper season 2 (Aug. 3)
Teen love is such a rollercoaster ride. And Heartstopper is at a high. The first season brought together the quiet, out Charlie (Joe Locke) and the popular rugby captain Nick (Kit Connor), who started out as unlikely friends and slowly developed feelings for each other. Now, they are officially a couple — but this ride is about to get bumpy.
Nick came out to his mom (the always excellent Olivia Colman), and he’s ready to reveal his relationship with Charlie to everyone. A budding relationship always runs into complications, though. Exams are coming up, as is a school trip to Paris and the most sacred of all adolescent rites: prom.
The Lincoln Lawyer season 2 part 2 (Aug. 3)
The massive popularity of Suits on Netflix has proven that audiences still want zippy procedurals featuring interesting characters. That’s also why The Lincoln Lawyer is one of the streamer’s success stories of the past year and continues to draw in viewers.
Last we saw Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), he’d been attacked and was lying in his own blood. In this three-episode drop that comprises part two of the second season, Mickey is alive, if not terribly well, and determined to win the murder case against his client Lisa Trammell (Lana Parrilla). But with new evidence pointing to Lisa’s guilt, Mickey has a moral dilemma on his hands.
Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip Hop (Aug. 9)
Hip Hop has become one of the dominant music genres of the past 30 years, and it’s only apt to give credit where credit is due. The docu-series Ladies First recontextualizes the role of women in hip hop by reinserting them into the canon where they belong: at the center.
The four episodes feature a parade of icons like MC Lyte, Queen Latifah and Rah Digga, as well as current stars, up-and-comers and record label executives, stylists, and journalists. It highlights the important contributions of early pioneers such as Sha-Rock and Roxanne Shante and gleans insights from contemporary hitmakers Saweetie, Coi Leray and more.
Painkiller (Aug. 10)
The tragedy of the opioid crisis has been chronicled in one Emmy-nominated limited series (the excellent Dopesick), but Netflix hopes there’s room for another. Painkiller delves into the origins and effects of the (other) epidemic that has ravaged hundreds of thousands of lives across America. The stellar cast includes Matthew Broderick as Richard Sackler, Uzo Aduba as investigator Edie Flowers, and Taylor Kitsch as a man grappling with an injury.
Through six episodes, all directed by Peter Berg (Deepwater Horizon, Lone Survivor), you get an insider’s view of the creation and proliferation of OxyContin, the power wielded by the pharmaceutical industrial complex, the government’s failures and the devastating addictions experienced by real people.
Heart of Stone (Aug. 11)
Wonder Woman 3 may or may not be in the works, but Gal Gadot is still kicking butt elsewhere. She headlines the action thriller Heart of Stone as covert agent Rachel Stone, who’s part of an elite group called the Charter that has no political or national ties. Their only goal is to keep peace in a tumultuous world. Rachel and the Charter are guided by an asset called the Heart, which has untold powers. Own the Heart, own the world. If it gets into the wrong hands, death and destruction could follow.
You may be thinking that it sounds very similar to The Old Guard (the Charlize Theron action thriller), and you wouldn’t be wrong since it comes from the same producers.
The Upshaws season 4 (Aug. 17)
This under-the-radar Black family comedy continues to chug along in its charming, relaxed way. The Upshaws is bringing in two big guest stars in season 4: Jennifer Lewis (Black-ish) and Marsha Warfield (Night Court). Lewis is Dr. Pearl Edmunds, a no-nonsense therapist helping Regina (Kim Fields) strike a balance between her mental health and countless obligations. Warfield’s role is unknown at this time.
As for the rest of the crew, Bennie (Mike Epps) and sardonic sister-in-law Lucretia (Wanda Sykes) are butting heads as usual as they hold down the fort. The arrival of Bennie’s teen son (Diamond Lyons) has made their chaotic household even messier, emotionally speaking, so expect plenty of sharp observations from Lucretia.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (Aug. 25)
The star of Netflix’s latest Sandler film is not Adam, but his daughter, Sunny Sandler. In fact, You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah is a family affair, with Adam, his wife Jackie and their other daughter Sadie all showing up to the party. They will be joined by Idina Menzel (Sandler’s Uncut Gems castmate), Luis Guzmán and Sarah Sherman.
Lifelong best friends Stacy (Sandler) and Lydia (Samantha Lorraine) have always dreamed about having epic bat mitzvahs. But their plans go awry when popular boy Andy Goldfarb (Dylan Hoffman) and Hebrew school drama come between them.
Choose Love (Aug. 31)
Netflix has been experimenting with interactive content for some time now in the realms of sci-fi (Bandersnatch), cartoons (Cat Burglar) and adventure documentaries (You vs. Wild). Now, Netflix is unleashing its first ever-interactive romantic comedy, Choose Love.
Cami Conway (Laura Marano) seems to have it all: a great job as a recording engineer and a wonderful boyfriend (Scott Michael Foster). Yet, Cami feels like something is missing. Is it just FOMO or could she have an even better life? Perhaps Paul isn’t the love of her life, and she’s meant to be with sexy British rock star Rex Galier (Avan Jogia) or the one who got away, Jack Menna (Jordi Webber). So many choices lay ahead of her — and it all comes down to you, the viewer.
One Piece (Aug. 31)
Japan’s highest-selling manga series in history is getting a live-action adaptation. One Piece, by Eiichiro Oda, is a rollicking high-seas adventure filled with action, humor and heart. Monkey D. Luffy (Iñaki Godoy) has longed for a life of freedom for as long as he can remember. He sets off on a journey to find a legendary fabled treasure that will make him king of the pirates.
To find this artifact, Luffy must assemble a crew and secure a ship. Together they’ll search every inch of the vast seas, while attempting to outpace the Marines and outwit dangerous rivals.
