For a moment this summer, standard broadcast, cable, and satellite TV were outpaced by streaming services. If you don’t follow this stuff like we do (and really, who does?), know that it’s kind of a big deal. Read about the numbers, and why they won’t last, in Streaming Finally Beats Linear TV (Momentarily).
This week’s What to Watch recs include the premiere of Star Wars: Ahsoka, action thriller Who Is Erin Carter?, John Cena’s Vacation Friends 2, the series finales of Riverdale and Nancy Drew, and the 2023 PGA Tour Championship. Stop dreaming, start streaming!
Jump to your preferred streaming service
What’s premiering this week
Star Wars: Ahsoka | Disney+ | Drama, sci-fi
Series premiere, Wednesday, August 23: Rosario Dawson returns as ex-Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano as she “investigates an emerging threat to a vulnerable galaxy,” which could mean anything from a new Imperial attack to a second season of The Book of Boba Fett (please, anything but that). Star Wars: Ahsoka takes place after the events of Star Wars: Rebels and also stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Hayden Christensen, and David Tennant as the voice of droid Huyang. Two episodes drop on August 23.
PGA Tour Championship | CBS, Golf Channel | Sports, golf
Coverage begins Thursday, August 24, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT: Live from East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, GA, it’s the 2023 PGA Tour Championship, where the early leaderboard is topped by three-time past winner Rory McIlroy, Sungjae Im, Scottie Scheffer, Xander Schauffle, and Max Homa. TV coverage will be split between Golf Channel and CBS, which means you can watch the final holes on Sunday for free with a good ole over-the-air antenna—don’t sleep on the classic tech.
What to watch on Netflix this week
Who Is Erin Carter? | Netflix | Drama, thriller
Series premiere, Thursday, August 24: When unassuming Erin Carter (Evin Ahmad), an ex-pat school teacher living in Spain, gets caught in the crossfire of a violent robbery, it soon becomes apparent that there’s more to this woman than first appears—namely, some mad Jason Bourne-level combat skills. Who Is Erin Carter? comes from writer/producer Jack Lothian, who proved his action and international intrigue cred with Strike Back years ago. All eight episodes stream on August 24.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah | Netflix | Comedy
Movie premiere, Friday, August 25: You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah, based on Fiona Rosenbloom’s 2007 YA novel, is a Sandler family affair, starring Adam, his wife Jackie, and their daughters Sadie and Sunny (non-Sandlers Idina Menzel and Luis Guzman are also here). As you may have guessed from the title, there’s a Bat Mitzvah involved, and BFFs Stacy and Lydia are determined to have a good time, regardless of the distractions of boys and middle-school drama.
What to watch on Hulu this week
Vacation Friends 2 | Hulu | Comedy
Movie premiere, Friday, August 25: It was a pretty easy call that 2021’s Vacation Friends was going to get a sequel, but what took so long? Waiting for John Cena to finish shooting 150-ish commercials for credit score apps and pistachios? Anyway: Vacation Friends 2 reunites couples Ron and Kyla (Cena and Meredith Hagner) and Marcus and Emily (Lil Rel Howrey and Yvonne Orji) on a vacation in the Caribbean, which is about to be crashed by Kyla’s ex-con dad (Steve Buscemi). Yes, wackiness does ensue.
Creamerie | Hulu | Comedy, sci-fi
Two seasons, now streaming: Eight years after a global plague wiped out 99% of the world’s male population and the last 1% supposedly died in a facility, a trio of dairy farmers stumbles upon … a man. Sound eerily similar to Hulu’s failed dystopian future series, Y: The Last Man? Nah, New Zealand import Creamerie is an intentional comedy that actually lasted more than one season (ya burnt, Y). The darkly hilarious series hasn’t yet been renewed for a third season, so pump those streams up, people!
What to watch on The CW this week
Riverdale | The CW | Drama, thriller
Series finale, Wednesday, August 23: Back in 2017, Riverdale began as an Archie Comics-meets-Twin Peaks curiosity that seemed like a fun distraction. Now, 136 episodes later, the increasingly bizarre trajectory of the series has made a predictable ending impossible. But, now that the gang has returned from 1955 to the present, Veronica (Camila Mendez) and Betty (Lili Reinhart) should absolutely cement their couplehood and jettison deadweight Archie (KJ Apa) and Jughead (Cole Sprouse) for good.
Nancy Drew | The CW | Drama, thriller
Series finale, Wednesday, August 23: Like Riverdale, the modern CW-ized version of Nancy Drew is a weirder and sexier take on the innocent lit of yesteryear. This Nancy (Kennedy McMann) is being stalked by a serial killer that may or may not be human, and she and her “Drew Crew” are mixed up in some terrifyingly supernatural mysteries that will culminate in either the salvation or ultimate destruction of Horseshoe Bay—NBD. Intrigued? The previous three seasons of Nancy Drew are available on Max.
W2W wildcards of the week
Invasion | Apple TV+ | Drama, sci-fi
Season 2 premiere, Wednesday, August 23: Apple TV+ has spent a whole lotta money on sci-fi—Silo, Foundation, For All Mankind, and now the returning Invasion, a reportedly $200 million(!) project. Why the big budget? This alien takeover drama is filmed all around the world, adding credibility to its War of the Worlds vibe with a diverse cast of characters and locales. Invasion was created and written by Simon Kinberg (Dark Phoenix) and David Weil (Hunters), with one of 10 new episodes arriving on August 23.
Movie premiere, Wednesday, August 23: After a 2021 ESPN-televised high school football game that resulted in a 58–0 blowout with multiple injuries, many began to wonder if Bishop Sycamore High was even a real school. It wasn’t—it was a part-time training facility at best. HBO Sports Documentaries’ BS High looks into the big-money and even bigger potential-fraud world of football prep programs, including interviews with staff and players and some truly painful game footage.
Want more TV recommendations?
Sign up for our newsletter to stay tuned for the latest recommendations plus deals, contests, and more.
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy & Terms and Conditions.
