What to Watch This Week: Decompress With Top 9 TV & Movie Picks (August 26–September 1)

New on TV this week

Need a TV deep-dive for the upcoming Labor Day weekend? Check out The 41 Best TV Shows of All Time to Binge-Watch, a new CableTV.com joint featuring classic favorites and a few series you may have forgotten about. It’s a lot; better get started now.

This week’s What To Watch picks include new seasons of Only Murders in the Building and The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, new series Kaos and Terminator Zero, movie streaming premieres The Fall Guy and Sasquatch Sunset, and a double shot of pro wrestling main events with WWE Bash in Berlin and NXT No Mercy. Let’s start watching!

New on Hulu this week

Only Murders in the Building | Hulu | Comedy, mystery

Season 4 premiere, Tuesday, August 27: To investigate last season’s cliffhanger murder in the building, detective podcasters (detcasters?) Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) travel to Los Angeles. Coincidentally, a movie adaptation of their podcast is being filmed in Hollywood, starring Eugene Levy as Charles, Zach Galifianakis as Oliver, and Eva Longoria as Mabel—meta madness! Season 4 of Only Murders in the Building drops weekly through October. Watch trailer

New on Paramount+ this week

Sasquatch Sunset | Paramount+ | Drama, fantasy

Movie streaming premiere, Tuesday, August 27: You may remember hearing about a movie so disgusting and bizarre that it caused people to walk out of its premiere at this year’s Sundance Film Festival—Sunset Sasquatch is that movie. The dialogue-free film follows a family of Sasquatches (including Jesse Eisenberg and Riley Keough, unrecognizable in full Bigfoot costume and makeup) over a year in the Northern California wilderness. If you’re in the mood for weird, Sasquatch Sunset delivers. Watch trailer

New on Prime Video this week

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power | Prime Video | Drama, fantasy

Season 2 premiere, Thursday, August 29: It may be the most expensive TV series ever produced, but at least The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power works on a tight-sh schedule: Season 2 arrives exactly two years after its debut, a feat most fantasy epics can only dream of. This quickly-delivered season will finally see the creation of the Rings, as well as the reveal of Sauron in a new form and the introduction of Círdan (Ben Daniels), a Tolkien series fan favorite. Three of eight new episodes stream on August 29. Watch trailer

New on Netflix this week

Kaos | Netflix | Comedy, fantasy

Series premiere, Thursday, August 29: The End of the F***g World creator Charlie Covell returns to Netflix with Kaos, a twisted take on Greek mythology. Increasingly paranoid god Zeus (Jeff Goldblum) fears that the days of his reign are numbered, while his wife/sister Hera (Janet McTeer) strikes out on her own and a jailed Prometheus (Stephen Dillane) plots his revenge. Kaos also stars David Thewlis, Debi Mazar, Eddie Izzard, and Billie Piper in juicy comic roles. All eight episodes stream on August 29. Watch trailer

Want more new TV shows?

New on Netflix this week

Terminator Zero | Netflix | Animation, sci-fi

Series Premiere, Thursday, August 29: Suicide Squad, Rick & Morty, and now The Terminator? The anime makeovers are coming fast and furious (hey, there’s an idea). Terminator Zero takes place in the same universe as the Terminator movies, circa 1997 and 2022, but with different characters and a new Terminator (voiced by Timothy Olyphant) from the future. The series was created by The Batman writer Matt Tomlin and also features the voices of Rosario Dawson, Andre Holland, and Sonoya Mizuno. Watch trailer

New on Peacock this weekend

The Fall Guy | Peacock | Action, comedy

Movie streaming premiere, Friday, August 30: When it was released theatrically in March, The Fall Guy should have become the biggest movie in the world, but all the marketing and hype fell short. The time for streaming redemption is finally here for a hysterically charming action-comedy flick—let’s make this right, ‘Merica. Stuntman Tom Ryder (Ryan Gosling) becomes embroiled in a murder conspiracy while filming his estranged girlfriend Jody’s (Emily Blunt) directorial debut in Australia. Let’s blow up Peacock! Watch trailer

Looking for a show to binge-watch?

Live on Peacock this weekend

WWE Bash in Berlin | Peacock | Sports, wrestling

Coverage begins Saturday, August 31, 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT: Live from Uber Arena in Germany, it’s the 2024 WWE Bash in Berlin. On the card: Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Kevin Owens, World Heavyweight Champion Gunther vs. Randy Orton, Damian Priest & Rhea Ripley vs. “Dirty” Dominik Mysterio & Liv Morgan (Mixed Tag Team Match), and CM Punk vs. Drew McIntyre (Strap Match). If that’s not enough WWE universe squared-circle action for you, just wait … Watch trailer

Live on Peacock this weekend

NXT No Mercy | Peacock | Sports, wrestling

Coverage begins Sunday, September 1, 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT: Live from Ball Arena in Denver, it’s the 2024 NXT No Mercy (it could have been Donnybrook in Denver, just sayin’). On the up-and-comers card: NXT Champion Ethan Page vs. Joe Hendry, NXT Women’s Champion Roxanne Perez vs. Jaida Parker, NXT North American Champion Oba Femi vs. Tony D’Angelo, and NXT Tag Team Champions Chase U vs. Nathan Frazer & Axiom. Don’t sleep on WWE’s NXT “developmental brand,” there’s hot talent here. Watch trailer

New movie releases available to rent/buy on VOD this week

Longlegs (2024)

It’s been hailed by critics as one of the most terrifying horror movies of 2024 and features a particularly unhinged performance from Nicolas Cage as the titular occultist serial killer—Longlegs may be even more disconcerting at home than it was in theaters. In the 1990s, FBI agent Lee Harker (Maika Monroe) is assigned to investigate a series of murder-suicides in Oregon, all connected to someone—or something—going by the name “Longlegs.” It’s classic Satanic panic from writer/director Osgood Perkins. Watch trailer

• Bed of Nails (August 27)
• Concussed: The American Dream (August 27)
• The Deciders (August 27)
• Don’t Turn Your Back on Friday Night (August 27)
• The Exorcism of Saint Patrick (August 27)
• Kinds of Kindness (August 27)
• The Lockdown (August 27)
• Longlegs (August 27)
• Freedom Hair (August 30)
• Out Come the Wolves (August 30)
• Tokyo Cowboy (August 30)