What to Watch in August: 17 Notable TV Shows & Streaming Movies

Fantasy series debuts August 21 on HBO and HBO Max

When its massive hit Game of Thrones ended—leaving many fans disappointed in one way or another (oh, that finale)—HBO almost immediately began developing over a dozen potential spinoffs. Two have progressed to the pilot stage so far, and one of those will go no further than that despite HBO spending over $30 million to film the pilot. But the other, House of the Dragon, was ordered to series, and it begins airing this month just a few weeks before Amazon's rival big-budget fantasy series, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.

Dragon is a prequel set in Westeros two centuries before the events of Thrones that will trace the downfall of the House Targaryen (eventually including the Targaryen civil war, which earns the name "the Dance of the Dragons"). Co-created by author George R.R. Martin (and adapted from his 2018 novel Fire & Blood) and Ryan Condal (Colony)—no, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss are not involved—and produced and directed (in part) by veteran GoT helmer Miguel Sapochnik, the 10-episode first season stars Paddy Considine, Emma D'Arcy, Matt Smith, Olivia Cooke, Rhys Ifans, Eve Best, and Fabien Frankel. Expect a lot of dragons—and a series that hews closely to the original show's formula, even down to a battle for the Iron Throne (albeit among a smaller group of challengers) and a Ramin Djawadi theme song. But that's not to say the new series will be an exact clone. One way it will shake things up is a major time jump (of a decade or more) within the first season that will see new actors take over some of the show's key roles.

Does the new series have you interested in rewatching Game of Thrones? (Or at least the first 6 seasons?) Hold off for just a bit: Enhanced versions of every episode of the original series are headed to HBO Max in 4K Ultra HD sometime in the coming month. (House of the Dragon will also be available in 4K at launch.)