HBO Max is preparing for a busy August led by the long-awaited debut of DC Studios’ Lanterns, a new season of Conan O’Brien Must Go and the first Hard Knocks appearance by the Seattle Seahawks.
The streaming service’s August 2026 schedule also includes several notable movies, including the HBO Max premieres of The Strangers: Chapter 2, Bob Odenkirk’s action thriller Normal and the Anne Hathaway-led A24 drama Mother Mary.
Documentary viewers will have new programming to explore as well. Filmmaker Eric Goode investigates the illegal exotic-animal trade in Monsters of God, while CNN Originals examines the Salisbury poisonings and former Nebraska senator Ben Sasse’s deeply personal story.
Here are the biggest movies and shows coming to HBO Max in August, followed by the complete announced schedule.
Lanterns Brings The Green Lantern Corps To HBO
The largest addition to HBO Max this month is Lanterns, the new DC Studios drama series premiering August 16.
The eight-episode series stars Aaron Pierre as newly recruited Green Lantern John Stewart and Kyle Chandler as experienced Lantern Hal Jordan. The two intergalactic officers become involved in a murder investigation in the American heartland, uncovering a mystery with potentially significant cosmic connections.
Although the Green Lantern mythology stretches across the universe, the series is expected to approach that world through a darker, Earth-based investigation. That combination could help Lanterns distinguish itself from the more traditional superhero adventures surrounding it.
The supporting cast includes Kelly Macdonald, Garret Dillahunt, Poorna Jagannathan, Laura Linney, Jason Ritter, Ulrich Thomsen, Nathan Fillion, J. Alphonse Nicholson and Jasmine Cephas Jones.
Chris Mundy, Damon Lindelof and Tom King co-wrote the pilot and created the series, with Mundy also serving as showrunner. James Hawes directed the first two episodes, while Stephen Williams, Geeta Vasant Patel and Alik Sakharov directed additional installments.
New episodes of Lanterns will debut weekly beginning August 16.
The Seattle Seahawks Make Their Hard Knocks Debut
The NFL preseason receives its annual behind-the-scenes treatment when Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Seahawks premieres August 4 at 9 p.m. ET.
The five-episode HBO Original marks the first time the Seahawks have appeared on the long-running, 21-time Sports Emmy-winning series.
Cameras will follow the team throughout training camp in Renton, Washington, offering viewers an inside look at roster decisions, practices, injuries and the competition for roles before the regular season begins.
The season will feature head coach Mike Macdonald, quarterback Sam Darnold, wide receiver and 2025 Associated Press NFL Offensive Player of the Year Jaxon Smith-Njigba, cornerback Devon Witherspoon and defensive tackle Byron Murphy II.
Episodes will premiere weekly.
Conan O’Brien Must Go Returns For Season 3
Conan O’Brien is returning to the road when the third season of Conan O’Brien Must Go premieres August 21.
The four-episode travel series follows O’Brien as he visits different locations, experiences local traditions and meets fans he previously encountered through his podcast.
The series succeeds by placing O’Brien in situations that allow his improvisational humor and willingness to embarrass himself to take over. The destinations may change, but the real attraction remains watching him interact with people who are rarely prepared for the direction a conversation is about to take.
Season 3 will roll out weekly. O’Brien and Jeff Ross serve as executive producers through Conaco.
Monsters Of God Investigates Exotic Animal Smuggling
Filmmaker Eric Goode returns to the world of exotic animals with the five-part HBO Original documentary series Monsters of God, premiering August 6.
The series examines the international criminal network surrounding exotic-animal smuggling. Collectors search for rare species, traffickers pursue enormous profits and law enforcement agencies attempt to dismantle an illegal industry worth billions of dollars.
Goode’s investigation brings him into contact with outlaw smugglers, obsessive collectors and the officers attempting to stop them. The series also examines the environmental and ethical consequences created by a market in which rarity can make an animal dangerously valuable.
Monsters of God is produced by Goode Films and A24 Production in association with Central Pictures. Episodes will debut weekly beginning August 6.
Whitmer Thomas Returns With A New Comedy Special
Comedian, actor and musician Whitmer Thomas returns to HBO with his second stand-up special, Whitmer Thomas: Terminal Crew of Dudes, on August 14.
The special explores Thomas’ upbringing in small-town Alabama and his continuing desire to be considered cool. He is joined by his friends and bandmates Jeremy Ritchie, Clay Tatum, Budd Diaz and his brother Johnny McCann.
Thomas combines stand-up, original music, photographs and home videos while recalling stories involving skateboarding, childhood pranks and a disastrous Benihana birthday celebration.
The result is intended to be both a comedy performance and a personal tribute to the friends, relatives and formative experiences that shaped him.
The Strangers: Chapter 2 Continues The Horror Franchise
The Strangers: Chapter 2 arrives on HBO Max August 7.
The second chapter in director Renny Harlin’s new Strangers trilogy continues the story of Maya, played by Madelaine Petsch, following her encounter with the franchise’s masked killers.
The cast also includes Gabriel Basso and Ema Horvath. Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland wrote the screenplay, based on the characters originally created by Bryan Bertino.
Horror viewers can revisit more of the franchise later in the month. The Strangers: Chapter 1 and The Strangers: Prey at Night will both be added August 30.
Bob Odenkirk Faces A Townwide Conspiracy In Normal
Bob Odenkirk returns to action territory in Normal, which arrives on HBO Max August 14.
Odenkirk plays Ulysses, a substitute sheriff who accepts a temporary position in a quiet Midwestern town while attempting to recover from professional and personal turmoil.
His apparently peaceful assignment takes a dangerous turn when a failed bank robbery exposes a secret hidden beneath the town’s ordinary appearance. Ulysses soon realizes that nearly everything about Normal may have been carefully constructed to conceal the truth.
Directed by Ben Wheatley, the neo-Western action film comes from a screenplay by John Wick and Nobody writer Derek Kolstad. Kolstad and Odenkirk developed the story together.
The cast also includes Henry Winkler, Lena Headey, Ryan Allen, Billy MacLellan, Brendan Fletcher, Reena Jolly and Peter Shinkoda.
Anne Hathaway And Michaela Coel Reunite In Mother Mary
A24’s Mother Mary makes its HBO Max debut August 21.
Anne Hathaway stars as Mother Mary, an internationally famous pop performer preparing for a major comeback. On the eve of the performance, she reunites with Sam Anselm, her estranged former best friend and costume designer, played by Michaela Coel.
The reunion forces both women to confront unresolved pain and long-buried issues from their shared past.
The cast also includes Hunter Schafer, Atheena Frizzell, Kaia Gerber, Jessica Brown Findlay, Alba Baptista, Isaura Barbé-Brown, Sian Clifford and FKA twigs.
Mother Mary was written and directed by David Lowery, whose previous films include A Ghost Story, The Green Knight and Pete’s Dragon.
More Movies Arriving In August
HBO Max will add a wide variety of library movies throughout the month.
The August 1 lineup includes several modern horror favorites, including Barbarian, It Comes at Night, Orphan and Tusk. Other notable additions include Sicario, Stand by Me, Practical Magic, Miss Sloane and the 2017 adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express.
Classic movie selections include The Band Wagon, Billy Budd, The Crimson Pirate, The Wrong Man, The Yearling and Martin Scorsese’s feature directorial debut, Who’s That Knocking at My Door?
Later additions include the 2023 slasher Thanksgiving on August 17 and The Cabin in the Woods on August 30.
Everything Coming To HBO Max In August 2026
The following schedule may not include every addition and remains subject to change.
August 1
- Amy
- Barbarian
- Bells Are Ringing
- Billy Budd
- Blockers
- Epic
- Flipper’s New Adventure
- Great White Highway
- Hall Pass
- Hall Pass: Enlarged Edition
- Happy Feet Two
- It Comes at Night
- Macao
- Miss Sloane
- Mojave
- Murder on the Orient Express (2017)
- Orphan
- Practical Magic
- Put a Ring on It: Cheat Hab
- Quo Vadis
- Road House (1989)
- Sicario
- Smart Money
- Stand by Me
- Strike Up the Band
- Taxi!
- The Band Wagon
- The Crimson Pirate
- The Fighting 69th
- The Kennel Murder Case
- The Rain People
- The Sea Chase
- The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm
- The Wrong Man
- The Yearling
- Thresher Shark: Stun to Kill
- Tusk
- Who’s That Knocking at My Door?
- You Can’t Get Away with Murder
August 3
- Naked and Afraid: Shipwrecked, Season 1
August 4
- Chopped: Volume 4, Season 64
- Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Seattle Seahawks
August 6
- Monsters of God
August 7
- Georgie & Mandy’s First Marriage, Season 1
- House Hunters International: Volume 9, Season 215
- House Hunters: Volume 11, Season 260
- The Invisible Guest
- The Strangers: Chapter 2
August 8
- Belle Collective, Season 8
August 9
- Heart & Hustle: Houston, Season 2
August 10
- Double Lives of Suburban Wives, Season 1
August 11
- The Salisbury Poisonings: A Spy Next Door
August 12
- Signs of a Psychopath, Season 11
August 13
- Building Giants, Season 5
- Faster with Newbern and Cotten, Season 3
- Isadora Moon, Season 1D
- Most Extreme Humans, Season 1
August 14
- Normal
- Whitmer Thomas: Terminal Crew of Dudes
August 16
- Lanterns, Season 1
August 17
- Thanksgiving (2023)
August 20
- ER: Caught on Camera, Season 1
- Expedition X, Season 12
August 21
- Conan O’Brien Must Go, Season 3
- Mother Mary
August 22
- Abbott Elementary, Season 5
August 24
- Margarita: Make Your Story Count, Season 3
August 25
- “Ben Sasse Is Coming Home: Lessons in Life and Death” with Jake Tapper, The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper
August 26
- 1000-lb Roomies, Season 2
- Bobby’s Triple Threat, Season 5
- Homestead Rescue: Intervention, Season 1
August 27
- Totally ’90s House, Season 1
August 28
- House Hunters: Volume 11, Season 261
- The Producer, Season 1
August 30
- Enter Nowhere
- Holla
- Knock Knock
- The Cabin in the Woods
- The Strangers: Chapter 1
- The Strangers: Prey at Night
August 31
- Big Burger Battle, Season 1
- The Robot Chicken Adult Swim Special
August Offers Something For Nearly Every HBO Max Viewer
Lanterns will understandably receive much of the attention surrounding HBO Max’s August schedule, especially as DC Studios continues building its connected film and television universe.
However, the month is not relying on a single major premiere. Sports viewers have a new season of Hard Knocks, comedy fans can look forward to Conan O’Brien and Whitmer Thomas, and horror audiences will receive several new and returning genre titles.
With Mother Mary, Normal, Monsters of God and a substantial library expansion arriving alongside the Green Lantern series, August should provide HBO Max subscribers with plenty to watch throughout the month.
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