new netflix shows and movies august 2021
Cover Here are the Netflix shows and movies to watch this August 2021 (Art: Chesca Gamboa/Tatler Hong Kong)

Looking for new shows and movies to watch on Netflix this August 2021? Read our favourite picks and add them to your watchlist

With Hong Kong's unpredictable weather—one day sunny, the next day rainy—it's best to stay indoors sometimes. But I'm sure we've grown weary of staying indoors since we've been doing that for almost two years now in lockdown or in quarantine. Netflix has always come to our rescue to keep us entertained.

This August, Netflix is boasting a stellar lineup of movies and series to watch. There's an exciting amount of mystery and action titles with Beckett and Clickbait but lighter stories such as Vivo and K-drama Hometown Cha-cha-cha are not to be missed as well. Keep reading to find out what this month has in store for you.

Didn't get to read our latest round-up? You can still catch up on the shows and movies released from June to July 2021.

See also: 9 Emmy-Nominated Shows To Watch On Netflix

1. Top Secret UFO Projects: Declassified

It's one of the most intriguing mysteries that we never seem to get tired of—aliens. Claims of extraterrestrial encounters have long been dismissed but this Netflix series explores those who still believe their existence, not as a maybe but a certainty.

Release date: August 3

See also: 4 Billionaires Who May Follow Richard Branson Into Space

2. Vivo

This new animated musical adventure follows Vivo, a musically gifted kinkajou (a rainforest "honey bear") as he embarks on the adventure of a lifetime to deliver a song to his cherished owner's long-lost love. If you're a fan of Lin-Manuel Miranda—the Tonys, Grammys and Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of Hamilton and In the Heights—then this one is for you. It features all-new songs from Lin-Manuel Miranda who also voices the one-of-a-king kinkajou.

Release date: August 6

See also: The Best Family-Friendly Movies To Watch On Netflix

3. In Search of the Frog Boys: Season One

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new netflix shows and movies august 2021
Above Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

If you love mysteries and crime documentaries then be sure to put In Search of the Frog Boys on your watchlist. This documentary looks into unanswered questions surrounding the mysterious disappearance of five boys in South Korea. Their remains were found 11 years later but no one knows how they died.

Release date: August 6

See also: The Best True Crime Documentaries To Watch On Netflix

4. Brand New Cherry Flavour

This horror and mystery series follows an aspiring director in 1990s Los Angeles to make her movie but soon finds herself tumbling down a mind-altering journey of supernatural revenge. Based on the eponymous novel by Todd Grimson, the limited series stars Alita: Battle Angel's Rosa Salazar, Being John Malkovich's Catherine Keener, The Good Place's Manny Jacinto and more.

Release date: August 13

See also: 10 Horro Films To Watch On Netflix

5. Beckett

After a tragic car accident in Greece, American tourist Beckett (John David Washington) finds himself the target of a manhunt. He's forced to run for his life and desperately need to get across the country to seek help at the American Embassy. But tensions escalate as authorities close in, the political unrest mounts and Beckett finds himself weaved into a conspiracy.

Release date: August 13

6. Sweet Girl

See Aquaman—I mean Jason Momoa—in this family action movie. Momoa plays devoted family man Ray Cooper, who vows justice against the pharmaceutical company that pulled a potentially life-saving drug from the market which causes his wife to die from cancer. As he searches for the truth, a deadly counter puts Ray and his daughter Rachel (Isabel Merced) in harm's way. The quest for revenge becomes a mission to protect the only remaining family he has.

Release date: August 20

7. The Chair

Comedy series The Chair tells the story of Dr Kim Ji-yoon (Sandra Oh) who's the new head of the English department at the prestigious Pembroke University. But she's soon faced with a new set of challenges as the first woman to lead the department and as one of the few staff members of colour at the university.

Game of Thrones' David Benioff and D.B. Weiss serve as executive producers so many might be hesitant to check this out but Sandra Oh herself sits as a producer so that's some plus points if you're over the fence whether to check this short series out. It only has six episodes, 30 minutes each—making it an easy watch.

Release date: August 20

See also: The Emmy Awards: 8 Asians That Made History

8. Clickbait

Another exciting watch this summer is Clickbait which follows another devoted father, Nick Brewer (Adrian Grenier) who mysteriously and suddenly disappears one day. Shortly after, a video appears on the internet of a badly beaten Nick holding a card that says, "I abuse women. At 5 million views, I die". Is it a threat? Or is it a confession? More importantly, will people watch the video?

Release date: August 25

9. Hometown Cha-cha-cha

Hometown Cha-cha-cha is the new addition to Netflix's monthly K-drama roaster. Set in the seaside town of Gongjin, the romantic drama will depict a back-and-forth, up-and-down yet heartwarming love story between two people from two completely different walks of life—sophisticated city girl Hye-jin (Shin Min-a) and seaside villager Su-sik (Kim Seon-ho).

Helmed by Oh My Ghost and Tomorrow With You (which also starred Shin) director Yu Je-won, Hometown Cha-cha-cha will be tugging at our heartstrings this August.

Release date: August 28

See also: 30 Best New Korean Dramas To Binge-Watch In 2021

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