August on HBO Max is headlined by the biggest DC series of the year, an Anne Hathaway psychological thriller, and a documentary that won the SXSW Audience Award. So whether you want prestige drama, horror, or something completely unexpected, here are 10 confirmed picks, all strictly on HBO Max this month.
1. Lanterns (DC/Drama Series)
The most anticipated DC series of 2026 is here. Seasoned Green Lantern veteran Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) and new recruit John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) investigate a murder in a small Nebraska town. The show deliberately strips away the cosmic spectacle and plays instead like a grounded detective thriller. Early reviews call it the best DC television series since Peacemaker.
Best for- DC fans, crime drama lovers, and anyone curious whether superhero TV can still surprise them.
2. Mother Mary (Psychological Thriller)
Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel star in this psychological thriller that has been generating serious buzz since its festival run. Hathaway plays a pop star whose obsessive relationship with a rising fashion designer (Coel) spirals into something deeply unsettling. Director David Lowery (A Ghost Story, The Green Knight) brings his signature slow-burn dread to the project.
Best for- fans of psychological drama and anyone who wants to see two of the best actresses working today share a screen.
3. Monsters of God (Documentary Series)
Filmmaker Eric Goode slithers into the underground yet billion-dollar world of exotic animal smuggling, populated by outlaw traffickers, unhinged collectors, and the law enforcement agents on their tails. It took home the Audience Award at SXSW 2026. Goode previously made Tiger King, so he knows exactly how to make this world compulsively watchable.
Best for- true crime fans, nature documentary lovers, and anyone who binged Tiger King and wanted more.
4. Normal (Action Comedy)
Bob Odenkirk stars in this action comedy about a mild-mannered man who discovers a dangerous secret and is forced to fight his way out. Additionally, it arrives hot off the success of Nobody, and Odenkirk proves once again that he is one of the most underrated action stars in Hollywood.
Best for- fans of Nobody and anyone who wants a funny, punchy action film that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
5. The Strangers: Chapter 2 (Horror)
The follow-up to last year’s reboot picks up right where it left off, and gets considerably darker. Director Renny Harlin cranks up the brutality while keeping the stripped-back home invasion tension that made the original a classic. It’s the kind of horror sequel that actually justifies its existence.
Best for- horror fans who want something relentlessly tense and unforgiving.
6. Conan O’Brien Must Go- Season 3 (Comedy/Travel Series)
Conan O’Brien’s travel comedy series returns for its third season. The show has become one of Max’s most consistently funny originals, Conan’s complete inability to blend in anywhere on Earth is still the greatest comedic premise on television. Each episode feels genuinely spontaneous rather than scripted.
Best for- anyone who needs something genuinely funny, this one is impossible to watch without laughing.
7. Barbarian (Horror)
A woman stays at a creepy rental property and discovers a strange secret in the basement. Barbarian perfectly executes its shocking twists, the suspense is unbearable during the first half-hour, but it manages to reinvent itself as it goes along. It’s one of the most genuinely surprising horror films of recent years.
Best for- horror fans who think they’ve seen everything, this one will still catch you off guard.
8. Murder on the Orient Express (Mystery/Drama)
Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot makes this a perfect murder mystery movie, and it kicks off Branagh’s acclaimed Agatha Christie trilogy. Furthermore, the all-star ensemble includes Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Judi Dench. Moreover, if you haven’t seen Death on the Nile or A Haunting in Venice, all three are now on Max, a perfect trilogy binge.
Best for- mystery fans and anyone who loves a lavishly produced whodunit.
9. The Invisible Guest (Thriller)
A Spanish thriller that became a massive word-of-mouth hit across Europe and is now finally on Max. A successful businessman wakes up next to a murdered woman with no memory of what happened. The film unravels its mystery through a series of increasingly shocking revelations. It holds a rare 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Best for- thriller fans who want something airtight and completely unpredictable, one of the best European crime films of the last decade.
10. The Salisbury Poisonings: A Spy Next Door (Documentary)
A CNN Films documentary revisiting the 2018 Novichok nerve agent attack in Salisbury, England, one of the most brazen acts of state-sponsored violence on British soil since World War II. The film includes new interviews and declassified intelligence that reframes what the public previously understood about the case.
Best for- documentary fans, true crime lovers, and anyone fascinated by real-world espionage.
