What to watch in August, from Painkiller to The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

Over the past few weeks, watching content away from the comfort of our living rooms has come back into fashion.

We've had mega opening weekends for Barbie and Oppenheimer, plus the release of local gems like Talk to Me. Soon, we'll get more Hollywood with Wes Anderson's latest, Asteroid City.

But there's nothing like settling into your own squishy couch, streaming the show of your choosing, without the rustling and crunching of a packed cinema surrounding you.

In August, faves like Heartstopper (Netflix, August 3) and Only Murders in the Building (Disney+, August 8) are back with new seasons.

But, if you're after some shiny new hits, look no further than these series.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart (Prime Video, August 4)

This captivating Australian drama is based on the bestselling Holly Ringland novel of the same name.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows Alice, a nine-year-old who moves to her grandmother's flower farm after her parents die in a mysterious fire.

Said grandmother is played by the Sigourney Weaver, with Leah Purcell and Asher Keddie also starring.

The series spans decades, as Alice unravels the secrets of her family's past.

The show has some pretty dark themes, and is all round quite a heavy watch. But it's also full of suspense, with each episode leaving you wondering what will be uncovered next.

For fans of: Aussie dramas like The Dry, Savage River, A Place to Call Home, The Cry.

Strange Planet (Apple TV+, August 9)

If you're a fan of wholesome, relatable, silly-billy content, you might already be one of the 6.6 million followers of Strange Planet on Instagram.

The viral cartoon series from Nathan W. Pyle uses mildly bemused aliens to poke fun at the oddities of everyday human existence. It's already a graphic novel, but now everyone's favourite blue cuties have their own TV show.

It's been co-created by Dan Harmon of Rick and Morty and Community fame and, while it's animated, it is aimed at adult beings.

With voice actors including Community's Danny Pudi, Hacks' Hannah Einbinder and Orange Is the New Black's Lori Tan Chinn, the series is just as goofy and on the nose as you'd expect.

For fans of: Rick and Morty, Community, American Dad, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On.

Painkiller (Netflix, August 10)

You may already be familiar with the origins of the opioid crisis in the US if you caught last year's award-winning series Dopesick, on Disney+.

While this new series from Netflix explores similar themes to last year's iteration, it focuses on corporate crime and the Sackler family, who pioneered the painkiller drug OxyContin that destroyed countless lives.

Matthew Broderick plays Richard Sackler, who was behind the dangerous and highly addictive drug's success, while Orange Is the New Black's Uzo Aduba is a formidable investigator with the US attorney's office.

Along the same vein as hits like The Dropout, Painkiller is a cautionary tale about addiction, exploitation and, most of all, greed.

For fans of: Dopesick, The Dropout, Chernobyl, Inventing Anna, Narcos.

Larapinta (SBS On Demand, August 19)

With stunning landscapes, beautiful storytelling and a chance to learn more about the world's oldest continuing living culture, NITV's Larapinta has it all.

The series is hosted by the delightful Talia Liddle, who has ancestral connections to Larapinta (also known as the Finke River) and surrounding Country.

Larapinta is thought to be 350 million years old, making it one of the oldest rivers in the world. The same waters that run through Central Australia today were once lapped at by dinosaurs, and have long been a key source of culture and storytelling for generations of First Nations peoples.

The series features members of Talia's own family generously sharing their culture and wisdom of the area, and also features a range of local experts including everyone from scientists to historians.

For fans of: Our Planet, Going Places with Ernie Dingo, Australia's Wild Odyssey, Catalyst.

Mother and Son (ABC iview, August 23)

If you weren't around in the '80s, you might have missed the iconic sitcom Mother and Son that graced Australian screens for a decade.

But don't worry too much about FOMO, because this family comedy is back, with a 2023 twist.

Comedians Denise Scott and Matt Okine are at the helm of the modern reboot, seeing Okine collaborate with the show's original writer Geoffrey Atherden.

Centred around ageing, caring for a loved one and shifting family dynamics, this delightful show is sure to be full of warmth, heart and plenty of jokes.

For fans of: The Other Guy, Upper Middle Bogan, Please Like Me, Frayed.