Binge-Worthy: New Releases on Streaming This Week (19-25 Aug)

From raucous teen comedies to gripping historical dramas, this week's streaming releases offer something for everyone.

Netflix welcomes back the high-school antics with Incoming, a raunchy comedy about a group of freshmen navigating their first big party. Based partly on the real-life experiences of writers-directors Dave and John Chernin, the film boasts a youthful cast including Mason Thames, Ramon Reed, Raphael Alejandro, and Isabella Ferreir, with support from seasoned actors Kaitlin Olson and Bobby Cannavale.

Apple TV Plus sees the return of Pachinko for its second season, adapting Min Jin Lee's acclaimed novel. Picking up where season one left off, the series continues its sprawling saga of a Korean family in Japan across the 20th century. The eight-episode season will unfold weekly, with one episode premiering on Friday, 23 August, followed by a new episode every Friday until 11 October. This season explores two intertwined narratives, one set in 1945 as the protagonist Sunja strives to keep her family safe during World War II, and another in Tokyo in 1989.

Max plays host to Horizon: An American Saga – Chapter One, Kevin Costner's ambitious epic set in the American Civil War era. The film, which arrives on the streamer on Friday, 23 August, is the first instalment of a planned four-part series. Despite the postponement of Chapter Two's theatrical release, fans can now dive into Chapter One's sweeping narrative, featuring a star-studded cast including Costner, Sienna Miller, Giovanni Ribisi and Sam Worthington.

Hulu presents the return of its legal drama Reasonable Doubt, executive-produced by Kerry Washington. The second season, starring Emayatzy Corinealdi, McKinley Freeman, and Tim Jo, welcomes Morris Chestnut as a new defence lawyer. Two back-to-back episodes will be available on Tuesday, 22 August.

Peacock is offering a full-series drop of the classic crime series Homicide: Life on the Street, available from Monday, 19 August. Remastered in HD and 4K, this gritty drama, based on a book by David Simon, follows the lives of detectives in Baltimore. The series features an impressive cast including Richard Belzer, Andre Braugher, and Yaphet Kotto. Also premiering on Peacock on Monday, 19 August, is the Love Island USA reunion, offering a glimpse into the lives of the islanders after the cameras stopped rolling. For action fans, The Killer, a reimagining of John Woo's 1989 Hong Kong thriller, arrives on the platform on Wednesday, 23 August. Starring Nathalie Emmanuel as an assassin in the Paris underworld, the film promises high-octane thrills and gripping suspense.

Prime Video introduces a new coming-of-age drama with Classified, launching on Tuesday, 22 August. The series follows Imani Pullum as a Californian teenager forced to relocate to Johannesburg, South Africa, to live with her father (Sule Rimi) and stepmother (Christine Horn). Navigating the complexities of a new school and environment far from her comfort zone, the young protagonist finds herself grappling with identity and belonging. Classified will be available on both Prime Video and Freevee.

With such a diverse range of content hitting streaming services this week, there's something for every taste and mood. So grab your popcorn, settle in, and enjoy the best of what streaming has to offer!