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Rings of power and fancy restaurants. Five must-see TV series in August

Browsing through the global streaming, satellite and digital terrestrial offer, here is a selection of titles not to be missed

5 August 2024

2' min read

August begins with an admission of guilt: 'Those About to Die' proved imponderable. The series about the Roman Empire a la 'Gladiator', to put it mildly, however well acted, is a mess of things that don't stand up. It is not historical rigour so much as narrative dissonance. The impression is that these series are more and more written by an algorithm that puts together things you like, just like that, like when you season pasta with cheese. True, I watched it all, but in my defence it was more of a kidnapping experience than a serial passion.

That said, August opens hot. The series that - this one - is ready to die like gladiators before the fight is Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power. We have to believe it because there has been a progression, but this is the season that must convince us beyond any reasonable doubt. Great expectations then for the cult series "The Bear", which won and convinced at the Emmys. Then "The Umbrella Academy", the finale that deserves to be memorable.

Enjoy your viewing.

The Bear - Season 3 - 14 August

Will our heroes succeed in turning The Bear into a successful restaurant? Let's hope not. The series airing on Disney+ is about suffering, stress and humanity. There is America and the rhetoric of work, but also perfectionism and food culture. All crooked. All very good.

Batman: Caped Crusader - Season 1 - 1 August

The style is that of the animated series that came out in the 1990s. But the narrative is more adult. Caped Crusader has names like J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves behind it. It is a reinterpretation - yet another - of a classic. (Amazon Prime)

Only Murders in The Building - Season 4 - 27 August

If you don't know it and you like detective series a bit over the top, here you are. Every season a new case. This time we are in Los Angeles. Many level-headed appearances such as Steve Martin, Selena Gomez and Meryl Streep. But just to name the first names that came to mind. (Disney+)

The Umbrella Academy - Season 4 - 8 August

Some scenes like the ballet scene in the third season will remain in the history of TV series. Or maybe only in the history of social media talking about TV series. Anyway, where were we? The Hargreeves brothers have separated and find themselves in a world where they are powerless. The story is pretty messed up. It sounds a bit causal but it isn't . Or rather we find out in this season finale. The characters are all perfect, quirky and timeless. The most dysfunctional superhero family ever is back. (Netflix).

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power - Season 2 - 29 August

The first season, in short, experienced ups and downs. The series cost a lot of money. But we know who Sauron is. We also know, however, that the dark lord has his back against the wall. We know this because we know by heart what will happen in Lord of the Rings. We hope for some revelation that will make the re-reading of J. R. R. Tolkien's work more interesting. And let's also hope that some of the characters live up to, I won't say the novels, but at least to the films. (Amazon Prime video)

Luca TremoladaGiornalista
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Luogo: Milano via Monte Rosa 91
Lingue parlate: Inglese, Francese
Argomenti: Tecnologia, scienza, finanza, startup, dati
Premi: Premio Gabriele Lanfredini sull’informazione; Premio giornalistico State Street, categoria "Innovation"; DStars 2019, categoria journalism
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