New on Paramount+ in August 2026: All the new shows and movies to watch

(Image credit: Paramount Plus; Shutterstock) Here we are, sliding into the back half of summer. Now that August is almost upon us, you know the drill: a fresh stack of shows queued up on one of your favorite streaming platforms. Before you flip the calendar to fall, check out what's new on Paramount+ this month.Leading the charge on Aug. 2 is "Lioness" season 3, where Zoe Saldaña’s CIA officer, Joe McNamara, faces a high-stakes threat that hits uncomfortably close to home. Next up is "The Challenge: Cutthroat" on Aug. 5, marking the franchise’s bold move off MTV for the first time in nearly 30 years. Rounding out the highlights on Aug. 19, "Average Joe" season 2 sends Deon Cole’s plumber-turned-reluctant-fugitive and his crew from Pittsburgh all the way to Cape Town.There is plenty of great television to look forward to, even if it feels like the year is barreling by at breakneck speed. Check out the full breakdown below for everything new on Paramount+ in August 2026.New releases on Paramoun+ in August 2026: Top picks'Lioness' season 3 Lioness | Season 3 Official Trailer | Paramount+ - YouTube Watch On Joe McNamara (Zoe Saldaña) runs the CIA's Lioness program, which plants female operatives undercover to get close to targets in the war on terror. Season 2 ended with Joe's team pinned down in a firefight after a mission built around a kidnapped member of Congress. Season 3 puts Joe up against foreign operatives and betrayals that hit closer to home. And this time, both her husband and daughter become collateral damage.Premieres August 2 on Paramount+'The Challenge: Cutthroat' season 42 The Challenge: Cutthroat | Season 42 Official Trailer | Paramount+ - YouTube Watch On After nearly 30 years on MTV, "The Challenge" is leaving the network for the first time and moving to Paramount+. It's marking the occasion by reviving one of its meanest formats. Cutthroat drops 24 veterans and rookies into Thailand and splits them into three teams, where the whole team has to cross the finish line together to claim a piece of the $500,000. But here's the catch: each team's captain decides how the money gets divided, and nothing stops a captain from keeping the whole pile.Premieres August 5 on Paramount+Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.'Average Joe' season 2 Average Joe | Season 2 Official Teaser | Paramount+ - YouTube Watch On Season 1 of "Average Joe" turned a Pittsburgh plumber's life inside out. Joe Washington (Deon Cole) buried his father after learning the old man had stolen $10 million and a Lamborghini from the Russian mob. He then proceeded to spend ten bloody episodes trying to survive people who wanted it back. Season 2 doesn't let him off the hook. A new threat tied to the same mob puts his family in danger again, and the hunt for answers takes Joe and his crew out of Pittsburgh and all the way to Cape Town, where things aren't quite getting any better for anyone involved, but it's more of the same satisfying action if that's what you're looking for.Premieres August 19 on Paramount+Everything coming to Paramount+ in August 2026ORIGINALS, EXCLUSIVES, PREMIERES & EVENTS8/1: UFC Fight Night: Medić vs. Rodriguez8/2: Lioness: Season 3 - Paramount+ Original Series8/4: Special Ops TRUE - NEW Paramount+ Original Docuseries8/5: The Challenge: Cutthroat: Season 42 - Paramount+ Original Series8/8: UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs. Salkilld8/8: Zuffa Boxing 108/11: Dana White's Contender Series: Season 10 - Paramount+ Original Series8/15: UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado Garry8/19: Average Joe: Season 2 - Paramount+ Original Series8/29: UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. SongNew showsAugust 2Lioness | Season 3 | Paramount+ Original SeriesAugust 4 Special Ops TRUE | Season 1 | Paramount+ Original DocuseriesDana White Contender Series (Seasons 1-4)August 5 The Challenge: Cutthroat | Season 42 | Paramount+ Original SeriesAugust 11Dana White’s Contender Series | Season 10 | Paramount+ Original SeriesAugust 15 Bleed For This*August 19Average Joe | Season 2 | Paramount+ Original SeriesAugust 22The Run For A Million** (CBS Special)The Harvest*August 23 The Cured*August 30Blue Valentine*New moviesAugust 110 Cloverfield LaneA.I. Artificial IntelligenceAs They Made Us*BabelBasic InstinctBest in ShowBlade Runner 2049Body CamBrave the Dark*CloverfieldClueConeheadsCongoCop LandCrawlCrawlspaceDead Man WalkingDisturbiaDon JonDuplexEquilibriumEscape From AlcatrazFor Greater Glory: The True Story of CristiadaFrankie & JohnnyFrom Dusk Till DawnFrom Dusk Till Dawn 2: Texas Blood MoneyFrom Dusk Till Dawn 3: The Hangman's DaughterGet HardGravityHe's Just Not That Into YouHustle & FlowIndecent ProposalJack Reacher: Never Go BackJay And Silent Bob Strike BackJustin Bieber: Never Say NeverKaty Perry The Movie: Part of MeLabor DayMachine Gun PreacherMillion Dollar BabyMy Boss's DaughterOn the LineOrgan TrailOverlordRisky BusinessSabrinaSchool TiesShaftShe's the ManSliverSome Kind of WonderfulThe BodyguardThe DoorsThe HangoverThe Hangover Part IIThe Hangover Part IIIThe Heartbreak KidThe HuntedThe Lego MovieThe Lovely BonesThe Perfect ScoreThe SaintThe SandlotThe ScoreThe Spiderwick ChroniclesThe Time Traveler's WifeThe Vault*The YardsVampire in BrooklynVarsity BluesWhat Women WantWhere The Wild Things AreWild Wild WestYou're Dating a Narcissist!*You've Got MailSportsAugust 1 - WNBA: Las Vegas Aces @ Chicago Sky*August 1 - UFC Fight Night: Medić vs. RodriguezAugust 1-2 - PGA Tour: Rocket Classic (Third and Fourth Round Coverage)*August 3 - BIG3 Basketball*August 7 - PBR Team SeriesAugust 8 - EFL Carabao Cup: Middlesbrough vs. WrexhamAugust 8 - WNBA: Las Vegas Aces @ Minnesota Lynx*August 8 - UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs. SalkilldAugust 8 - Zuffa Boxing 10August 8-9 - PGA Tour: Wyndham Championship (Third and Fourth Round Coverage)*August 9 - BIG3 Basketball*August 12 - UEFA Super Cup: PSG vs. Aston VillaAugust 14 - PBR Team SeriesAugust 14 - EFL Championship: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs. Blackburn RoversAugust 15 - BIG3 Basketball*August 15 - UFC 330: Makhachev vs. Machado GarryAugust 15-16 - PGA Tour: FedEx St. Jude Championship (Third and Fourth Round Coverage)*August 16 - EFL Championship: Burnley vs. West Ham UnitedAugust 17 - EFL Championship: Cardiff City vs. WrexhamAugust 21 - PBR Team SeriesAugust 22 - BIG3 Basketball*August 22 - Serie A: Inter vs. MonzaAugust 22-23 - PGA Tour: BMW Championship (Third and Fourth Round Coverage)*August 23 - Serie A: Torino vs. MilanAugust 28 - NFL ON CBS Preseason: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Philadelphia EaglesAugust 28 - Serie A: Milan vs. VeneziaAugust 29 - WNBA : Chicago Sky @ New York Liberty*August 29 - UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. SongAugust 29-30 - PGA Tour: TOUR Championship (Third and Fourth Round Coverage)*August 30 - Major League Pickleball Finals*August 30 - Serie A: Napoli vs. ComoThroughout August - English Football League competitionThroughout August - Serie A competitionThroughout August - Coppa Italia FrecciarossaThroughout August - Scottish Professional Football League competitio5 best Paramount Plus miniseries to binge over a weekend7 best Paramount Plus shows you're not watching Brittany Vincent has been covering video games and tech for over 13 years for publications including Tom's Guide, MTV, Rolling Stone, CNN, Popular Science, Playboy, IGN, GamesRadar, Polygon, Kotaku, Maxim, and more. She's also appeared as a panelist at video game conventions like PAX East and PAX West and has coordinated social media for companies like CNET. When she's not writing or gaming, she's looking for the next great visual novel in the vein of Saya no Uta. You can follow her on Twitter @MolotovCupcake.