The Odyssey took over pop culture for half of July. And while the epic film certainly isn’t fading from our lives (or theater screens) anytime soon, more movies and TV shows are slowly emerging from its shadow as we transition to August. That includes another big-screen blockbuster, Spider-Man: Brand New Day, the fourth installment of the superhero franchise starring Tom Holland. There’s also I Want Your Sex, a bawdy erotic comedy-thriller starring Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman, which is a bit more grounded in contemporary life while still leaning into wild fantasy. And on smaller screens, there’s the return of Ted Lasso, which is centering around a women’s soccer team in its fourth season.
For the week of July 30 to August 5, here are the five movies, TV shows, and events that will have everyone talking.
Spider-Man: Brand New Day
When to watch: July 31
Where to watch: In theaters
With 10 years and now four standalone movies spent in the red webbed suit, Tom Holland is officially our longest-running live-action Spider-Man, and he’s still going strong. The actor steps back into Peter Parker’s shoes in Spider-Man: Brand New Day. Picking up four years after Spider-Man: No Way Home, during which Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) cast a spell that made the world forget that Peter Parker exists, our masked hero is still fighting crime. But he grows restless with his solitude after running into his old friends MJ and Ned (Zendaya and Jacob Batalon) in their new lives, causing unexpected changes to his powers as a dangerous new villain rises.
Superhero movies have been struggling a bit with fan fatigue as of late, but the excitement for Spider-Man remains strong — maybe it’s the charm of Holland, the warm chemistry between him and his IRL partner Zendaya, or the simple fact that Spider-Man is one of our most beloved classic comic book characters ever. Brand New Day is already Certified Fresh, and promises to offer a lot to pull MCU fans back in, including appearances from the Punisher (Jon Bernthal) and the Hulk (Mark Ruffalo). Then there’s also the newest entry into the MCU, Sadie Sink, whose exact role has been a heavily guarded secret, though it’s been highly rumored to be a certain red-headed psychic X-Men. And even if more Marvel lore isn’t a big draw for you, the movie has fun action sequences and the kind of effective performances from the core cast that can only come after living in a character for a decade.
Check out what critics are saying, and buy tickets on Fandango.
I Want Your Sex
When to watch: July 31
Where to watch: In theaters
Sometimes you just want to watch a movie that’s for adults — not films that are explicit for the sake of it, but films that actually tackle real-world themes and issues that resonate to adult life, even if they’re exaggerated on screen. Enter I Want Your Sex, an erotic comedy-thriller from filmmaker Gregg Araki that fuses crime, satire, and BDSM. The movie follows Elliot (Cooper Hoffman), a young man who gets a new job with a provocative artist named Erika (Olivia Wilde, continuing her summer at the box office following The Invite). But when Erika propositions Elliot, turning him into her sexual muse, he gets thrown into an unexpected world of fantasy, power, money, and obsession that he’s not at all prepared for.
I Want Your Sex made a splash earlier this year when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival (it has an 89% on the Tomatometer) for its stacked cast (Mason Gooding, Chase Sui Wonders, Daveed Diggs, Margaret Cho, and Charli XCX also star), refreshing bawdiness, and the unflinching way it asks questions we don’t often let ourselves ask. If you need a break from big-budget summer blockbusters, this is it.
Buy tickets on Fandango.
Lioness Season 3
When to watch: August 2. New episodes drop weekly on Sundays.
Where to watch: Paramount+
Taylor Sheridan is a prolific creator of television, and there’s a familiar comfort that stretches across most of his shows, whether that’s Yellowstone and its many spinoffs or the Billy Bob Thornton-led Landman. That’s why the return of Lioness, about an all-female team of CIA operatives, is so welcome — it has all the things that people love about Sheridan shows (unpretentious entertainment and high-stakes drama) while still feeling distinct from his other titles. Yes, that’s in part because the spy thriller features a women-led (including Zoe Saldaña and Nicole Kidman), but also because the plot takes its characters around the world (no ranch life here!) while balancing global issues with character-driven melodrama.
Season 3 follows in the same vein as its predecessors, but goes even bigger. Joe (Saldaña), the leader of the titular Lioness program, is facing marital troubles as she embarks on a new mission — one that may end up overlapping with her life at home. It brings a question that has been bubbling beneath the series’ surface to the forefront: Even when a soldier or agent walks away from a mission safely, can they ever really leave it behind once they return home? It’s the kind of stuff that makes for highly entertaining Sunday night viewing.
Ted Lasso Season 4
When to watch: August 5. New episodes drop weekly on Wednesdays.
Where to watch: Apple TV
When Season 3 of fan-favorite and Emmy-loved comedy Ted Lasso ended its run in 2023, it seemed that the show, which follows a bumbling yet endearing American college football coach (Jason Sudeikis) put in charge of a professional UK soccer team, was over. Ted had moved back to the US to be closer to his son, the eclectic cast of characters was left to oversee or play on the team, and that seemed to be that. In Season 4, some years later, Ted has been convinced to return to the UK (this time with his family in tow) to coach A.F.C. Richmond’s brand-new women’s team. That means that Ted, once again, has to find a way to bring together a scrappy group of athletes, but this time he has to do it while fighting against widespread attitudes that the team shouldn’t even exist because of, you know, sexism.
Ted Lasso wavered in quality during Season 3, seeming to struggle with rambling, unfocused plot lines as episodes grew longer and longer in length. Season 4 is a chance for a much-needed reset for the show. It’s striking the right chord as women’s sports becomes more popular around the world, and, at its core, it still has everything that fans loved about it in the first place: a hilarious cast (Juno Temple, Hannah Waddingham, Brett Goldstein all return, plus Sex Education star Tanya Reynolds joins the ensemble), feel-good stories, and a warm heart that proves sport isn’t just about winning.
The Challenge: Cutthroat (Season 42)
When to watch: August 5. New episodes drop weekly on Wednesdays.
Where to watch: Paramount+
The Challenge may be moving from MTV to Paramount+, but it’s still the same reality competition series fans have known and loved for decades. For Season 42, the show is bringing back its “Cutthroat” theme, which was first introduced in 2010 and divided competitors into three teams that had to work together in physical challenges for a cash prize. This time around, the season — which was filmed in Thailand with 24 competitors, adds a huge twist: the team captain of the victorious group will ultimately get to decide how the prize is split.
Fan faves coming back include C.T. Tamburello and Johnny “Bananas” Devenanzio (they both appeared in the original Cutthroat season). Also returning is franchise veteran Nelson Thomas, who will be competing on the show for the first time since Season 38 after injuries from a DUI accident resulted in a foot amputation. Tune in for sweaty challenges, inevitable backstabbing, and maybe even a tale of redemption.
