3 Top New Releases to Stream This Week on Netflix, Apple TV, and More (August 19-25)
August is flying by, but you can still look forward to several new shows premiering this week on Netflix, Apple TV Plus and other streaming services, as well as broadcast and cable TV.
The new TV program is led by the second season of “Pachinko,” which continues the comprehensive saga of a Korean-Japanese family across decades and generations. Also back with a new season is “That ’90s Show,” which brings the summer of 1996 to a close. In addition, the new teen drama “Classified” transports a Californian girl to a new scene: Johannesburg.
Here’s our guide to the best new TV shows to watch this week.
“Classified” (Prime Video)
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This coming-of-age drama follows 15-year-old Ella (Imani Pullum), a high school student from Oakland, California, who is arrested at a protest. She avoids prison time thanks to the scheming of her well-connected stepmother Dianne (Christine Horn). As part of the deal, Ella must leave Oakland and finish high school with her father (Sule Rimi) and Dianne in Johannesburg, South Africa. Her life is turned upside down and she must navigate the cultural differences and difficult social environment of her fancy new private school.
Premieres Thursday, August 22 at 12pm ET on Prime Video
“That ’90s Show”, Season 3 (Netflix)
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Less than two months after the release of Season 2, That ’90s Show returns for a third season. Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) is still spending the summer of 1996 in Point Place, living in her grandparents’ basement. Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) return from Paris to find a giant hole in the wall, but that’s far from the biggest crisis Leia faces. As the summer comes to an end, Leia and her friends see new relationships formed, old ones taken to the next level, and friendships tested. Plus, an explosion from the past threatens to destroy everything.
Premieres Thursday, August 22 at 3 a.m. ET on Netflix
“Pachinko” Season 2 (Apple TV Plus)
This gorgeous, stirring adaptation of Min Jin Lee’s novel has received critical acclaim, if not the attention it deserves. The second season tells the story of love and survival across four generations in three languages: Korean, Japanese, and English. In 1945 Tokyo, while her husband is in prison, Sunja (Kim Min-ha) struggles to support her family. During World War II, she decides to seek refuge in the countryside and find work. Hansu (Lee Min-ho) discreetly helps his former lover so that his illegitimate son Noa can flourish. In 1989, the elderly Sunja (Youn Yuh-jung) tries to build a relationship with her grandson Solomon (Jin Ha), who is still reeling from his business failure and the death of his friend.
Premieres Friday, August 23 at 12pm ET on Apple TV Plus
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