Hope you’ve got some time to burn through some TV because Netflix is saying goodbye to a handful of binge-worthy shows next month. There’s an early-2000s sitcom gem, an HBO sports dramedy and a wide swathe of AMC standouts, from some horror hits to the wild and unpredictable pre-“The Boys” comic book adaptation from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg.
Here’s everything to know about the shows you should watch that are leaving Netflix in August, how long you have to watch them and how many seasons (or in some cases, episodes) you’ll need to burn through before they’re gone. And if you’re more in the mood for a movie, we also ran down the films you should watch before they expire.
“Ugly Betty”
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 1
A total time capsule of the early 2000s, “Ugly Betty” boasts an excellent cast and a sense of humor that still hits nearly 20 years after it first debuted. The ABC comedy stars America Ferrera as the title character, an enthusiastic, but distinctly unfashionable, aspiring writer from Queens who gets hired as the assistant to the new boss at a major NYC fashion magazine.
Yes, there are definitely some “Devil Wears Prada” vibes at play (with Vanessa Williams playing the resident antagonistic fashionista), but “Ugly Betty” has its own sweet, wholesome and very bingeable charm. The only catch is you need to hurry if you want to watch all four seasons before it’s gone — “Ugly Betty” leaves Netflix at the top of the month, on Aug. 1.
“Ballers”
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 15
Often compared to “Entourage,” HBO’s “Ballers” never quite reaches the blissed-out pinnacle of its predecessor, but if you’re looking for an escapist behind-the-scenes look at the life of an NFL star, it makes for a pretty easy binge watch.
Dwayne Johnson stars as Spencer Strasmore, a former football superstar who’s trying to make big bucks as a financial manager to young players in his retirement. John David Washington plays the primary young hotshot, while recent “Sinners” standout Omar Miller plays another former player in search of his next chapter and Rob Corddry plays a fellow financial advisor. “Ballers” has five seasons for you to binge-watch before mid-August.
“Gangs of London”
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 19
If you’ve enjoyed Tom Hardy’s recent work, you’re definitely going to want to watch “Gangs of London” before it’s gone. No, the actor isn’t in the series himself, but it’s co-created by “The Raid” filmmaker Gareth Evans, who recently teamed up with Hardy on Netflix’s bananas actioner “Havoc,” and, as you can probably tell from the title, it shares a lot of creative DNA with Hardy’s recent series “MobLand.”
“Gangs of London” follows the chaos that breaks out in London’s criminal underground after one of the most powerful crime lords in the game gets assassinated. After his death, his son (Joe Cole) and widow (Michelle Fairley) seek to keep the syndicate afloat, while an undercover cop (Sope Dirisu) curries favor with the new leaders. It’s a gritty, action-packed crime saga (Evans also directs some episodes) and Netflix has the first two seasons until Aug. 19 (but you’ll have to head to AMC+ if you want to watch the recently released Season 3).
“Into the Badlands”
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 19
From “Wednesday” and “Smallville” creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, AMC’s underseen “Into the Badlands” is a hidden gem of a TV era that feels long-gone in our current age of AI and the volume. Tactile and cinematic, “Into the Badlands” is a showcase of sets, choreography and world-building, a distinctly “Game of Thrones”-era greenlight and one of the better successors to emerge at that time, so if you’re looking for something epic, this might be the perfect binge-watch.
In a post-apocalyptic society rebuilt to resemble something a bit more old-timey (no guns, warring barons, flourishing opium trade, etc.), Sunny (Daniel Wu, who brought his years of Hong Kong action experience as star and producer) is a battle-hardened warrior who ventures through the feudal Badlands with a powerful young protege (Aramis Knight). I consider this one among the most underappreciated of AMC’s big swings in the 2010s, a particularly slept-on treat for those who love good old-fashioned kinetic fight scenes. Now’s your chance to get caught up with all three seasons before they leave Netflix.
“Preacher”
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 19
Before their Amazon megahit “The Boys,” Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg (along with “Breaking Bad” writer/producer Sam Catlin) adapted another, arguably even more provocative Garth Ennis comic, “Preacher.” And they threaded that impossible needle quite elegantly too, translating and remixing Ennis’ utterly outrageous plots and crazy characters into a TV-friendly storyline without sacrificing the provocative and bizarre core qualities of the original.
Dominic Cooper stars as Jesse Custer, a preacher with a less-than-wholesome past who absorbs the superhuman powers of a profoundly destructive force and goes on a mission to find God with the help of his ex-girlfriend Tulip (Ruth Negga, who is particularly spectacular here) and wildcard vampire Cassidy (Joe Gilgun). Insane, unpredictable and fun, even in its bleakness, “Preacher” is a four-season binge worth making before it’s gone.
“The Terror”
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 19
If you’re looking for something a little quicker to get through before time runs out, AMC’s 10-episode horror period drama “The Terror” is a dark-hearted gem you don’t want to miss. Released in 2018, the first season of the anthology series is based on the book of the same name by literary genre giant Dan Simmons (“Hyperion,” “Carrion Comfort”), which was in turn inspired by the historical tale of John Franklin’s lost expedition to the Arctic in the 1800s.
Starring an arsenal of elite British character actors, including Jared Harris, Tobias Menzies and Ciarán Hinds, “The Terror” is a haunting survival/supernatural/monster horror hybrid that follows the crew of the doomed expedition as their ship gets frozen in, their crewmates go mad and a mythological beast hunts them down. If you’re looking for something to chill you to the bone during this summer heat wave, you can’t do much better than the Ridley Scott-produced series.
“The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live”
Leaving Netflix on Aug. 19
Since “The Walking Dead” went off the air in 2022, AMC has expanded the universe nonstop through spinoffs and sequel series, to varying degrees of success. The single-season “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live” is handily the best of the bunch, featuring the long-awaited return of Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln) and Michonne (Danai Gurira), and treating the fan-favorite characters (for the most part) with all the heart they deserve.
The series finds the duo reunited in unexpected circumstances, with Rick stuck under the thumb of the CRM after years away from his family. Naturally, a lot’s changed since the two last saw each other, and between the zombie atacks, helicopter crashes and Jadis once again stirring up as much drama as possible, “The Ones Who Live” is predominantly a love story about these two characters finding their way back to each other phsyically, emotionally — even sexually in an unusually intimate episode for the franchise. The first few episodes are easily some of the best in the “Walking Dead”-verse, and with a tight six-episode run, you’ve got plenty of time to watch the whole thing before it’s gone.
