7 new Paramount+ shows and movies streaming in August

This month on Paramount+, August is bringing the heat with its lineup of new content. It is more sports-heavy than other months, with three Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) Fight Night matches, a new season of Dana White’s Contender Series, and MTV’s The Challenge: Cutthroat, and more basketball, golf, soccer, and bull riding than you can stand. You can find more information about those competitions in Paramount’s complete August lineup. If you aren’t a sports fan, though, don’t worry—you’re covered.

In addition to a new original docuseries, the streamer is also seeing the new season of a popular Deon Cole-led crime-thriller, which has permanently moved from BET to its new home on Paramount+. Our top pick from the platform’s August 2026 lineup is the third season of a Taylor Sheridan series.

7

UFC Fight Night: Medić vs. Rodriguez

A welterweight showdown

Two shirtless male UFC fighters staring straight ahead.

August kicks off with UFC Fight Night: Medić vs. Rodriguez, which is taking place live from Belgrade Arena in Belgrade, Serbia.

American veteran Daniel “D-Rod” Rodriguez is back in action in the Octagon after a layoff following a unanimous decision win over Kevin Holland in a slippery July 2025 fight. He returns to the cage with a three-fight win streak.

Fighting out of Serbia is Uroš Medić, also known as The Doctor. Medić enters on a three-fight win streak, all by way of first-round knockout, including a destructive victory over Geoff Neal at UFC Houston that earned him a spot in the UFC welterweight rankings.

UFC Fight Night: Medić vs. Rodriguez premieres on August 1. Prelims start at 10 a.m. ET, with the main card at 1 p.m. ET.

6

Special Ops: True

A gritty Paramount+ Original docuseries

Special Ops: True is a gritty documentary series about high-profile military operations, featuring high-stakes missions like the hunt for Osama bin Laden, the Battle of Mogadishu, and tactical actions in Panama.

The gritty docuseries features raw interviews and firsthand stories told directly by the actual Navy SEALs, Delta Force, Army Rangers, and Green Berets who were on the ground. Never-before-seen footage unlocks exclusive, unseen visual archives and tactical recordings from inside global conflicts.

Special Ops: True premieres on August 4.

5

The Challenge: Cutthroat season 42

Grueling physical and mental challenges for $500k in prize money

After a hearty, longtime run on MTV, The Challenge: Cutthroat is coming to its new home on Paramount+. Filmed in Thailand, season 42 features a mix of Challenge veterans and franchise newbies as they battle to win a large chunk of change.

Twenty-four fierce titans will have to push past their breaking points in a ruthless battle for their share of a $500,000 grand prize. In this season, challengers are divided into three teams, and the only way to take home a share of the cash prize is to cross the finish line together as a unit. To win, captains must balance their hunger for dominance with the need for loyalty or risk losing their power. Meanwhile, solo players must prove they can be team players or lose their chance of taking home some money.

The Challenge: Cutthroat season 42 premieres on August 5.

Operating System: tvOS
Resolution: 4K

4

UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs. Salkilld

Lightweights battle it out in the Octagon for the title

Two shirtless UFC fighters staring at the camera.

Also known as UFC Vegas 120, UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs. Salkilld will be a five-round lightweight main event featuring top contender Mateusz Gamrot and rising star Quillan Salkilld.

Thirty-five-year-old Polish contender Mateusz Gamrot holds a 9-4 UFC record and comes to the cage fresh off a second-round submission win over Esteban Ribovics in April 2026. Twenty-six-year-old Australian prospect Quillan Salkilld is undefeated in the UFC and enters his first career main event following a first-round knockout win over Beneil Dariush in May 2026.

UFC Fight Night: Gamrot vs. Salkilld premieres on August 8. Prelims start at 5 p.m. ET, with the main card at 8 p.m. ET.

3

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song

Potential bantamweight title-eliminator bout for the championship

Split image of man fighting in Octagon and fight winner wrapped in China's flag.

Live from the Oriental Sports Center in Shanghai, China, comes the pivotal bantamweight main event, UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song.

Ranked third in the bantamweight division with a 20-1 record, Umar Nurmagomedov enters the cage on a 2-fight win streak following victories over Mario Bautista and Deiveson Figueiredo. Headlining in his home country of China is Song Yadong, who is ranked fifth in the bantamweight division with a 23-9-1 (1 NC) record. He enters the Octagon after a second-round submission win over Deiveson Figueiredo.

UFC Fight Night: Nurmagomedov vs. Song premieres on August 29. Check your local listings on Paramount+ for fight times.

2

Average Joe season 2

Dark comedy-drama series with Deon Cole

Inspired by the life of creator Robb Cullen, Average Joe is an intense, darkly comedic series about blue-collar plumber Joe Washington (Black-ish’s Deon Cole) who discovers his late father stole millions of dollars from the Russian mafia. When pressed for the missing cash, Joe and his friends are forced into a high-stakes survival race.

In season 2, Joe tries to move on from the events in Pittsburgh when a mysterious threat targets his family, sending Joe and his crew to Cape Town, South Africa. What begins as a search for answers quickly spirals into a dangerous adventure with international criminals, powerful enemies, and long-buried secrets. As they are hunted across the city, they’ll have to dodge assassins, outrun bounty hunters, and attempt to survive a series of increasingly impossible situations.

Average Joe season 2 premieres with 2 episodes on August 19. New episodes will drop weekly every Wednesday through September 23.

Average Joe

Release Date: June 25, 2023
Network: BET+
Directors: David Katzenberg, Eric Dean Seaton, Joy Lane, Christoph Schrewe, Marshall Tyler

1

Lioness season 3

A new, female-led mission awaits

The hit female-led espionage thriller Lioness returns for season three and continues on a global scale as chaos ensues and the Lioness team is deployed on its most personal assignment yet.

Season three of the Taylor Sheridan show will see the collision of hidden networks, foreign operatives, and personal betrayals. As Joe (Avatar’s Zoe Saldaña) walks the fine line between duty and home, unseen forces circle her world. Patterns appear where they shouldn’t, names vanish, and paths unexpectedly rearrange. Guided by Kaitlyn (The Hours’ Nicole Kidman) and Westfield (Michael Kelly from Jack Ryan: Ghost War), Joe confronts enemies operating in the shadows, leaving her to reckon with a war that now reaches into every part of her life.

Lioness season 3 premieres on August 2. New episodes will drop weekly on Sundays through September 20.