The cable networks are launching a slew of dramas in August, but for many viewers the big TV news for the month is the return of A&E's reality hit "Duck Dynasty." The show, which follows duck-call tycoon Phil Robertson, his bushy bearded sons and his extended family, returns Aug. 14.
The fourth season begins with Phil and his wife of 49 years, Miss Kay, renewing their wedding vows. Officiating the ceremony is their eldest son, Alan, a minister who is--gasp!--clean shaven. This season Alan joins the show, which has become a huge hit for A&E with 9.6 million viewers watching the Season 3 finale in April.
Other cable networks are getting a jump on the fall TV season by premiering strong dramas this month. AMC, Cinemax, BBC America and Starz bring the heat within the same week, Aug. 7-11, with premieres of "Breaking Bad,""Strike Back,""Hell on Wheels" and the new "Broadchurch, "Low Winter Sun" and "The White Queen." August 1, however, is comedy night, with the premieres of the animated "The Awesomes" on Hulu and the Aussi comedy "Please Like Me" on the new millennials-favoring network Pivot.
PBS will premiere good new dramas as well, with a new take on "The Lady Vanishes" and the courtroom tale "Silk." Here's a continually growing list of August premieres, finales, movies and specials.
AUGUST
Thursday, Aug. 1
midnight (11 p.m. july 31 CT) | "The Awesomes," Hulu (animation premiere; greatest superhero team in history)
7 | "2013 Young Hollywood Awards," CW (special)
7 | "Please Like Me," Pivot (series premiere; coming-of-age comedy)
9 | "Impractical Jokers," truTV (summer premiere)
8 | "Our Nixon," CNN (special; profiling the nation's 37th president)
9 | "Hatfields and McCoys: White Lightning," History (series premiere; they still don't get along)
9 | "Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell," Food (season premiere)
9 | "Chuck's Eat the Street," Cooking (season premiere)
11 | "Take Part Live," Pivot (series premiere; live talk show)
Friday, Aug. 2
7 | "America's Next Top Models: Boys and Girls," CW (season 20 premiere)
8 | "Gold Rush South--America," Discovery (limited series premiere)
8 | "Great Performances: Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night Concert 2013," PBS (premiere; check local listings)
9 | "Saint Hoods," Discovery (series premiere; Boston's battling street crews)
Saturday, Aug. 3
8 | "Too Cute," Animal Planet (season premiere)
9 & 9:30 | "Buying Alaska," Destination America (season premiere)
9 & 9:30 | "Psychic Tia," A&E (series premiere; New Jersey clairvoyant Tia Belle)
Sunday, Aug. 4
9 a.m. | "Torchwood: Miracle Day," Encore (marathon of 2011 Starz season)
7 p.m. | "Secret Millionaire," ABC (season premiere)
7:30 | "RIDE-iculous," Travel (series premiere; thrill rides, adrenaline addictions)
8 | "The Killing," AMC (season 3 finale)
8 | "Unique Eats," Cooking (season premiere)
8 & 9 | "Air Aces," Military Channel (series premiere; profiles of heroic pilots)
9 | "Falling Skies," TNT (season 3 finale)
10 | "Shark After Dark," Discovery (series premiere; live Shark Week talk show)
Monday, Aug. 5
7 | "Homes Makes It Right," DIY Network (series premiere)
8 | "Casting By," HBO (doc premiere)
8 | "Celebrity Crime Files," TV One (season premiere)
9 | "The Shed," Food Network (series premiere; Orrison family founders of Mississippi BBQ joint)
9 | "Deep Fried Masters," Destination America (series premiere; fry cooks show off)
Tuesday, Aug. 6
7 | "Bad Girls Club," Oxygen (season 11 casting special)
8 | "Million Dollar Listing: Los Angeles," Bravo (season premiere)
8 | "Hot Listings Miami," Style (series premiere; sounds like "Million Dollar Listings")
8 | "The Chase," GSN (quiz show premiere)
9 | "The Legend of Shelby the Swamp Man," History (series premiere; focus on Shelby "Swamp Man" Stanga from "Ax Men")
9 | "Barter Kings," A&E (season 3 premiere)
9 | "Double Divas," Lifetime (season premiere)
Wednesday, Aug. 7
7 | "Diggers," Nat Geo (summer premiere; 4 weeks of 2 Wed. night eps)
8 | "Law & Order: UK," BBC America (season premiere)
8:30 | "Raising Fame," TLC (special; three mother-daughter duos attempt to make it in Hollywood)
9 | "Broadchurch," BBC America (8-part miniseries premiere; crime thriller)
Friday, Aug. 9
8 | "Magic City," Starz (season 2 finale)
8 | "Say Yes to the Dress: The Big Day," TLC (special; brides return to tell stories)
9 | "Strike Back," Cinemax (season 3 premiere)
9 | "What Not to Wear," TLC (season 10 premiere)
Saturday, Aug. 10
8 | "The White Queen," Starz (10-episode miniseries; England's War of the Roses)
8 | "Hell on Wheels," AMC (2-hour season premiere)
8 | "Clear History," HBO (movie)
8 | "Reading, Writing, Romance," Hallmark (movie; actor takes teaching job, falls for coworker)
11 | "Quickdraw," Hulu (comedy series premiere; Harvard-educated sheriff introduces forensics to Wild West)
11 | "Aqua TV Show Show," Adult Swim (season premiere)
11:15 | "Squidbillies," Adult Swim (season premiere)
Sunday, Aug. 11
10 a.m. | "Marvel's Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H." Disney XD (series premiere; animated heroes)
3:30 p.m. | "DUB Latino," mun2 (season 2; car culture show)
6 & 6:30 | "Magic Man," Travel (series premiere; street magician JB Benn)
7 | "Teen Choice Awards," Fox (special)
8 | "Breaking Bad," AMC (final season premiere)
8 | "Eat, Drink, Love," Bravo (reality premiere; women in food industry)
8 | "Food Network Star," Food (season finale)
9 | "Low Winter Sun," AMC (series premiere; crime drama)
9 | "Cutthroat Kitchen," Food (series premiere; cooking competition)
9 | "Jungle Gold," Discovery (season 2 premiere)
9 & 9:30 | "Bad Ink," (series premiere; duo fixes bad tatts)
10 | "Talking Bad," AMC (series premiere; "Breaking Bad" after show)
Monday, Aug. 12
7:30 | "Paw Patrol," Nickelodeon (CG-animated kids series premiere; rescue pups save the day; will air at 11 a.m. weekdays)
8 | "Americans in Bed," HBO (doc premiere)
8 | "The Real Housewives of Miami," Bravo(season premiere)
9 | "Mythbusters: Breaking Bad Special," Discovery (special)
9 | "Boston Underdogs," TLC (special; woman rescues dogs in Boston)
9 | "Hotel Impossible," Travel (season 3 premiere)
9 | "Restaurant Takeover," Cooking (series premiere; chef and designer help failing restaurant)
Tuesday, Aug. 13
7 | "Bad Girls Club," Oxygen (season 11 premiere)
8 | "Amish Mafia," Discovery (season 2 premiere)
8 | "Doomsday Preppers," Nat Geo (summer premiere)
9 | "Doomsday Castle," Nat Geo (series premiere; remote castle in Carolina mountains)
Wednesday, Aug. 14
8 | "Let It Ride," Nat Geo (series premiere; Zach Ness creates custom motorcycles)
8:30 | "Extreme Cougar Wives," TLC (1st of 2 specials; 2nd airs Aug. 21)
9 | "Duck Dynasty," A&E (season 4 premiere)
Thursday, Aug. 15
8 | "Owner's Manual," AMC (reality premiere; to use or not use owner's manual challenge)
8 | "Mysteries at the Museum," Travel (season 5 premiere)
9 | "The Pitch," AMC (season 2 premiere)
Friday, Aug. 16
8 | "Ghost Adventures," Travel (season 8 premiere)
8 | "Say Yes to the Dress," TLC (season 10 premiere)
Saturday, Aug. 17
7 | "Baby Sellers," Lifetime (movie premiere; woman runs baby trafficking empire)
8 | "This Magic Moment," Hallmark Movie Channel (movie)
9 | "Being Human," BBC America (series finale)
Sunday, Aug. 18
8 | "The Lady Vanishes," PBS ("Masterpiece Mystery!" premiere; woman disappears from train)
8 | "The Great Food Truck Race," Food (season 4 premiere)
8 | "Larrymania," mun2 (season 2 premiere)
9 | "America the Wild with Casey Anderson," Nat Geo Wild (season premiere)
Monday, Aug. 19
9 | "POV: The Law in These Parts," PBS (premiere; check local listings)
9:30 | "Bubba-Q," Food (series premiere; making custom BBQ grills)
Tuesday, Aug. 20
7 | "The Life of Muhammad," PBS (3-part series premiere)
7 | "Tunnel of Fire," CMT (CMT Bike Week special; craziest motorcycle stunts at Sturgis Buffalo Chip)
8 | "Doomsday Garage," CMT (CMT Bike Week special; builders of doomsday vehicles)
Wednesday, Aug. 21
7 | "Biker Battles," CMT (CMT Bike Week special; outrageous competitions at Sturgis Buffalo Chip)
8 | "Not My Mama's Meals," Cooking (season premiere)
8:30 | "Extreme Cougar Wives," TLC (2nd of 2 specials; 1st airs Aug. 14)
9:30 | "Modern Dads," A&E (series premiere; stay-at-home dads)
Thursday, Aug. 22
7 | "Kid Rock: Live from Buffalo Chip," CMT (CMT Bike Week special)
Friday, Aug. 23
7 | "Dean & Tori's Backyard Bash," Cooking (special)
Saturday, Aug. 24
8 | "Garage Sale Mystery," Hallmark Movie Channel (movie; garage sale shopping whiz solves crimes too)
Sunday, Aug. 25
7 | "MTV Video Music Awards," MTV (special)
8 | "Silk," PBS ("Masterpiece Mystery!" premiere)
8 | "Family Dance Off," ABC (special; 5 families dance on Hollywood stage)
8 | "The Secret Life of Dogs," Nat Geo Wild (special premiere)
Monday, Aug. 26
7:30 | "Xiaolin Chronicles," Disney XD (series premiere)
9 | "POV: 5 Broken Cameras," PBS (premiere; check local listings)
Tuesday, Aug. 27
8 | "Face Off," Syfy (season 5 premiere)
9 | "Cosworld," Syfy (series premiere)
Wednesday, Aug. 28
8 | "The Unexplained Files," Sicence (series premiere; phenomena science cannot explain)
9 | "Surviving Evil," Investigation Discovery (series premiere; victims fight back)
9 | "Patrick Dempsey: Racing Le Mans," Velocity (4-part series; actor races)
Thursday, Aug. 29
Friday, Aug. 30
8 | "Side By Side: The Science, Art and Impact of Digital Cinema," PBS (special)
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