Best new drops on Paramount Plus
Rylan fronts a fresh new dating format for Paramount+ in August, while a new Bob Marley biopic premieres on streaming
Dating Naked Germany
Reality
Summary:Dating Naked is a reality TV dating show on Paramount+
Why to watch: Reality star-turned top telly Presenter Rylan presents the new British edition of Dating Naked, a franchise with a title that almost ensures addictive viewing. This unique dating experiment sees ten singletons take part entirely au naturel. They’ll live, date and party in the nude - all while searching for the one (and a £50k prize).
Episodes 1 and 2 available August 23, then weekly on Fridays.
Bob Marley: One Love
Music | History | Drama
2024 | Reinaldo Marcus Green | 104 mins | 12A
Summary:Jamaican singer-songwriter Bob Marley overcomes adversity to become the most famous reggae musician in the world.
Why to watch: This biopic is an family-authorised insight into the music icon's journey as a musician and peace advocate. Marley is played by British actor Kingsley Ben-Adir, who won the role after a year-long global search. James Norton also stars as record producer Chris Blackwell.
Available August 21.
Self Reliance
Comedy | Thriller
2024 | Jake Johnson | 91 mins | 15
Summary:When a man is offered a million dollars to play a game in which hunters try to kill him, he thinks he has found the perfect loophole: they can only attack when he’s alone. His only problem is that none of his friends or family believe the game is real.
Why to watch: As the premise - and the impressive cast list - suggests, this film is hilarious in its absurdity. Anna Kendrick stars alongside actor-director Jake Johnson in his directorial debut film Self Reliance. Meanwhile, Andy Samberg plays himself, because of course he does.
Available now.
Quantum Leap
Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Drama | Mystery
Summary:It's been nearly 30 years since Dr. Sam Beckett stepped into the Quantum Leap accelerator and vanished. Now, a new team, led by physicist Ben Song, has been assembled to restart the project in hope of understanding the mysteries behind the machine and the man who created it. Everything changes, however, when Ben makes an unauthorized leap into the past, leaving the team behind to solve the mystery of why he did it.
Why to watch: Since the cult 90s classic Quantum Leap, creator Donald P. Bellisario has gone on to create the long-running TV juggernaut NCIS. He’s back now with a modern revival of his time travel drama, which follows a similar amusing format, updated for the 2020s.
Available now.
Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Animation | Family
Summary:The Turtles — Leo, Raph, Donnie and Mikey — each will go it alone for the first time. Faced with new threats and teaming up with old allies, the Turtles will discover who they really are when they don’t have their brothers at their sides.
Why to watch: It's about time the Turtles - a beloved feature of many childhoods - got a revival. This new series follows the events of Seth Rogen’s critically acclaimed 2023 film Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, featuring the reptile crime fighters - now voiced by actual teenagers.
Available now.
The Bureau
Crime | Drama
Summary:Within the DGSE (General Directorate for External Security), a department called the Office Of Legends (BDL) forms and remote pilot the most important agents of the French intelligence services: Clandestine. Immersion in hostile country, their mission is to identify individuals who may be recruited as sources of information. Operating "under caption", that is to say in a fabricated identity from scratch, they live for many years in a permanent duplicity. Our hero just returned from a clandestine mission six years in Damascus. But contrary to what is required by safety rules, he does not abandon his legend and the identity under which he lived in Syria, thus putting in danger the whole system.
Why to watch: Miss this and miss out. This fast-paced thriller comes with the endorsement of countless critics. French newspaper Le Figaro called it the best French show ever, while the New York Times described it as the third best international series of the entire decade.
Available August 15.
The Murdaugh Murders
Crime | Drama | Thriller
2023 | Jason Winn | 82 mins
Summary:A determined reporter interviews the infamous Alex Murdaugh and hopes for answers pertaining to the alleged murders of his wife and son.
Why to watch: For true crime fans who couldn’t get enough of Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal, this is a fictional take on (some of) the infamous crimes of the Murdaugh family. Ironically, Alex Murdaugh is played by an actor best known for his role in the Law and Order franchise - Chris McGarry.
Available now.
Melissa Etheridge: I'm Not Broken
Documentary
Summary:An inspiring story of healing and transcendence through the power of music. When five female residents from the Topeka Correctional Facility, a women's prison in Kansas, write letters to Etheridge, she then uses as inspiration to create and perform an original song for them. Having recently lost her son to opioids, Etheridge works to understand and interrupt the cycle of addiction while connecting with these women who, so often, are forgotten by society.
Why to watch: Watching an artist's creative process can be fascinating, and this is certainly the case with Grammy and Oscar-winning country singer Melissa Etheridge, who builds a powerful bond with female inmates at her local prison. Etheridge is an impassioned listener as she builds an anthem to promote understanding, healing, and hope.
Available now.
Kamp Koral: SpongeBob's Under Years
Animation | Comedy | Family
Summary:SpongeBob and friends spend the summer catching jellyfish, building camp-fires, and swimming in Lake Yuckymuck at Camp Coral, located in the Kelp Forest.
Why to watch: Everyone’s favourite sponge is now a youngster at summer camp in this spin-off (Squidward is a camp counsellor). It's an adorable premise, but not uncontroversial. In 2019, former showrunner Paul Tibbit described the concept as something the late Spongebob creator Stephen Hillenburg would have “HATED”. Yikes!
Available now.
