Jason Momoa Is a 'Chief of War,' Marc Maron's 'Panicked' Stand-Up, Legends of 'Wakanda,' Tom Brady's Soccer Drama

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Jason Momoa stars in a historical drama set in his native Hawaii. Marc Maron explores his condition of "intrusive catastrophic thinking" in a darkly funny stand-up comedy special. An animated series from the world of Black Panther weaves heroes of Wakanda into myths and legends of the world beyond. A docuseries follows the Birmingham City soccer club and minority owner Tom Brady during a transformative season.

Epic in scope, and admirable in its authenticity as it reveals a history with which too few are familiar, this sprawling drama of pre-unified and pre-colonial Hawaii (spoken largely in Hawaiian with English subtitles) is a passion project for native son Jason Momoa (an early Apple TV+ star in See), who serves as executive producer, co-writer (with fellow Hawaiian native Thomas Pa'a Sibbett) and star. Momoa brings grave authority to the role of Ka'aina, a former war chief during the late 18 century, when the islands were separated into four kingdoms, often at war with each other. Disillusioned by the needless carnage, Ka'iana flees to protect his family, becoming exposed to the outside world and returning to a very changed land. Launches with two episodes.

The acclaimed comedian and podcaster, who's also no slouch as an actor in shows like GLOW and the recent Stick, walks a tightrope of high anxiety in his second HBO comedy special, describing his creative process as "mining for gold in a river of panic." Whether it's the current political climate or the recent L.A. wildfires, when he's trying to evacuate three cats with only one carrier ("This is who I am at the end of the world"), Maron commands the BAM Harvey Theater stage in Brooklyn with mordant wit, often aimed at himself. "I didn't think I'd make it to 61, and I'm not thrilled that I did." Speak for yourself, Marc. Which he does, brilliantly.

Weaving the universe made famous by Black Panther into the wider world of legend and myth, this ambitious four-part series from Marvel Animation focuses on lesser-known heroes who are part of a secret society of "war dogs," warriors who venture into the world beyond Wakanda to retrieve lost Vibranium artifacts. Bet you didn't know Wakanda's connection to Achilles and the Trojan War.

We've all heard of the "British invasion" in music back in the days of The Beatles, but now there seems to be an "American invasion" of celebrities buying or buying into legendary European soccer teams. Having made his mark in American football, NFL great Tom Brady's excursion into minority ownership of the downtrodden Birmingham City Blues is the subject of a five-part docuseries. "We're trying to make Birmingham City a world-class team," Brady says. And much like the success story of FX's Welcome to Wrexham, things have begun looking up for the Blues. And for its celebrity owner, who boasts, "I have no fear in anything I do."

With August comes a late-summer treat for connoisseurs of vintage movies, with TCM's annual monthlong stunt of 24-hour tributes to a different film legend each day. First up is the glamorous Lana Turner, whose marathon kicks into high gear with the 1946 film noir classic The Postman Always Rings Twice (6/5c), the 1959 tearjerker Imitation of Life (8/7c) and 1952's blistering Hollywood exposé The Bad and the Beautiful (11/10c).

The 21 season of the pioneering docuseries finds the Bering Sea fishermen venturing farther west than they're accustomed to, when monster red king crab are discovered near the abandoned Adak Island, sparking a race to these dangerous waters. Now co-captains of the Time Bandit, Sig and Johnathan lead the pack, with an ammonia leak aboard the Titan Explorer forcing Jake Anderson's crew to abandon ship.

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