It’s midsummer. We’re supposed to be doing outdoorsy things.
But it’s awfully hot out. And watching TV in the air-conditioning sounds like a pretty good idea. And, fortunately, August is not a TV wasteland. There are some good shows and a few great ones.
Here, in chronological order, are 15 reasons to watch TV in August:
1. “Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party” (Wednesday, Aug. 1, 7 p.m., VH1) • TV’s oddest couple — Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg — return for Season 2 of their bizarre party/talk show featuring celebrities, mixed drinks and general weirdness.
2. “The Sinner” (Wednesday, Aug. 1, 11 p.m., USA) • Season 2 of this show is about an entirely new case — an 11-year-old who murders his parents. So, yeah, you’ve got to be in the mood to be deeply disturbed.
3. “Better Call Saul” (Monday, Aug. 6, 10 p.m., AMC) • One of TV’s best dramas returns for Season 4, and Jimmy has to deal with Chuck’s suicide.
4. “Lodge 49” (Monday, Aug. 6, 11 p.m., AMC) • Promising new comedy/drama series about a ex-surfer boy/somewhat lovable loser (Wyatt Russell) who stumbles into a fraternal lodge and thinks he’s found a new path in life.
5. “Carter” (Tuesday, Aug. 7, 8 p.m., WGN America) • An actor (Jerry O’Connell) who plays a detective on a TV show has a public meltdown, moves back to his small hometown and gets a job as a police detective. Which sounds pretty much exactly like the failed Rob Lowe sitcom “The Grinder.”
6. “All About the Washingtons” (Tuesday, Aug. 7, streaming, Netflix) • Rapper Rev Run and his real-life wife star as fictionalized versions of themselves in this family sitcom that’s a fictionalized version of their lives.
7. “Demitri Martin: The Overthinker” (Streaming, Netflix) • Standup comedy special.
8. “Fear the Walking Dead” (Sunday, Aug. 12, 10 p.m., AMC) • After a two-month break, Season 4 continues.
9. “Insecure” (Sunday, Aug. 12, 11:30 p.m., HBO) • Issa Ray returns for Season 3 of this very funny show.
10. “Disenchantment” (Friday, Aug. 17, streaming, Netflix) • New animated series from “Simpsons” creator Matt Groening about a hard-drinking princess, her elf companion and her personal demon in the kingdom of Dreamland. It’s definitely for adults, and it’s very “Futurama”-like in the way it lampoons, well, pretty much everything.
11. “Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow” (Saturday, Aug. 18, 10 p.m., Showtime) • Very good documentary.
12. “The Innocents” (Friday, Aug. 24, streaming, Netflix) • Eight-part drama about a teen couple who run away together — and it turns out the girl is a shapeshifter.
13. “America to Me” (Sunday, Aug. 26, 8 p.m., Starz) • This outstanding documentary series from Steve James (“Hoop Dreams”) follows a group of black students at a diverse high school near Chicago.
14. “One Dollar” (Thursday, Aug. 30, streaming, CBS All Access) • Murder mystery that follows a dollar bill that changes hands in each episode — and the characters are all tied to a shocking killing.
15. “Jack Ryan” (Friday, Aug. 31, streaming, Amazon Prime) • John Krasinski (“The Office”) stars as Tom Clancy’s CIA analyst — a role previously played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine in a series of movies — in this eight-part TV series. He’s trying to thwart terrorists. And it’s already been renewed for a second season.
