• “Lovecraft Country” will premiere on the HBO cable channel and HBO Max streaming service on August 16.
  • The series is produced by Jordan Peele (“Get Out”), Misha Green (“Underground”), and J. J. Abrams (“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”).
  • “Lovecraft Country” incorporates elements of drama, fantasy, and horror as it tackles racism in 1950s America along with supernatural terrors inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
  • To watch the show, you’ll need an HBO cable subscription or an HBO Max streaming subscription.
  • HBO Max is available for $14.99 a month, and access to the app is also included with most HBO pay-TV memberships.

HBO’s latest original series, “Lovecraft Country,” is set to premiere on August 16. The show is based on the 2016 novel written by Matt Ruff, and includes supernatural threats influenced by the works of horror writer H.P. Lovecraft. Misha Green serves as the series’ executive producer, along with Jordan Peele and J. J. Abrams.

“Lovecraft Country” follows Atticus Freeman (Jonathan Majors), a Black man in the 1950s who sets off on a road trip across the country to find his missing father. He’s joined by his friend Leticia (Jurnee Smollett) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance). As they continue their search, the group encounters disturbing racist threats and monstrous creatures.

Though H.P. Lovecraft, who passed away in 1937, is considered a highly influential horror writer, he is also known for racist elements in his work and bigoted opinions in his personal life. These facts did not escape showrunner Misha Green when working on the series. While the show does take some inspiration from Lovecraft’s mythology, Green makes a point to address the author’s troubling history on race.

As reported by The Wrap, Green followed a similar strategy used by author Matt Ruff in the book that the show is based on. Speaking to reporters during a virtual press event Green said, "I think it was that thing that Matt was doing that I was really intrigued about, which is this idea of reclaiming it and not saying that we're going to honor all of your contributions to this genre - and there are many - but we're going to take that, we're going to acknowledge who you are as a person, as well, and we're going to move forward."

"Lovecraft Country" currently holds a "100% Fresh" rating on review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes, as well as a score of 82/100 on Metacritic.

How to watch "Lovecraft Country"

To watch "Lovecraft Country" when it premieres on August 16, you'll need access to the HBO cable channel or HBO Max streaming service. The HBO channel is available through a variety of pay-TV cable and satellite packages. Meanwhile, HBO Max is a standalone streaming service with all of HBO's content plus a ton of extra WarnerMedia movies and shows.

HBO Max costs $14.99 a month, and you can sign up for the service through the HBO Max website. HBO Max is also available as a paid add-on to other streaming apps you might already use, including Hulu, Apple TV, and YouTube TV. In all cases, new HBO Max subscribers can receive a free seven-day trial.

The first season of "Lovecraft Country" will consist of 10 episodes. The season finale is set to air on October 18. If you're on the fence about committing to an HBO Max subscription, but you're interested in watching "Lovecraft Country," you can sign up for the HBO Max trial on or after October 18 to binge watch the entire season for free.

The HBO Max app is supported on a variety of connected devices. including Apple TV, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Chromecast, and Samsung smart TVs. With that said, Roku and Fire TV devices do not currently include access to the HBO Max app.

However, you can still watch "Lovecraft Country" on Roku and Fire TV products if you subscribe to the standard HBO app (formerly known as HBO Now). This service also costs $14.99 a month, but it does not include any of the extra content that HBO Max offers. For more details on the differences between HBO's various streaming options, check out our HBO app comparison here.

What other shows and movies are on HBO Max?

In addition to "Lovecraft Country," HBO Max features access to HBO's entire catalog of movies and original shows, including "Westworld", "Game of Thrones," "The Sopranos," and more. HBO Max also offers a growing selection of additional WarnerMedia shows and movies not found on the HBO cable channel, including titles from DC, CNN, TNT, TBS, truTV, Cartoon Network, Criterion Collection, Studio Ghibli, Adult Swim, Rooster Teeth, Looney Tunes, and Warner Bros.

The service is also home to original shows and movies produced exclusively for HBO Max. HBO Max originals include the Anna Kendrick-led anthology series "Love Life," the Seth Rogen comedy "An American Pickle," the voguing competition series "Legendary", and more.

For detailed impressions on HBO Max, check out our full HBO Max review here. And for more information about other streaming platforms, be sure to read our guide to the best streaming service you can subscribe to online.