Clive Owen gets his hands dirty in the trailer for The Knick, Steven Soderbergh’s Cinemax series

Not that we’re complaining, but Steven Soderbergh’s “retirement” is shaping up to be as productive—and questionably permanent—as Jay Z’s. In addition to shooting and editing the Magic Mike sequel, he’s directed all 10 episodes of the new Cinemax miniseries The Knick, about the staff of New York City’s famous Knickerbocker hospital, who apparently performed a lot of daring operations around the turn of the 20th century. The first trailer, featuring dramatic voiceover narration from series star Clive Owen, makes the show look downright Cronenbergian in its medical horror. It also looks strikingly filmed—a given, perhaps, with Soderbergh behind the camera—and sounds even better, thanks to typically electric music from Cliff Martinez. The series premieres August 8, when the term “Skinemax” will take on a nauseating new meaning.