After a relatively quiet summer TV schedule, fall is kicking off the way it should: with a bunch of new and returning shows. Coming back this September are beloved favorites like the second half of Season 2 of Wednesday, which will hopefully tie up all the loose threads it left hanging open at the end of Part 1; the fifth season of Only Murders in the Building; and the long-awaited third season of Alice in Borderland. New this month are The Office spin-off The Paper; the Mark Ruffalo-starring crime drama Task; and The Lowdown, the latest series from Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo.
Our guide to the best TV and streaming movies in September is divided into three sections: the best shows to watch this month, the best shows to watch by streaming service, and a calendar of TV highlights. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll find it below.
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The best shows to watch in September
Wednesday Season 2 Part 2 (Sept. 3, Netflix)
Wednesday Addams (Jenna Ortega) may have been knocked unconscious at the end of Wednesday Season 2 Part 1, but she certainly won’t stay incapacitated. In the trailer for the second half of the second season — which, like the first half, contains four episodes — our protagonist is back at Nevermore Academy. In the process of freeing the captives at Willow Hill’s secret “Long-term Outcast Integration Study,” Wednesday inadvertently created an opportunity for her Season 1 love interest-turned-enemy Tyler (Hunter Doohan) to escape the facility. Now, she must protect her friends and family from Tyler’s Hyde form, while continuing to solve the mystery behind her vision of her best friend Enid’s (Emma Myers) death. –Kat Moon [Trailer] [Everything to know about Wednesday Season 2 Part 2]
The Paper (Sept. 4, Peacock)
Paper, the 25th most important character on The Office, is finally getting a spin-off. Peacock’s new mockumentary The Paper turns its focus to the ragtag team behind the Toledo Truth Teller, a floundering Midwestern newspaper. The link to The Office? They’re being followed by the same documentary crew. Also, Oscar (Oscar Nuñez) is involved somehow. Domhnall Gleeson and Sabrina Impacciatore lead the ensemble cast of the new series, which was created by The Office‘s Greg Daniels and Michael Koman. Tune in to find out if they can turn the sitcom version of identity theft into a joke (again). –Kelly Connolly [Trailer]
Task (Sept. 7, HBO)
It’s been a minute since we’ve gotten a gripping HBO crime drama, which makes Task feel like a breath of fresh air — a really stressful breath of fresh air, but fresh air nonetheless. The new crime thriller limited series comes from Brad Ingelsby, the creator of Mare of Easttown, and stars Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent who is tapped to lead a task force working to end a string of violent break-ins led by an unassuming family man (played by Tom Pelphrey). –Allison Picurro [Trailer]
Only Murders in the Building Season 5 (Sept. 9, Hulu)
In Season 5, Only Murders in the Building is going where every New York-set murder mystery comedy series has gone before: into the mob. When Charles (Steve Martin), Oliver (Martin Short), and Mabel (Selena Gomez) look into the death of the Arconia’s doorman, Lester (Teddy Coluca), they’re pulled into an underworld where old-school mobsters and wealthy new players are vying for power. As always, the guest cast is packed, with returning stars like Meryl Streep, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Richard Kind, and Nathan Lane joined by the likes of Renée Zellweger, Bobby Cannavale, Logan Lerman, Christoph Waltz, Téa Leoni, and Beanie Feldstein. It’s a Godfather spoof you can’t refuse. –Kelly Connolly [Trailer]
The Girlfriend (Sept. 9, Prime Video)
In The Girlfriend, the stereotypical male fantasy of being fought over by two women at once takes a turn for the twisted when Danny (Laurie Davidson) introduces his new girlfriend, Cherry (Olivia Cooke), to his overprotective mother, Laura (Robin Wright, who also directs the series), sparking an uneasy relationship filled with deception, theft, and maybe a little attempted murder between the two ladies. The six-episode series, based on the Michelle Frances novel of the same name, explores the idea of perspective as it juggles the same scenarios through the points of view of Laura and Cherry, showing how they each interpret every encounter differently and obstructing the objective truth from the viewer. Is Cherry hiding ulterior motives to rip Danny away from his family, or is Laura an overbearing mother with a Jocasta complex? Maybe a little of both? –Tim Surette [Trailer]
Gen V Season 2 (Sept. 17, Prime Video)
Sophomore year is about to begin at Godolkin University, but Marie (Jaz Sinclair) and her friends have more than their grades to worry about. In Gen V‘s Season 1 finale, the then first-years were framed for a campus attack while the true instigators, Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann), were lauded as heroes. Though Marie is allowed to re-enroll in the school, she now faces a new dean (Hamish Linklater) with suspect motives and unknown powers. Besides, The Boys‘ Annie January (Erin Moriarty) herself is asking for Marie’s help in stopping an ominous Vought research program. One thing’s for sure: Her ability to manipulate blood is going to be put to the test like never before. –Kat Moon [Trailer] [Everything to know about Gen V Season 2]
The Morning Show Season 4 (Sept. 17, Apple TV+)
Great news for people who love mess: The Morning Show is coming back. The last time we caught up with Alex (Jennifer Aniston) and Bradley (Reese Witherspoon), Bradley was off to turn herself in to the FBI and Alex was heading back to UBA, where she now officially has a seat at the table after outsmarting her billionaire boyfriend, Paul Marks (Jon Hamm). Season 4 adds Marion Cotillard, William Jackson Harper, and Jeremy Irons to the ensemble, and will tackle deepfakes and AI. Buckle up. –Allison Picurro [Teaser] [Everything to know about The Morning Show Season 4]
Black Rabbit (Sept. 18, Netflix)
Netflix is pulling a Black Rabbit out of its hat, but you don’t need magic when you have Jason Bateman in front of and behind the camera. In this crime thriller, the Ozark mastermind plays the troubled brother of a New York City restaurateur (Jude Law) who causes problems for his brother’s business when his gambling debts come back to haunt him. Take some Ozark crime, add some Uncut Gems tension, and throw in some of the chaos of The Bear while you’re at it, and *poof!* Black Rabbit. Come for Bateman looking like he just woke up from a two-year coma, stay for Law’s character, who is a former indie rocker, starring in a pitch-perfect, grungy, black-and-white music video from the ’90s. –Tim Surette [Trailer]
The Lowdown (Sept. 24, Hulu)
Reservation Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo might have another TV miracle up his sleeve. Harjo’s next series, The Lowdown
Alice in Borderland Season 3 (Sept. 25, Netflix)
Two and a half years ago, Alice in Borderland Season 2 answered the main question viewers were asking: What is Borderland? Turns out, the death games that Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) had been forced to play since the show’s first moments did not take place in reality. The truth is that Arisu and all of the other players were gravely injured by a meteorite strike in Tokyo. Many of their hearts, including Arisu’s, stopped beating for an entire minute. The Season 2 finale suggested that within that minute, they, being at the border of life and death, unknowingly entered Borderland. Only the hearts of those who survived the games started beating again in real life. Season 3, though it no longer adapts the original manga by Haro Aso, follows the story of these survivors as they face yet another set of death games. –Kat Moon [Trailer] [Alice in Borderland Season 2 ending explained]
Chad Powers (Sept. 30, Hulu)
Hulu watched Apple make a sports comedy based on a made-up character (Ted Lasso) and turn that into more than 60 Emmy nominations and 13 wins, and figured, “We can do that.” Chad Powers is based on a prank sketch comedy character created by two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning, who donned prosthetics to change his appearance and tried out for Penn State as a walk-on for Manning’s web series Eli’s Places. In Hulu’s take, Hollywood It Guy Glen Powell will play Chad, a disgraced college football quarterback who takes a second chance at stardom by adopting a new persona and appearance to try to make a Southern football team. Steve Zahn also stars as the team’s coach. –Tim Surette [Teaser]
What’s on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, and more in September
Netflix’s best new shows and movies in September
If you thought that Netflix would release Wednesday on any day besides Wednesdays, think again. On the first Wednesday of September, the saga of Jenna Ortega’s Wednesday Addams continues with Wednesday Season 2 Part 2. Netflix has already dropped the trailer for the next four episodes, and we’re eagerly awaiting the fate of Wednesday’s werewolf roomie, Enid (Emma Myers), the return of Principal Larissa Weems (Gwendoline Christie), and the appearance of Lady Gaga. The Japanese thriller Alice in Borderland is also coming back later this month, with its third season teasing new death games and impossible choices for Arisu (Kento Yamazaki) and Usagi (Tao Tsuchiya). As for new shows premiering in September, Black Rabbit has caught our attention. Jude Law and Jason Bateman play brothers in this crime thriller set in New York. Here’s our list of the best shows and movies on Netflix in September, plus everything coming to and leaving Netflix in September.
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HBO Max’s best new shows and movies in September
If you’re on the hunt for a new crime drama, might we recommend Task? The series comes from Brad Ingelsby — the man behind Mare of Easttown, one of the great crime dramas of the past five years — and stars Mark Ruffalo as an FBI agent trying to stop a string of violent break-ins. Also coming to HBO and HBO Max in September are the two-part documentary Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television, a new stand-up special from internet sensation Caleb Hearon, and the A24 films Friendship and Warfare. Here’s our list of the best shows and movies on HBO Max in September, plus everything coming to HBO Max in September.
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Hulu’s best new shows and movies in September
Why choose between the fall TV season, football season, and back-to-school season? Hulu’s Chad Powers has all three. The new series (fall TV: check) stars Glen Powell as a disgraced college football quarterback (football: check) who disguises himself to walk on to a struggling Southern school’s team (back to school: check). His scheme kicks off at the end of the month. Earlier in September, the mismatched podcasters of Only Murders in the Building return for Season 5, and this time, they’re facing off with the mob. But for fans of FX’s stellar Reservation Dogs, the hottest TV premiere this September is The Lowdown, a new Tulsa noir from Rez Dogs creator Sterlin Harjo, starring Ethan Hawke as a man with a knack for digging up dirt. The Lowdown premieres on Hulu on Sept. 24, the day after its debut on FX. Here’s our list of the best shows and movies on Hulu in September, plus everything coming to Hulu in September.
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Amazon Prime Video’s best new shows and movies in September
You don’t have to be a rocket surgeon to know that football is big business, so it won’t be a surprise that Prime Video is rolling out new seasons of several original shows the same month that the streamer exclusively airs Thursday night NFL games. Prime Video has to advertise something while the refs stop the game to make another weak pass interference call or play is paused for an injury. The Terminal List: Dark Wolf, which premieres in late August and has a lot of overlap with NFL demographics, will probably get a bunch of callouts, but The Boys spin-off Gen V — the biggest release of the month — will also get a lot of synergistic attention in the weeks leading up to its return in mid-September. Elsewhere on the service, the music-focused YA drama The Runarounds is September’s opening act, and Olivia Cooke stars in the twisty thriller The Girlfriend. Here’s our list of the best shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video in September, plus everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in September.
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Peacock’s new shows and movies in September
The playbook for networks and streamers over the last few decades has been, “If it worked once, let’s do it again!” NBCUniversal has been one of the prime culprits (how did Suits LA go, eh?), and September brings one of its biggest refreshes of a familiar franchise yet. The Paper is a successor to The Office and follows the same documentary crew that filmed the antics at Dunder Mifflin as they train their cameras on a Midwestern newspaper. The comedy, which also hails from The Office‘s Greg Daniels, premieres on Sept. 4. Here’s our list of everything coming to Peacock in September.
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Paramount+’s new shows and movies in September
It’s good to be the king. Sylvester Stallone is back this September as Dwight “The General” Manfredi, aka the titular antihero of Tulsa King, in Season 3 of Taylor Sheridan’s crime comedy. This season, Dwight’s empire is expanding, which is good for business, but bad for not getting shot at. It’s the highlight of the new TV shows and movies coming to Paramount+ this September. The other big series streaming in the month is the premiere of NCIS: Tony & Ziva, which catches us up with NCIS favorite couple Anthony DiNozzo (Michael Weatherly) and Ziva David (Cote de Pablo) as they tackle new enemies — and parenthood — in Europe. Additionally, the remake of the very good classic Taiwanese rom-com The Wedding Banquet will make its streaming debut, and the Primetime Emmy Awards will stream live on Sept. 14, provided you have Paramount+ Premium for the CBS live stream. Or you can just watch South Park, which is having a lot of fun this season. Here’s our list of everything coming to Paramount+ in September.
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Tubi’s new shows and movies in September
One of the all-time great legal dramas is 2007’s Damages, a psychological thriller that rewrote the rules on what we thought a show about lawyers could be, and it’s coming to Tubi as part of the streamer’s lineup of new shows and movies in September. In the FX series, Rose Byrne plays a rising legal star who joins a firm led by Glenn Close’s tenacious Patty Hewes, but it’s the push and pull between the two that ignites the series rather than anything that happens in the courtroom. After it wracks your nerves, you can find some balance with the profane hilarity of the animated series Archer. There are some great library movies coming as well, including Timothée Chalamet’s Call Me By Your Name, Nicolas Cage’s Dream Scenario, Guillermo del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth, and the crime classic Scarface. Here’s our list of everything coming to Tubi in September.
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September TV calendar highlights
Monday, Sept. 1
The Runarounds (Season 1, Prime Video)
Wednesday, Sept. 3
Beavis and Butt-Head (Season 3, Comedy Central)
Wednesday (Season 2 Part 2, Netflix)
Thursday, Sept. 4
Lynley (Limited Series, BritBox)
NCIS: Tony & Ziva (Season 1, Paramount+)
The Paper (Season 1, Peacock)
Friday, Sept. 5
Highest 2 Lowest (Film, Apple TV+)
Sunday, Sept. 7
MTV Video Music Awards (Live Event, CBS/Paramount+)
Task (Limited Series, HBO)
The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon (Season 3, AMC)
Tuesday, Sept. 9
Guts & Glory (Season 1, Shudder)
Only Murders in the Building (Season 5, Hulu)
Wednesday, Sept. 10
The Girlfriend (Season 1, Prime Video)
Mussolini: Son of the Century (Limited Series, MUBI)
Friday, Sept. 12
The Wrong Paris (Film, Netflix)
Sunday, Sept. 14
77th Emmy Awards (Live Event, CBS/Paramount+)
Monday, Sept. 15
Futurama (Season 13, Hulu)
Tuesday, Sept. 16
High Potential (Season 2, ABC)
The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City (Season 6, Bravo)
Wednesday, Sept. 17
Gen V (Season 2, Prime Video)
The Morning Show (Season 4, Apple TV+)
Thursday, Sept. 18
Black Rabbit (Limited Series, Netflix)
Friday, Sept. 19
Haunted Hotel (Season 1, Netflix)
Swiped (Film, Hulu)
Sunday, Sept. 21
Tulsa King (Season 3, Paramount+)
Tuesday, Sept. 23
The Lowdown (Season 1, FX)
Wednesday, Sept. 24
Hotel Costiera (Season 1, Prime Video)
Marvel Zombies (Limited Series, Disney+)
Slow Horses (Season 5, Apple TV+)
Thursday, Sept. 25
Alice in Borderland (Season 3, Netflix)
House of Guinness (Season 1, Netflix)
Wayward (Limited Series, Netflix)
Friday, Sept. 26
All of You (Film, Apple TV+)
The Savant (Limited Series, Apple TV+)
Tuesday, Sept. 30
Chad Powers (Season 1, Hulu)
