September isn’t just a big month for the film – though based on the sheer number of festivals it certainly will rule the conversation – but for television as well with some of the most anticipated titles of the year debuting this month. While there are plenty of exciting shows to look forward to this fall, September kicks it off right with returning series such as “What We Do in the Shadows” delivering on the necessary laughs, “Star Wars: Visions” helping us escape while “Foundation” brings big and bold science fiction to our television screens.
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It’s a shame that theater-goers are once again having to have an internal conflict on whether or not they feel safe enough seeing a movie with a crowd, making the potential reliance on television as our means for blocking out the real world all the more probable. And with so much of it incoming and so many series still airing from over the summer that continues to pick up buzz from the second season of “Ted Lasso” to the underrated “Reservation Dogs,” there’s almost too much to choose from.
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“What We Do in the Shadows” Season 3
For two straight seasons, the series “What We Do in the Shadows” has been one of the funniest shows on TV and it looks like that won’t be stopping as we enter the third. Based on the world borne from Taika Waititi and Jemaine Clement’s mockumentary of the same name with the two onboard as executive producers, the show follows four vampire roommates living in Staten Island who are only barely getting by and are more often helped by their familiar. Season 2 ended on quite a cliffhanger for the series as Guillermo (Harvey Guillen) announces his vampire hunting lineage to the vampires he works for. The cast is uniformly great, starring Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Kayvan Novak, and Mark Proksch alongside Guillen.
Release Date: Season 3 premieres September 2 on FX
“Impeachment: American Crime Story”
There’s a crossroads we all must cross before dedicating time to “Impeachment: American Crime Story” and it’s our love for Beanie Feldstein who plays Monica Lewinsky here and the weariness that comes from yet another Ryan Murphy production. Our love for Feldstein just barely comes out on top. Starring alongside her are anthology regulars such as Sarah Paulson — in a poorly conceived fatsuit — and Judith Light along with newcomers Billy Eichner, Clive Owen, and Margo Martindale. As to be expected from the title, the show follows the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal based on the book “A Vast Conspiracy: The Real Story of the Sex Scandal That Nearly Brought Down a President” from author Jeffrey Toobin and released in 1999.
Release Date: Season 1 premieres September 7 on FX
“Scenes From a Marriage”
Based on the 1973 Swedish miniseries from cinema master Igmar Bergman and starring his longtime muse Liv Ullmann and Erland Josephson but focused on a contemporary couple, the HBO remake of “Scenes From a Marriage” is facing an uphill battle. Developed by Hagai Levi (“The Affair”) and written by Levi and American playwright Amy Herzog, the series follows Oscar Isaac’s Jonathan and Jessica Chastain’s Mira in their first collaboration since starring in “A Most Violent Year” together. The series follows as their marriage slowly falls apart and, with Isaac and Chastain involved, hopefully, it will avoid any potential overwrought pitfalls that an indelicate hand could weave. Nicole Beharie, Corey Stoll, and Sunita Mani also star.
Release Date: The series premieres on September 12 on HBO
“Y: The Last Man”
Based on the popular DC Comics series by Brian K. Vaughn and Pia Guerra, FX’s “Y: The Last Man” sets place in a post-apocalyptic world after a cataclysmic event killed every mammal with a Y chromosome except for one cisgender man and his pet monkey. Following the survivors, as they try to piece together a better world than the one they left behind, the science fiction series will hopefully be a welcomed return for the genre on television in a month primed for multiple genre-specific series making their debut. Ben Schnetzer (“Pride,” “Goat,”) along with Olivia Thirlby, Diane Lane, and Juliana Canfield with Aida Croal and Michael Green acting as show creators.
Release Date: Season 1 premieres on September 13 on FX on Hulu
“Sex Education” Season 3
Despite depicting some of the frankest and realistic sex scenes on television, most of the winsome energy from the Netflix series “Sex Education” comes from its oftentimes disarming sincerity. The will they/won’t they pull continues between Asa Butterfield’s Otis and Emma Mackey’s Maeve while romance blooms elsewhere between Eric and Adam (Ncuti Gatwa and Connor Swindells, respectively) and Jean (Gillian Anderson,) Otis’s sex therapist mother grapples with the unexpected pregnancy which surprised viewers last year. “Girls” star Jemima Kirke joins this season as the new headteacher Hope. While certain developments are expected, here’s hoping that the show created by Laurie Nunn keeps most of its heart intact.
Release Date: Season 3 premieres September 17 on Netflix
“The Morning Show” Season 2
One of the first shows out of the gate at Apple TV+, the first season of “The Morning Show” didn’t earn the accolades some of its contemporaries like “Ted Lasso,” “Mythic Quest” and “For All Mankind” did. Perhaps it was the promise of the all-star cast which included Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carrell, and Billy Crudup, but the stakes were high, and most left feeling as if the show never truly found itself, with our review calling out the series “faux feminism.” That said, hopefully, the show has learned from its mistakes as we enter season two where the show will once again tackle the toxic workspace as Aniston and Witherspoon’s characters face the blowback that happens in the wake of their on-air act of protest against sexual misconduct.
Release Date: Season 2 premieres September 17th on Apple TV+
“Dear White People” Season 4
In its fourth and final season, Netflix’s “Dear White People” continues to challenge viewers – this time by transforming itself into a ’90s-inspired musical for the remaining ten episodes. Created by Justin Simien, the final season will move its way through the character’s senior year of college while simultaneously jumping ahead to a post-pandemic future where the characters, according to the synopsis, are reflecting their last formative year. Logan Browning stars alongside DeRon Horton, and Brandon P. Bell in the ambitious final season.
Release Date: Season 4 premieres September 22 on Netflix
“Star Wars: Visions”
Many will consider the upcoming release of “Star Wars Visions” not only one of their most anticipated of the upcoming month but also the first “Star Wars” related property worthy of interest in recent years – at least since “The Last Jedi.” The anthology series includes nine short films from seven Japanese animation studios in a move to bring in unique perspectives and spin on an established universe. The studios include the likes of Studio Trigger which has brought you everything from “Promare” to “Gurren Lagann,” and Geno Studio which produced the series “Golden Kamuy.” Studios Production IG, Kamikaze Douga, Studio Colorido, Science SARU, and Kinema Citrus Co. are also involved. Lucy Liu, Henry Golding, Simu Liu, and Alison Brie are only just a few of the voice talent attached.
Release Date: The series premieres September 22 on Disney+
“Midnight Mass”
To fellow “Friday Night Lights” fans who have waited patiently for actor Zach Gilford to be given better roles since the end of the sports drama, Netflix’s “Midnight Mass” is already alluring. That said, even for those who didn’t obsessively consume the story of an underdog football team, there’s plenty to look forward to – mainly that it’s the latest from Mike Flannigan who created both “The Haunting of Hill House” and “The Haunting of Bly Manor,” two of the buzzier shows in recent years. “Midnight Mass” continues his horror-inspired trend, this time following the arrival of a charismatic priest who brings miracles and renewed faith to a dying town. Rahul Kohli, Katie Siegel, and Hamish Linklater also star.
Release Date: Season 1 premieres September 24 on Netflix
“Foundation”
As mentioned above when talking about “Y: The Last Man,” September looks to be a good month for science fiction series. “Foundation” stars Lee Pace, Jared Harris, Lou Llobell, Laura Birn, and Alfred Enoch in a story that follows Harris’ Dr. Hari Seldon and his loyal followers as they attempt to preserve their culture as the galaxy around them collapses. Based on the book series of the same name by author Isaac Asimov, the series is produced by David S. Goyer. If nothing else, at the very least from previews so far the series looks stunning, enriching an already dense text with beautiful visuals – hopefully, the script can keep up.
Release Date: Season 1 premieres September 24 on Apple TV+