Television doesn’t sleep. Backstage is breaking down, month by month, the buzzy shows and performances that merit attention from awards voters and couch potatoes alike across the ever-expanding landscape of the small screen.
In the old days, fall was the time for major TV networks to drop big-name premieres and returning seasons of their biggest titles. But that was then, and this is now, and only two series are debuting among the big four—Dan Harmon’s animated series “Krapopolis” on Fox (Sept. 23) and NBC procedural “The Irrational,” starring Jesse L. Martin (Sept. 25).
Streamers, on the other hand, keep churning out shows like so much sausage; Netflix alone is debuting more than 20 new seasons and premieres. Chief among those is the fourth and final installment of “Sex Education” (Sept. 21), just in time for Ncuti Gatwa to take over the title role on the BBC’s “Doctor Who” next year. Meanwhile, Apple TV+ is bringing us Season 3 of its Emmy-nominated “The Morning Show” (Sept. 13) and the premiere of British comedy series “Still Up” (Sept. 22). On Prime Video, you can catch Season 2 of fantasy saga “The Wheel of Time” (Sept. 1) and “Wilderness,” a romantic revenge thriller starring Jenna Coleman and Oliver Jackson-Cohen.
How To Become a TV Actor But don’t discount the cablers and their many franchises. AMC is continuing to ride the zombie money train with “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” the fifth spinoff of its post-apocalyptic juggernaut (Sept. 10). Not to be outdone, Starz is dropping Season 2 of “Power Book IV: Force” on Sept. 1, proving that its highly rated crime-drama universe is still going strong. Meanwhile, Ryan Murphy’s sprawling “American Horror Story” anthology series returns with its 12th season, “Delicate,” starring big names including Cara Delevigne, Zachary Quinto, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, and, yes, Kim Kardashian (Sept. 20).
But if you’re hungry for fresh blood, fear not: We’ve compiled a list of our top three new series, plus a full list of everything premiering and returning this month.
“The Changeling”
Kelly Marcel (“Terra Nova,” “Venom”) is trying horror on for size with this Apple TV+ series, based on the 2017 novel by Victor LaValle. “Judas and the Black Messiah” Oscar nominee LaKeith Stanfield stars as Apollo, a man whose wife, Emmy (Clark Backo), and infant son go missing thanks to the incursion of otherworldly forces—likely thanks to a pact Emmy made with a mysterious woman she met in the Brazilian jungle. “The Changeling” also features Samuel T. Herring, Jonelle Gunderson, and character-acting stalwarts Adina Porter and Daphne Rubin-Vega. You can catch the show starting Sept. 8.
“Dreaming Whilst Black”
This British comedy whipped up a storm of critical acclaim—including a five-star review from the Guardian—when it premiered on BBC Three over the summer. Now, Showtime has picked it up stateside for a Sept. 10 premiere. In 2022, co-creator and star Adjani Salmon won the BAFTA TV Award for best emerging artist on the strength of the series’ pilot. He plays Kwabena, an aspiring Jamaican British filmmaker who makes ends meet by working at a drab recruitment firm. Along the way, “Dreaming Whilst Black” explores the ways that Kwabena must sacrifice his vision to rise in a white-dominated industry. Co-created alongside Max Evans, Natasha Jatania, and Laura Seixas, the series costars Jo Martin, Dani Moseley, and Rachel Adedeji.
“Gen V”
Forget the MCU; there’s a new superhero franchise in town—admittedly, a much darker one. “Gen V,” which drops Sept. 29 on Prime Video, is a spinoff of Eric Kripke’s Emmy-nominated “The Boys,” which follows a group of rebels and the corporatized supes they’re determined to dethrone. The new series focuses on the next generation of Vought International–backed vigilantes, who are learning the tricks of the trade at Godolkin University School of Crimefighting—and all the moral compromises that come with it. Kripke developed “Gen V” alongside Evan Goldberg (“Preacher”) and Craig Rosenberg (“Based on a True Story”); the series stars up-and-comers including Jaz Sinclair and Chance Perdomo (“Chilling Adventures of Sabrina”), as well as “Teenage Bounty Hunters” star Maddie Phillips.
Acorn TV
Sept. 18 – “Mrs. Sidhu Investigates” premiere
ALLBLK
Sept. 14 – “Á La Carte” premiere
Amazon Freevee
Sept. 18 – “Neighbours: A New Chapter” premiere
AMC/AMC+
Sept. 10 – “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon” premiere
Apple TV+
Sept. 8 – “The Changeling” premiere
Sept. 13 – “The Morning Show” Season 3
Sept. 22 – “Still Up” premiere
BritBox
Sept. 6 – “The Curse” Season 2
Sept. 20 – “Avoidance” premiere
The CW
Sept. 12 – “The Swarm” premiere
Disney+
Sept. 6 – “I Am Groot” Season 2
Fox
Sept. 23 – “Krapopolis” premiere
FX
Sept. 20 – “American Horror Story: Delicate” premiere
Hulu
Sept. 13 – “The Other Black Girl” premiere
Courtesy Hulu
Max
Sept. 28 – “Starstruck” Season 3
NBC
Sept. 25 – “The Irrational” premiere
Netflix
Sept. 1 – “Disenchantment” Season 5
Sept. 6 – “6ixtynin9” premiere
Sept. 6 – “Reporting for Duty” premiere
Sept. 6 – “Infamy” premiere
Sept. 6 – “Tahir’s House” premiere
Sept. 7 – “Dear Child” premiere
Sept. 7 – “Kung Fu Panda: The Dragon Knight” Season 3
Sept. 7 – “Top Boy” Season 3
Sept. 7 – “Virgin River” Season 5
Sept. 8 – “Burning Body” premiere
Sept. 8 – “A Time Called You” premiere
Sept. 13 – “Class Act” premiere
Sept. 14 – “Thursday’s Widows” premiere
Sept. 15 – “The Club” Season 2
Sept. 15 – “Miseducation” premiere
Sept. 15 – “Surviving Summer” Season 2
Sept. 20 – “Hard Broken” premiere
Sept. 21 – “Scissor Seven” Season 4
Sept. 21 – “Sex Education” Season 4
Sept. 22 – “Song of the Bandits” premiere
Sept. 28 – “Castlevania: Nocturne” premiere
Paramount+
Sept. 7 – “Star Trek: Lower Decks” Season 4
Sept. 17 – “The Gold” premiere
PBS
Sept. 3 – “Professor T” Season 2
Sept. 3 – “Unforgotten” Season 5
Sept. 3 – “Van der Valk” Season 3
Peacock
Sept. 22 – “The Continental: From the World of John Wick” premiere
Prime Video
Sept. 1 – “The Wheel of Time” Season 2
Sept. 15 – “Wilderness” premiere
Sept. 29 – “Gen V” premiere
Showtime
Sept. 10 – “Dreaming Whilst Black” premiere
Starz
Sept. 1 – “Power Book IV: Force” Season 2
Sundance Now
Sept. 28 – “The Vanishing Triangle” premiere