By Tim Lowery and Saloni Gajjar. Clockwise from bottom left: Only Murders In The Building (Photo: Patrick Harbron/Disney), Task (Photo: Peter Kramer/HBO), The Paper (Photo: John P. Fleenor/Peacock), The Savant (Photo: Apple TV+)
Fall tends to be one of the busiest times for TV, and this year is no exception. Next month boasts the returns of network shows like ABC breakout High Potentialand plenty of Fox animated sitcoms, not to mention Only Murders In The Building, Slow Horses,and Gen V. As for highly anticipated debuts, HBO presents an intense Mark Ruffalo-led drama, Apple TV+ serves up Jessica Chastain in The Savant, and Glen Powell leads a Hulu sports comedy. Not to be left behind when it comes to star-studded fare, Netflix premieres a family saga led by Jason Bateman and Jude Law. Meanwhile, The Office‘s universe expands with The Paper, and Reservation Dogs’ Sterlin Harjo reunites with Ethan Hawke for a new FX noir. Here is The A.V. Club’s guide to what to watch on TV in September.
Twenty years after The Office‘s premiere on NBC, Greg Daniels ventures back into its world with a spin-off he developed with Nathan For You‘s Michael Koman. The documentary crew that filmed Dunder Mifflin now takes over the cubicles of the volunteer-led newspaper Toledo Truth-Teller. Domhnall Gleeson plays the earnest new editor-in-chief, who is determined to make serious reporters out of a very unserious crew. The ensemble includes The White Lotus‘ Sabrina Impacciatore, Chelsea Frei, Melvin Gregg, Ramona Young, and Oscar Nuñez, who reprises his role from the NBC hit. [Saloni Gajjar]
In the latest miniseries written and created by Brad Ingelsby (Mare Of Easttown), a heavy-drinking and emotionally broken FBI vet (played by a great Mark Ruffalo) leads a team of young temporary agents (portrayed by Conversations With Friends‘ Alison Oliver, House Of The Dragon‘s Fabien Frankel, and The Woman King‘s Thuso Mbedu) to find a missing child and solve a series of burglaries. Tom Pelphrey (who’s also fantastic here) takes on the complicated thief they’re after. If you liked Easttown (or, honestly, Heat), this one is for you. [Tim Lowery]
Only Murders In The Building season five (Hulu, September 9)
The Arconia’s finest sleuths—Mabel Mora (Selena Gomez), Charles Haden-Savage (Steve Martin), and Oliver Putnam (Martin Short)—try to discover who killed their beloved doorman in season five. This takes “the investigation in a whole new direction,” putting them in the crosshairs of a dangerous, wealthy mob family that has secret ties to their Upper West Side building. As always, Only Murders In The Building welcomes, ahem, a killer guest cast, including Christoph Waltz, Renée Zellweger, Bobby Cannavale, Logan Lerman, and Dianne Wiest, with Meryl Streep and Richard Kind returning. [Saloni Gajjar]
The Girlfriend (Prime Video, September 10)
Robin Wright directs and stars in this psychological thriller, an adaptation of Michelle Francis’ novel of the same name. She depicts Laura, whose seemingly impeccable life and career start to unravel when her precious adult son (portrayed by Laurie Davidson) brings home his new girlfriend, Cherry (Olivia Cooke). As this romantic relationship deepens, Laura worries that Cherry is a social climber and manipulative liar holding on to secrets. Or perhaps she is just being a paranoid mother who is afraid to lose control of her child? [Saloni Gajjar]
Gen V season two (Prime Video, September 17)
Who’s ready for another round of Godolkin University supes creating what is sure to be some violent chaos? In Gen V‘s second season, school is back in session with a new dean (played by Hamish Linklater) who promises to make his students more powerful than ever, taking inspiration directly from Homelander. Cate (Maddie Phillips) and Sam (Asa Germann) are hailed as heroes for everything that went down in season one, while others like Marie (Jaz Sinclair) and Emma (Lizzie Broadway) are back in class after months of torture and trauma. However, everyone might have to join forces when they learn of a secret program that threatens their existence. Ethan Slater is set to play Thomas Godolkin, and The Boys‘ Chace Crawford and Erin Moriarty will reprise their roles. [Saloni Gajjar]
Black Rabbit (Netflix, September 18)
In this New York City-set, high-pressure drama, the charismatic owner of a restaurant and VIP lounge (played by Jude Law) braces for trouble when his unruly brother (portrayed by Jason Bateman) arrives and unexpectedly joins the business. As they navigate stressful situations, tense encounters, and various enemies that could ruin all of their hard work, the bond between them is also tested. Cleopatra Coleman, Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù, Troy Kotsur, and Odessa Young co-star. [Saloni Gajjar]
The Lowdown (FX, September 23)
Reservation Dogs co-creator Sterlin Harjo returns to FX with The Lowdown, which centers on Lee Raybon (Ethan Hawke), an unrelenting citizen journalist and bookstore employee from Tulsa who starts uncovering dirt on a prominent local family with political ties. The enviable cast of this noir series also includes Tim Blake Nelson, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Kyle MacLachlan, Kaniehtiio Horn, and—hot off of Duster—Keith David. [Tim Lowery]
Wayward (Netflix, September 25)
Feel Good‘s Mae Martin moves into more creepy territories with Wayward, which they intriguingly describe as a mix of Booksmart and One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest. The show takes place in an idyllic small town with sinister secrets lurking below the surface. When police officer Alex (Martin) and his pregnant wife move into Tall Pines, he begins investigating the disappearance of two teen girls and suspects that the school’s mysterious leader (played by Toni Collette) is behind it. [Saloni Gajjar]
The Savant (Apple TV+, September 26)
Jessica Chastain stars in this thriller that’s inspired by the 2019 Cosmopolitan piece “Is It Possible To Stop A Mass Shooting Before It Happens?” The eight episodes chart how an undercover investigator (Chastain) infiltrates online hate groups to prevent potential extremist attacks and bring down the dangerous men who plot them. Created by The Americans writer Melissa James Gibson, the series also features Nnamdi Asomugha, James Badge Dale, Michael Mosley, and Dagmara Dominczyk. [Saloni Gajjar]
Chad Powers (Hulu, September 30)
Glen Powell and Rick And Morty‘s Michael Waldron cooked up this sports comedy, which is based on a stunt by Eli Manning. In the series, Powell’s down-on-his-luck quarterback dons prosthetics to take on a new identity and join a fledgling football team. King Of The Hill‘s Toby Huss, Perry Mattfeld, Wynn Everett, and the always-welcome Steve Zahn round out the cast. [Tim Lowery]
More September premieres
September 1 The Runarounds (Prime Video)
September 3 Wednesdayseason two, part two (Netflix) Beavis And Butt-Head season three (Comedy Central)
September 4 NCIS: Tony & Ziva (Paramount+) Lynley (BritBox)
