It’s September, which means we’re about to lock into a whole lotta things for the rest of the year. Add to that list getting your TV/streaming watch schedule down pat. The upcoming fall-into-winter season offers a little something for everyone, from the return of a fictional late-night TV host icon to a real-life athlete cameoing on a soapy drama. Mark your Google Calendar; you’re gonna want to have every single one of these shows color-coded with a remind-me notification so you don’t miss a minute of great television.
SEPTEMBER
The Varnell Hill Show (Series Premiere) September 1, Paramount+: Tommy Davidson revives his iconic Martin character as an old-school late-night host fighting to stay relevant in a new media era. And getting majorly meta, there’s a real talk show built into this imaginary late-night world.
The Drop: A Snowfall Saga (Series Premiere) September 8, FX / Hulu: The story continues... Wanda (Gail Bean) and Leon (Isaiah John) return to navigate life in 1990s Los Angeles as West Coast hip-hop explodes. Believing music can reshape culture, Wanda sets out to build a record empire from a ragtag group of talented local artists. Joined by her cousins Lamar (Asante Blackk) and James (Peyton Alex Smith), Wanda will balance ambition, loyalty, and street politics, while Leon pursues his own path of community redemption through a free legal clinic.
Untold Mr. T: I Pity the Fool (Documentary Premiere) September 8, Netflix: Mr. T looks back on the swagger, struggles and rise that made him one of pop culture’s most recognizable icons.
Slow Horses (Season 6) September 16, Apple TV: Misty Green star Rosalind Eleazar returns alongside Gary Oldman in the critically acclaimed espionage thriller. Season 6 finds the disgraced MI5 agents on the run after a high-stakes compromise forces Slough House into direct conflict with corrupt factions inside Regent’s Park, triggering a tense cat-and-mouse game across London.
Neagley (Series Premiere) September 16, Prime Video: Fan-favorite Reacher star Maria Sten finally gets to step into the spotlight, as her character, private investigator Frances Neagley, looks into a friend’s suspicious death and a dangerous conspiracy.
American Hostage (Series Premiere) September 20, MGM+: William Jackson Harper stars as a bright-eyed mentee in this true-life inspired drama, where Indianapolis radio reporter Fred Heckman is thrust into the middle of a life-or-death crisis when a hostage-taker demands to be interviewed on his popular radio news program.
The Voice (Season 30) September 21, NBC: Queen Latifah makes her debut in one of those iconic judges’ red chairs as she joins Kelly Clarkson, Adam Levine and Riley Green to find the next vocal superstar.
A Different World (Series Premiere) September 24, Netflix: The legacy of Hillman College matriculates once again for a new generation as Deborah Wayne (Maleah Joi Moon), the daughter of Whitley and Dwayne Wayne, steps onto campus. She’s navigating rivalries, budding romances, social issues, and modern campus life, with a fresh group of young scholars, but so are her parents as they return to Hillman in a whole new era.
American Horror Story (Season 13) September 24/FX: Take note of the season… the horror series is back with iconic cast members, including Angela Bassett and Gabourey Sidibe, for what promises to be its most twisted and terrifying version yet (don’t watch this one alone!).
S.W.A.T. Exiles (Series Premiere) September 25, Starz: Shemar Moore returns as Daniel “Hondo” Harrelson alongside Ronen Rubinstein, Freddy Miyares, and Lucy Barrett in this high-octane spinoff. Pulled out of retirement, Hondo takes charge of an experimental LAPD unit made up of volatile, last-chance recruits. It’s all about internal friction and steep odds as Hondo tries to mold this rebellious squad into a cohesive unit to protect Los Angeles and save the S.W.A.T. program.
Saturday Night Live (Season 52) September 26, NBC/Peacock. The iconic late-night sketch comedy series returns for its 52nd season live from Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, and rumor has it that the show will feature a new Black female cast member. We’re here for it.
OCTOBER
Reasonable Doubt (Season 4) October 6, Hulu: Jacqueline “Jax” Stewart (Emayatzy Corinealdi) returns to take on her most high-stakes criminal defense case yet in Los Angeles. Joined by McKinley Freeman, Tim Jo, Angela Grovey, and Morris Chestnut, the firm takes on a powerful new client, R&B star Eric Cropper, played by Durrell “Tank” Babbs, while squaring off against brilliant new District Attorney Regina Harris (Meagan Good). Jax will be balancing questionable courtroom ethics and complex family dynamics, dressed to the nines like always.
NCIS: New York (Series Premiere) October 6, CBS: LL Cool J’s Sam Hanna heads East for a new chapter of the long-running NCIS franchise. He’s trading in palm trees and Rodeo Drive to solve crimes on the big, gritty streets of New York City.
Abbott Elementary (Season 6) October 7, ABC: Janine Teagues (Quinta Brunson) and her dedicated team of Philadelphia public school educators return for another school year, with lunchboxes filled with heart and humor. Our favorite faculty also returns to the roster, delivering milestone moments and continuing to support the kids.
Cupertino (Series Premiere) October 8, CBS: Named after the famous tech area of Silicon Valley, Mike Colter is heading up this legal drama about attorneys taking on the power, money and secrets.
The Brittney Griner Story (Documentary Premiere) October 21, ESPN / Hulu: WNBA superstar Brittney Griner shares her deeply personal, candid story recounting her 10-month detention in a Russian prison. The documentary feature chronicles her harrowing ordeal, the international efforts surrounding her release, and her emotional journey to rebuild her life, reclaim her voice, and return to the court alongside her family and team.
Lupin (Part 4) October 23, Netflix: Following the dramatic cliffhanger that left him behind bars, master thief Assane Diop (Omar Sy) must orchestrate his most daring escape yet. Because navigating prison rivalries and political corruption in Paris to outsmart old enemies and protect his family is something worth leaving in the dust.
Nocturne (Series Premiere), October 30, Apple TV: Zazie Beetz plays FBI agent Saga Bauer who is tracking a serial killer’s missing victims to help her surrogate father, a homicide detective, protect the family from the serial killer’s threats.
NOVEMBER
The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins (Season 2) November 2, NBC/Peacock: Tracy Morgan’s Reggie Dinkins, a disgraced former football star on a mission to rehabilitate his image and win back public favor two decades after a career-ending scandal, is back with his award-winning documentary filmmaker hired to capture his comeback.
Bass X Machina (Series Premiere) November 3, Netflix: Brian Tyree Henry stars as Bass Reeves in this gritty adult animated world. Set in a lawless frontier overrun by rogue machines and supernatural threats, Bass is seeking out those who would do no good, human and machine alike. And yes, he’s based on the real-life Black deputy U.S. Marshal of the 1800s.
The Greatest (Series Premiere) November 4, Prime Video: Jaalen Best steps into the ring as Muhammad Ali in the first authorized scripted series about the boxing legend’s extraordinary life. Michael Jordan and Ali’s widow Lonnie Ali are behind the production.
The Hunting Wives (Season 2) November 26, Netflix: Basketball great Angel Reese will make a blink-and-you-might-miss-it cameo on the soapy Southern series as a former athlete pulled into a key storyline. But that’s enough reason for us to tune in for a season.