Five things to watch this September – from Nicole Kidman's stylish new thriller to 'A Very Royal Scandal'
The TV world never fails to adopt and embrace Back to School energy. Think of your small-screen viewing schedule as the start of a new academic term and, as such, the perfect showcase for some of the most exciting new shows. Chief among them is the latest glossy series from Susanne Bier, The Perfect Couple – a stylish whodunnit set during a society wedding in Nantucket. Then there is another dramatic adaptation of the infamous Prince Andrew Newsnight interview; this time told from the perspective of Emily Maitlis, and set over three episodes, airing on Prime Video later this month.
The much-anticipated limited series The Penguin, starring Colin Farrell, finally arrives and brings with it another dark and moody expansion of the Batman universe, while Marvel fans will no doubt rejoice at the new show Agatha All Along, a continuation of the Wandavision storyline, which debuts on Disney+ on 19 September. If all that feels a little too gritty for you, never fear: part deux of Emily in Paris season 4 totters in on 12 September.
1/ The Perfect Couple
There’s nothing quite like extremely rich people hiding extremely dark secrets in extremely well-decorated houses, which is why the latest stylish thriller from Susanne Bier, the showrunner who brought us The Night Manager and The Undoing, will prove watercooler catnip. The Perfect Couple has it all: a rich and influential family, an outsider marrying in, a big society wedding, a house packed with eclectic and suspicious characters, and a mysterious murder. It’s also packed to the Martha Stewart-designed ceilings with A-list talent: from Nicole Kidman and Liev Shreiber to Eve Hewson, Meghann Fahy and Dakota Fanning.
The Perfect Couple is streaming on Netflix from 5 September
2/ The Penguin
An unrecognisable Colin Farrell heads up an all-star cast in The Penguin, the latest expansion of the Batman universe arriving on the small screen. It is an atmospheric take on the seedy underbelly of Gotham; a mix of Suicide Squad exuberance and the black comedy of The Sopranos, which picks up where the 2022 film, The Batman, left off, following Farrell’s Oswald ‘Oz’ Cobb’s rise to take over the mob in Gotham. Featuring Christin Milioti, Mark Strong and Michael Kelly, this eight-part limited series is pure comic-book escapism, with a gritty sheen and some killer performances.
The Penguin is on Sky Atlantic and NowTV from 20 September
3/ Emily in Paris
Netflix sure knows how to drag out a good thing. The delayed gratification of Bridgerton's last series was clearly a successful approach, as another of its heavy hitters, Emily in Paris, gets the two-parter treatment. This month sees the concluding chapter of season four, picking up where it left off: with that mid-season Camille cliff-hanger. What will become of Gabriel and Emily? Will we see Alfie again? Will Mindy make it to Eurovision? Will Sylvie ever get her own show? Meanwhile, we’ve also been promised some exciting adventures ahead: a trip to the alps and to Rome, a possible new love interest for Emily and, of course, plenty more of this show’s frankly ridiculous yet addictive charm.
Emily in Paris, season four, part two is streaming on Netflix from 12 September
4/ Agatha All Along
Back in 2021, Wandavision was a surprise critical hit for the Marvel Universe’s small-screen output. Now, its breakout star, Agatha, played by Kathryn Hahn, is getting her own show. In it, the once mighty witch has assembled a motley crew of colourful characters – played by Aubrey Plaza, Patti Lu Pone and Sasheer Zamata – to help her regain her powers, and sets off on a spooky adventure along the famous ‘Witch’s Road’. Darkly funny and deliciously twisted, it is a perfect pre-Halloween treat.
Agatha All Along is streaming on Disney + from 19 September
5/ A Very Royal Scandal
Following the success of the Netflix film Scoop, you would be forgiven for thinking that we needn’t return to the subject of that now-infamous Prince Andrew Newsnight interview quite so soon. Yet, A Very Royal Scandal proffers a new and intriguing perspective – pushing beyond that iconic moment, interrogating its legacy and the impact journalism can make when challenging such established power. Seen from the perspective of Emily Maitlis, who also serves as an executive producer, this three-part miniseries stars Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen and is helmed by the same team who tackled A Very English Scandal and A Very British Scandal. It closes their trilogy of outrages which rocked the nation.
A Very Royal Scandal is streaming on Prime Video from 19 September
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