September TV: All the best shows headed to Aussie screens this month

There’s some seriously great TV headed our way as the weather gets warmer. Here’s what’s worth your time in September.

The Grand Tour (Prime Video, September 4)

Jeremy Clarkson, James May and Richard Hammond have officially passed the baton — and given their seal of approval — to Thomas Holland, James Engelsman and everyone’s favourite social media trainspotter, Francis Bourgeois. They are stepping in to host the newly re-imagined car series, and it’s heaps of fun.

Last Seen (Apple TV Plus, September 9)

Colin From Accounts’ Patrick Brammall and Love My Way’s Brendan Cowell star in this propulsive home-grown drama, based on the 2011 crime-thriller by Ryan David Jahn. Brammall stars as a triple-0 call dispatcher who receives a frantic phone call from someone he believes is his missing daughter, kidnapped 11 years prior. This is edge-of-your-seat stuff — don’t miss it.

High Country: What Lies Beneath (Foxtel & Binge, September 14)

Leah Purcell returns to reprise her role as Detective Sergeant Andie Whitford. She’s in Victoria’s High Country, investigating a crime that hits a lot closer to home this time around. Brendan Cowell (there he is again!), Ryan Corr and Nadine Garner join returning stars Ian McElhinney, Sara Wiseman and Aaron Pedersen. Expect lots of twists and turns.

Slow Horses (Apple TV Plus, September 16)

This espionage drama starring Gary Oldman as crotchety spy Jackson Lamb is, in my humble opinion, the best thing on TV right now. This latest season, based on the sixth and seventh books by Mick Herron, sees Jackson’s Slow Horses in grave danger. They’re forced out of Slough House and on the run in a desperate attempt to outsmart forces determined to see them bumped off, one by one. Do not miss this.

Neagley (Prime Video, September 16)

This Reacher spin-off series sees Maria Sten reprise her role as security specialist Frances Neagley. Unlike Reacher, this isn’t based on any books — it’s an entirely original story. The action picks up with Neagley working as a private investigator in Chicago. She gets word a friend has died in suspicious circumstances, and becomes determined to figure out what really went down. One for Reacher fans.

Apocalypse (Foxtel & Binge, September 16)

And you thought Survivor was the toughest reality contest there was. This new format sees 14 everyday Brits and Australians dropped into a post-apocalyptic town, tasked with surviving for 28 days in a place with no food, no water, no infrastructure and no electricity. The contestants must band together to survive, but can they really form a community under such conditions? This is a wild ride — Jonathan LaPaglia narrates.

MobLand (Paramount Plus, September 18)

The hit drama returns, picking up immediately after the events of the explosive season one finale. The Harrigans are still on top — but for how long? They’ll need to have their wits about them as they battle to control their family fortune, but things are not looking good. The key cast, including Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, Helen Mirren and Paddy Considine are all returning. Expect lots of buzz about this one.

Outlander: Blood Of My Blood (Stan, September 19)

Season two of this Outlander spin-off series is shaping up to be another exciting ride for fans. “As the tartan army prepares for battle in the Scottish Highlands, families, friends and lovers are torn apart as every clan is forced to choose a side,” says the official synopsis — sign us up! This season the action is taking place in 1700s Scotland, at the start of the Jacobite Uprising.

Youth (HBO Max, September 21)

Real talk: we’d watch anything by Catastrophe and Bad Sisters creator Sharon Horgan. She’s behind this latest drama, about the plight of Alex, a 50-year-old divorcee trying to figure out who she is in this new stage of life — Horgan plays her. Anyone navigating similar terrain (hi!) will surely find much to identify with. Can’t wait for this one.

The Love Hypothesis (Prime Video, September 23)

BookTok lovers rejoice! Ali Hazelwood’s much-loved bestselling novel is being re-imagined as a film, with a couple of hot, young actors — namely Lili Reinhart and Tom Bateman — at the centre. This story follows your classic fake-relationship-to-real-relationship trajectory, but let’s face it: we’re not watching for the nuanced plot. This is getting lots of advance chatter. Mark your diaries, romcom lovers.

Brothers (Apple TV, September 23)

There’s wacky, meta concepts for TV shows, and then there’s this one: it sees real life buddies Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson playing fictionalised versions of themselves. Their friendship is thrown into chaos when it’s revealed they may actually be brothers. Harrelson’s fictionalised family travel to McConaughey’s ranch, where their messy intertwined lives intersect as they try to get to the bottom of whether they are, in fact, related. This sounds unhinged. There for it.

Wonka’s The Golden Ticket (Netflix, September 23)

If you ever watched Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory, dreaming you’d one day step foot in Wonka’s magical world, this show is for you! This reality competition series sees 12 contestants, each of whom have won the coveted Golden Ticket, enter Wonka’s world to compete in a series of physical and mental challenges. Competitors are eliminated until there’s one player remaining, who walks away with a huge cash prize. Gene Wilder’s estate authorised the use of his voice as narrator. How great does this sound?

American Horror Story: 13 (Foxtel & Binge, September 25)

Ryan Murphy’s cult horror series is back for its lucky number 13th series. He’s marking the auspicious milestone with a 13-episode cross-over event, which will see some of the franchise’s most iconic characters back. Fan-favourite characters including Constance Langdon, Cordelia Goode, Madison Montgomery, Marie Laveau, Rubber Man, Twisty the Clown, and Kai Anderson will make an appearance — get ready, AHS fans.