September 2022 streaming guide
Fantasy has taken charge of the small screen, but there’s still plenty of good viewing in September for fans of comedy and real-life drama.
Dragons one month, elves and spaceships the next. Fantasy is ruling the small screen right now, dominating new releases and commanding eye-watering budgets. House of the Dragon, HBO’s long-awaited prequel to Game of Thrones, is rumoured to have run up a bill of $US200m in pursuit of recreating some of that Westeros magic.
This month, Prime Video goes even further. The streaming platform run by Amazon is unveiling The Rings of Power: its very expensive prequel to The Lord of the Rings, set thousands of years before the story of Frodo Baggins in the Shire. Prime Video acquired the rights to author JRR Tolkien’s iconic fantasy tales in 2017, and the final budget for this first season of television is reported to be a breathtaking $US462m.
The series is further proof, if any were needed, that the golden age of television isn’t going anywhere. And that the streaming platforms will spare no expense in pursuit of the next big thing.
Fans of series other than fantasy will still find plenty to watch this month, though. Here’s the best of streaming in September.
The Rings of Power
It’s big, it’s beautiful, and it’s going to be the talk of the month. Prime Video’s epic Lord of the Rings prequel is a triumph, more so considering many thought Amazon was crazy to even attempt to recreate that Lord of the Rings magic. Smartly, The Rings of Power taps into familiar characters and landscapes – the show was shot in New Zealand, and those mountains are enough to trigger nostalgia for Middle Earth – while also making some necessary updates. New characters will charm you, including a Harfoot called Nori played by Australian actor Markella Kavenagh, and diverse casting opens the world up to whole new audiences. The story, about fighting evil in an era when the world is constantly changing, is powerful. Television doesn’t get better than this.
Prime Video from September 2
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Savage River
Australian actor Katherine Langford (Knives Out, 13 Reasons Why) returns to local screens in this ABC series about a young woman trying to escape her dark past. When Miki (Langford) is released from prison, she returns to her small home town with the hope of rebuilding her life, but there are some in the town who don’t want to forgive and forget.
ABC iView from September 4
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Wedding Season
A cross between Four Weddings and a Funeral and Game Night, this is the first UK original from the Disney+ slate. It follows a couple who meet at a wedding and have an immediate spark, before they become the prime suspects in a brutal murder and must prove their innocence, all while navigating their own burgeoning chemistry. A fun update on the romantic comedy genre.
Disney+ from September 8
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American Gigolo
Jon Bernthal steps into Richard Gere’s shoes – and sexy suits – in this remake of the iconic 1980s film of the same name. Bernthal stars as the escort released from prison who returns to his old line of work while trying to clear his name. Say what you will about remakes and reboots – there are definitely too many of them around these days – but cast Bernthal in an American Gigolo remake and we will be watching.
Stan from September 10
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Abbott Elementary
The long-awaited second season of smash hit comedy series Abbott Elementary lands this month. Hot on the heels of its seven Emmy nominations, the new season follows the teachers at a Philadelphia primary school as they go about their very funny days. Created by and starring comedian Quinta Brunson, the show is completely charming.
Disney+ from September 11
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Heartbreak High
When reboots work, they really work, and Netflix’s fun new iteration of the 1990s Australian series does exactly that. The cast is fantastic, the costumes are very cool and the plot, which follows a friendship breakup and the ripples it causes, feels modern and clever. Think of this version of Heartbreak High as an Australian answer to Sex Education, with a little Euphoria thrown in for good measure. The series is guaranteed to be a hit in Australia, but given Netflix’s global platform there’s every chance Heartbreak High will break hearts all around the world, and isn’t that an exciting prospect?
Netflix from September 14
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The Handmaid’s Tale
Yes, The Handmaid’s Tale is still going. The brutal dystopian series, based on the novel by Margaret Atwood about an America plunged into a terrifying world in which women are prized for their reproductive capacity and little else, was a hit when it first premiered in 2017. Elisabeth Moss was widely praised for her harrowing performance as June, a handmaid trapped in Gilead and separated from her husband and child. We’re not quite saying the show has overstayed its welcome, but there’s something about its endlessly bleak plot, especially in light of abortion rights debates in the US, that makes the show difficult viewing, even though it’s filled with fantastic actors and has a great director.
SBS On Demand from September 15
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Andor
This Star Wars television series, which follows Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) in the events leading up to Rogue One and A New Hope, was supposed to come out last month. But then Disney+ smartly bumped the series a couple of weeks down the calendar in order to avoid a three-way stoush with House of the Dragon and The Rings of Power. The release of a gorgeous-looking trailer has sent the buzz on this prequel series into the galaxy (far, far away). Are there too many Star Wars shows right now? Potentially. Are we a bit overwhelmed with genre fare at the moment? Undoubtedly. But when these shows are good, they’re brilliant, and Andor has the potential to be exactly that.
Disney+ from September 21
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This England
Yes, that’s Kenneth Branagh, under a lot of prosthetics and makeup, in character as Boris Johnson in this new miniseries. The titan of the stage and screen stars as the (soon to be former) British prime minister in this drama set during the early days of the pandemic, as Johnson and his government underwent crisis after crisis. Ophelia Lovibond, of Elementary and Minx fame, stars as Johnson’s wife, Carrie Symonds.
Binge from September 22
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Bali 2002
A fantastic cast has been assembled to dramatise the events of the Bali bombings, including Australians Rachel Griffiths, Richard Roxburgh and Sean Keenan, as well as Bridgerton’s Claudia Jessie. Together, they go into all corners of the story, from the tourists caught up in the attack, to the doctors treating the injured victims, to the Australian police on the ground in Bali in the days after the attack. The four-episode series will stream at the end of the month to mark the 20th anniversary of the tragedy in October.
Stan from September 25
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Luxe Listings Sydney
A third season of Luxe Listings Sydney is here, bringing more luxury, more listings, and certainly more Sydney to hungry audiences. Whether you love it, or love to hate it, there’s something addictive about this reality series, which follows high-powered real estate agents in Sydney’s eastern suburbs as they compete for the biggest, boldest, most bougie sales. And honestly, who doesn’t love a peek behind the curtain at some of the city’s most expensive properties?
Prime Video from September 30
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