Month: September 2021

Each week our staff of film and TV experts surveys the entertainment landscape to select the ten best new/newish shows available for you to stream at home. We put a lot of thought into our selections, and our debates on what to include and what not to include can sometimes get a little heated and feelings may get hurt, but so be it, this is an important service for you, our readers. With that said, here are our selections for this week.

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1. What We Do In The Shadows (FX/Hulu)

Well, well, well. Guillermo turned out to be a vampire killer, which sure as heck came as a surprise to Nandor, Nadja, and Laszlo, and Colin. The four Staten Island roommates must figure out how to handle this conundrum, along with tackling the other challenges of this season. Those include dealing with wellness cults and gym culture, along with gargoyles, werewolves who play kickball, casinos, and more. In other words, this is still one of the funniest shows on TV. Watch it on FX and Hulu.

2. Ted Lasso (Apple TV+)

There are moments in the early stages of season two that feel like they’re doubling down on the show’s signature positivity and niceness, but there’s no such thing as sweetness overload here as the show grows our affection for characters that are clearly taking a step forward in their arcs. Especially Ted, even though it seems like there may be some challenges ahead. Watch it on Apple TV+.

3. Only Murders In The Building (Hulu)

Selena Gomez stars alongside the legendary Steve Martin and Martin Short, and the three portray NYC neighbors who aim to unravel an apparent murder inside their apartment building. Yes, they’re all podcasting because everyone does it (duh), and before long, the killer might be after them, too. Martin hasn’t written a feature film since the Pink Panther movies and Shopgirl, and I don’t wanna come out and call this trio a “much cooler Three Amigos” update, but Martin wrote that, too, so why not? Watch it on Hulu.

4. Reservation Dogs (Hulu)

Taika Waititi’s FX on Hulu follow-up to What We Do in the Shadows brings us a comedy series that’s co-written by Native American filmmaker Sterlin Harjo. Yes, the lead quartet in this show rocks suits that look strikingly similar to the characters of Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs, yet they’re four Indigenous teens who want to commit crime and simply can’t pull it off. The show was shot in and near Okmulgee, Oklahoma, and these teens hope to make it all the way to California. The cast and crew come from indigenous communities, from where Harjo and Waititi are aiming their storytelling styles as well. Watch it on Hulu.

5. A.P. Bio (Peacock)

Glenn Howerton’s misbehaving tin man found a heart and a few reasons to turn the volume down on his hatred of Toledo and Whitlock High School, but there’s little chance A.P. Bio is going to turn into the feel-good hit of the late summer when it returns to Peacock for its 4th season (and 2nd on the streamer). Instead, look for the show’s standout teen cast to continue stealing scenes and for Howerton’s Jack to continue using annoyance as a fuel source, albeit with some different rules of the road now that he has more evident stakes. Beyond all that though, we’re stoaked to see more Paula Pell flexes. With A.P. Bio and Girls5Eva, the longtime SNL writer is proving to be Peacock’s secret comedy weapon and we are here for it. Digitally insert her into reruns of The Office, inject some levity into Dr. Death, SAVED BY THE BELL CROSSOVER! The world is crying out for more Paula Pell. Watch it on Peacock.

6. American Horror Story: Double Feature (FX/Hulu)

Ryan Murphy’s now-classic, still pulpy, always fun scare parade is back for a 10th season, with two separate stories told by a crew of familiar faces. Yes, Sarah Paulson is in there, as are Finn Wittrock and Lily Rabe, as per usual, but you knew that. The bigger story is that Macauley Culkin drops by this season as a character named Mickey. It was always coming to this, really, looping Culkin into the AHS universe. The biggest surprise is that it took this long. Watch it on Hulu.

7. The Other Two (HBO Max)

The Other Two returns after a long, long wait following a one-year shutdown on production for… you know why. The result of that time away? Brooke and Cary are still assholes (but assholes who are advancing in their lives and dealing with the chaos of that), Chase is giving the Stranger Things kids a run for their money in the “let’s pretend these growth spurts didn’t happen” department, Streeter has gone blonde, and Molly Shannon has been UNLEASHED as Pat Dubek becomes a star in her own right. The results are somehow equally scathing and heartfelt, allowing the show to climb another wrung in the “you really need to watch this” hierarchy. Watch it on HBO Max.

8. Pen15 (Hulu)

The first half of Pen15’s second season ended on a downer note: Maya (Maya Erskine) is dealing with a breakup and Anna (Anna Konkle) has to decide which of her parents she wants to live with. You know what will cheer them up? A road trip to Florida! The one-off special acts as a mid-season bridge, and although it’s animated, the painful reminders of adolescence are still very real. Watch it on Hulu.

9. See (Apple TV+)

his show was so wild and wooly that it worked last year with Jason Momoa back in fur coats and in warrior mode. He’s now antagonized by Dave Bautista, which should add enough drama to keep the (somewhat silly) story alive, in a world where no one can see, but everyone is beautiful to look at from an audience standpoint. One of those sighted miracle-twins needs rescuing, so that propels much of the action early this season, but mostly, it’s all about clashing egos and warring beards. A good time, in other words. Watch it on Apple TV+.

10. (tie) The Chair (Netflix)

Created by Amanda Peet and produced by Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, The Chair tells the story of a new professor dealing with a failing English department at a fancy private university. It’s always nice to see Sandra Oh get a meaty lead role like this, and if her work on shows like Killing Eve is any indication, she’ll carry it well. Watch it on Netflix.

10. (tie) What If…? (Disney+)

We’re in the multiverse after Loki‘s season finale. The MCU promises to show us a wealth of scenarios that stand separate from the existing movie lore. Agent Carter will take the serum and become Captain Carter. There’s a Zombie Captain America, and King T’Challa materializes elsewhere as Star Lord. Notably, Chadwick Boseman did voice work here, so you’ll be able to say a proper goodbye to his Black Panther. Let the good times and the tears roll. Watch it on Disney+.

Drake and Kanye West have feuded here and there over the years, and now the pair seems to be back at it again. The two recently traded jabs via verses and text screenshots before West posted Drake’s Toronto address on his Instagram. It appears West may be intent on keeping this spat alive, as some speculate that his latest Donda promotional move was intended to add fuel to the fire.

Fans have noticed that giant billboards for Donda, which have a plain white background with the album title in bold black text, have popped up in Toronto. This comes after Drake has been making use of billboards to share apparent Certified Lover Boy lyrics and reveal some of the artists who are featuring on the album. Furthermore, Kanye’s new billboards are in the city’s Yonge-Dundas Square, which is where Drake’s billboards are.

Some think that this is a deliberate jab at Drake:

It’s worth noting, though, that BlogTO likens Yonge-Dundas Square to Toronto’s version of New York City’s Times Square, which would make the bustling area a logical spot for West to push Donda, feud or no feud. The publication also notes that the Donda images are part of a rotation of ads that cycle through the digital billboards and therefore aren’t a constant presence.

So, while it’s possible that this was a calculated anti-Drake move from West, another explanation could be that West and his team simply chose a prominent area in a major North American city to promote the new album.

Overnight, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the near-total abortion ban in Texas. The state has effectively banned abortions after six weeks (without exceptions for rape or incest). Not only that, but the state now allows any private citizen to sue someone (including doctors or anyone who even gives a patient a ride to a clinic) who assists a woman in getting an abortion. It’s scary stuff with potentially far-reaching effects as other red states might follow the same bold move, one that will disproportionally affect those women without the financial resources to head elsewhere to secure an abortion.

And of course, there’s the tendency to start pointing fingers. How did we get to the point where Texas threatens to topple Roe V. Wade with The Handmaid’s Tale comparisons flying everywhere? Well, some people are going way back to Susan Sarandon’s 2016 tantrum that ended with her leaving he DNC. The Thelma and Louise star famously looked grumpy as hell during Bernie’s speech endorsing Hillary Clinton, and then she went on BBC Newsnight to declare (of why she wouldn’t vote for Hillary), “I don’t vote with my vagina.” This, for some reason, is making people believe that the Texas developments involving uteruses is mostly Sarandon’s fault.

It’s very silly to draw that conclusion. A whole lot of factors led to Trump being elected, which allowed him to appoint pro-life Supreme Court justices that would uphold whatever the heck Texas lawmakers are thinking (which allows them to take advantage of the structural oppression already present in the state). As one user declared about the current situation, “Since y’all have decided that Susan Sarandon is the most powerful woman in politics why don’t we just make her President?”

That’s kind-of what some folks are doing, as far as the Sarandon blame game goes.

Meanwhile, others are pointing out how non-productive it is to blame Sarandon, rather than attempt to think of solutions to the problem and gear up for 2022, 2024, and beyond. Those Supreme Court justices are appointed for life, after all, and there’s much work to be done in red states by the pro-choice crowd.

Is it the weekend yet? Because social media needs a vacation.

If you’ve ever wanted to see The Rock tackle Deadpool out of a window, have I got a trailer for you! Directed by Rawson Marshall Thurber, Red Notice is “the biggest movie Netflix has ever done” with a rumored $200 million budget, starring three of the biggest stars in the world in Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Ryan Reynolds, and Gal Gadot.

The action-adventure movie stars Johnson as an FBI agent who tags “the world’s greatest art thief” (Gadot) and “the world’s greatest conman” (Reynolds) with “Red Notices,” making them the world’s most wanted criminals. “I mean, talk about charisma,” Thurber told Empire about working with those three. “I feel very, very fortunate. It’s a little bit like directorial cheating, having all three of them together in the same frame. Chemistry is just not a function of writing or even directing – it’s a function of casting. You either have it or you don’t. And those guys have something special.”

Here’s more:

An Interpol-issued Red Notice is a global alert to hunt and capture the world’s most wanted. But when a daring heist brings together the FBI’s top profiler (Johnson) and two rival criminals (Gadot, Reynolds), there’s no telling what will happen.

Red Notice comes out on November 12.

To wrap up August, Kim Kardashian took to Instagram to share a video for Kanye West’s Donda highlight “Come To Life,” which featured footage from West’s Chicago listening event at Soldier Field. It seemed at the time that this wasn’t an official video for the song, given that the only place it appeared was Kardashian’s Instagram page. Now, though, the clip actually has been released as the song’s official video.

The video starts with a wide shot of West’s re-creation of his childhood home before transitioning to a shot of him becoming engulfed in flames. Then, for the clip’s latter half, Kardashian meanders around the stage in a wedding dress before coming face-to-face with West. While using live footage for an official video could be perceived as a cop-out, the listening event was cinematic in nature and basically something like a live music video shoot, so it feels appropriate here.

While the video features a remake of West’s childhood house, the rapper apparently tried to have the actual building moved to Soldier Field for the event, but was unable to secure the permits required to do so.

Watch the “Come To Life” video above and read our review of Donda here.

September roared in like a lion on Wednesday. Texas all but outlawed abortion, and the Supreme Court was disturbingly silent about it. Meanwhile, Hurricane Ida — which had already decimated the South, leaving parts of Louisiana, including New Orleans, without power — headed northeastward. By nightfall, it was pummeling Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and parts of New England. By day’s end, New York City, the grand metropolis that has seen it all, crossed a new first off the list: It had its maiden flash flood.

As per The New York Times, at least three and as much as five inches of rain had hit northeast New Jersey and parts of New York City. A tornado warning had been declared for the Bronx. Eventually all subway service was cancelled. Before midnight Mayor Bill de Blasio had formally announced a State of Emergency. Those stranded away from their homes by a storm that was even worse than predicted had to navigate through several feet of water, just to get home.

There was plenty of footage, too. Of flooded subway stations.

Of buses stuck in water that forced passengers to stand on seats.

Of delivery people treading through an inner city river to drop off food.

Uber prices soared (assuming they could barrel through the water).

It all seemed like it was out of a bad movie. Indeed, it reminded people about one specific film: 2003’s The Day After Tomorrow, in which Independence Day maven Roland Emmerich turned anxieties over climate change into a disaster movie spectacular.

Jersey was not spared either.

It was a perfect storm on a perfectly dreadful day. And just because one disaster was still unfolding didn’t mean anyone forgot about the day’s earlier disaster, whose true impact hasn’t even begun to be felt.

If you’re not enjoying our exciting future, in which weather disasters pile on top of each other, and in which one state imposes draconian reproductive laws in the clear hope that they will expand nationwide, then gently remind Democrats that they currently control all three bodies of government. But for now, we have AOC pointing out that the Green New Deal should sound awfully good right now.

On Wednesday afternoon, Lil Nas X revealed the tracklist for his upcoming debut album, Montero. The 15-track album will include features from Jack Harlow, Doja Cat, Elton John, Megan Thee Stallion, and Miley Cyrus. Many fans shared their excitement for the upcoming collaborations, but there we others that were curious about the lack of Black male artists on the album as one noted about the singer’s upcoming project. “Lil Nas X’s album has no black male guest lol,” they wrote on Twitter. “Just women & white men. No agenda tho.” Lil Nas replied, “maybe a lot of them just don’t wanna work with me.”

Kid Cudi caught wind of Lil Nas’ response and made it very clear that he would love to work with the singer at any point in the future. “N**** ill work w u and frolic in rose gardens w u singin about my pain,” Cudi wrote in reply to Lil Nas. The singer happily accepted the offer and in a later tweet he wrote, “u heard it here first everybody. kid cudi x lil nas for montero deluxe.” Cudi confirmed the collaboration would happen in a tweet of his own that read, “Im there. Say less,” and added, “lets have our boys @takeadaytrip set it up!”

You can view the interaction between the two artists above.

Montero is out 9/17 via Columbia Records. Pre-save it here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

After all the destruction the 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti have caused, a number of celebrities are stepping forward to help with relief efforts. One of them is Justin Bieber, who just launched a fundraiser to help victims of the quake. The singer partnered with Proplr and Project Medishare, a non-profit organization providing human, technical, and medical resources on the ground in Haiti, for the fundraiser. Bieber is offering a trip for two people to Las Vegas, which includes flights, hotel accommodations, tickets to his concert at the T-Mobile arena, as well as a meet-and-greet experience.

In addition to the aforementioned treats, the singer announced that an exclusive event in New York during the week of September 12 would be included in the fundraiser. “@Medishare4Haiti is on the ground providing critical medical care and distributing food and hygiene kits to families affected by the devastating 7.2 magnitude earthquake in Haiti,” Bieber wrote in a post on Twitter according to Billboard. “We have set up an auction with @Proplr to raise funds for their lifesaving work.”

The singer’s fans can also earn themselves some exclusive merch if they donate to the fundraiser. The singer joins Lil Baby and Jackboy who recently announced they would team up to build a hospital in Haiti as well as donate $100,000 to relief efforts. Future also announced a benefit concert with guest performances from Lil Uzi Vert and more.

You can read more about the fundraiser on Proplr’s website here.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Mitch McConnell’s position in the GOP is precarious. Trump hates him, even though he helped acquit him after his second impeachment, ensuring he could run again in 2024. And his party remains, by and large, in thrall to a one-term septuagenarian who’s been booted from much of social media and now lives in resorts, ranting to strangers. But he still has power. And when he announced on Wednesday that no way would Joe Biden be impeached, that pretty much did it.

“The President is not going to be removed from office with a Democratic House and a narrowly Democratic Senate,” McConnell told a crowd at a Kentucky event. “That’s not going to happen.” After all, it’s the Democrats who have run all three houses of government. He did have one solution, though. “I think the way these behaviors get adjusted in this country is at the ballot box.”

For the last few weeks, conservatives — including senators Marsha Blackburn and Sen. Lindsey Graham — have tried to paint Biden’s decision to withdraw from Afghanistan, after 20 fruitless years, as a career-ending one. But the idea that a still wet-behind-the-ears president should be removed from office, over what have been a low number of deaths — and a rather high number of evacuations — has seemed over-the-top. And now that the most powerful Republican, who can still sheepdog his entire party to follow his lead, has stomped all over that already impossible dream.

(Via CNN)

Devilish detectives, vampire roommates, hedge-fund-king drama, and misfit superheroes. September is stacked with new TV shows, so that you don’t even have to go outside for entertainment, given that it’s markedly safer in your living room these days. With that in mind, there’s a lot of variety coming your way on television with productions in full swing and another month stuffed with goodness on streaming services and cable. FX on Hulu goes particularly strong this month with the return of What We Do In The Shadows and the launch of Y: The Last Man. Apple TV+ stays robust with Jon Stewart’s return to television, more of The Morning Show, and an anticipated sci-fi series. Netflix continues to pull out the stops, particularly with Lucifer‘s final season, and Showtime brings back Billions while debuting a Jeff Bridges show.

The networks come in with items of interest as well. NBC brings back the Law & Order universe, including the spinoff affectionately nicknamed around these parts as Law & Order: Meloni, along with a sci-fi series that should appeal to Manifest fans. And ABC doles out a dose of nostalgia with a reboot, and these options are only the beginning.

Here are the biggest shows worth noticing in September:

Dug Days (Pixar/Disney+ series streaming 9/1)

Surely, you remember the tearjerking Up. You know, one of those “kids’ movies” that adults loved, too? Well, lovable dog Dug is back with a series of short features that take place in his very own backyard, so expect your heart-strings to be pulled, along with your funny bone. That’s especially the case now, given that recently departed Ed Asner can be heard again here as Carl, the man who originally hitched his house to every balloon possible and took one of the most eye-popping Pixar journeys in cinematic history. Your soul might just take off like Carl’s house, too. Embrace it.

Q-Force (Netflix series streaming 9/2)

A gathering of LGBTQ+ intelligence-agency geniuses come together, finally, to show some representation in the rogue-agent sub-genre because the people demand it. All of this magic happens at the behest of Steve Maryweather, AKA Agent Mary. He comes out as gay within the American Intelligence Agency (AIA), only to be relegated to West Hollywood, and then this fired-up agent really does the thing. Eventually, the whole Q-Force transforms into Active Secret Agents status, but first, they’re tasked with dealing with Agent Buck, a straight-dude within their ranks.

What We Do in the Shadows: Season 3 (FX series returning 9/2)

Well, well, well. Guillermo turned out to be a vampire killer, which sure as heck came as a surprise to Nandor, Nadja, and Laszlo, and Colin. The four Staten Island roommates must figure out how to handle this Guillermo problem, along with tackling the other challenges of this season. Those include dealing with wellness cults and gym culture, along with gargoyles, werewolves who play kickball, casinos, and more. In addition, the vamps also receive a higher level of powers while Nandor experiences an eternal-life crisis, which forces him to examine whether he should be a bachelor for eternity. Yep, this remains still one of the funniest shows on TV.

Billions: Season 5, Part 2 (Showtime series returning 9/5)

There ain’t no drama quite like hedge-fund-king drama, and it remains to be seen whether Bobby Axelrod and Chuck Rhoades will ever decide to stop wasting so much time hating the hell out of each other. Probably not? Yeah, that’d be no fun at all, and everyone on this show ends up getting yanked into the beef that may very well destroy them all. Everyone’s got a reason to love this show, and mine just happens to be watching Maggie Siff and Asia Kate Dillon, rather than the warring dudes, and an extra special treat’s on tap: Janeane Garafalo will recur as the owner of a cannabis venture. I hope she gets everyone super high.

Lucifer: The Final Season (Netflix series streaming 9/10)

The Devil is back for one last dance-of-a-rodeo in Season 6, and naturally, Lucifer Morningstar is still a total pain in the ass, and you’ll love him for it. Fortunately, he’s no longer attempting to be a detective, but here’s the complicating detail: Lucifer is now God, and he’s not sure that he wants to do the job. It’s so much more fun to be naughty, after all, yet if Lucifer doesn’t get with the new program, he’s liable to trigger the apocalypse. This is one last hurrah for a Netflix-resurrected series, and Neil Gaiman’s creation will live on in fans’ hearts and, most likely, their pants as well. (Also, I must say this: dump the bad man, Chloe!)

American Rust (Showtime series debuting 9/12)

Jeff Daniels can swing between being comedic and dramatic, and in his new Showtime series, American Rust, he’s decidedly the latter. The chameleon-like Dumb and Dumber and Pleasantville actor is the latest star to take on a complicated cop role after Kate Winslet’s turn in Mare of Easttown. And notably, Bridges’ new role is also set in Pennsylvania and unravels a murder, this time in a Rust Belt town where he struggles to make the right move in a town overstuffed with people making the wrong moves. American Rust is based upon Philipp Meyers’ acclaimed novel of the same name and examines the crumbling American Dream. Moral ambiguity abounds, and fires explode multiple times in this trailer, which is also heavy on the gloomy atmosphere. This feels like a great show in which to get lost while focusing on other people’s problems.

Y: The Last Man (FX on Hulu series streaming 9/13)

The acclaimed graphic novel will get its due as a dystopian TV drama starring Diane Lane as the globe’s de facto president. Her son becomes, as the title suggests, the very last man on Earth following an apocalyptic event that pretty much obliterates the Y chromosome. FX recently made it known that although the Y appears to refer to the chromosome, the show will take a nuanced approach. That is to say, the show’s not operating on a merely gender-binary level. And the show won’t adhere to the biological definition of gender and, instead, will also represent trans characters in accordance with a GLAAD collaboration and a clear affirmation (as showrunner Eliza Clark recently declared) “that trans women are women, trans men are men, nonbinary people are nonbinary, and that is part of the sort of richness of the world we get to play with.”

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (Netflix series streaming 9/16)

Kevin Smith’s recent Masters of the Universe: Revelation sequel series sparked some overwrought backlash after continuing He-Man and Skeletor’s story in a way that some nerds didn’t enjoy, given that there was plenty of focus (like the original series) on other characters. Well, here’s a kid-appealing update of the classic ’80s cartoon, and this one has a much different feel with a He-Man-focused story, so maybe that will make the angry people happy? It’s got a whole lot of dude-on-bony-dude battling, looks like, while they fight for the ultimate control of Eternia and Castle Grayskull.

The Morning Show (Apple TV+ series streaming 9/17)

The gang (Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Billy Crudup, at least) is back for a new round of attempting to evade the scandal-plagued nature of their business. This season, we’ll not only see more of Steve Carell but also Hasan Minhaj and Julianna Margulies as everyone’s vying for more airtime, and they’re clawing at each other on their way to stay at the top. Alex and Bradley still can’t stand each other, despite a certain level of begrudging respect. There’s still plenty of humor along with the social commentary, yet one can expect a meaty followup on that rather explosive season finale. Things will get intense, as well, with the continued #MeToo theme and also some edging into the systemic racism issue while barbs are thrown, both on-and-off camera.

Sex Education: Season 3 (Netflix series streaming 9/17)

This Gillian Anderson-starring series returns, so that the X-Files and The Crown actress can continue embarrassing the heck out of her TV son, Otis (Asa Butterfield), who is apparently now having casual sex. Jemima Kirke is officially onboard, too, as a headteacher named Hope, who desperately wants to restore Moordale Secondary School to its former sterling reputation. Uh, good luck with that? The same goes for the announcement that Anderson’s character is pregnant. Oh, Mom.

The Wonder Years (ABC series debuting 9/22)

At the very least, it’s worth tuning into this reimagining to see whether the different perspective (from the Fred Savage-starring original show) will be a successful one or, well, not so much. Savage is executive producing and (sometimes) directing here, and the focus here is on an African-American family and their home base in 1960s Montgomery, Alabama. Don Cheadle narrates as the adult version of Dean (played as a 12-year-old by Elisha “EJ” Williams), who’s not only going through the usual tween ordeals but also the experience of being part of a Southern Black family that’s, of course, navigating vastly different circumstances than the franchise’s white O.G. family. Things should get tumultuous here while still dabbling in nostalgia.

Doom Patrol (HBO Max series streaming 9/23)

DC’s struggling misfit superheros are back for another round of being portrayed by an incredible cast. Brendan Fraser has received plenty of raves for his fury-filled Cliff Steele/Robotman, but don’t count out the rest of the crew. There’s Matt Bomer as the bandage-wrapped Negative Man and repeat appearances from Danny the Street, but the real kudos should go to Diana Guerrero (Orange is the New Black) as Crazy Jane, which is actually a role that requires Diane to play dozens of incarnations, including a very timely take on a Karen. This season, these lost souls are all starting to come to grips with their place in the group (a support group of sorts) and their own identities, but then the sh*t hits the fan with a time machine. Cue a catastrophic crossroads. Man, I’m excited to hear and see Brendan Fraser freak out again.

Law & Order: Organized Crime (NBC series returning 9/23)

A decade after Chris Meloni’s SVU departure, his return to the Dick Wolf-created universe is everything that fans hoped it would be. Elliot Stabler got mercilessly dragged as the spinoff dismantled those good-ol’-boy tendencies that won’t (and can’t) fly with cops on TV anymore. Season 2 will definitely bring back Dylan McDermott, who’s been portraying the greatest Law & Order villain of the franchise. Let’s hope the evil octopus make a return as well while mafia-brat, Bond-baddie-esque Wheatley continues to antagonize Stabler, who’s googly-eyes for Olivia Benson keep reaching new heights. It’s gonna be awful if they actually do it, right? I can’t wait.

Foundation (Apple TV+ series streaming 9/24)

Isaac Asimov’s classic novel gets a heady adaptation starring the always great Jared Harris and Lee Pace. The sci-fi story revolves around exiles who are working to rebuild civilization even as the galaxy falls apart, and surely, there will be plenty of parallels to real-life history here. As one can also see, a great deal of attention has been paid to the epic scale of the show, which Apple TV+ appears to want to be its Game of Thrones. The good news here, though, is that the story won’t closely adhere to the books, which should at least prevent the same sort of finale-season conundrum that we saw with Thrones, if the show makes it that far.

Midnight Mass (Netflix series streaming 9/24)

Get ready, The Haunting of Hill House and The Haunting of Bly Manor addicts, because creator Mike Flanagan’s back to cause us more horror fits. This happens to be his favorite project so far and revolves around an isolated community that lives on spooky Crockett Island, which gets even spookier due to a charismatic priest’s arrival. Naturally, a whole lot of supernatural shenanigans are afoot, but human nature (as we are currently experiencing in-real-life these days) can often be scarier than the ghosts that people can dream up. It’s dark, real dark.

Goliath: Season 4 (Amazon Prime series streaming 9/24)

If it’s taken you this long to consider testing out this show, then get with the freaking program. It’s got Billy Bob Thornton smoldering through a hard-boiled character who was once a force to be feared in the courtroom, but nowadays, he’s not such a prestigious attorney. This season, Thornton’s Billy McBride is going up not only against Big Pharma but also J.K. Simmons. That seldom turns out well for characters who aren’t played by J.K. Simmons, and both men have just the right degree of “I’m over this sh*t” to make it feel believable. Be careful, because the show is an overall smooth binge that will make you wonder when that viewing time disappeared, it’ll go so fast.

La Brea (NBC series debuting 9/28)

Natalie Zea deserves some appreciation, dammit, and the Justified actress gets to sink her teeth into a glorious madhouse here. An enormous sinkhole, which looks to be at least one-square-mile in area, opens in the middle of LA and sucks her into some primeval hellhole, where pterodactyls and bad CGI reside. It looks absurd and preposterous and like probably the kind of show that could find a hopelessly devoted audience. Can NBC allow this sci-fi selection to blossom into its own brand of strangeness and let it stick, unlike that they’ve done with Manifest and Debris? If anyone can pull off the humor and the adventure that this role requires, it’s Zea, and if the writers can lean into preposterous setups while embracing the hot-mess, Manifest-like vibe, maybe, just maybe, the leading lady will get her due.

The Problem With Jon Stewart (Apple TV+ series streaming 9/30)

Jon Stewart’s return to TV fast approaches, and it could be argued that he’s never been needed more on TV than this particular moment. The former The Daily Show host will be doing the current-events thing with an episode every two weeks, which isn’t as frequent as fans might prefer, but we’ll trust the process. According to Apple TV+, viewers can expect Stewart to go deep on a single subject per episode with a “solutionary” approach, and yes, there will be lots of jokes. Hopefully, they’ll be less confusing than the moment when Stewart recently appeared to go all-in on the controversial “lab leak” theory (while noting that COVID may have originated in a Wuhan lab and somehow escaped) as Stephen Colbert maintained a skeptical stance. That gave the right-wing plenty of conspiracy-theory fuel, though Stewart still hasn’t clarified his (surely?) satiric stance on the subject. Jon Stewart moves, as Bono would say, in mysterious ways.