The Best TV-Series of September 2020
The beginning of autumn is the time when the television gets back to life after summer slumber. Some channels update news studios’ design, others announce the launch of new entertainment programs.
Now, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the shooting of new films and TV-series all over the world is either suspended or going on with lots of precautions. However, many channels and streaming platforms are still pleasing us with the TV-series that they had in store for a rainy day.
Of course, the amount of new content cannot be compared with, for example, the fall 2019 season, but we would like to tell you about the TV-series of September that you might have missed and should definitely check out.
Main Premieres of September 2020
Some channels have saved the premieres of their blockbuster TV-series for September. Rumors and discussions about them started long before their release. Each series from this list can have the title of The Most Anticipated TV-Series of the Year and were created by the people who many of us have been following for a long time.
Raised by Wolves. Premiere date: September 3, 2020.
Ridley Scott has been involved in TV-series for some time. He took part in the creation of such high-profile recent TV-shows as The Man in the High Castle, The Terror, Taboo, and BrainDead, but frankly, we did not expect a director of such level to be involved in a multi-episode TV-series. Apart from being a producer of this project, Scott himself directed the first two episodes of Raised by Wolves, recruited his son, and had control over the direction where the series would go. The new series seems like a part of Scott’s Alien and Prometheus universe (by the way, some fan theories say that it really is).
The story about androids, who are trying to re-grow human civilization on a distant planet, found an incredible response among admirers of the Scott’s work. Stunning visuals, philosophical content, and exciting plot are in equal parts noted and praised by critics and viewers.
The HBO Max streaming platform management gladly renewed the series for the second season. Interestingly enough, Ridley Scott stated that his idea is for the TV-show to have five seasons. It is worth noting that the director is already 82 years old, and we hope that he will have time to bring all his ideas to life.
The final episode of the Raised by Wolves’ first season was aired on HBO Max on October 1st.
The Third Day. Premiere date: September 14, 2020.
Imagine a small island at the mouth of a river somewhere in Eastern England. Now imagine a narrow road that serves as the only land route to this island. When the tide comes, this road disappears under the water. Strange people live on the island, and the area itself is very unusual. By the will of fate, two people get here at different times.
The Third Day offers the viewer a revolutionary structure for the series: the first three episodes, united under the title Summer, are devoted to Jude Law’s character Sam wandering around the island. The other three are called Winter and will be released in October. They will show Helen, who is played by Naomi Harris, and tell you about her journey. Right between the premieres of the two parts, on October 3, the viewers will be able to watch an online episode called Autumn. This bridge will be a 12-hour live play depicting life on this mysterious island. By the way, Jude Law will return to his role in this one.
It is important to note that The Third Day was filmed last year, and initially, the premiere was supposed to take place on May 11, 2020. However, due to the coronavirus pandemic, the producers could not organize the live performance, and although TV-series was ready, the premiere was moved to the fall.
The film critics who have already watched the entire series — with the exception of Autumn, of course — note that The Third Day is an impressive and very atmospheric show. Some reviewers boldly call the TV-series “one of the best TV-series of the year.”
The last episode of The Third Day will premiere on October 19. The series is shown on the HBO channel.
Ratched. Premiere date: September 18, 2020.
One of the most famous TV producers of our time, Ryan Murphy, who recently signed a multi-million-dollar contract with the streaming giant Netflix, is presenting his new project.
The TV-series, in a way, tells the origin story of the villain — the head-nurse Mildred Ratched from Ken Kesey’s cult novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. The credits indicate that the TV-show was inspired not only by the book but also by Milos Forman’s famous film.
Initially, the idea for the series, which tells a story about a young nurse turning into a real monster, belonged to Evan Romansky. He wrote the script and offered it to Ryan Murphy. The producer liked the plot so much that he devoted several years to fight for the rights for the film adaptation. When he got the opportunity to show Nurse Ratched on the screen again, Romansky became the showrunner of the new series, and Murphy took over the duties of executive producer.
Murphy’s muse, actress Sarah Paulson, played the main character. Many critics say that she will get at least nominations for the primary TV-series awards.
Sarah Paulson is not the only gem of Ratched. There are other not less wonderful actresses — Sharon Stone, Cynthia Nixon, and Judy Davis.
The result is an incredibly beautiful but also absurd TV-show that looks more like a new season of American Horror Story than a creepy becoming story of one of the main villains in the history of cinema.
Meanwhile, Ratched is quite fascinating if you look at it as a standalone story, and the series certainly deserves some attention. Especially now, when there are fewer and fewer TV premieres.
Right from the start, Netflix ordered two seasons of Ratched, so the matter of the second season is settled. Murphy would like the TV-series to have four seasons, the last of which to be based on the book One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.
Ratched premiered on September 18 on Netflix.
Utopia. Premiere date: September 28, 2020.
The American remake of the popular British TV-series has finally reached the small screens. Utopia tells about a group of kidults who got their hands on a graphic novel with information about a government conspiracy of incredible scale.
The original Utopia was a British television hit of 2013—2014 and instantly gained an army of fans thanks to its original visuals, amazing soundtrack, and highly cynical content.
The idea of doing a remake of the series on American television came up almost immediately. David Fincher, the famous director, was in charge of this project for the HBO channel in the beginning. He hired Gillian Flynn to write the script, began casting, but eventually disagreed on financial matters with the channel and ultimately withdrew from the project.
Eventually, Utopia moved to Amazon, got a release date, and Flynn became a showrunner herself.
The series, which tells about a conspiracy connected to the epidemic, comes out at a difficult time. The creators of Utopia decided to start every episode with information for the viewers that the plot of the TV-show is fictional.
After moving from one continent to another, Utopia, of course, lost some visuals because the producers decided not to copy the original series. However, the story also acquired a much more relevant agenda. Also, unlike the rather bland characters of the original Utopia, the new American series has some intriguing characters because the writer and showrunner Gillian Flynn is the author of the bestselling books such as Gone Girl and Sharp Objects.
Amazon Prime streaming platform released all episodes of the new Utopia on September 25.
New Seasons of the Popular TV-Series
The Boys. Season 2. Release date: September 4, 2020.
The new season of one of the most popular TV-series of last year brings us back to a parallel universe full of superheroes. Only now they are not the saviors of people from comics, but quite the celebrities themselves with managers and PR specialists. Every one of them works for a global corporation, has a not very healthy psyche and questionable morals.
Someone named Butcher decides to confront the scoundrels in spandex. He has his own vendetta against their leader, a psychopath nicknamed Homelander. Butcher gathers a team, and a bloodbath begins.
In the new season, showrunner Eric Kripke not only slows down the momentum gained in the previous episodes but allows The Boys to do things that few people can dare to on modern television.
The first three episodes of The Boys’ new season premiered on September 2. It will be aired weekly until October 9 on the Amazon Prime streaming platform.
Criminal: UK. Season 2. Premiere date: September 16, 2020.
Netflix presents the second season of one of the most original detective thrillers on television. Last year, four TV-series were released at the same time, all under the title Criminal. They were filmed in the same studio, but each show had its own crew. Interrogation of a suspect is at the center of each episode. The only thing that distinguishes four TV-series is the country of production. A year ago, film crews from Great Britain, France, Germany, and Spain presented three episodes each, relying on national identity to make all the difference. By the end of 2020, only the United Kingdom’s series is still there, and they presented four new episodes.
The series does not rely on chases or bloodshed. Everything happens within four walls, and the necessary suspense is created through a refined script and great acting.
All four episodes of Criminal: UK were aired on September 16 and are available on the Netflix streaming platform.
Fargo. Season 4. Premiere date: September 27, 2020.
Finally, three and a half years later, the great TV-series Fargo makes a return. It is inspired by the classic 1996 film of the same name by the Coen brothers.
Fargo is a postmodern crime TV-series. Unrelated seasons take place at different times with different characters but clearly following the corresponding era visually.
This time we find ourselves in 1950 in Kansas City, which became the center of conflict between gangster groups. On the one hand, there are African Americans. On the other, Italian Americans. The showrunner of the series, Noah Hawley, shamelessly spices up a sensitive topic with very black and politically incorrect humor.
The new season of Fargo is broadcasted on the American channel FX, starting from September 27.
TV-Series You Might Have Missed
Along with the big premieres, there were several quiet releases in September, which were not discussed so much, but they are still worthy of your attention.
Two Weeks to Live. Premiere date: September 2, 2020.
Two Weeks to Live is a short and very British comedy series about a girl raised by her mother deep in the woods. Naive Kim, played by Game of Thrones star Maisie Williams, runs off to people to see what the civilization is and kill the man responsible for her father’s death.
All six half-hour episodes of Two Weeks to Live were aired on the same day, September 2.
We Are Who We Are. Premiere date: September 14, 2020.
Fast forward to Italy. Here, in the Veneto region, We Are Who We Are, a drama about coming of age, takes place. Italian director Luca Guadagnino tells the story of a teenager from New York who moves with his family to a military base on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Here he meets new friends and tries to understand who he is. The scandalous TV-series touches on topical gender issues, but mostly, We Are Who We Are is an attempt to understand the new generation.
The young actor Jack Dylan Grazer (It, It Chapter Two, Shazam) portrayed the main character.
The series premiered in the United States on September 14.
Des. Premiere date: September 14, 2020.
Outstanding British actor David Tennant once again plays a killer. This time it is in the infamous Dennis Nilsen, a serial killer who murdered at least fifteen young men. The new series begins with the police arresting Nilsen and goes on with him, telling about his victims in a cold and detached manner. Then there is the trial, where Dennis refuses to plead guilty, and prosecutors who are doing their best to put the killer behind bars.
David Tennant once again amazes the viewers with his incredible acting.
The series was aired on British television from September 14 to September 16.
And that concludes our story about the best TV-series of September.
Next month there will be lots of intriguing premieres that we cannot wait to see.
Stay tuned and watch good TV-series!
Меня зовут Игорь. Я из тех, кто постоянно выискивает себе новые увлечения. Начинал с зоологии и чтения в детстве и докатился до путешествий, кино и истории искусства. Не могу жить без новых книг, новых телешоу и новых стран. Свято верю в науку, доброту и то, что впечатлениями надо делиться. Учу языки, планирую поездки разного километража и пишу про кино и сериалы.