Prime Video’s The Continental, Apple’s Morning Show, TVNZ+’s Winter King among September’s must-see TV

Spring is here and with it comes a mountain of new viewing options for Kiwis.

For free-to-air fans, the line-up includes a second season of acclaimed Australian drama The Newsreader (September 13, Eden), more of George Clark’s Remarkable Renovations (September 10, TVNZ 1) and Eat Well For Less NZ (September 5, TVNZ 1), the return of film-making reality competition Project Greenlight for A New Generation (September 16, Sky Open) and the debut of a new documentary series exploring indigenous tourism in Aotearoa and Hawai’i (Whakaata Māori’s Tapuwae – Leave No Footprints, from September 8).

Netflix’s line-up includes the latest instalments of Virgin River, Top Boy (both September 7) and Sex Education (September 21), as well as a fictionalised biopic of French businessman Bernard Tapie (September 13’s Class Act), while TVNZ+ boasts the Grace Palmer-starring US workplace comedy Animal Control (September 13), Australian young adult drama The Messenger (September 22) and UK sitcoms Queen of Oz (September 16) and Changing Ends (September 30). Elsewhere, Neon has the darkly comedic The Lovers (September 8), Apple TV+ hosts a docu-series on The Supermodels (September 20) and Prime Video has The Boys’ spin-off Gen V (September 29) and the eagerly awaited return of iconic Aussie soap Neighbours (September 26).

However, after looking for through the schedules, Stuff to Watch has come up with our picks of the dozen shows we believe are well worth checking out over the next few weeks.

Big Boys (September 23, TVNZ+)

Six-episode UK comedy about two lads from very different ends of “the spectrum of masculinity” who become best friends during Brent University’s freshers’ week. As they navigate their first year on campus, they explore, experiment and try to discover themselves, while helping each other along the way.

Derry Girls’ Dylan Llewellyn and Starstruck’s Jon Ponting star.

“A comedy that is truly funny, humble and clever,” wrote The Times’ Camilla Long.

Blue Lights (September 7, ThreeNow)

Belfast-set, six-part BBC drama which follows the fortunes of three probationary police officers assigned to the city’s Blackthorn Station. Within weeks though, Grace Ellis (Siane Brooke), Annie Conlon (Katherine Devlin) and Tommy Foster (Nathan Braniff) are all beginning to wonder if they’ve made the right career choice.

“A complicated, cleverly observed, funny and [at times] horrific drama that is a cut above your average police procedural,” wrote The Times’ Carol Midgley.

The Changeling (September 8, Apple TV+)

Based on the acclaimed 2017 best-selling book of the same name by Victor LaValle, this eight-part drama is billed as a “fairytale for grown-ups”, as well as “a horror story, a parenthood fable and a perilous odyssey through a New York City you didn’t know existed”.

Adapted by Saving Mr. Banks, Venom and Cruella writer Kelly Marcel, the series stars LaKeith Stanfield (Judas and the Black Messiah) as used book dealer Apollo Kagwa.

The Continental (September 22, Prime Video)

John Wick fans rejoice! This three-part prequel explores the origin behind the film franchise’s iconic New York-based hotel-for-assassins.

Set in the 1970s, it sees a young Winston Scott (played in the movies by Ian McShane, but here by The Flight Attendant’s Colin Woodell) dragged back in from a successful career in London to face a past he thought he’d left behind.

Look out for Mel Gibson in a key role.

Dear Child (September 7, Netflix)

A mysterious woman’s escape from her harrowing captivity points investigators towards the dark truth behind an unsolved disappearance 13 years earlier, in this six-part German adaptation of Romy Hausman’s novel which captivated the world in 2020.

This starts where traditional thrillers end: with redemption. But the true extent of this nightmare is only revealed with the arrival of the freshly self-liberated Lena’s (Kim Riedle) parents at the hospital the same night as her.

Maryland (September 26, ThreeNow)

Suranne Jones (Gentleman Jack, Vigil) co-created and stars in this tale of two sisters.

A three-part UK drama, it focuses on the estranged Becca (Jones) and Rosaline (House of the Dragon’s Eve Best), as they are brought back together by the death of their mother Mary on the Isle of Man and the shock revelation that she had been leading a double life.

“Maryland confounds your expectations and is all the better, all the more credible and all the more moving for it,” wrote The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan.

The Morning Show (September 13, Apple TV+)

Mad Men’s Jon Hamm joins the galaxy of stars already onboard this New York-set media drama, as the 10-part third season opens.

He plays a tech titan who takes more than a passing interest in acquiring UBA and, in particular, veteran anchor Alex Levy (Jennifer Aniston).

Meanwhile, unexpected alliances form, private truths are weaponized and everyone is forced to confront their core values both in and out of the newsroom.

The unrivalled ensemble also includes Reese Witherspoon, Billy Crudup, Mark Duplass, Greta Lee and Julianna Margulies.

One Night (September 28, ThreeNow)

Doctor Who’s Jodie Whittaker is joined by Orange is the New Black’s Yael Stone and Wentworth’s Nicole Da Silva for this six-part Australian drama about a writer whose novel becomes an overnight sensation that turns into an ongoing nightmare.

The trio’s friendship is pushed to the limit, because the heart of the story is inspired by a dark secret from two decades prior.

Created by The Slap’s Emily Ballou, the series also features Kiwis George Mason and Errol Shand.

The Other Black Girl (September 13, Disney+)

Based on Zakiya Dalila Harris’ 2021 novel of the same name, this 10-episode dramedy looks at the life and times of Nella Rogers (Insidious: The Red Door’s Sinclair Daniel).

An African-American editorial assistant at the New York-based Wagner Books, she’s excited to finally have a Black co-worker when Hazel-May McCall (Ashleigh Murray) joins the firm. However, she quickly begins to wonder if she is a friend – or a foe?

Stonehouse (September 18, UKTV)

Matthew Mcfadyen (Succession) headlines this three-part dramatisation of the extraordinary rise and fall of British MP John Stonehouse.

A high-flying member of Harold Wilson’s Labour government in the early 1970s, the seemingly devoted family man’s perfect life begins spiralling out of control when his secret relationships are exposed.

“It is a comedy masterclass, but Macfadyen also delivers moments of vulnerability and makes his character likeable,” wrote The Daily Telegraph’s Anita Singh.

Telemarketers (September 9, Neon/Sky Go)

Three-part US docu-series that tells the story of a high school drop-out who discovers that his telemarketing job raising money for various charities is actually part of a billion-dollar scam.

Deciding to videotape everything, he embarks on a 15-year journey with a heroin-addicted co-worker to take down not only a corrupt industry, but also the police union who assisted in a particular fraud.

“A jaw-dropping ride through a Wild West of unhinged ex-cons, crooked cops, dishonest businessmen and powerless bureaucrats – at once astonishing, infuriating and touching,” wrote The Daily Beast’s Nick Schager.

The Winter King (September 18, TVNZ+)

Adapted from Bernard Cornwell’s best-selling The Warlord Chronicles trilogy, this 10-part retelling of the Arthurian legend takes place in post-Roman Britain.

It’s a land where young Arthur (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Iain De Caestecker) has been banished by his father and Merlin (Nathaniel Matello-White) has disappeared.

With the Saxons invading and a child-king sitting on the throne, Britain is in chaos, forcing Arthur to try and gather a group of loyal followers together to unite the country – before it’s too late.

“Its sumptuous scenery, sprawling vistas, and gorgeous castles are certainly easy enough on the eyes, and its core cast of performers is remarkably solid,” wrote Paste magazine’s Lacy Baugher.