The best new TV shows to stream in September

Searching for a new TV show this month? I’m keeping an eye on Stan’s period drama American Hostage , which puts Jon Hamm front and centre; as well as HBO Max’s Youth , a comic-drama created by and starring Bad Sisters powerhouse Sharon Horgan.

My top Netflix recommendation is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story (September 17).

Horror maestro Ryan Murphy’s historic crime anthology returns. The latest season is focused on the young American woman who in 1892 was the main suspect after her father and stepmother were brutally dismembered with an axe. As with 2025’s Ed Gein instalment , Murphy’s long-time collaborator, Ian Brennan, is in charge. But it’s very much a familiar Murphy mix, complete with a nepo-baby lead in Ella Beatty (daughter of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening) as the possibly insane Lizzie, with star power from Charlie Hunnam ( Sons of Anarchy ) and Rebecca Hall ( The Beauty ) as the domineering parents turned victims. Don’t expect a conventional narrative – Murphy fave Sarah Paulson ( All’s Fair ) will also feature as 1980s serial killer Aileen Wuornos.

Also on Netflix: Netflix has been producing sports documentaries since 2021 under the Untold banner. The focus of these feature-length tales moves between criminally adjacent scandals, unconventional protagonists and straight-up weirdness. Australia gets its first entry with Raygun: Breaking Badly (September 1), which takes us back to the 2024 Summer Olympics when Australian competitor Rachael Gunn, aka Raygun , became a global sensation after a disastrous competitive breakdancing performance. Gunn, who has kept a low media profile since, gives her side of the story, explaining her motivation and what it’s like to unintentionally become the meme of the moment.

August highlights: The remake of My Brilliant Career revealed a rebellious Australian classic that had been given new relevance, but science-fiction mystery The Last House struggled despite stars Greta Lee and Wagner Moura.

The Irish writer and actress Sharon Horgan has been one of television’s sharpest comic voices for the past two decades: Pulling , Catastrophe , Divorce and Bad Sisters constitute a top-tier CV. In her latest blackly comic drama, Horgan plays a divorced 50-year-old getting the full generational experience. She’s looking for sex and romance in her own life, has an adult son who’s a handful and must help care for her ageing parents. Horgan’s casting instincts remain impeccable, with Harriet Walter ( Succession ) playing her character’s mother and Rupert Friend ( High Desert ) as an intriguing acquaintance. If newcomer Aran Murphy looks familiar, it’s because he’s the spitting image of father Cillian.

Also on HBO Max: If you’ve ever watched an American crime procedural and struggled to distinguish the role of the FBI, Secret Service, US Marshals and Department of Justice, then Line of Fire (September 22) might be a handy explainer. In this action thriller, an extended family of law enforcement agents – Dad (Peter Krause, Six Feet Under ) is with the Secret Service, Mum (Hope Davis, Your Honour ) is a US Marshal – have to break protocol and band together when an assassin begins targeting family members.