The days are getting shorter and the weather's getting cooler, which means you no longer have to feel bad about shunning the outdoors and instead curling up in front of the TV. But what televisual delights await us this September?
I've trawled through the 'coming soon' lists of Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+ and sifted out the tat to bring you the five new originals that I'm most looking forward to watching over the coming month.
Wolfs (Apple TV+) – 27th September
Without a doubt, the biggest streaming release of the month (and one of the biggest of the year) is the glossy dark comedy Wolfs, which reunites Oceans megastars George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Here, they both play lone wolf-style 'fixers' who are forced to work together – hence the awkward title.
The trailer promises a neat mix of the grim and whimsical and some enjoyable banter from the two leads, and while it's fair to say that the response from a screening at the Venice International Film Festival has been mixed (and that's putting it fairly mildly), who can resist seeing these two on screen together? I certainly can't and Apple apparently feels the same as the sequel has already been given the green light.
The Grand Tour: One For The Road (Prime Video) – 13th September
Honestly, I'm not that much of a Grand Tour fan. I was over the Clarkson/Hammond/May schtick long before they had even left the BBC, so Amazon's bigger-budget version of it never really appealed. That said, I have dipped into the odd episode when testing TVs (the picture quality is generally superb) and have struggled to resist the odd titter at the automotive japes.
I will be streaming One For The Road in its entirety, though, primarily because (as the name suggests) it's the last one they're making. It doesn't look like much of a detour from previous adventures (though the Zimbabwean location looks stunning) but I'll be tuning in for the nostalgia – I was watching these three mess about in cars when I was barely out of my teens and the original Top Gear was a fixture in my house when I was knee-high to a grasshopper. One for the road indeed.
Will & Harper (Netflix) – 27th September
Now here's something that's been hugely well received by those lucky enough to have already seen it. Will & Harper, which was screened to apparently rapturous applause at this year's Sundance Film Festival before being picked up by Netflix, is a documentary featuring Will Ferrell and his old friend / SNL collaborator Harper Steele, who now identifies as a trans woman.
There's no trailer yet, but early reviews describe a touching but also amusing portrayal of the two friends figuring out their relationship in light of Steele's transition, all while road-tripping from New York to Los Angeles. Expect some eye-openingly frank conversations between the two and some very awkward moments as the pair encounter some of the less accepting members of US society.
Slow Horses Season 4 (Apple TV+) – 4th September
Not only one of the best things on Apple TV+ but arguably one of the finest shows of the last few years, period, Slow Horses is back (today!) for a fourth season of cack-handed crime-fighting across the streets of London. Gary Oldman's Jackson Lamb appears to be on perfect kebab-stained, foul-mouthed form, Jack Lowden's River Cartwright seems just as doggedly determined as ever, and the new bad guy is played by the wonderful Hugo Weaving. It all just sounds superb, doesn't it?
The best bit of news is that you don't have to wait to find out if the new season is up to the greasy-overcoated greatness of the previous three, because episode one is available now.
Agatha All Along (Disney+) – 18th September
I know I'm not the only one who's been taking a break from the MCU having nearly drowned in the deluge of diluted TV shows and movies in the post-End Game era, but Agatha All Along looks just about different and weird enough to be worth a punt. For starters, it's a spin-off from WandaVision, one of the most unexpectedly entertaining Marvel shows, and it features the best character from that show – the witch Agatha Harkness, played in terrifically camp fashion by the ever-enjoyable Kathryn Hahn.
The trailer suggests there will be plenty of silliness, but also potentially some creepiness and light scares – perfect for the run-up to Halloween. Marvel shows always look and sound great, too.
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