The 5 New and Under-the-Radar Shows You Can’t Miss in September

September really is the most wonderful time of year for TV fans. Even though the television landscape has changed a lot over the last decade, the first month of fall still brings a deluge of new and returning shows. 

This month, we’ll be talking about the long-awaited WandaVision spinoff Agatha All Along (September 18th on Disney+), Kathy Bates headlining CBS’s new take on Matlock (September 22nd), HBO’s The Penguin with Colin Farrell as the title character (September 19th), Netflix’s Nobody Wants This (definitely in the running for worst show title) starring Kristen Bell and Adam Brody (September 26th), and so much more. 

September also brings another new streaming service. I’ve decided that now we all should have a “+” after our name. The “+” version of me drinks enough water every day, gets eight hours of sleep a night, and regularly exercises. She’s always able to find her car keys and her phone. She’s never late and always remembers trash day. You guys would love her.

Here are the five new, under-the-radar shows you can’t miss this month. 

National Parks: USA 

Premiere Date:  September 8th at 8 p.m. on NatGeo

This five-part series takes viewers inside America’s national parks. First up: Alaska’s Katmai National Park, which boasts 2,200 brown bears and 14 (!) active volcanoes. The episode follows the bears as they exit their hibernation in search of salmon. The season ends with a deep dive into Utah’s Zion National Park, looking at the hikers that climb Angels Landing as well as the 400 animal species that live there.  Places like Katmai aren’t even accessible by car. The series brings the viewer up close to places they may never have the opportunity to visit. 

The Chicken Sisters

Stars:  Schuyler Fisk, Genevieve Angelson, Lea Thompson, Wendie Malick, James Kot, Rukiya Bernard, Ektor Rivera, Jake Foy, and Margo Martindale  

Premiere Date:  September 10th on Hallmark+

Hallmark is getting into the streaming service game this month with the launch of Hallmark+ on September 10th. The new platform costs $79.99 annually (or $7.99/month) and will feature original programming in addition to things like free Hallmark cards, store coupons, and gifts. The platform will have two new series at launch: the unscripted Celebrations with Lacey Chabert and The Chicken Sisters. Based on the novel of the same name by KJ Dell’Antonia, the eight-episode The Chicken Sisters follows two restaurants whose feud goes back generations. The rivalry comes to a head when the reality show Ultimate Kitchen Clash comes to town. Keep an ear out for Margo Martindale, who narrates all the Southern shenanigans. 

How Do Die Alone

Stars:  Natasha Rothwell, Conrad Ricamora,  Jocko Sims, and KeiLyn Durrel Jones 

Premiere Date:  September 13th on Hulu

Natasha Rothwell (Insecure, The White Lotus) acts as the creator, executive producer, and star of this eight-episode comedy about Mel, an airport cart driver at JFK  who starts off the series having a very bad day. It’s her birthday and she just found out her ex, Alex (Jocko Sims), is getting married (or getting Maui’d, as the evite exclaims). “Every day I take people to where they are going but I have no idea where I’m going and, even if I did, I couldn’t afford it,” Mel laments. After a series of unfortunate events and a near death experience, Mel decides she really has to start living her life. 

Doctor Odyssey

Stars:  Joshua Jackson, Phillipa Soo, Sean Teale, and Don Johnson

Premiere Date:  September 26th at 9 p.m. on ABC

Soooo… the tag-line for this new ABC series is “Big Deck Energy.” Do you really need to know anything more? Personally, I’m not a huge fan of cruise ships (way too many stories about norovirus outbreaks). But, if Pacey was my doctor, maybe I would change my mind. Joshua Jackson, who looks very nice in a naval uniform,  stars as the new doctor aboard a luxury cruise ship with Don Johnson as the ship’s captain and Phillipa Soo as the ship’s nurse. The series is from executive producer Ryan Murphy, who has four (that’s right four!) new shows premiering this month. Murphy, the man behind 9-1-1 and American Horror Story, isn’t exactly known for his subtlety. Expect crazy medical crises, fraught romances, and lots of beautiful people. Episodes will be available the next day on Hulu.

The Summit

Stars:  Manu Bennett

Premiere Date:  September 29th at 9 p.m. on CBS

Based on a series of the same name that’s already a hit in Australia, 16 contestants try to reach the peak of a mountain in the New Zealand Alps in just 14 days. The catch? Each contestant has a backpack full of 1/16th of the million dollar prize. If they don’t get there in 14 days, “you will all go home with nothing,” host Manu Bennett (Spartacus, Arrow) tells them. After this first episode preview, the series moves to its regular post-Survivor time slot on October 16th. I did the math, and if they all make it to the top of the mountain, the prize may not be worth their two weeks of suffering. But with a diverse group of players (with varying degrees of skill) and breathtaking landscapes, the show could be the next big competition series. 

Amy Amatangelo, the TV Gal®, is a Boston-based freelance writer and a member of the Television Critics Association. She wasn’t allowed to watch much TV as a child and now her parents have to live with this as her career. You can follow her on Twitter (@AmyTVGal).

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