The best TV series to watch on Channel 4, Netflix, Disney+ and more in September

It’s officially autumn, which in my world means good TV is finally on the horizon. This month’s offerings don’t disappoint, with the return of not one but two gangster dramas, a new series of Slow Horses, an all-singing, all-dancing new look for Strictly Come Dancing, and Nigella Lawson joining The Great British Bake Off. There really is something for everyone. Here are the best shows to watch this September: The Gentlemen series two Theo James as Eddie Halstead (Photo: Matthew Towers/Netflix) Will Meghan Markle be entering the world of The Gentlemen? We’ll have to wait and see, but for now there’s a brand-new second series to get stuck into. It’s been a year since Eddie (Theo James) swapped Dukedom for gangster life, running an illegal drugs operation with his new business partner Susie (Kaya Scodelario). This time, Eddie is keen on building on his empire and taking things international – much to the confusion of Susie and her father, Bobby (Ray Winstone), who, let’s not forget, is the real owner of the business… Wednesday 2 September, Netflix Taskmaster Chloe Petts, Richard Ayoade, Greg Davies, Alex Horne, Nina Conti, Isy Suttie and Matt Lucas (Photo: Simon Webb/Channel 4) Alex Horne’s game show has only been on TV for just over a decade, and we’re already on series 22. The comics taking on his and Greg Davies’s sneaky tasks this year are Chloe Petts, Isy Suttie, Matt Lucas, Nina Conti, and Richard Ayoade (for whose appearance fans of the show have been campaigning for years). As ever, we won’t know what mischief they’ll get up to yet, but early descriptions of episodes promise delights such as “Chloe Petts finds Jesus in a slice of toast” and “Richard Ayoade re-invents bouncing”. Anything goes. Thursday 3 September, 9pm, Channel 4 The Grand Tour James Engelsman, Thomas Holland and Francis Bourgeois (Photo: Prime Video) If you thought that The Grand Tour had been laid to rest since Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May said their goodbyes, think again. Prime Video’s motoring series is back with three new social media stars as hosts: trainspotter Francis Bourgeois with Throttle House YouTubers James Engelsman and Thomas Holland (me neither). Across the series, the presenters will travel to California, where they’ll drive muscle cars, and to Malaysia, where they’ll buy the cheapest sports cars possible. Be warned: Clarkson and co do make an appearance. Friday 4 September, Prime Video The Lycett Arms Joe Lycett (Photo: Matt Crockett/Channel 4) He’s legally changed his name to Hugo Boss, “shredded” £10,000 to teach David Beckham a lesson, and orchestrated a fake sewage leak to make a point about Britain’s water pollution. Joe Lycett’s latest stunt, which sees him opening a pub in London’s East End, seems a little tame in comparison – though I suppose most Friday night sessions aren’t broadcast live on Channel 4. Each week, Lycett will broadcast from The Lycett Arms alongside famous punters who’ll be drinking at his fully functional, licensed bar. It’s sure to be a riot. Friday 4 September, 9pm, Channel 4 The Box Gary Lineker (Photo: Twofour/Joel Anderson/ITV) Gary Lineker has decided to branch out from his usual areas of expertise – football, the Middle East – and try his hand at being a game show host. The Box sees a handful of celebrities – including the former Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, presenter Ranvir Singh and Joey Essex – packed into yellow boxes and shipped to various locations. Once the Box is open, they’ll tackle various challenges – mental, physical, or just a bit daft. The two who perform the worst will face off in a head-to-head duel. The stakes are high – for Lineker more than anyone else. Saturday 5 September, 8.15pm, ITV1 Slow Horses series six Jack Lowden as River Cartwright and Gary Oldman as Jackson Lamb (Photo Jack English/Apple TV) Six series in and Apple TV’s excellent spy drama is still one of the best in TV history. This time around, it’s the Slow Horses themselves who are being hunted, thanks to MI6 boss Diana Taverner (Kristin Scott Thomas), and it falls to their unkempt, boozehound leader Jackson Lamb (Gary Oldman) to keep them safe while on the run. Meanwhile, former CIA agent turned mercenary Frank Harness (Hugo Weaving) is set to return to cause River (Jack Lowden, apparently in the running for Bond) more trouble, along with another shocking blast from the past. Wednesday 16 September, Apple TV Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story Ella Beatty as Lizzie Borden (Photo: Netflix) Until now, Ryan Murphy’s Monster series has told the sordid tales of male murderers: Ed Gein, Jeffrey Dahmer, and the Menendez Brothers. Now, he’s turning his attention to the women with Lizzie Borden (Ella Beatty), a 32-year-old who – like the Menendez Brothers – was accused of murdering her parents. Though it happened in 1892, there are still questions over whether Borden really did take an axe to her father and stepmother while they slept – something I’m sure Murphy will have a lot of fun with. Thursday 17 September, Netflix Brothers Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey as themselves (Photo: Ryan Green/Apple TV) Unless you’re chronically online, you might have missed the conspiracy theory that Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson are secretly half-brothers. This comedy series takes that idea and runs with it, with both actors gamely playing exaggerated versions of themselves who discover that they really might be related. It all starts when McConaughey’s mother (played by Holland Taylor) reveals the huge secret, sending Harrelson into detective mode, while McConaughey is much more concerned with his burgeoning political career. Wednesday 23 September, Apple TV MobLand series two Helen Mirren as Maeve Harrigan, Emmett J Scanlan as Paul, Pierce Brosnan as Conrad Harrigan and Jack Archer as Fergus (Photo: Luke Varley/Paramount+) Over the past few months, the new series of MobLand has been somewhat overshadowed by rumours that Tom Hardy had been fired from the series. For now, at least, he’s back as hard man Harry Da Souza in the second series of the hit gangland drama. With Conrad and Maeve Harrigan (Pierce Brosnan and Helen Mirren) out of prison, Harry once again has the nigh-on impossible job of protecting the crime bosses from themselves. And he’s not the only one who isn’t happy to see them free – their son Kevin (Paddy Considine) has already cast himself as the new family kingpin. Friday 18 September, Paramount+ Strictly Come Dancing Josh Widdicombe, Emma Willis and Johannes Radebe (Photo: Ray Burmiston/BBC) A new dawn rises at Strictly Come Dancing, with a new set, five new professional dancers and, most excitingly, three new hosts. Emma Willis, Josh Widdecombe, and Johannes Radebe have the daunting job of ushering in the new era of the BBC’s crown jewel after Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly announced their departure halfway through last series. As for the celebrities taking to the dancefloor, Dani Dyer is already tipped to win the competition, followed by EastEnders’ Lacey Turner. At the other end of the scale is former England footballer Shaun Wright-Phillips, but you never know with Strictly – he might surprise us. Saturday 19 September, BBC One Youth Sharon Horgan as Alex (Photo: Colin Hutton/HBO Max) Sharon Horgan – the genius writer behind Bad Sisters, Catastrophe and Motherland – is back with another no-holds-barred, laugh-out-loud comedy. She plays Alex, a 50-year-old divorcee who refuses to accept that her best years – and her best shags – are behind her. To prove she’s still got it (whatever “it” is), Alex sets out to find sex and love while juggling looking after her elderly parents and her immature son. The trailer features blow job jokes and scenes of a drunk Alex eating a burger off the floor of a night bus – typical hilarious Horgan fare. Monday 21 September, HBO Max The Real Rooneys Coleen and Wayne Rooney (Photo: Disney+) Michael Owen, Jamie Vardy, Peter Crouch, and now Wayne Rooney – it seems like a reality TV series is the latest hot accessory for middle-aged former footballers. Over 10 episodes, cameras follow Rooney and his wife Coleen (otherwise known as Wagatha Christie) as he swaps his management career for life as a stay-at-home dad. Meanwhile, Coleen capitalises on her recent fame and takes every opportunity thrown at her, including designing her own clothing range at Primark. Most exciting, though, is the holidays we’ll be taken on, from the white sandy beaches of Barbados to skiing in the Alps – oh to be a Rooney. Thursday 24 September, Disney+ The Great British Bake Off Paul Hollywood, Alison Hammond, Nigella Lawson and Noel Fielding (Photo: Love Productions/Channel 4) Is it true that new judges Nigella Lawson and Paul Hollywood didn’t get on while filming the new series of The Great British Bake Off? I suppose there’s only one way to find out, though I doubt they’d let any tension make its way to screen. Otherwise, it’s business as usual in the Bake Off tent, with hosts Noel Fielding and Alison Hammond back to shepherd a new batch of amateur bakers through the usual trials and tribulations. Expect soggy bottoms and Hollywood handshakes aplenty. TBC, Channel 4