“American Horror Story: 1984”
What You Need To Know: Ryan Murphy embarks on the ninth season of his tremendously popular anthology series “American Horror Story.” The latest incantation of the series pays homage to the iconic slasher films of the 1980’s, reminiscent of classics like “Halloween” (which has recently seen its own resurrection – no pun intended – with Jaime Lee Curtis returning to the film series that launched her career with it’s latest 2018 release) as well as “Friday the 13th,” among others. In a significant change this season versus past seasons, series staple Sarah Paulson will hold no significant role in “American Horror Story: 1984” and the wildly beloved Jessica Lange isn’t slated to appear in the series at all this season. Lange has been absent for some time now, but whether or not both actresses missing in action this season could significantly impact the ratings remains to be seen. Regardless, the show remains considerably popular among viewers, so it’s safe to say that this next season of “American Horror Story” will bring the suspense and horror we have all come to expect from the show.
Release Date: Season 9 premieres on FX on September 18
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9wcEiFIM3mM
“Criminal”
What You Need To Know: In an increasingly saturated genre of crime shows and documentaries, Netflix takes it a step further with cutting-edge series “Criminal,” which sets out with the lofty promise to show viewers something they have never seen before. Netflix has seen considerable success with crime-related series like “Mindhunter” (which just dropped its second season), drug kingpin drama “Narcos,” and documentaries like “Making a Murderer” and “Conversations with a Killer: The Ted Bundy Tapes” just to name several. “Criminal” on the other hand, gives viewers a unique perspective by inviting them into the interrogation room on a global scale, where the series will examine the intensity of the interactions between detectives and suspects. The series will star “Doctor Who” and “Good Omens” actor David Tennant, alongside Marvel darling and “Agents of Shield” actress Hayley Atwell.
Release Date: Season 1 gets booked on September 20
“Mixed-ish”
What You Need To Know: On the heels of the success of its predecessors “Black-ish” and the Freeform spin-off “Grown-ish” starring series break out star Yara Shahidi, Fox launches its third off-shoot of the franchise with “Mixed-ish.” Branded as a prequel, the new series centers on family matriarch Dr. Rainbow Johnson, played by Tracee Ellis Ross, who won a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a television series for the role in 2017. This origin story centers around Rainbow’s experiences growing up in a mixed-race family in the 1980s as well as the challenges the family faced in society at the time. The show will undoubtedly have moments of lovable 80’s nostalgia as well as the wholesome goodness and humor that makes both predecessor series so successful.
Release Date: The first season debuts on ABC on September 24
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tv0C2yWFcWM
“The Good Place”
What You Need to Know: On the one hand, we’re devastated to see this bright light in television end after only four seasons, but kudos to the showrunners of “The Good Place,” who understand that every show does have a shelf-life. There’s value in ending a series before it pushes past the narrative limits, something Season 3 of “The Good Place” came close to doing without ever losing its innate charm. Season 4 will close the surprisingly philosophical series about life, death, and all the falls in between with yet another reset as Chidi (William Jackson Harper) had to lose his memory of Eleanor (Kristen Bell) and the rest of Team Cockroach to prove the inherent failings of the qualifications of what it takes to get into the so-called “good place.” It might just be showrunner Michael Shur’s best creation yet.
Release Date: Season 4 premieres on NBC on September 26
“Creepshow”
What You Need to Know: Another day, another streaming service debuting original content, with less and less time to consume it all. This time, it’s the horror streaming service Shudder which will premiere the television “Creepshow,” a continuation of the first two films in the George Romero and Stephen King produced franchise. An anthology series, the season will last for six episodes with two individual stories in every episode. The first episode will keep the King theme in September going strong with an adaptation of his short story “Survivor Type” to kick things off and set the right, unsettling tone for the rest of the show’s run.
Release Date: Season 1 premieres on Shudder on September 26
“The Politician”
What You Need to Know: You don’t need to look too far these days to see Ryan Murphy’s name slapped on a series with two shows of his alone premiering this month. With “The Politician,” his first series to come from his deal with Netflix, we see him along with co-creators Brad Falchuck and Ian Brennan return to their “Glee” style roots with a comedy musical. Ben Platt stars alongside Gwyneth Paltrow, Jessica Lange, and Zoey Deutch. While Murphy’s last comedy/musical had an ugly downward spiral after its first season, we’re hoping with the undeniable talent on board and with hos tremendous his recent series “Pose” has been that “The Politician” will have a greater track record.
Release Date: Season 1 premieres on Netflix on September 27
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-kdBlzCG7w
“Transparent”
What You Need To Know: Following Jeffrey Tambour’s unceremonious exit, Amazon breakthrough, award-winning series “Transparent” takes a considerably different turn with its musical finale. Unlike its format throughout its four previous seasons, the series will end with a song. Series helmer Jill Soloway recently said that “not everything can be said with words,” when asked about the change in format over the summer. As expected the show will tie up loose ends, mainly that of Maura’s (played by Tambour) death. The series has left a mark on television with its representation of a chronically marginalized group of the LGBTQ community, so it’s sad to see the show go off the air. That aside, series showrunners can feel confident knowing that they have changed the television landscape forever, as we are now seeing more and more transgender characters represented on both television and film with the best yet to come.
Release Date: The musical finale premieres on Amazon Prime on September 27
