The best new shows and movies to stream in September 2021

Once upon a time, September was when all the season premieres for the biggest shows would roll out. Thanks to a glut of streaming services, there’s probably a new show or movie premiere every day of the year now, but plenty of top content still starts in the fall.

September 2021 will see a number of high-profile projects tied to the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, along with a hotly anticipated horror thriller, a comic-book adaptation, Jon Stewart’s talk show comeback, and two ’90s reboots. And America’s most popular sport—the NFL—returns September 9.

New movies streaming in September 2021
New limited series and TV shows to stream in September
Upcoming sports events to stream
What’s streaming in October 2021?

Fire up those screens and read on for all the details on what to stream (and where) this September!

New movies streaming in September 2021

Cinderella

Release date: September 3
Where: Amazon Prime Video
Amazon recently swooped in to scoop up this musical, which had been set to debut in theaters. Pop star Camila Cabello will star in the titular role; the trailer shows a career-driven gal who’s far less passive than earlier movie versions. But the biggest twist (and draw) looks to be Billy Porter in the role of “Fab G,” a genderless fairy godparent. Idina Menzel, Pierce Brosnan, and James Corden will also star in the film, which was helmed by the force behind Pitch Perfect, Kay Cannon.

Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles

Release date: September 3
Where: Disney+
Billie Eilish fans have been buzzing about this concert film that comes on the heels of her new album of the same name. Performing at the iconic Hollywood Bowl, the native Angeleno will sing each song off her album in sequential order, with “dreamlike” animated elements woven throughout. Eilish’s brother, Finneas O’Connell, also appears, along with the Los Angeles Children’s Chorus and the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Worth

Release date: September 3
Where: Netflix
What exactly is one life worth? Should our jobs and salaries have any impact on the answer? These were the tough questions confronting lawyer Kenneth Feinberg, who was tasked with administering the September 11th Victim Compensation Fund. On its surface this movie sounds dry and depressing, but it’s drawn comparisons to Oscar-winner Spotlight for its thoughtful, humanistic portrayal of real-life events and people. Michael Keaton headlines an absolutely stacked cast that also includes Stanley Tucci, Amy Ryan, and Marc Maron among many others.

Malignant

Release date: September 10
Where: HBO Max
Horror fans who might have felt the summer was light on gore will celebrate Malignant, a Warner Bros. film simultaneously released in theaters and on HBO Max. Annabelle Wallis stars as Madison, who is tormented by disturbing visions of grisly murders that just might be more than a dream…

Stream Malignant for 30 days on HBO Max during its theatrical release.

Come From Away

Release date: September 10
Where: Apple TV+  
Like Worth, the musical Come From Away was inspired by the events of September 11, but it depicts an entirely different story and set of characters. As airplanes were grounded following the terrorist attacks and air travel came to a standstill, over 7,000 air passengers were stranded in a small town in Newfoundland, Canada. Come From Away takes a lighthearted look at the culture clash and emotional fallout. On the heels of its successful airing of Hamilton, Apple TV+ will stream a Broadway performance of the show that was filmed before a live audience that included 9/11 survivors and front-line workers.

Schumacher

Release date: September 15
Where: Netflix
This one is a must for F1 fans—or anyone who loves the Netflix series Formula 1: Drive to Survive. Through interviews with his family and current drivers like Sebastian Vettel, Schumacher takes an intimate look at the life and dominant career of the German race car driver Michael Schumacher, the winningest driver in F1 history at the time of his 2012 retirement. Sadly, Schumacher suffered a traumatic brain injury in a 2013 ski accident, spent significant time in a medically induced coma, and is reportedly confined to a wheelchair. The trailer doesn’t show any interviews with him in the present day, but there is speculation that he may make some sort of appearance.

Cry Macho

Release date: September 17
Where: HBO Max
Actor and director Clint Eastwood nabbed two Oscars for his 1992 “revisionist” Western film Unforgiven. The 91-year-old is following a similar formula with Cry Macho, in which he plays a washed-up rodeo star begrudgingly escorting a teenager from Mexico to Texas. The film will be released simultaneously in theaters, and will stream on HBO Max for 30 days.

The Many Saints of Newark

Release date: September 24
Where: HBO Max
HBO is harkening back to its glory days with this Sopranos prequel movie from series creator David Chase. Set in Newark, New Jersey in the 1960s and 70s, The Many Saints of Newark follows a teenage Tony Soprano (played here by the late James Gandolfini’s son, Michael) and depicts the rise of the Soprano crime family. The younger versions of other Sopranos mainstays—including Junior, Livia, Silvio, and Paulie Walnuts—will also be there, and word is that Michael Imperioli (Christopher Moltisanti in the original series) cameos with some wry voiceover narration. Ray Liotta, Leslie Odom Jr., Corey Stoll, and Vera Farmiga anchor the stellar cast. If you’ve already got HBO anyway, a Sopranos series binge seems well in order beforehand.

Limited series and TV shows to stream

The D’Amelio Show

Release date: September 3
Where: Hulu
Vulture wins for best headline summarizing this reality show about Dixie and Charli D’Amelio and their parents: “TikTok Stars, They’re Nothing Like Us.” Dance phenom Charli (still just 17!) has the most global TikTok followers, and has earned millions of dollars while also performing at the Super Bowl. Dixie has millions of her own followers and has landed a record deal. With the end of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, it seems Hulu is banking on the D’Amelios to become the new first family of aspirational semi-fake drama.

Billions Season 5B

Release date: September 6
Where: Showtime
One of many shows impacted by Covid-19, Billions will air the final five episodes of its fifth season more than a year after it began. The charming billionaire Bobby Axelrod will continue to face off with other titans of industry. Will Chuck Rhoads continue to fight the good fight as Attorney General of New York?

Impeachment: American Crime Story

Release date: September 7
Where: Hulu
Anyone who loved the O.J. Simpson season in this anthology series will want to check out Impeachment, which chronicles the affair between President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, and the explosive political fallout. Series stalwart (and Emmy winner) Sarah Paulson stars as Linda Tripp (she’s unrecognizable!), while Beanie Feldstein plays Monica Lewinsky (who was a consulting producer on the series). Clive Owen will play Bill Clinton, Edie Falco will play Hillary Clinton, and a whole host of other fantastic actors will star as other bold-faced names.

Scenes from a Marriage

Release date: September 12
Where: HBO Max
Featuring capital-A Actors Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac, this five-episode miniseries is based on the original 1970s series from Ingmar Bergman about the dissolution of a passionate marriage. (Apparently the series was so influential that it was blamed for rising divorce rates in Europe.) Going off the trailer, expect lots of intense dialogue, hundred-mile stares, and crying.

Y: The Last Man

Release date: September 13
Where: Hulu
Based on a comic book series of the same, this much-anticipated Hulu show is premised on a cataclysmic event in which all male mammals on earth are killed except for one man (the titular Y, a.k.a. Yorick) and his pet monkey. The series sounds like an interesting exploration of societal and gender constructs, with some good adventure and post-apocalyptic elements thrown in for good measure.

The Morning Show Season 2

Release date: September 17
Where: Apple TV+  
Nearly two years after it premiered, Apple TV+’s first prestige show returns with stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, Steve Carell, and Billy Crudup all in tow. The first season concluded with morning show co-hosts at loggerheads, the network in disarray, and Steve Carell’s disgraced anchor on the precipice of a comeback.

The Emmy Awards

Release date: September 19
Where: CBS and Paramount+
Cedric the Entertainer will host the 73rd annual Emmy Awards, which will return to an auditorium after last year’s virtual ceremony. Keep an eye on the hotly contested “Outstanding Limited or Anthology Series” category, which features the past year’s most critically acclaimed (and often popular) shows: I May Destroy You, Mare of Easttown, The Queen’s Gambit, The Underground Railroad, and WandaVision.

This Is Us Season 6

Release date: September 28
Where: NBC / Hulu
One of the most popular and well-regarded network dramas (and in fact the only one nominated for an Emmy among the streamers and cable channels), This Is Us begins its final season this fall. The show has always hooked fans with its jumping timelines and twisty reveals, and the final season has not one but three future timelines to tie up.

The Problem With Jon Stewart

Release date: September 30
Where: Apple TV+  
Incredibly, it’s been six years since Jon Stewart left The Daily Show. Each episode of his new series with Apple will focus on a single subject that’s “part of the national conversation.” A new episode will air every two weeks, along with a companion podcast. This won’t just be Stewart making jokes to the camera—Apple says he will discuss each issue with people directly impacted, as well as “those who have a hand in creating the impact.”

Sports events to stream in September

September is a fantastic month for sports fans of all stripes. The last tennis Grand Slam tournament of the year—the U.S. Open—runs through September 12; the NFL kicks off on September 9; AC Milan takes on Lazio in Serie A action on September 12, while Barcelona faces Bayern Munich in the Champions League on September 14. IPL Cricket returns from a Covid hiatus on September 19, and the biannual Ryder Cup golf tournament runs from September 24-26.

What’s streaming in October 2021?

October is looking strong from start to finish: HBO has announced that the third season of its award-winning Succession will premiere during the month (no exact date has been specified), and the network is also set to air the rebooted Dune movie. Elsewhere, Fear the Walking Dead Season 7 premieres, along with the much-buzzed-about Invasion on Apple TV+. And for sports fans, there will be the MLB playoffs.