Shoppers aren't the only ones refreshing their watchlists this month. Viewers across the UK and beyond can expect a lively mix of queer talent, gothic true crime, animated chaos, ballroom sparkle and returning horror, with Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Peacock and network television all offering something worth pressing play for.

Essential Takeaways

  • The big new drama: Netflix's Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story arrives on 17 September, reframing a notorious case through repression, desire and rage.
  • Animation gets messier: Dang! brings Stephanie Hsu and Poppy Liu into an adult comedy about siblings who are spectacularly bad at having their lives together.
  • Reality TV gets more inclusive: Dancing With the Stars features queer competitors and another same-sex celebrity-professional pairing.
  • Horror is back: American Horror Story returns with a three-episode opening run, just as spooky-season viewing begins to gather pace.
  • Camp remains plentiful: From Cruel Intentions and Alien to Alan Cumming's latest castle-bound reality spectacle, September's choices are gloriously varied.

Lizzie Borden gets a queer, gothic reimagining

The month's most attention-grabbing release is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, arriving on Netflix on 17 September. Ella Beatty plays the Massachusetts woman accused of killing her father and stepmother with an axe in 1892, while Vicky Krieps portrays the family's rebellious maid, Bridget "Maggie" Sullivan.

Rather than treating the case as a simple whodunnit, the season explores a claustrophobic relationship shaped by repression, fantasy and anger. That's fertile territory for the Monster anthology, which has long preferred psychological unease to tidy answers. TV Insider's series information and Netflix Tudum's production details both identify the season as the fourth instalment, with Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan returning to the helm. [3], [4]

The ensemble is another reason to keep this one on the radar. Rebecca Hall, Charlie Hunnam, Billie Lourd and Jessica Barden join the central pairing, giving the story the sort of glossy, awards-season cast that can make even a familiar historical mystery feel newly dangerous. Enstarz also reported the 17 September Netflix premiere, so viewers can start planning their autumn binge now. [5]

Netflix balances new chaos with cult comfort

For something lighter, Dang! launches on 8 September. The adult animated comedy follows siblings Andrew and Eunice, whose apparently sorted older sister, Ruthie, moves in after her carefully managed life collapses.

Stephanie Hsu and Poppy Liu lead the voice cast alongside Andrew Law and Noel Wells. The appeal is easy to understand: it's a family comedy built around the universal truth that adulthood is mostly improvisation, unfinished chores and pretending you've read the email. Netflix's official listing confirms the series as a new animated title, making it a strong pick for viewers after something brisk and irreverent. [2]

The platform is also stocking up on older favourites. Cruel Intentions, Alien and Aliens arrive on 1 September, bringing delicious melodrama, sleek science-fiction terror and Sigourney Weaver's iconic Ellen Ripley into the same monthly mix. Party Down follows on 22 September, while Ready or Not, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Unfriended, Smile 2, Prom Night and Stranger Things: Tales From '85 add even more genre flavour.

Ballroom representation takes centre stage

The new season of Dancing With the Stars brings a welcome dose of queer visibility to a format already built around sequins, spectacle and emotional backstories. Sarah Jane Nader competes with professional dancer Hailey Bills, forming the franchise's second all-female partnership and its third same-sex celebrity-professional pairing.

Bisexual Olympic figure skater Amber Glenn is also joining the line-up. The season premieres on 15 September on ABC and Disney+, with episodes reaching Hulu the following day, according to TVLine and TMZ's cast reports. [6], [7]

That timing makes it a useful choice for viewers who want a communal weekly watch rather than another late-night streaming marathon. There's something satisfyingly old-fashioned about waiting for the next routine, especially when the ballroom is offering more than one way to see yourself reflected under the lights.

Hulu brings musical comfort and another horror binge

Wicked arrives on Hulu on 21 September, giving fans another chance to revisit Cynthia Erivo's Elphaba, Ariana Grande's Glinda and Jonathan Bailey's Fiyero. The story's central friendship, packed with ambition, tenderness and theatrical betrayal, remains catnip for anyone who likes their viewing with a little grandeur.

Then, on 24 September, American Horror Story returns for its 13th season. Details of the new story are being kept close to the coffin, but the series' familiar ingredients remain: camp, carnage, queer characters and enough elaborate styling to make a midnight viewing feel like a fashion event.

If you're choosing a pre-Halloween watch, start with Wicked for spectacle before switching to American Horror Story when you want the room to feel slightly less safe. It's a classic September double bill: big feelings first, bad dreams afterwards.

The Traitors and The Paper offer different kinds of drama

Alan Cumming returns to his castle for The Traitors: New Blood, which begins on NBC on 17 September before moving to Peacock on 18 September. This time, 22 everyday Americans take part in the deception-heavy competition, with a possible prize of $250,000 at stake.

The format still depends on secret traitors, suspicious roundtables and dramatic eliminations, but the new cast should give the game a different texture from the celebrity version. Cumming remains the main event in many ways, bringing extravagant tailoring and a knowing theatricality that makes every raised eyebrow feel like part of the rules. The season's cast and launch details were reported by TVLine and TMZ. [6], [7]

On Peacock, The Paper returns for season two on 9 September. The Office spin-off continues to follow the struggling Toledo Truth Teller and its volunteer newsroom, with Oscar Nuñez back as openly gay accountant Oscar Martinez. It's a gentler sort of workplace chaos, but one with plenty of room for newsroom politics, bruised ambition and the occasional painfully familiar deadline.

How to build a September watchlist

The easiest way to choose is by mood. Pick Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story for gothic tension, Dang! for animated family dysfunction, Dancing With the Stars for live sparkle and The Traitors: New Blood when you want suspicion with your sofa time.

For a longer horror run, pair the returning American Horror Story with Alien, Aliens or Ready or Not. And if you need a comfort rewatch between darker choices, Cruel Intentions, Wicked and Party Down offer very different forms of campy relief.

September's strongest quality is its range. You can move from female rage to workplace comedy, then from ballroom glamour to axe-wielding gothic drama, without leaving the house. That's a pretty convincing argument for keeping the remote close.

It's a small screen season with wonderfully big moods, so choose your poison and settle in.

Source Reference Map

Story idea inspired by: [1]

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