First Sunday Edition: What to Stream in September

Hi there, and welcome to the First Sunday edition of Substream! Your go-to source for honest, unpretentious streaming news, reviews, and recommendations—so you can spend more time streaming and less time scrolling.

Remember, Weekly Watch List editions of the newsletter drop in your inbox every Sunday evening with quick hits on what’s worth streaming.

In this edition:

• Everything to look out for in September

• Industry news and announcements

Don’t forget, you can always check out this newsletter or past newsletters here.

NEW THIS MONTH
‘Tis the Season (for Streaming)

Sunday, August 30

• Lioness (Paramount+ — season 3, episode 5)

• Lanterns (HBO — season 1, episode 3)

Monday, August 31

• Furious (Hulu — season 1 finale)

Wednesday, September 2

• Ted Lasso (Apple TV — season 4, episode 5)

• Reacher (Prime Video — season 4, episode 6)

• The Shards (FX — season 1, episode 8)

Thursday, September 3

• The Gentlemen (Netflix — season 2, binge drop)

• Chad Powers (Hulu — season 2, binge drop)

• Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (HBO — season 1, episode 7)

Friday, September 4

• Silo (Apple TV — season 3 finale)

• Dark Matter (Apple TV — season 2, episode 2)

• Anna Pigeon (USA Network — season 1, episode 5)

Sunday, September 6

• A Tale of Two Cities (MGM+ — premiere of the 4-part series adaptation starring Kit Harington)

• Lioness (Paramount+ — season 3, episode 6)

• Lanterns (HBO — season 1, episode 4)

Wednesday, September 9

• Ted Lasso (Apple TV — season 4, episode 6)

• Reacher (Prime Video — season 4, episode 7)

• Last Seen (Apple TV+ — new Australian crime thriller starring Patrick Brammall)

• The Shards (FX — season 1 finale)

• The Paper (Peacock — season 2, binge drop)

Thursday, September 10

• Colin From Accounts (Paramount+ — third & final season, binge drop)

• Crew Girl (Netflix — new YA drama series, binge drop)

• Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (HBO — season 1, episode 8)

Friday, September 11

• Dark Matter (Apple TV — season 2, episode 3)

• Anna Pigeon (USA Network — season 1, episode 6)

Sunday, September 13

• A Tale of Two Cities (MGM+ — part 2)

• Lioness (Paramount+ — season 3, episode 7)

• Lanterns (HBO — season 1, episode 5)

Wednesday, September 16

• Ted Lasso (Apple TV — season 4, episode 7)

• Reacher (Prime Video — season 4 finale)

• Last Seen (Apple TV+ — season 1, episode 2)

• Neagley (Prime Video — premiere of the Reacher spin-off, binge drop)

• Slow Horses (Apple TV+ — season 6 premiere)

Thursday, September 17

• Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (HBO — season 1, episode 9)

Friday, September 18

• Dark Matter (Apple TV — season 2, episode 4)

• Anna Pigeon (USA Network — season 1, episode 7)

Sunday, September 20

• A Tale of Two Cities (MGM+ — part 3)

• Lioness (Paramount+ — season 3 finale)

• Lanterns (HBO — season 1, episode 6)

• Youth (HBO — comedy series premiere, episodes 1-2)

Wednesday, September 23

• Ted Lasso (Apple TV — season 4, episode 8)

• Last Seen (Apple TV+ — season 1, episode 3)

• Slow Horses (Apple TV+ — season 6, episode 2)

• Brothers (Apple TV+ — new comedy series starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson, episodes 1-2)

Thursday, September 24

• Stuart Fails to Save the Universe (HBO — season 1 finale)

Friday, September 25

• Dark Matter (Apple TV — season 2, episode 5)

• Anna Pigeon (USA Network — season 1, episode 8)

Sunday, September 27

• A Tale of Two Cities (MGM+ — part 4)

• Lanterns (HBO — season 1, episode 7)

• Youth (HBO — season 1, episodes 3)

Wednesday, September 30

• Ted Lasso (Apple TV — season 4, episode 9)

• Last Seen (Apple TV+ — season 1, episode 4)

• Slow Horses (Apple TV+ — season 6, episode 3)

• Brothers (Apple TV+ — season 1, episodes 3)

Don’t forget, you can always check out this newsletters or past newsletters here, or simply search “substream” in your inbox.

COMEDY CANCELATION
Still Highly Suitable for Streaming

Back in July, I called Not Suitable for Work one of the increasingly rare shows that is simply fun: funny, warm, romantic, low-stakes enough to actually relax while watching, but smart enough to keep you invested. And, if you ask me, some of Mindy Kaling’s best work — but apparently, we can’t have nice things.

Hulu has canceled the series after just one season, and while I generally try not to become emotionally involved in the business decisions of billion-dollar media conglomerates, this one feels particularly frustrating. TV has no shortage of murders to solve, dystopias to survive, or deeply troubled wealthy families to dissect. What it increasingly seems to lack are genuinely good comedies — shows that feel relatable, light, and genuinely fun to watch without being completely devoid of substance.

And maybe part of the problem is that the TV industry no longer seems willing to give comedies the time to find their footing — or their audience. Some of the most beloved sitcoms took a season (or several) to become the shows we remember them as. Not Suitable for Work, meanwhile, barely got the chance. It premiered in June, climbed all the way to No. 1 on Hulu, and was canceled less than three months later. If even a show that can top the platform’s own charts isn't given room to grow, it's hard not to wonder what exactly a new comedy is supposed to do to survive.

There is, however, a tiny glimmer of hope: Warner Bros. Television is reportedly shopping the series to other platforms in hopes of finding it a new home, and fans have launched a petition to save the show. So in the interest of doing my small part for the preservation of fun television, you can sign it here. And if you haven't watched yet, you can read my original review here as my official argument for why you should.

TOP STORIES
In Case You Missed It

RENEWALS & CANCELATIONS

• ‘Not Suitable for Work’ is canceled after one season at Hulu. (more)

• ‘The Gentlemen’ is renewed for S3 at Netflix ahead of the S2 premiere. (more)

TV NEWS & DEVELOPMENTS

• Kit Harington will take over as Gilderoy Lockhart in S2 of HBO’s ‘Harry Potter,’ replacing Nicholas Hoult. (more)

• ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl’ sets showrunners for series adaptation at Peacock (more).

FILM NEWS & DEVELOPMENTS

• ‘How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days’ is getting a sequel at Paramount with Kate Hudson producing. (more)

• Patrick Schwarzenegger will star in Mike Birbiglia’s new comedy film, ‘Old Friends, New Friends.’ (more)

• Ryan Gosling and Warner Bros. are developing a live-action ‘Flintstones’ movie centered on a grown-up Bamm-Bamm. (more)

• ‘Serendipity’ is getting a modern retelling from Amazon MGM Studios and Miramax. (more)

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