Netflix
Black Rabbit
TV, US, 2025 – out 18 September
“Everything’s falling apart,” says Jude Law’s restaurateur Jake Friedkin in Netflix’s new thriller series – which is bad for him, but good for the audience. Who doesn’t like to watch somebody else’s life go off the rails? Jake’s woes stem from Vince, his bad egg of a brother – played by Jason Bateman, who also directed the first two episodes.
Vince returns to the family business; the restaurant is going gangbusters. But family have a way of creating chaos – particularly those, such as Vince, who’ve racked up big debts and upset the wrong people. Not exactly new terrain for a crime series; let’s hope the staging feels fresh.
AKA Charlie Sheen
TV, US, 2025 – out 10 September
Remember Charlie Sheen’s “tiger blood” era? Those words entered the pop culture lexicon in a legendary TV interview he gave in 2011, the same year he got fired from Two and a Half Men. This particularly tumultuous part of Sheen’s bumpy career must surely get special attention in Netflix’s two-part documentary, which promises to dip into the dirty and debaucherous – tracking the star’s “dazzling Hollywood rise, tabloid-topping fall and road to recovery”. Sheen is featured prominently, of course; he doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who wants to recede into the shadows.
Honourable mentions: Wednesday season 2 part 2 (TV, 3 September), Force of Nature: The Dry 2 (film, 11 September), The Wrong Paris (film, 12 September), Maledictions (TV, 12 September), Insidious: The Red Door (film, 15 September), Wayward (TV, 25 September), The Lost City of Melbourne (film, 30 September).
Stan
Revealed – Death Cap Murders
TV, Australia, 2025 – out 14 September
It’d be an exaggeration to say that Erin Patterson’s world-famous beef wellingtons were still warm when the scramble began to make productions about the murders she committed in 2023, but it certainly felt that way. ABC for instance began commissioning a drama series before her trial had even concluded. The documentary world enables much faster turnaround times – and so, here comes Stan’s three-part doco series, which promises to offer “exclusive access into the investigation and trial”. How exclusive, and how interesting, remains to be seen, but I’ll be watching.
Life of Pi
Film, US/UK/Taiwan, 2012 – out 20 September
In any other film, a line like “your mother is the orangutan” would sound like an insult. But not in Ang Lee’s visually sumptuous adaptation of Yann Martel’s novel, which builds a spiritual, unashamedly religious-minded space, philosophically connecting humans and animals. Literally connecting them too, in the sense that a large swathe of the story takes place on a lifeboat shared between Pi (Suraj Sharma) and a Bengal tiger. I’m not a big fan of the framing device – an older Pi recounting his story to a writer – but Lee builds a lovely, ponderous sort of spectacle.
Honourable mentions: 28 Days Later (film, 1 September), 28 Weeks Later (film, 1 September), Mao’s Last Dancer (film, 2 September), Pig (film, 5 September), 10 Things I Hate About You (film, 13 September), Crocodile Dundee: The Encore Cut (film, 15 September), Oppenheimer (film, 22 September), A Most Violent Year (film, 23 September), The Social Network (film, 24 September), Walk the Line (film, 27 September), The Hack (date TBC).
SBS on Demand
The People vs Robodebt
TV, Australia, 2025 – out 24 September
SBS’ three-part series unpacking the robodebt scandal deploys a high-energy approach, combining interviews with victims, Centrelink employees and various others (including Guardian Australia’s own Christopher Knaus) with extensive dramatic recreations directed by Ben Lawrence (Ithaka, Hearts and Bones). Initially I found these recreations a strange fit tonally, but warmed to them with time; they help the series explore emotional as well as factual details.
The Man Who Wasn’t There
Film, US, 2001 – out 15 September
With its sublime monochrome veneer and a gripping, The Outsider-esque story about a barber who shows no regret after committing murder, this cracking thriller from the Coen brothers seems unfairly overlooked in their admittedly very large and impressive oeuvre. Billy Bob Thornton is magnificent as Ed Crane, the barber who triggers a classic in-over-their-head narrative when he blackmails his bookkeeper wife’s boss. Crane’s extensive voiceover narration contrasts the much quieter and more reserved person we see on screen, throwing us into the mind of an introvert.
Honourable mentions: The Old Way (film, 1 September), Sympathy for the Devil (film, 1 September), Barton Fink (film, 1 September), Shakespeare in Love (film, 1 September), Call My Agent (TV, 4 September), Dreaming Big (TV, 5 September), The Red Shoes (film, 5 September), Black Narcissus (film, 5 September), The Wedding Planner (film, 5 September), Code of Silence (TV, 10 September), Gosford Park (film, 12 September), A Matter of Life and Death (film, 12 September), The Big Lebowski (film, 15 September), A Serious Man (film, 15 September), The Patient (TV, 24 September), Reservation Dogs seasons 1-3 (TV, 25 September).
ABC iView
Mystery Road: Origin season two
TV, Australia, 2025 – out 21 September
Mark Coles Smith had very big cowboy shoes to fill when he took on the role of Jay Swan, the outback detective brilliantly played by Aaron Pedersen in two Mystery Road movies and two TV spin-offs. He more than delivered the goods in another small screen spin-off, Mystery Road: Origin, playing a much younger version of the Akubra-wearing sleuth in a show that felt more like a six-hour film than an episodic series.
The second season focuses on another case involving the shady history of a small town. Joining the cast is Robyn Malcolm, who gave a wall-rattling performance in last year’s shockingly good New Zealand drama After the Party.
Honourable mentions: Britain’s Great Cathedrals (TV, 14 September), PNG The Road to Independence (TV, 16 September), Mother and Son season 2 (TV, 24 September).
Amazon Prime Video
Top End Bub
TV, Australia, 2025 – out 12 September
I enjoyed, but didn’t love, the 2019 Australian romcom Top End Wedding, starring the ever-likable Miranda Tapsell as Lauren, a bride-to-be scrambling to track down her missing mother before tying the knot with her fiance, Ned, (Gwilym Lee). In this spin-off TV series, Lauren and Ned, who are happily married, unexpectedly become guardian parents to Lauren’s niece Taya (Gladys-May Kelly) after her sister dies in a car crash. Expect laughter, tears and Important Life Lessons.
Jerry Maguire
Film, US, 1996 – out 16 September
“SHOW ME THE MOOONNEEEYYY!” Tom Cruise plays the titular sports agent who’s fired after taking a stand against dishonest practices in his industry. He’s supported by a colleague, Dorothy (Renée Zellweger), who jumps ship with him, though they retain only one client, Rod (Cuba Gooding Jr), who plays for the NFL. Maybe, just maybe, Rod will defy the odds and become a lucratively paid megastar.
Honourable mentions: (TV, 1 September), Ice Road: Vengeance (film, 3 September), Gone Girl (film, 5 September), Poor Things (film, 7 September), The Dry (film, 9 September), The Girlfriend (TV, 10 September), Joker (film, 16 September), Hotel Costiera (TV, 24 September), The Bodyguard (film, 30 September), The Meg (film, 30 September), Crazy, Stupid, Love (film, 30 September), Kong: Skull Island (film, 30 September), 28 Day Later (film, 30 September).
Binge
The Paper
TV, US, 2025 – out 4 September
All roads lead back to Scranton! This spin-off of The Office is based in the same universe as the long-running US version of the show, but focuses on a different company, set in the headquarters of a struggling newspaper. I’ve watched the first episode, which feels pretty meh, with no big belly-ups and jokes that feel quite obvious. When one journalist, Esmeralda (Sabrina Impacciatore), talks about an article she’s very proud of, the camera zooms in to reveal the headline: “You Won’t Believe How Much Ben Affleck Tipped His Limo Driver.” Ho ho ho. Maybe it finds a better rhythm.
Honourable mentions: The Office Superfan Episodes, seasons 1-8 (TV, 1 September), Married … With Children season 1-11 (TV, 1 September), 28 Days Later (film, 1 September), Love Hurts (film, 14 September), Brilliant Jones: Mad About the Boy (film, 21 September).
HBO Max
Task
TV, US, 2025 – out 8 September
The new series from Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby is set in working-class Philadelphia and stars Mark Ruffalo as Tom Brandis, a former priest and avid birdwatcher. Oh! And he’s also an FBI agent, leading a taskforce investigating a group who violently rob drug dealers, escalating tensions between rival gangs. Will his bird-watching skills help save the day? The show has been generating good buzz. Variety critic Alison Herman drew attention to its “nail-biting set pieces” and Rolling Stone’s Alan Sepinwall called it “transportative“.
Honourable mentions: Brian and Maggie (TV, 1 September) Ruby & Jodi: A Cult of Sin and Influence (TV, 2 September), Most Wanted: Teen Hacker (TV, 5 September), Rocky (film, 1976), Rocky II (film, 1979), Rocky III (film, 1982), Rocky IV (film, 1985), Rocky V (film, 1990), Rocky Balboa (film, 2006), Tomb Raider (film, 2018), RoboCop (film, 2014), 21 Jump Street (film, 2012), 22 Jump Street (film, 2014).
Disney+
Only Murders in the Building season 5
TV, US, 2025 – out 9 September
Another season, another murder, another round of banter-filled sleuthing from our favourite amateur investigators and podcasters – played by Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selena Gomez. The chemistry between Martin and Short was established decades ago, and the addition of Gomez gives this frothy cosy murder series intergenerational appeal. The plot of the fifth season involves the trio investigating the death of their building’s doorman. All is not what it seems, of course; there are various sinister forces at play, yadda yadda.
The fourth season brought the goods, though at this point the proverbial cow has been well milked. Will the show keep going until it jumps the shark? Let’s hope not.
Honourable mentions: Lilo & Stitch (film, 3 September), Futurama season 13 (TV, 16 September), High Potential season 2 (TV, 17 September), Swiped (film, 19 September), FX’s The Lowdown (TV, 24 September), Chad Powers (TV, 30 September).
Apple TV+
The Savant
TV, US, 2025 – out 26 September
“The Savant” isn’t exactly a modest moniker for an investigator; it sets the bar rather high. Jessica Chastain plays the titular character, who spends her evenings hunched in front of a computer, infiltrating online hate groups in an attempt to prevent them from committing terrible crimes. The juiced-up trailer declares that “between 1994 and 2020, 893 extremist attacks took place in America” and “today, unseen heroes protect us from countless more”. So she’s kind of like a keyboard-powered superhero? I guess I’m in.
Honourable mentions: Highest 2 Lowest (film, 5 September), Morning Wars season 4 (TV, 17 September), Slow Horses season 5 (TV, 24 September), All of You (film, 26 September).