Shows to kickstart spring

Jon Bernthal takes over from Richard Gere, a 90s young adult drama gets a makeover and a Star Wars Rogue returns, writes James Croot.

September will potentially bring warmer weather and less rain, but also a plethora of new viewing options.

Free-to-air options include new seasons of Eat Well For Less NZ (today, TVNZ 1), Motorway Patrol (Thursday, TVNZ 2) and Piri’s Tiki Tour (September 13, Whakaata Māori).

On TVNZ+, there’s more FBI: International

(September 21), CSI: Vegas, Ghosts and Young Sheldon (September 30), as well as British crime-drama Witness Number 3 (September 22).

Disney+ has the return of The Kardashians (September 22) and the debuts of animated spinoff series Cars on the Road, action-comedy Wedding Season and docu-series Growing Up (all on Thursday).

Prime Video boasts innercity London-set rap drama Jungle (September 30), Shudder counts down The 101 Scariest Film Moments of All Time (tomorrow) and Neon’s lineup features more Atlanta (September 17) and New Amsterdam (September 21).

Among Netflix’s new series content are more Rick and Morty (today), Cobra Kai (Friday) and Fate: The Winx Saga (September 16).

However, after looking at the schedules, Stuff to Watch has picked the dozen shows we’re most excited to see.

American Gigolo

(September 12, Neon)

Jon Bernthal headlines this eight-part, present-day update of the cult 1980 movie starring Richard Gere. Released after a 15-year prison term for a crime he didn’t commit, Julian Kaye (Bernthal) tries to reintegrate back into society and manage complicated relationships with his former lover (Gretchen Mol), troubled mother and the people who betrayed him. The cast includes Wayne Brady and Rosie O’donnell. The series will also screen on Sky TV’S Soho from September 14.

Andor

(September 21, Disney+) Sacrificing himself to ensure the Rebels gained the Death Star plans at the end of Rogue One hasn’t stopped Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) from getting his own 12-part series.

Naturally, events take place before the thief-turned-spy’s fatal mission to Scarif, focusing on the forming of the Rebel Alliance against the Galactic Empire. The cast includes Stellan Skarsgard, Denise Gough, Adria Arjona and Fiona Shaw.

Gaslit

(September 16, Prime Video) Julia Roberts plays Martha Mitchell in this eight-part dramatisation of a lesserknown story surrounding the Watergate scandal that sank President Richard Nixon’s administration. It details how Mitchell, a socialite and wife of Attorney General John N Mitchell, was one of the first people to sound the alarm about the president’s role in the infamous cover-up. Sean Penn, Dan Stevens and Betty Gilpin also star.

The Handmaid’s Tale

(September 15, Neon)

In this dystopian drama, Elisabeth Moss’ June faces the likely consequences for the killing she carried out while she tries to redefine her identity and purpose. Meanwhile, Serena (Yvonne Strahovski) tries to raise her profile just as Gilead’s influence makes its way to Canada, although change could be on its way south of the border, as Commander Lawrence (Bradley Whitford) attempts to gain power.

Heartbreak High

(September 14, Netflix) Eight-part ‘‘reimagining’’ of the hit 90s Australian young adult series. Again set at Sydney’s Hartley High, this time the main focus is on Amerie (Ayesha Madon), who, with the help of her outsider new friends – Quinni (Chloe Hayden) and Darren (James Majoos) – tries to repair her damaged reputation and deal with love, sex and heartbreak. Look out for New Zealand’s own Rachel House as a selfconfessed ‘‘woke’’ principal.

Little Demon

(September 21, Disney+)

An adult animated horror comedy about a mother and her antichrist daughter and their attempts to live an ordinary life in Delaware. The vocal cast includes Aubrey Plaza and father-and-daughter Danny and Lucy Devito. ‘‘It’s a sweet coming-of-age story wrapped in gore to deliver a devilishly good time,’’ wrote IGN Movies’ Samantha

Nelson.

The Lord of the Rings: The Power of the Ring

(On now, Prime Video)

Set thousands of years before the events of J J R Tolkein’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings books, this eight-part fantasy focuses on the heroic legends of Middle-earth’s fabled ‘‘Second Age’’, an era when great powers were forged, kingdoms rose to glory and fell to ruin, hope hung by the finest of threads and a villain threatened to cover the world in darkness. Filmed in New Zealand, this is allegedly the first of five seasons and features Robert Aramayo and Morfydd Clark as younger versions of elfs Elrond and Galadriel.

Monarch

(September 12, TVNZ+)

Susan Sarandon gets topbilling for this eight-part drama about the Romans, a country music dynasty. However, when their royal reign is put in jeopardy, the family’s current star Nicolette (Anna Friel) will stop at nothing to protect their legacy. Martina Mcbride, Tanya Tucker and Shania Twain are among the real-life singing stars scheduled to play themselves.

Reservation Dogs

(Tomorrow, Disney+)

As the 10-part second season of this US teen comedy co-created by our own Taika Waititi opens, the gang is scattered, with Elora (Devery Jacobs) and Jackie (Elva Guerra) on the road to California and the others in various places around the reservation. One member is convinced that all their misfortune is the result of a curse she made – something she is determined to fix.

Swimming with Sharks

(September 16, Prime Video) This six-part series follows a young female assistant at the centre of a film studio filled with manipulators and schemers. However, what none of them realise, is that she is poised to outwit them all. Chilling Adventures of

Sabrina star Kiernan Shipka stars alongside Diane Kruger and Donald Sutherland.

Thai Cave Rescue

(September 22, Netflix)

Hot on the heels of Ron Howard’s star-speckled feature-length dramatisation, this six-part series also recreates the dramatic recovery of a Thai youth football team from a seemingly impossible situation in 2018. As the only production so far to have been granted access to the members of the Wild Boars squad, it promises to highlight their perspective of the incredible events.

The Twelve

(Today, TVNZ+)

Kate Mulvany, Marta Dusseldorp and Sam Neill star in this 10-part Australian crime-thriller which focuses around the dozen ordinary people who are selected for jury duty in a murder trial that might just be as traumatising as it is controversial. A woman has been accused of killing a child. Based on a 2019 Belgian series of the same name.