September means the new fall TV season, and this month brings 16 new programs from Great Britain, Australia, and Canada to stateside cable channels and SVOD services.
For updates about September 2017 program offerings, including shows from the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, released in the US during the month, see the British TV Viewing Guide.
NATIONAL PREMIERES
The Governor: Series 1 & 2 (UK)
Created and written by Lynda La Plante (Prime Suspect), this ’90s British drama stars two-time Oscar® nominee Janet McTeer (Albert Nobbs, Tumbleweeds) as Helen Hewitt, the first woman governor of Barfield, a maximum security prison. Costars include Derek Martin (EastEnders), Ron Donachie (Game of Thrones), Idris Elba (Luther), Eamonn Walker (Chicago Fire), and Sophie Okonedo (Undercover). The Governor: Series 1 & 2 premieres in the US on Friday, September 1st, exclusively on Acorn TV. (Photo © Yorkshire TV, courtesy of Acorn TV)
Cold Feet: 2017 (UK)
John Thomson (Coronation Street), Hermione Norris (In the Club), Robert Bathurst (Toast of London), Fay Ripley (Suspects), and James Nesbitt (Stan Lee’s Lucky Man) (pictured L-R) return for the second reboot season of this beloved, BAFTA-winning dramedy series. New cast members include Siobhan Finneran (Downton Abbey) and Robert Glenister (Hustle); she plays Nikki Kirkbright, a housewife who develops a close bond with David (Bathurst), and he plays Nikki’s husband, George, a man who isn’t what he seems. Guest stars include Jacey Sallés (Hollyoaks), who reprises her role as Ramona Ramirez, and Paul Ritter (Friday Night Dinner), who plays Karen’s (Norris) new and unwanted publishing business partner. Cold Feet: 2017 premieres in the US on Saturday, September 9th, exclusively on BritBox. (Photo courtesy of BritBox)
Outlander: Season 3 (UK)
Based on Voyager, Book Three in Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling “Outlander” series, the third season of this Golden Globes®-nominated fantasy-costume-romance drama picks up where Season 2 left off: Claire (Caitriona Balfe, Now You See Me), pregnant with Jamie’s (Sam Heughan, Doctors) child, struggles with the fallout of her sudden reappearance in 1948 and its effect on her marriage to her first husband, Frank (Tobias Menzies, Rome). Meanwhile, in the 18th century, Jamie suffers from the aftermath of his doomed last stand at the historic battle of Culloden, as well as the loss of Claire. Outlander: Season 3 premieres in the US on Sunday, September 10th, at 8 PM ET, on Starz.
Top of the Lake: China Girl (Season 2) (UK, Australia, New Zealand, US)
After the events in New Zealand in the Primetime Emmy®-nominated Season 1, Detective Robin Griffin (Golden Globes® winner Elizabeth Moss, Mad Men) returns to Sydney to decompress, but soon gets a new partner (Gwendoline Christie, Game of Thrones) and the case of an Asian woman found dead in a suitcase. She’s also reunited with the now-teen-aged daughter she gave up for adoption (Alice Englert, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell), who’s in a relationship with a much older German man (David Dencik, The Day Will Come). Featuring Ewen Leslie (Janet King) and Oscar® winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours), Top of the Lake: China Girl premieres in the US on Sunday, September 10th, at 9 PM ET, on SundanceTV. (The three-day premiere event will also be available for streaming on Hulu starting Monday, September 11th.)
Newton’s Law (Australia)
It’s a different sort of upstairs/downstairs in this new Aussie legal drama created by the team behind Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries. Claudia Karvan (Jack Irish) stars as Josephine Newton, a solicitor who juggles cases at her suburban firm with those of the high-powered Knox Chambers, following the torching of her office by a disgruntled client. (More details here.) Featuring Toby Schmitz (Crownies), Georgina Naidu (Mr. & Mrs. Murder), Sean Keenan (Glitch), Andrew McFarlane (The Code), and Jane Hall (Neighbours), Newton’s Law premieres in the US with Episodes 1 & 2 on Monday, September 11th, exclusively on Acorn TV.
Offspring: Season 7 (Australia)
This multiple-award-winning comedy-drama is one of the best shows you might not have seen. By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, it stars Asher Keddie (Underbelly) as obstetrician and single mum Dr. Nina Proudman and revolves around the lives of Nina and her family and friends. The new season picks up shortly after where Season 6 left off, with Nina being a mum to toddler Zoe, the soon-to-be new Acting Head of Obstetrics at St Francis Hospital, and the girlfriend of her new beau, Harry (Alexander England, Alien: Covenant). Offspring: Season 7 premieres in the US on Wednesday, September 13th, on Netflix.
Riviera (UK)
Written by Oscar® winner Neil Jordan (The Crying Game) and set on the French Riviera, this thriller follows Georgina Clios (Golden Globes® nominee Julia Stiles, Dexter), an American art curator on a quest to get to the truth about her billionaire husband’s death from a yacht explosion, after she discovers the fortune and lifestyle he maintained was surrounded by violence, lies, secrets, and murder. Featuring Oscar® nominee Lena Olin (Enemies: A Love Story), Adrian Lester (Hustle), Iwan Rheon (Game of Thrones), and Phil Davis (Poldark), Riviera, a Sundance Now Original, premieres in the US on Thursday, September 14th, exclusively on Sundance Now.
19-2: Season 4 (Final) (Canada)
The final season of this multiple-award-winning, International Emmy®-nominated cop drama finds Montreal P.D. Officers Nick Barron (Adrian Holmes, Arrow) and Ben Chartier (Jared Keeso, Falling Skies) determined to avenge the (Season 3) death of Nick’s sister/Ben’s lover as they and the rest of their squad get pulled into an escalating gang war. Aiza Ntibarikure (The Art of More) joins the cast as new officer Roxanne Dionne. 19-2: Season 4 premieres in the US on Friday, September 22nd, exclusively on Acorn TV.
Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father (UK)
This comedic travelogue, the second series hosted by actor-comedian Jack Whitehall (Decline and Fall, Fresh Meat) and his producer-author father Michael Whitehall (Backchat, Bertie and Elizabeth), follows them on a tour of southeast Asia as they complete together Jack’s aborted 2009 gap year trip. From Cambodia and Vietnam, to Thailand and points beyond, Jack Whitehall: Travels with My Father Friday premieres in the US on Friday, September 22nd, on Netflix.
Grandma’s House: Series 1 & 2 (UK)
A Best New TV Comedy nominee at the 2010 British Comedy Awards, this sitcom stars series co-creator and co-writer Simon Amstell (Never Mind the Buzzcocks) as a version of himself: a former TV program presenter searching for more meaning in his life. Costarring Linda Bassett (Call the Midwife), Rebecca front (Doctor Thorne), Samantha Spiro (Psychobitches), and James Smith (Boomers), Grandma’s House: Series One & Two premieres in the US on Monday, September 25th, exclusively on Acorn TV.
Liar (UK)
From the writers of The Missing comes this six-part psychological thriller starring Golden Globes® winner Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey) as newly-unattached Laura Nielsen, a teacher, and BAFTA’s Sian Phillips Award recipient Ioan Gruffudd (Fantastic Four) as Andrew Earlham, a renowned surgeon whose son goes to Laura’s school. Their seemingly innocent date is followed by a series of volatile accusations and the unraveling of secrets and lies, until the truth ultimately reveals itself. Liar premieres in the US on Wednesday, September 27th, at 10 PM ET, on SundanceTV.
Rosehaven: Season 1 (Australia)
This acclaimed sitcom stars real-life best friends and series creators-writers Celia Pacquola (Utopia, Offspring) and Luke McGregor (Utopia, Please Like Me) as fictional best friends Emma Dawes and Daniel McCallum. Soon after Daniel returns to his Tasmanian hometown of Rosehaven to help with his mum’s business, Emma turns up on his doorstep after her husband left her and their marriage during their honeymoon. As the pair are thrown into the center of small-town life, they find their friendship and sanity put to the test by the charming and eccentric townsfolk. Rosehaven premieres in the US with its first two episodes on Wednesday, September 27th, at 11 PM ET, on SundanceTV.
Paul Hollywood’s Big Continental Road Trip (UK)
Celebrity chef, TV program presenter, and author Paul Hollywood (The Great British Baking Show, How to Bake) is also a competitive auto racer. In this reality series he drives all manner of cars in Italy, Germany, and France, and learns insights about each country’s culture from his traveling companions. Paul Hollywood’s Big Continental Road Trip premieres in the US on Friday, September 29th, on Netflix.
Murder Maps: Season 3 (UK)
This docudrama series hosted by actor Nicholas Day (New Tricks) returns to the US with four new episodes about real-crime stories from the UK, including: the Brighton trunk murders; John George Haigh, aka the Acid Bath Murderer (played by Martin Clunes in the telefilm A Is for Acid); the towpath murders by the River Thames in London; and Ruth Ellis, the last woman executed in the UK. Murder Maps: Season 3 premieres in the US on Saturday, September 30th, on Netflix. (Image © 3DD Entertainment, courtesy of Netflix)
Versailles: Season 2 (Canada/France)
Already renewed for a third season, this period drama about the reign of King Louis XIV of France (George Blagden, Vikings) opens its second season soon after the tragic death by poisoning that closed Season 1. With a vacancy in the royal court, most of France’s eminent lords and ladies, now living under the Sun King’s roof, are tripping over and poisoning each other to climb up the social ladder and get closer to the King. Versailles: Season 2 premieres in the US on Saturday, September 30th, at 10 PM ET, on Ovation.
Strictly Come Dancing (UK)
Before the US had Dancing with the Stars, Britain had this competition show giant for more than a decade. The series makes its stateside SVOD debut with the 15th UK season, which features R&B singer Alexandra Burke, actresses Chizzy Akudolu (Holby City) and Gemma Atkinson (Emmerdale), comedienne Susan Calman, two-time Paralympic champion Jonnie Peacock, and other celebrity contestants joining their professional dance partners to battle it out every week. As of this writing, the US premiere date of Strictly Come Dancing is TBD; however, episodes will be available exclusively on BritBox a few days after their UK debuts. Stay tuned for updates. (Photo courtesy of BritBox)
NON-PREMIERE PROGRAMS ADDED TO STREAMING SERVICES
Edwardian Country House (UK)
Originally broadcast in the US on PBS as Manor House, this reality series follows 21st-century volunteers as they immerse themselves in a world of early 20th-century social inequality and rigid class distinctions. While one family takes on the mantle of privilege, 12 individuals are yoked in their service for three months. Edwardian Country House begins streaming Monday, September 4th, on Acorn TV. (Photo © Simon Roberts / Growbag / Channel 4, courtesy of Acorn TV)
The Commander: Series 1-5 (UK)
Another crime drama series written by Lynda LaPlante (Above Suspicion) is this one, starring Amanda Burton (Silent Witness) as Commander Clare Blake, the head of the elite Murder Review Team and the highest-ranking female officer in New Scotland Yard. Guest stars include Hugh Bonneville (Downton Abbey), Saskia Reeves (Shetland), David O’Hara (The Tudors), Brendan Coyle (Spotless), Celia Imrie (Kingdom), Greg Wise (The Crown), Christopher Fulford (The Brief), and James D’Arcy (Broadchurch). The Commander (complete series) begins streaming Monday, September 18th, on Acorn TV.
To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters (UK)
Set in the 1840s, this telefilm centers on the lives of the Brontë sisters — novelists and poets Charlotte (Finn Atkins, Starlings), Anne (Charlie Murphy, Happy Valley), and Emily (Chloe Pirrie, War & Peace) — as they strive and eventually overcome the odds in the male-dominated publishing world to become literary sensations. Featuring Adam Nagaitis (Banished) as brother Branwell and Jonathan Pryce (Taboo) as patriarch Patrick, To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters begins streaming Monday, September 25th, as an Amazon Prime Video selection. (Image courtesy of Amazon)
The Ruth Rendell Mysteries: The Next Chapters (Seasons 1-3) (UK)
Created by the late, great, award-winning author Ruth Rendell, this anthology series features stories that explore the dark fissures between friends and family members that motivate murder. Some episodes feature George Baker (I, Claudius) as Detective Chief Inspector Wexford (Rendell’s best-known character), and guest stars include Oscar® winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) and Golden Globes® winner Idris Elba (Luther). The Ruth Rendell Mysteries: The Next Chapters begins streaming Friday, September 1st, on BritBox. (Photo © ITV plc / Granada International, courtesy of BritBox)
Funeral Directors: Dead Good Job (UK)
This documentary series offers a warm, sensitive look at the personalities and rituals involved in the funeral business. From the traditional Christian funeral to humanist woodland burials, it provides intriguing insights into the many ways we deal with the final goodbye. Funeral Directors: Dead Good Job begins streaming Wednesday, September 6th, exclusively on BritBox. (Pictured: Simon Lilleywhite of Lillywhite Funeral Service, Manchester — Photo © BBC, courtesy of BritBox)
Are You Being Served Again? (aka Grace & Favour) (UK)
Frank Thornton, Mollie Sugden, John Inman, Wendy Richard, and Nicholas Smith (pictured L-R) reprise their respective roles as Captain Peacock, Mrs. Slocombe, Mr. Humphries, Miss Brahms, and Mr. Rumbold in this hilarious spinoff of the classic Britcom Are You Being Served?. With the retired department store staff discovering that the late Mr. Grace invested their minuscule pensions in a country manor house, they decide to live there and run it as an inn. As fans of the original series can imagine, madness ensues. Are You Being Served Again? begins streaming Saturday, September 16th, exclusively on BritBox. (Photo © BBC, courtesy of BritBox)
Looking For Victoria (UK)
This documentary follows BAFTA nominee Prunella Scales (Fawlty Towers) as she ventures inside some of the most famous royal palaces in Britain to discover the truth about the monarch she played in the one-woman show, An Evening with Queen Victoria. Her meetings with descendants, historians, curators, and writers shed light on the story of Victoria, the second longest-reigning monarch in Britain’s history. Looking For Victoria begins streaming Wednesday, September 20th, exclusively on BritBox. (Photo © BBC, courtesy of BritBox)
Poldark: The Movie (UK)
Two decades after the original Poldark TV series premiered to critical acclaim, this telefilm based on The Stranger from the Sea, Book 8 in Winston Graham’s “Poldark” series of historical novels, debuted in the UK. The movie follows Ross Poldark (John Bowe, Emmerdale) in his war with France, and the fight for the survival of the family mine in Cornwall by his wife Demelza (Mel Martin, Cold Feet) and son Jeremy (Ioan Gruffudd, Forever). Poldark: The Movie begins streaming Saturday, September 23rd, exclusively on BritBox. (Photo courtesy of BritBox)
Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks (UK)
One of the most celebrated stories in the Doctor Who canon, this was the first full one that starred Patrick Troughton as the Second Doctor. Although the master tapes of its six episodes were erased or destroyed decades ago, the audio soundtrack survived, and the BBC used it to produce an animated reconstruction of the story in 2016. The narrative follows the newly-regenerated Doctor and his companions, Ben and Polly, as they battle the Time Lord’s oldest enemies, the Daleks, to stop them from destroying the planet Vulcan. Doctor Who: The Power of the Daleks begins streaming Saturday, September 30th, on BritBox.
Call the Midwife: Series 6 (UK)
Opening with the South Africa-set 2016 Christmas special, this season finds Sister Ursula (guest star Harriet Walter, The Crown) running Nonnatus House with an iron fist, the health of Sister Mary Cynthia (Bryony Hannah, Unforgotten) declining, Dr Turner (Stephen McGann, The Hanging Gale) and Shelagh (Laura Main, The Mill) expecting a baby, former Army nurse Valerie Dyer (Jennifer Kirby, Holby City) joining the Nonnatus staff, Trixie (Helen George, Doctors) meeting a new romantic prospect, and the wedding of Barbara (Charlotte Ritchie, Fresh Meat) and Tom (Jack Ashton, Broadchurch) happening sooner instead of later. Confirmed for three more seasons (through Season 9), Call the Midwife: Series 6 begins streaming Monday, September 18th, on Netflix.
Dark Matter: Season 3 (Canada)
Based on the comic book of the same name, this sci-fi drama’s third outing is filled with more adventures for the remainder of the Raza spaceship crew. When we left these mercenaries in the Season 2 cliffhanger, one of their crew mates had just blown up the EOS-7 space station with them on it. How did they make it out alive?!? Dark Matter: Season 3 begins streaming Monday, September 25th, on Netflix.
The Crimson Petal & The White (UK)
Adapted from Michel Faber’s international bestseller of the same name, this award-winning miniseries stars two-time Golden Globes® nominee Romola Garai (The Hour, Emma) as Sugar, a clever, ambitious, and sexually adept prostitute in Victorian England, who, in longing for a better life, takes up with William Rackham (Chris O’Dowd, Moone Boy), the feckless heir to a perfume business and husband to a wife slipping slowly into insanity. As Sugar grows close to his daughter and wife, her relationship with William begins to deteriorate and events are set in motion that will change them forever. The Crimson Petal & The White begins streaming Thursday, September 7th, as an SVOD exclusive on Sundance Now.
Fingersmith (UK)
Based on the Man Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name by Sarah Waters, this BAFTA nominee for Best Drama Serial revolves around the scam to defraud Maud Lilly (multiple-award winner Elaine Cassidy, The Paradise) of the fortune she will inherit upon marrying. Perpetrated by the broke “Gentleman” (Rupert Evans, The Man in the High Castle) and the Oliver Twist-ian pickpocket Sue Trinder (Oscar® nominee Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine), the scheme takes an unexpected turn and more deceit follows. Costarring Oscar® nominee Imelda Staunton (Vera Drake), Primetime Emmy® nominee Charles Dance (Bleak House), Polly Hemingway (DCI Banks), David Troughton (Grantchester), and Stephen Wight (Bluestone 42), Fingersmith begins streaming Thursday, September 7th, on Sundance Now.
Did you miss any of the new shows from previous months? Check the British TV Viewing Guide 2017 Archives to find out.
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