📺 The Penguin, Agatha All Along, Emily in Paris...

A Very Royal Scandal, plus 1 streaming movie & 7 new series to watch this week

Happy Thursday! It’s Jenni’s wedding this weekend, so let’s give her a big round of applause for still knocking out two reviews this week! I’m sure she was thrilled to be watching Emily in Paris while trying to finalize her vows. I am going rogue in this intro to tell everyone how excited I am for her celebration, and to wish her buckets of happiness and good vibes for her wedding day <3

In today’s edition:
Weekly Watchlist
Emily in Paris - S4b (Netflix)
A Very Royal Scandal (Prime Video)
Agatha All Along (Disney+)
The Penguin (HBO/Max)

— Jess Spoll and Jenni Cullen

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Below is a selection of new shows and movies premiering this week. Our full list of September releases, including theatrical releases and streaming debuts, is available here and published monthly for our premium subscribers.

• The Penguin (Limited) — In this sequel and spin-off to 2022’s The Batman, Colin Farrell stars as the noted Gotham gangster.
  Watch on HBO/Max: September 19 (1 of 8 episodes, then weekly)

• His Three Daughters (Movie) — Carrie Coon, Natasha Lyonne, and Elizabeth Olsen star as three estranged sisters who come back together to care for their ailing father.
  Watch on Netflix: September 20

• Monsters: The Lyle and Erik Menendez Story (Season 2) — In the second installment of the true crime anthology series, Ryan Murphy tackles another high-profile case that captivated the nation in the ’90s.
  Watch on Netflix: September 19 (all 9 episodes)

• A Very Royal Scandal (Limited) — Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen star in this dramatic retelling of the infamous 2019 interview of Prince Andrew.
  Watch on Prime Video: September 19 (all 3 episodes)

• From (Season 3) — This Harold Perrineau-fronted horror-sci-fi drama series is returning for a third season.
  Watch on MGM+: September 22 (1 of 10 episodes, then weekly)

• Rescue HI-Surf (Season 1) — This procedural drama depicts life as a lifeguard on the North Shore of O’ahu, Hawaii.
  Watch on Fox/Hulu: September 22/23 (1 of 19 episodes, then weekly)

• Brilliant Minds (Season 1) — Zachary Quinto stars as a revolutionary neurologist in this medical procedural series.
  Watch on NBC/Peacock: September 23/24 (1 of 13 episodes, then weekly)

• Grotesquerie (Season 1) — Ryan Murphy brings us yet another horror drama, this time following a detective (Niecy Nash) and a nun who team up to solve a series of heinous crimes in their community. Travis Kelce also stars in an unrevealed part.
  Watch on FX/Hulu: September 25/26 (2 of 10 episodes, then weekly)

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These popular shows came back with new episodes. Here’s what we thought and where you can watch them.

Emily in Paris - Season 4b

Keywords: campy, romantic comedy, escapist
Watch if you like: Sex and the City, Gossip Girl, Younger
Jenni’s Rating: C-

After a chaotic first half, I went into the second part of Emily in Paris Season 4 with expectations lower than the earth’s core. Part 1 was so incredibly messy, and not in the fun way. A whirlwind of drama in which nothing actually happened, the show felt like it was in a holding pattern, constantly resetting the story only to stir up the same conflicts again and again.

But if the writers were speeding through overworked storylines and love interests to make way for fresh blood, these new episodes are certainly better for it. Part 2 kicks off with Emily and her crew heading off on their winter holidays, finally providing us with new scenery and characters that inject a bit of life back into the series. Emily finally sees a part of Europe that is not Paris and has a connection with a love interest that doesn’t make me want to scream (as much). It’s still the glossy, vapid escapism we’ve come to expect, but now with at least a little more narrative and emotional coherence returned to it.

I wouldn’t say the second half of the season was great, but it was certainly better and more entertaining than the first! And I honestly do not think this show needs to be watched chronologically, so if you loved the silly fluffy fun of Seasons 1 and 2 and haven’t yet caught up, I’d suggest just skipping to the middle of Season 4 and hoping the rest of the show continues on this upward trend.

— Jenni

Length: 30-min runtime, 4 seasons / 40 episodes
Watch on: Netflix

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Our thoughts on brand new streaming content, and where you can watch.

A Very Royal Scandal

Photo: Prime Video

Keywords: historical drama, miniseries, British royals
Watch if you like: The Crown, The Hour, Newsroom
Jenni’s Rating: A-

The latest spiritual successor to A Very English Scandal (2018) and A Very British Scandal (2021) dramatizes the real story of Emily Maitlis’s infamous 2019 interview with Prince Andrew about his connection with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.

Whether the world needed another take on this hour of journalism that shook the British monarchy is debatable — Netflix released the film Scoop just a few months ago about the same Newsnight segment — however, the strength of both the production and performances of A Very Royal Scandal make it worthy of attention. Ruth Wilson and Michael Sheen star opposite each other as Maitlis and Prince Andrew, respectively, and they utterly disappear into their roles. Wilson plays the journalist as driven yet introspective, constantly pushing against the BBC's stiff protocols while grappling with the consequences of her relentless pursuit of the truth. Meanwhile, Sheen’s Prince Andrew is a striking mix of superficial charm and hidden petulance. What could have easily been a caricature in less adroit hands is more understated and chilling in Sheen’s. He gives off an undercurrent of frivolity and entitlement, adrift in the storm of scandal with no sense of personal accountability.

Beyond the brilliant performances, A Very Royal Scandal asks important questions about power, privilege, and the media’s role in shaping public perception. It explores how victims of abuse often take on the onus of speaking out and fighting back, but also delves into the complex relationship between the royal family and the British press — how news of these political figures can often cross into the realm of entertainment, with any and every misstep turned into a spectacle. Whether the Prince Andrew scandal is entirely new to you or you’ve seen it from every possible angle, this incisive commentary, along with the depth of the performances throughout make A Very Royal Scandal a worthy watch.

— Jenni

Length: 60-min runtime, Limited Series / 3 episodes
Watch on: Prime Video

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Agatha All Along

Photo: Disney+

Keywords: Marvel, spin-off, witches
Watch if you like: WandaVision, Doctor Strange, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina