📺 Watching: English Teacher, Only Murders in the Building S3, The Rings of Power S2

plus Industry S3, and 2 streaming movie premieres and 3 new and returning series

Happy Thursday. September is here! And so is the Smoky Mountain 2024 Fall Foliage prediction map which is another passion outside of television for at least one member of Double Take (we’ll let you guess which one). Go forth and enjoy the steady spread of autumn colors along with the influx of more exciting premieres than we’ve had in months. We’re big fans of the Summer-to-Fall transition over here.

In today’s edition:
Weekly Watchlist
English Teacher (Hulu)
Industry - S3 (Max)
Only Murders in the Building - S4 (Hulu)
The Rings of Power - S2 (Prime Video)

— 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.

• Fight Night: The Million Dollar Heist (Limited) — Kevin Hart, Taraji P. Henson, Terrence Howard, Don Cheadle, and Samuel L. Jackson star in this docudrama about a heist that occurred the night of Muhammad Ali’s return to boxing in 1970.
  Watch on Peacock: September 5 (1 of 8 episodes, then weekly)

• The Perfect Couple (Limited) — This mystery-drama unveils the secrets around a body that is found on the beach at an upscale Nantucket wedding. Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Dakota Fanning, Eve Hewson, and Meghann Fahy star.
  Watch on Netflix: September 5 (all 6 episodes)

• I Used To Be Funny (Movie) — Rachel Sennott stars as a stand-up comedian struggling with depression after a young girl she nannied for goes missing.
  Watch on Netflix: September 5 (Streaming Premiere)

• The Boy and the Heron (Movie)— The most recent winner of the Oscar for Best Animated Feature, this film from Hayao Miyazaki follows a young boy who loses his mother during World War II.
  Watch on Max: September 6 (Streaming Premiere)

• My Brilliant Friend (Season 4) — Adapted from Elena Ferrante’s literary novel, this series, now in its fourth season, traces a fraught friendship from the girls’ impoverished childhood in 1950s Naples through to middle age.
  Watch on HBO/Max: September 9 (1 of 10 episodes, then weekly)

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

English Teacher

Photo: FX/Hulu

Keywords: comedy-drama, topical, high school
Watch if you like: Abbott Elementary, Superstore, The Mindy Project
Jenni’s Rating: A-

Forty minutes into a new series is perhaps too early to pass judgement, but when the second available episode of English Teacher ended, I found myself wishing I could queue up the third right away. Creator and writer of this series Brian Jordan Alvarez stars as Evan Marquez, a gay high school teacher in the South doing his best to navigate the personal, political, and professional pitfalls of his job. So far, the show is a bit like an older, more subversive Abbott Elementary, exploring the complexities of modern education with a light and satirical, but thoughtful touch.

Alvarez brings a relatable charm to his role, balancing the frustrations and joys of teaching with a bit of resignation and a sense of humor. The rest of the cast fills in the gaps well, adding varying degrees of wackiness for him to bounce off of. Enrico Colantoni in particular, known for his role as Keith Mars in Veronica Mars, shines as the school's tired, jaded principal.

The challenges and contradictions surrounding today’s youth are front and center in this series, as English Teacher smartly reflects on what it means to be — and to interact with — a teen in today’s world. A powderpuff football game becomes a lesson in respectfully performing drag, but somehow the “R-word” has made a return to the high school lexicon. Sharp, funny, and undeniably timely, it’s a show that has made a really promising start: entertaining, while offering a bit more to chew on than the average workplace or high school comedy.

— Jenni

Length: ~25-min runtime, 1 season / 2 of 8 episodes out, new on Mondays
Watch on: FX / Hulu

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

Only Murders in the Building - Season 4

Photo: Hulu

Keywords: cozy murder mystery, comedy, quirky
Watch if you like: The Afterparty, Psych, Death and Other Details