HBO takes a lot of the credit for the rise of prestige TV. Shows such as The Sopranos, The Wire, Sex and the City and Game of Thrones were appointment viewing, and that tradition lives on with newer series such as Industry, Euphoria and more. Its streaming service, HBO Max, is also the home of tons of great movies, live sports and excellent documentaries.
This month, you can catch a little of everything on the platform: One of the most-talked-about movies of the year, Backrooms, arrives this month, along with the new comedy series Youth, which is the latest show created by and starring the wonderful Sharon Horgan.
And there are several new documentaries arriving in September, too, including the eight-part series JAŸ-Z in 8, which takes a look at the career of rapper Jay-Z as we commemorate the 30th anniversary of his landmark album Reasonable Doubt. Also out this month is Miller Night Football, a documentary about comedian Dennis Miller’s short-lived stint as an NFL broadcaster, and Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie, an emotional look at the often difficult life and tragic death of the American Gladiators star.
These titles and more arrive on HBO Max this September. Here’s everything we can’t wait to watch.
Sept. 4
Fuze
In the action-thriller Fuze, Aaron Taylor-Johnson stars as a bomb-disposal specialist who is in a race against time to prevent a catastrophic explosion in central London. Meanwhile, Theo James plays the leader of a team plotting a bank heist at the same time, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw plays the police chief who is trying to manage all of these crises at once.
Sept. 18
JAŸ-Z in 8
Jay-Z is celebrating the 30th anniversary of his debut album Reasonable Doubt this year, and to go along with that milestone, he’s been performing a series of sold-out shows around the world. A new documentary series about his life and career will roll out this month, too. JAŸ-Z in 8 features interviews between the rapper, aka Shawn Carter, and his longtime friend and producer, Rick Rubin, and revisits some of his most iconic tracks. Two episodes arrive weekly starting on Sept. 18.
Sept. 20
Youth (season 1)
Sharon Horgan, who co-created the great comedy Catastrophe and wrote Bad Sisters, is back with her newest series, Youth, a comedy about a 50-year-old divorcée who is searching for love while caring for her elderly parents and almost-adult son. The first two episodes of the show premiere on Sept. 20, with new episodes arriving weekly thereafter.
Sept. 22
Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie
Siren: The Voices of Shelley Beattie is a look at the life of one of the original stars of American Gladiators, who was also deaf. The film draws parallels between Beattie and actress Marlee Matlin, who co-produced it, and examines the struggles and discrimination the two women faced despite their successes.
Sept. 25
4 Blocks Zero
Set in Berlin in the 1990s, 4 Blocks Zero is a prequel to the German series 4 Blocks, the tale of the fictional Lebanese Hamady family, who are drawn into a criminal underworld despite relocating in search of a better life.
A24
Backrooms
Backrooms was director Kane Parsons’ debut, and after a hugely successful theatrical run, the film is arriving on HBO Max this month. Chiwetel Ejiofor stars as Clark, a furniture store owner who gets lost in “the backrooms,” a labyrinthine, liminal space behind his store. Renate Reinsve plays his therapist, Mary, who becomes concerned for Clark and goes in to find him. Mark Duplass, Lukita Maxwell and Finn Bennett also star in the film, which comes to HBO Max on Sept. 25.
Sept. 29
Craig Sjodin/ABC/Getty Images
Miller Night Football
In 2000, Saturday Night Live’s onetime Weekend Update anchor Dennis Miller was hired to be a Monday Night Football commentator alongside veteran sportscaster Al Michaels and former NFL quarterback Dan Fouts. Miller’s time in the booth was not well-received. Bringing sardonic and cerebral hot takes to the broadcast, Miller lasted two seasons and was criticized for most of that time. The new documentary Miller Night Football takes a look at how it all came about.
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