HBO
The Deuce
While the summertime can often feel like a television desert, the month of September almost has too many options. From network TV to cable to streaming sites, there is a ton to choose from. Whether you’re looking for a new (and NSFW) HBO drama like The Deuce or an extremely funny returning comedy like Broad City, September has something for you.
The Deuce (HBO, premieres Sept. 10)
I’ll cut to the chase — The Deuce has the pedigree, cast and intriguing subject matter to become the next big HBO drama. Created and written by David Simon and George Pelecanos (The Wire), The Deuce is about the emergence of the pornographic film scene in 1970s New York City and how it led to the billion-dollar sex industry of today. It stars James Franco (127 Hours) as twin brothers (yes, he plays both twins) who are fronts for the mafia. Maggie Gyllenhaal (The Dark Knight) plays a sex worker in Times Square who discovers she can make money directing pornographic films thanks to New York’s relatively low “community standards” at the time. The Deuce follows the formula of HBO superdrama to a T. The trailer is exciting, sexy and colorful. It comes from a giant in television writing, David Simon, who is the creator of the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire. Perhaps this comment under the series trailer on YouTube from user Adam Moody says it best: “I'd watch a series about the history of dirt if David Simon was involved.” Other HBO hallmarks include prominent film actors and themes of excess, mafia involvement, drugs and violence (plus lots of NSFW sexy stuff!). For some, this show may seem a bit much. But I am always down for a great new HBO drama, especially one with a premise as strange and twisted as this one.
Top of the Lake: China Girl (Sundance, returns Sept. 10)
Elisabeth Moss (Mad Men), Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies), Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones’ Brienne of Tarth) and Academy Award-winning director Jane Campion (The Piano). These are the women leading the second season of the mystery crime drama Top of the Lake, and I could not be happier. China Girl continues the narrative of Sydney detective Robin Griffin (Moss). Season two picks up four years after the events in season one, as she returns home and is immediately put on the case of a mysterious girl who washed ashore, dead, in a suitcase. The twist is that people close to Robin, namely the 17-year-old daughter who she gave up for adoption, could become embroiled in the case and perhaps become the next victim. This limited series is riveting, visually breathtaking and will have you thinking about it for days and weeks afterward.
Broad City (Comedy Central, returns Sept. 13)
If you enjoy a delightful potpourri of intelligent, nuanced and goofy humor, then please get to watching this new season of Broad City. Following best friends Abbi and Ilana, Broad City is entering its fourth season (much of which is still under wraps.) However, the trailer shows it’s going to be more chaotic and hilarious than ever (plus a Shania Twain cameo!) I love the tone and dialogue in this Comedy Central show. The writing and performances by Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer are able to capture the ways millennials talk to each other, and they highlight (hilariously) the various struggles of women in my generation. Broad City is just plain fun, and its exuberant energy is unmatched in TV right now.
This is Us (NBC, returns Sept. 26)
This is Us is a show I sometimes have a hard time watching because it is so emotionally touching and genuine. Like its NBC family-drama predecessor Parenthood, TIU can be sensitive, heartwarming, funny and heartbreaking. Unlike Parenthood, TIU weaves together multiple timelines: one that shows when the three children of the family were young and one in the present day, when they are all in their 30s and negotiating life’s problems. The wonderful cast includes the lovely Mandy Moore (Tangled), plus a bearded and fiercely handsome Milo Ventimiglia (Gilmore Girls) as the parents, and Chrissy Metz (AHS), Sterling K. Brown (The People v. O.J. Simpson) and Justin Hartley (Smallville) play the three grown children. The chemistry between the actors is magical and the writing is beautifully crafted and touching. BRB, going to grab some tissues, definitely NOT crying.
Will & Grace (NBC, reboot premieres Sept. 28)
I have a sneaking suspicion that if NBC could reboot all of its Thursday night comedy lineup from the ‘90s, it would. While I’m often lukewarm about reboots in film and television, I couldn’t be more excited for new episodes of Will & Grace. The sitcom from Max Mutchnick and David Kohan ran for eight seasons on NBC from 1998 to 2006 and is noted for excellent writing, great comedic performances and, to some degree, exposing and normalizing gay culture to audiences. What made Will & Grace such an amazing show was the chemistry among co-stars Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes. The four actors sparked rumors of a reunion when they recorded a scene in character to air during the 2016 election that was positively amazing. After strong support from fans, NBC has already ordered a whole new 16-ep season of Will & Grace more than a decade after the finale. While some reunions feel stale or predictable, this highly anticipated one feels genuine and fresh. Will & Grace was always great at capturing the zeitgeist of pop culture and making the smartest, most hilarious jokes about it. As a fan, I am ecstatic for new episodes.
