Netflix Has A KILLER September Lineup

As summer winds down, thoughts move towards cooler weather and shorter days — which for many, is the sign to spend more time cozied up in front of the TV. That fact apparently isn't lost on Netflix, as the streamer is planning to come out swinging with its lineup of September additions to the service. From series to movies, and from new originals to legacy classics, there's a big list of content being added to Netflix in the coming weeks.

Is September when you usually start working through some of the best horror movies of all time? Netflix has spooky season covered with several appropriately-themed offerings. How about those who have already been immersed in NCAA football and the NFL pre-season and are looking forward to months of watching players punting the pigskin? Netflix has some mesmerizing sports documentaries on the way. Maybe action movies are more your speed, or historical dramas, or anime, or video game adaptations, or even the world of competitive eating. Netflix is dipping into all of that and more throughout September, so here's what we consider the titles to set up reminders about as soon as possible. 

The original "Jaws" laid the foundation for modern cinema in multiple ways, not only helping to redefine a new type of horror movie — and make an entire generation afraid to go in the water — but also in basically establishing the very concept of the summer blockbuster. Oh, and it also put its director, one Steven Spielberg, on the map. While one of its stars thought it would fail, it did anything but, and it continues to be a masterclass in suspense and the power of showing less and leaving more to the imagination. 

While "Jaws" will be the main attraction when it hits Netflix in September, it's also worth noting that two of its three sequels will be swimming onto the streaming service at the same time. "Jaws 2" didn't come anywhere close to matching its predecessor, but the Rotten Tomatoes critical consensus does declare it to be "reasonably entertaining for a sequel that has no reason to exist." Finally, "Jaws 3-D" is probably only worth watching for the morbidly curious, but it is coming to Netflix as well. All that's missing to complete the franchise is 1987's "Jaws: The Revenge," but that one is so dreadful that it almost makes "Jaws 3-D" a masterpiece by comparison — in other words, no big loss that it's skipping Netflix. 

Ridley Scott's name is being thrown around a lot these days, between being a producer on the well-received "Alien: Romulus" and talking up his upcoming "Gladiator" sequel, due out in November. So why not take this opportunity to check out one of his best-reviewed movies of all time, the 2007 historical crime drama "American Gangster." The movie tells the story of real-life Harlem drug kingpin Frank Lucas (Denzel Washington) and his eventual downfall, in part thanks to the work of detective-turned-lawyer Richie Roberts (Russell Crowe). 

The powerhouse acting talent doesn't end there, as Josh Brolin, Chiwetel Ejiofor, John Hawkes, Idris Elba, and Ruby Dee are just a few of the names that round out the impressive ensemble — with Dee earning a best supporting actress Oscar nomination for her portrayal of Lucas's mother. The movie's art direction also scored a nomination. We declared "American Gangster" to be the fifth best gangster movie of all time, sandwiched right between "Scarface" and "Goodfellas," high praise that "American Gangster" more than earns — and there's no better way to find that out for yourself than to check it out when it hits Netflix in September.

Though Crunchyroll might remain the go-to streaming service for anime fans — and it has the biggest selection by far — Netflix has an impressive track record of offering a well-curated library of anime both original and licensed. The streamer has also been good about streaming not only some of the best anime shows of all time like "One Piece" and "My Hero Academia," but lesser-known titles that are no less deserving of an expanded audience outside of their native country.

September sees another stellar example of that by way of "Blue Giant," originally released in 2023 and based on the mid-2010s manga series of the same name. While a story about a high school kid discovering a love for and a proficiency in jazz music might not sound as exciting as an anime with giant robots or epic fight scenes, "Blue Giant" deserves a watch or two when it joins Netflix this month, not only by anime fans but fans of films in general, especially those that are love letters to the power of music. Still not convinced? Maybe the fact that it has a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes will sway you into checking out this wonderful little movie. 

Sometimes you just want to turn your brain off and have fun watching stuff go boom. And what better way to do that then by treating yourself to a mini-marathon of the first three "Expendables" movies when they explode onto Netflix in September. The brainchild of screenwriter David Callaham and action movie icon Sylvester Stallone — who not only stars, produces, and co-writes all the movies but also directed the first one — "The Expendables" is a self-aware celebration of the kinds of big, loud action movies that saw their golden age in the 1980s and early '90s.

A lot of the fun of this series comes from its cast, a whos-who of action film royalty past and present, including some stars that Hollywood won't cast anymore. Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, Harrison Ford, Chuck Norris, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Terry Crews, et al appear in one or more of the first three "Expendables" movies, every single one fully understanding the assignment and clearly having a blast. 

The first one is the best overall, but the second one is special because it sees Willis and Schwarzenegger playing their biggest roles of the series in the most screen time they've ever spent together. And unlike with "Jaws," the third "Expendables" movie is still plenty of fun and worth committing to the triple feature. 

Spooky season isn't only about actual scary movies — there is plenty of lighter, more family-friendly fare that is great to watch with the kids. One of the best examples of this nibbles its way onto Netflix in September by way of "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit." The first feature-length film from the classic Aardman Animation franchise starring the titular duo, "Curse of the Were-Rabbit" sees Wallace and his trusty pet dog take on a monstrous bunny-werewolf hybrid in a clear homage to golden age horror movies.

Taking home the fifth-ever Academy Award for best animated feature, "Curse of the Were-Rabbit" is an absolute delight for not only kids and families but even just adults as well. There are several Aardman Animation films on Netflix at the moment — "Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget," "A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon," and "Flushed Away" — and any combination of them would make for a great double feature with "Curse of the Were-Rabbit." Ultimately, we just want people to watch more Aardman movies, because pretty much every single one of them is excellent and a lot of people sleep on them. 

Though it made the film festival rounds last year, "His Three Daughters" makes its streaming debut on Netflix in September. Written and directed by Azazel Jacobs, the drama tells the story of three estranged adult sisters — played by Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen, and Natasha Lyonne — who are brought back together when they are forced to spend time with their dying father. 

Called a "heartbreaking plunge into sisterhood and grief" by Screen International, "His Three Daughters" is the kind of intimate character drama that seem to only thrive on streaming services these days. The three leads are of course exceptional actors in their own right, and they are electric together as their characters go through an intense emotional journey over the several days that pass during the course of the movie.

It's Olsen's first feature film since "Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness," and it's hard to think of a better way to follow up such a huge superhero spectacle than "His Three Daughters" — reminding us that she's so much more than the MCU's Scarlet Witch. 

Originally titled as such because it was intended to be 30 documentaries to coincide with the then-30th anniversary of the cable sports network, ESPN's "30 for 30" has since expanded beyond that initial batch of films to include over 120 episodes and counting. While the complete library of "30 for 30" is of course available on not only ESPN+ but also sister services Disney+ and Hulu, various installments have found their way to other streaming platforms as well — including Netflix.

As of now, Netflix has nine installments of "30 for 30" in its library, and is set to add five more in September. Perhaps trying to capitalize on the already-ongoing NCAA football season and the September start of the NFL regular season, all of this new batch of "30 for 30" films revolve around football. "Catholics vs. Convicts" focuses on a single 1988 game between Notre Dame and the University of Miami. "Pony Excess" looks at the controversial sports program of Southern Methodist University in the early '80s. "Rand University" looks at the early career of retired wide receiver Randy Moss. And parts 1 and 2 of "The U" both cover various aspects of the University of Miami's Hurricanes. 

The phrase "video game adaptation" no longer instantly sends shivers down the spine. The last decade or so has seen a noticeable improvement in the quality of screen adaptations of popular video game franchises, particularly when it comes to turning them into series. Netflix has had a few great ones of its own so far, including "Castlevania," "Cyberpunk: Edgerunners," and "Arcane." Video game movies continue to be a bit more of a mixed bag, but 2020's "Sonic the Hedgehog" — spindashing its way onto Netflix in September — definitely felt like a turning point. 

"Sonic the Hedgehog" was not only the highest-grossing video game movie of all time domestically up to that point, but more importantly, it was one of the first to manage good reviews overall. Even now, it remains one of the best-reviewed video game movies of all time. Much of that is due to not only Ben Schwartz as the voice of Sonic and his wonderful chemistry with co-star James Marsden, but Jim Carrey's gleefully unhinged portrayal of Dr. Robotnik, which many saw as a long overdue return to peak '90s Carrey. And with the third installment only a few months away — hitting theaters this December — it's the perfect time to catch up with the series starting with its first installment. 

Netflix first branched out into live events in March 2023 when it aired the comedy special "Chris Rock: Selected Outrage." Since then, the streamer has continued to experiment with the format, including a "Love is Blind" reunion, a golf event, a tennis event, two multi-week live animal camera feeds, the 2024 SAG Awards, and a Netflix fan event called "TUDUM 2023." In September, Netflix will air its latest live special — this time, focusing on the fascinating world of competitive eating.

Titled "Chestnut vs. Kobayashi: Unfinished Beef," the special's main event will be a hot dog eating competition between Joey Chestnut and Takeru Kobayashi, two of the biggest names in the field. Also slated to compete is Matt Stonie, a big name in the competitive eating space who has also become a crossover celebrity due to his popular YouTube channel and social media accounts. The event will mark the first time that longtime rivals Chestnut and Kobayashi have directly competed in 15 years. After "Unfinished Beef," the next live Netflix event is scheduled take place in November, when Jake Paul and Mike Tyson are set to have their long-awaited boxing match — assuming it actually happens this time. 

After seemingly leaving the DCEU behind after "Justice League" — though he had producer credits on "Wonder Woman 1984" and "The Suicide Squad" — Zack Snyder has since gone all-in on making movies for Netflix. He started his partnership with the streamer in 2021 with the zombie romp "Army of the Dead" and its prequel, "Army of Thieves." After that, he launched into his ambitious space opera series "Rebel Moon," which thus far has had two main installments plus a director's cut of each. 

One of the reasons Snyder was given the keys to the DC movie kingdom was because he had previously had success adapting the Dark Horse comic book miniseries "300" into the 2006 movie of the same name. Critics were fairly lukewarm on it, but it was a huge hit with audiences and remains Snyder's highest-grossing non-DC movie to date. Very loosely based on the real-life Battle of Thermopylae, it was Gerard Butler's breakthrough, as well as the biggest pre-"Game of Thrones" role up to that point for Lena Headey. And now you can see the movie that did big things for the careers of Butler, Headey, and Snyder when "300" charges onto Netflix in September. 

The most buzzed-about Netflix original hitting the streaming service in September is arguably "The Perfect Couple." Based on the popular novel of the same name by Elin Hilderbrand, this will be a limited series with an impressive cast led by Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, and Dakota Fanning. Kidman plays a Nantucket novelist named Greer Garrison Winbury, who doesn't approve of the woman (Eve Hewson) that her son Benji (Billy Howle) plans to marry. But what really sets things in motion is when a corpse washes ashore in the area — that's when the family drama becomes a murder mystery.

Schreiber plays Benji's dad, and Fanning his sister. Like any good mystery story, everyone's a suspect — including not only the previously mentioned characters but the many more that will be introduced as the series goes on. It remains to be seen if it gets the same level of acclaim as 2022 Netflix original "Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery," but subscribers can begin gathering clues when "The Perfect Couple" debuts on September 5th.

Lastly, September will see the addition of two coming-of-age movies that should be required viewing, both of which will hit Netflix on the first of the month. 1982's "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" was the first movie written by Cameron Crowe, establishing him as one of the biggest new cinematic voices of his generation. It offers a relatively unfiltered look at the relationships of high school students — platonic, romantic, and everything in between. Its young cast is full of future movie stars, including what remains the only outright comedic performance Sean Penn has ever given. 

Not as sexually charged but still surprisingly mature given the ages of its cast is "Stand By Me," which follows a group of preteen boys as they go on a memorable multi-day adventure that takes them into forests, through rivers, and across train tracks all in an effort to find a dead body that they heard about. It's based on a novella by Stephen King, the first of his non-horror stories to be adapted to the screen — and a hint that maybe his non-horror stories would made the best adaptations. That was later confirmed by the likes of "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Green Mile."