This week's television lineup spans intimate character studies, celebrity collaborations and reality spectacle, offering something for every viewing mood. From a sharp examination of life after fifty to a playful exploration of lifelong friendship, the coming days deliver fresh entertainment across multiple streaming platforms.
Pick of the week: Youth
Sharon Horgan's latest project serves as a clarion call for those navigating their fifties and represents the third instalment in what she has loosely conceived as a trilogy, following her earlier work on Pulling and Catastrophe. The series opens with a stark observation:
No decade moves faster than 50 to 60.This premise frames the narrative urgently—those without their lives in order face the reality of dwindling time to course-correct.
Horgan's character Alex embodies this predicament, stumbling through disastrous dates, confronting middle-age health anxieties and grappling with empty nest syndrome as her children establish independent lives. The show oscillates between scabrous humour and genuine emotional depth, showcasing Horgan's distinctive talent for crafting characters who function simultaneously as the source of comedy and as figures worthy of genuine investment from viewers. According to the official schedule, the series centres on a fifty-year-old divorcee balancing romantic pursuits, care responsibilities for ageing parents, and her relationship with her grown son. The programme launches on HBO and HBO Max on Sunday, 20 September 2026, with the first two episodes airing at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT and weekly Sunday releases thereafter, concluding on Sunday, 1 November 2026.
Brothers
Could lifelong companions Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey actually share a biological connection? DNA testing could settle the question definitively, yet the series embraces a more entertaining ambiguity. This eight-episode comedy runs with the premise that the pair might be siblings, resulting in a cheerfully vague and deeply self-indulgent exploration of their real-life friendship.
The two perform lightly fictionalised versions of themselves navigating an unusual scenario: Harrelson has discovered a fraternal possibility while McConaughey prepares for a potential gubernatorial campaign in Texas. Harrelson stays at the McConaughey family ranch as events unfold, creating multiple layers of absurdist comedy. According to Apple's official announcement, the series is showrun by Lee Eisenberg and executive produced alongside McConaughey and Harrelson themselves. The programme debuts globally on Wednesday, 23 September 2026, with the first two episodes released simultaneously, followed by weekly instalments through 4 November 2026.
Outlander: Blood of My Blood
The narrative returns to the Scottish Highlands for the second season of this time-spanning drama. The opening episode, titled
Remembrance Day, finds Henry (Jeremy Irvine) profoundly disoriented after being discovered wandering the moorlands with a dagger protruding from his shoulder. Medical professionals question his mental stability, yet the truth proves far more complex, involving a temporal journey connected to the Jacobite rising and its historical upheaval.
Simultaneously, Julia (Hermione Corfield) remains trapped in the eighteenth century, struggling within her marriage to Lord Lovat and facing the constraints of her circumstances. The emotional intensity never diminishes throughout the narrative, though viewers should anticipate narrative complexity that may resist straightforward comprehension. According to production details, season two comprises ten episodes beginning Friday, 18 September 2026, with new weekly Friday releases continuing thereafter. The series airs on Starz via Prime Video.
Jaÿ-Z in 8
This eight-episode series functions as a hip-hop summit of considerable scope, featuring Def Jam Recordings co-founder Rick Rubin conducting an extensive examination of the rapper's extensive catalogue. The granular approach—exploring individual songs in meticulous detail—may overwhelm casual listeners, yet the series delves comprehensively into Jay-Z's childhood artistic development, block party experiences, evolving compositional methodology and formative creative influences.
Shot in elegant monochrome cinematography and treating Jay-Z's words with a reverence typically reserved for spiritual instruction, the programme constitutes essential viewing for serious hip-hop enthusiasts. The series launches on Mubi on Saturday, 19 September 2026.
Wonka's Golden Ticket
The early competition stages evoke the Simpsons episode depicting Homer's fantasy of inhabiting a chocolate paradise. However, the tone shifts markedly once the financial stakes become apparent—contestants compete for
a lifetime's supplyof confectionery rewards. The resulting format essentially transposes the competitive elimination structure into a confectionery-themed context, with increasingly elaborate challenges and Oompa-Loompas guiding competitors through an expanding maze while displaying diminishing friendliness as the field narrows.
The programme lacks nutritional value but delivers guilty-pleasure entertainment throughout its run. Netflix releases the series on Wednesday, 23 September 2026.
The Real Rooneys
Streaming services may eventually exhaust the supply of retired footballers available for documentary treatment, yet the production pipeline continues unabated. This eight-part series documents Wayne and Coleen Rooneys within their modernist residence in provincial Cheshire, presenting subjects who demonstrate somewhat greater personality than certain contemporaries in the genre. The couple invites viewers into their domestic sphere as Wayne undertakes what might diplomatically be termed
stepping backfrom management responsibilities while Coleen pursues her own trajectory, developing a fashion line for Primark.
Though the format follows established conventions, the Rooneys present themselves as a sufficiently engaging family unit. The series debuts on Disney+ on Thursday, 24 September 2026.
American Horror Story
The prolific output of creator Ryan Murphy continues its pattern of variable quality with season thirteen of this horror anthology series, timed so its finale arrives conveniently before Halloween. The season maintains the established formula of kitsch-inflected, bloody spectacle with occasionally uneven execution, compensated by an impressive ensemble cast featuring John Waters, Tig Notaro, Sarah Paulson, Jessica Lange and numerous additional recognisable performers.
The narrative incorporates a sinister physician harbouring unspeakable intentions (Waters assumes this role) alongside a newly assembled witches' collective engaging in supernatural machinations. Disney+ releases the series beginning Friday, 25 September 2026.
Viewing schedule
The week's releases span multiple platforms and premiere dates. Youth begins on Sunday, 20 September 2026 on HBO and HBO Max, with Brothers launching globally on Wednesday, 23 September 2026 on Apple TV. Outlander: Blood of My Blood premieres on Friday, 18 September 2026 on Starz via Prime Video, while Jaÿ-Z in 8 arrives on Mubi on Saturday, 19 September 2026. Wonka's Golden Ticket and American Horror Story both release on Wednesday, 23 September 2026 and Friday, 25 September 2026 respectively on Netflix and Disney+, with The Real Rooneys launching on Disney+ on Thursday, 24 September 2026.
