Lizzie Borden, the ‘monster’, aristocratic criminals and three other TV series not to be missed
As you browse through the full range of streaming, satellite and digital terrestrial services, here’s a selection of programmes you won’t want to miss
TV series have all become the same. It’s the algorithm’s fault – it’s reduced us to mere numbers to be fed to producers, directors and scriptwriters. It’s our own fault for being easily satisfied and lazy. It works so well that we feel as though we’re just rewatching what we’ve already enjoyed on a loop. To avoid falling victim to a formulaic generation of genres and stories, we need to let ourselves be surprised, step out of our comfort zones and experiment. The risk is wasting time on a TV series that will disappoint us. That’s why we need people to make recommendations – people designed to operate outside the algorithm. In doing so, they themselves become algorithms. In their own way. With that said, here are the five TV series not to be missed this September.
The Gentlemen – Series 2 – 3 September
Bespoke suits and the aristocratic cynicism of British organised crime take on a new setting: for its second series, the cult series created by Guy Ritchie shifts the shady dealings of Eddie Horniman (Theo James) and Susie Glass (Kaya Scodelario) from the English moors to the villas on the Italian lakes. The trademark style remains intact: a fast-paced rhythm, sharp dialogue and the certainty that, between the lakeshores and the halls of power, no one will manage to keep their hands clean. (Netflix)
City of Blood – Series 1 – 16 September
Berlin has become a futuristic and claustrophobic metropolis, divided by a huge climate-controlled dome. On one side lives the elite, protected from extreme temperatures; on the other, a suburb suffocated by heat, decay and crime. But the real fuel of the city-state is not energy: it is blood. Vampires now occupy the highest echelons of politics and business and are preparing to consolidate their power ahead of decisive elections. At the heart of the story are two sisters, separated as children and now on opposite sides of a system that has turned human life into a commodity. This German production uses horror imagery to explore highly contemporary themes, from the climate crisis to the manipulation of public opinion. It poses a fundamental question: what difference is there now between monsters and the leaders chosen by the electorate? (Disney+)
Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story – Series 4 – 17 September
Following on from Jeffrey Dahmer, the Menendez brothers and Ed Gein, Ryan Murphy’s true-crime anthology takes us back to late 19th-century New England. This time, the story centres on Lizzie Borden, played by Ella Beatty, one of the most famous and controversial figures in American true crime. Murphy reimagines the court case as a Gothic tragedy – unsettling and violent – in which the desire for emancipation and social redemption ultimately descends into horror. Given the character’s notoriety, the strength of the format and the talent of its creator, it is set to be one of the most eagerly anticipated and talked-about series of September. (Netflix)
MobLand – Series 2 – 18 September
Following the success of the first series, the crime drama returns, expanding its scope and ambitions. With the feud with the Stevenson clan now behind them, the struggle for control of trade routes and money-laundering networks extends beyond the UK to some of the most sensitive hubs linking Africa, Europe and South America. The scale becomes global, but the cynicism, violence and family dynamics that have made the series such a success remain intact. *MobLand* thus confirms its status as one of the most compelling and ruthless crime sagas on contemporary television. (Paramount+)
