The fall TV season finally arrives with a month full of new and returning series, specials and movies. Here’s your September 2016 TV premieres calendar.
Networks also are marking anniversaries in September.
- The world changed 15 years ago on Sept. 11 when terrorists attacked the U.S. Several documentaries old and new will air this month to commemorate the anniversary.
- Several networks are broadcasting documentaries examining the 20-year-old cold case of JonBenet Ramsey. The 8-year-old beauty queen’s body was found murdered in the basement of her family’s Colorado home.
- On the lighter side, the phenomenon of “Star Trek” began 50 years ago with the original series launched. Keep an eye out for marathons, docs and other special programming this month to celebrate the occasion.
As always, I will add to this listing as I find more premieres. Drop me a comment if I’ve forgotten something, but please remain polite about it.
September 2016 TV premieres
Thursday, Sept. 1
Streaming
- “Wiener-Dog,” Amazon (movie; dachshund changes lives of its various owners)
- “Soul Mates,” Seeso (series premiere; Aussie hipsters do sketch comedy)
8 p.m.
- “Holy Hell,” CNN (doc premiere; life inside Buddhafield, a mysterious spiritual sect that originated in 1980s West Hollywood)
- “Amanda Knox: The Real Story,” Reelz (special; case of an American who went to prison for murdering her Italian roommate only to be acquitted 8 years later)
9 p.m.
- “Ground Zero Rising: Freedom vs. Fear,” CNBC (special; redevelopment of the 16-acre Ground Zero site as 15th anniversary of 9/11 approaches)
- “Jim & Chrissy: Vow or Never,” WE tv (series premiere; hip hop duo Jim Jones & Chrissy are ready to wed)
- “F*ck, That’s Delicious,” Viceland (season 2)
Friday, Sept. 2
Streaming
- “Narcos,” Netflix (season 2)
- “The Stinky & Dirty Show,” Amazon (series premiere; adventures of best friends and unlikely heroes, Stinky the garbage truck and Dirty the backhoe)
- “Eat the World with Emeril Lagasse,” Amazon (series premiere; top pro chefs introduce Emeril Lagasse to cooking from their favorite locales)
- “Chef’s Table: France,” Netflix (season 3)
8 p.m.
- “Abandoned,” Viceland (series premiere; visiting abandoned shopping malls in northeast Ohio)
- “Killjoys,” Syfy (season 2 finale)
Saturday, Sept. 3
7 p.m.
- “Saturday Night Football,” ABC (season premiere)
- “Concert of the Summer,” CMT (music special)
11:30 p.m.
- “Tom Felton Meets the Superfans,” Freeform (network premiere; former “Harry Potter” actor navigates his fandom in this doc)
Sunday, Sept. 4
Noon
- “Star Trek: 50 Iconic Years” programming block, Heroes & Icons Network (marathon of “Star Trek” documentaries, series episodes through 2 a.m. Sept. 5; see schedule here)
6 p.m.
- “Ringside,” TV One (movie; undefeated boxer Jaxon Holley faces personal battles while preparing for big fight)
- “The ABC Fall Preview Special,” ABC (special; look at ABC’s new 2016 primetime line-up)
7 p.m.
- “Building Star Trek,” Smithsonian (special; look at influence of original “Star Trek” series, which premiered Sept. 8, 1966)
Monday, Sept. 5
Streaming
- “800 Words, Season 1,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere; recently widowed Aussie dad quits newspaper job, buys a house unseen and moves family to New Zealand)
7 p.m.
- “Wonders of Burma,” Smithsonian (“Behind the Lost Empires” premiere; examines the former Burma when it was Kingdom of Bagan, home of the world’s first golden civilization)
- “Fast N’ Loud,” Discovery (season premiere)
8 p.m.
- “Harley and the Davidsons,” Discovery (miniseries premiere; William Harley and Arthur Davidson launch Harley-Davidson brand in 1903)
- “15 Septembers Later,” History (doc; info uncovered in last 15 years offers new perspective on events of 9/11)
- “The Killing of JonBenét: The Truth Uncovered,” A&E (doc; on 20th anniversary of child beauty queen’s murder case remains unsolved)
- “Hit The Floor: Til Death Do Us Part,” VH1 (special; will Jelena’s shooting ruin the wedding of Ahsha and Derek?)
9 p.m.
- “The Birth of Saké,” PBS (POV premiere; being-the-scenes at Japan’s Yoshida Brewery)
Tuesday, Sept. 6
Streaming
- “StartUp,” Crackle (series premiere; crooked FBI agent goes after criminal group responsible for controversial digital currency tech)
10 a.m.
- “The View,” ABC (season 20; check local listings)
7 p.m.
- “9/11 Inside the Pentagon,” PBS (special)
8 p.m.
- “Queen Sugar,” OWN (series premiere; estranged siblings return home to run family’s Louisiana sugar cane farm)
- “Game of Homes,” Discovery Family Channel (series premiere; four teams of amateur home renovators attempt to save dilapidated houses)
- “From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series,” El Rey (season 3)
- “American Sniper: The Real Story,” Reelz (doc; Navy SEAL Chris Kyle gets the Reelz treatment)
- “Below Deck,” Bravo (season 4)
- “Dance Moms,” Lifetime (fall premiere)
9 p.m.
- “Atlanta,” FX (series premiere; two cousins work in the Atlanta music scene in comedy from Donald Glover)
- “America by the Numbers: The New Deciders,” PBS (special; Asian-American, black millennial, Arab-American, and Latino evangelical voters)
- “A Season with Florida State Football,” Showtime (doc series premiere; chronicles Florida State Seminoles’ high-stakes quest for 2016 College Football National Championship)
10 p.m.
- “The 11th Hour with Brian Williams,” MSNBC (series premiere; election coverage)
Wednesday, Sept. 7
7 p.m.
- “Lucha Underground,” El Rey (season 3)
8 p.m.
- “The Incredible Food Race,” Discovery Family Channel (series premiere; two families compete in food challenges and a family vs. family cook-off)
9:30 p.m.
- “Gaycation,” Viceland (season 2)
Thursday, Sept. 8
7:30 p.m.
- “Star Trek: The Original Series” marathon, BBC America (50th anniversary marathon of uncut, digitally remastered HD versions of Seasons 1 and 2 through Sept. 11)
8 p.m.
- “Haylie’s America,” Cooking (series premiere; Haylie Duff travels country and hangs with friends)
9 p.m.
- “Better Things,” FX (series premiere; single working actor with no filter raises her 3 daughters and watches out for her independent mother)
Friday, Sept. 9
Streaming
- “One Mississippi,” Amazon (series premiere; half-hour “traumedy” inspired by comic Tig Notaro’s life)
7 p.m.
- “Stand Up to Cancer,” multi-channel simulcast (televised fundraising special)
8 p.m.
- “10th Annual ACM Honors,” CBS (special; celebrating the special honorees and off-camera category winners from the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards)
- “Martin Lawrence Doin’ Time: Uncut,” Showtime (stand-up special)
9 p.m.
- “Quarry,” Cinemax (series premiere; Marine shunned by loved ones and demonized by public when he returns home from Vietnam in 1972)
- “Burgers, Brew & ’Que,” Food (season premiere)
Saturday, Sept. 10
6 a.m.
- “Star Trek 50th Anniversary Celebration,” EPIX (marathon of “Star Trek” movies, docs hosted by George Takei; more Star Trek here)
7 p.m.
- “Girl in the Box,” Lifetime (movie; based on the true story of Colleen Stan, who was held captive for seven years)
8 p.m.
- “Rich and Acquitted,” Reelz (series premiere; stories of celebrities who use their money to hire best legal teams)
9 p.m.
- “Hollywood Homicide Uncovered,” Reelz (series premiere; relives intense stories of horrific homicides where a celebrity is at center of crime)
Sunday, Sept. 11
11:30 a.m.
- “Film School Shorts,” WTTW in Chicago, check local PBS listings (season premiere; best short drama, comedy, animation, and more from next generation of diverse filmmakers)
1 p.m.
- 9/11 commemoration programming, Smithsonian Channel (marathon of September 11 documentaries; click the link for full schedule)
7 p.m.
- “Churchill’s Secret on Masterpiece,” PBS (movie; dramatization of Churchill’s life-threatening stroke in the summer of 1953)
- “Son of Zorn,” Fox (series preview; animated warrior from a Pacific Ocean island returns to California to win back his live-action ex-wife and teen son)
- “102 Minutes That Changed America: 15th Anniversary,” History (new footage added to doc showing terror of 9/11 in real-time)
8 p.m.
- “The Last Ship,” TNT (season 3 finale)
- “The 2017 Miss America Competition,” ABC (special)
- “Rob & Chyna,” E! (series premiere; Rob Kardashian and Blac Chyna await birth of first child)
- “Manzo’d With Children,” Bravo (season 3; 2nd episode at 8:30 p.m.)
- “90 Day Fiance,” TLC (season premiere)
- “Big Time RV,” Travel (season premiere)
9 p.m.
- “Indian Summers on Masterpiece,” PBS (season 2)
- “Masters of Sex,” Showtime (season 4)
- “Neighborhood Sessions featuring Dave Matthews Band,” TNT (concert special)
- “90 Day Fiance: Happily Ever After?” TLC (series premiere; revisits most memorable couples from previous seasons)
- “America’s Night of Hope,” Hallmark (special)
9:30 p.m.
- “America’s 9/11 Flag: Rise from the Ashes,” History (doc; mystery surrounding American flag that was raised by three New York City firefighters after the 9/11 attacks but then disappeared)
Monday, Sept. 12
Streaming
- “The Secret Agent,” Acorn TV (U.S. premiere; mild-mannered Englishman secretly works for Russians spying on a group of anarchists in 1886 London; parts 2 and 3 debut Sept. 13 and 14, respectively)
- “Not Too Deep with Grace Helbig,” Fullscreen (talk show premiere; video version of Grace Helbig podcast)
Syndicated
- “Harry,” check local listings (talk show premiere; Harry Connick Jr. hosts)
- “Dr. Phil,” check local listings (season 15; talk with JonBenet Ramsey’s brother, Burke)
3 p.m.
- “Polly and the ZhuZhu Pets,” Disney (series premiere; fun-seeking Zhus live with Polly and the Pamplemousse family in Anytown)
7 p.m.
- “Sacred Sites,” Smithsonian (series premiere; world’s most hallowed shrines, temples and monuments)
- “Dancing with the Stars,” ABC (season 23)
- “Fashion Police: 2016 New York Fashion Week,” E! (special)
7:30 p.m.
- “CBS Fall Preview Special,” CBS (special; Kevin James hosts look at CBS fall series)
9 p.m.
- “All the Difference,” PBS (POV premiere; 2 African-American teens from South Side of Chicago hope to graduate from college)
- “Sacred Steel Bikes,” Discovery (series premiere; inside exclusive bike club that produces one-of-a-kind pieces of art)
- “JonBenet Ramsey: An American Murder Mystery,” Investigation Discovery (3-part doc premiere; newly revealed evidence, exclusive interviews and archival materials about the 20-year-old, still-unsolved murder of 6-year-old JonBenet Ramsey)
9:30 p.m.
- “Full Frontal with Samantha Bee,” TBS (new episodes; sheee’s back to keep the politicos honest)
Tuesday, Sept. 13
7 p.m.
- “The Contenders—16 for ’16,” PBS (8-part series; 16 tumultuous presidential campaigns in modern history)
- “The Big Interview,” AXS (season 4b; Dan Rather chats up music giants such as Neil Young, Martina McBride, Michael Bublé, Meat Loaf, Olivia Newton-John)
8 p.m.
- “The Diploma Mill/Omarina’s Story,” PBS (Frontline premiere; look at troubled for-profit college industry and an innovative program to stem high school dropout crisis)
- “Munich: The Real Story,” REELZ (special; story of Israeli hunt of Palestinian terrorists who murdered Israeli athletes at 1972 Munich Olympics that was dramatized in Steven Spielberg’s 2005 movie “Munich”)
9 p.m.
- “Taking Fire,” Discovery (5-part series; following U.S. servicemen in the Taliban-held Korengal Valley in Northeast Afghanistan)
- “Ed Gordon,” Bounce TV (series premiere; news magazine show)
- “Education Revolution,” PBS (Ted Talks premiere; innovative approaches to education)
Wednesday, Sept. 14
Streaming
- “Now We’re Talking,” go90.com (short-form digital premiere; former QBs fail as broadcasters in comedy from Tommy Dewey and Tug Coker)
7 p.m.
- “Forces of Nature,” PBS (4-part series; fundamental natural forces that shape our very existence)
8 p.m.
- “The Million Dollar Duck,” Animal Planet (doc premiere; wonderfully eccentric world of the Federal Duck Stamp Contest)
- “School of the Future,” PBS (Nova premiere; artists pass skills to new generations)
- “Worst Cooks in America: Celebrity Edition,” Food (season 2)
9 p.m.
- “Blindspot,” NBC (season 2)
- “American Horror Story,” FX (season 6)
- “Documentary Now,” IFC (season 2; “The Bunker” follows two scheming, cocky campaign managers working Ohio governor race)
- “Still Alive,” Discovery (series premiere; survival stories caught on camera)
- “The World’s Greatest Tribute Bands,” AXS (season 7; tributes to Prince on 9/14, David Bowie on 9/21, Jimi Hendrix on 11/16, and many more)
- “Don’t Be Tardy…,” Bravo (season 5)
- “Sugar Showdown,” Cooking (season premiere)
Thursday, Sept. 15
5 p.m.
- “Ripper Street,” BBC America (season 4 finale)
7 p.m.
- “Teachers,” PBS (Craft in America premiere; artists pass skills to new generations)
8 p.m.
- “Project Runway,” Lifetime (season 15)
- “Time for School,” PBS (special; update to award-wining documentary project about 7 children struggling to get education)
Friday, Sept. 16
Streaming
- “Fleabag,” Amazon (series premiere; grieving single woman hurls herself at modern living in London)
- “Creative Galaxy,” Amazon (season 2)
7 p.m.
- “Z Nation,” Syfy (season 3, 2-hour premiere; series resumes 8 p.m. Sept. 23)
8 p.m.
- “Art in the 21st Century,” PBS (season 8; 4 artists in Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City and Vancouver)
10 p.m.
- “High Maintenance,” HBO (series premiere; “The Guy” delivers pot to an eccentric group of clients in NYC)
Saturday, Sept. 17
7 p.m.
- “Sister Cities,” Lifetime (movie; four estranged sisters reunite to mourn their mother only to discover a secret that could tear them apart)
- “2016 Creative Arts Emmy Awards,” FXX (special)
Sunday, Sept. 18
3:30 p.m.
- “Countdown to the Red Carpet: The 2016 Emmy Awards,” E! (special)
5 p.m.
- “Live From The Red Carpet: The 2016 Emmy Awards,” E! (special)
6 p.m.
- “68th Emmy Awards Arrival Pre-Show,” ABC (special)
7 p.m.
- “68th Emmy Awards,” ABC (special)
- “Royal Wives at War,” PBS (movie; Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Wallis Simpson look back at events leading to Edward VIII’s abdication)
7:30 p.m.
- “The Case of: JonBenét Ramsey,” CBS (3-night limited doc series premiere; original investigators and other investigators examine evidence in 20-year-old unsolved murder case; also Sept. 19 and 25)
8 p.m.
- “WW II’s Most Daring Raids,” Smithsonian (series premiere; dangerous and remarkable commando raids)
- “Poldark Revealed,” PBS (special; cast and crew on location in Cornwall)
9 p.m.
- “America’s Night of Hope,” Hallmark (special; evening of celebration and inspiration taped at Detroit’s Comerica Park)
10 p.m.
- “After Party: The 2016 Emmy Awards,” E! (special)
Monday, Sept. 19
7 p.m.
- “Gotham,” Fox (season 3)
- “The Voice,” NBC (season 11; Alicia Keys and Miley Cyrus join judging team)
- “The Big Bang Theory,” CBS (season premiere)
- “Fashion Police: 68th Emmy Awards,” E! (special)
7:30 p.m.
- “Kevin Can Wait,” CBS (series premiere; cop retires and drives family nuts)
8 p.m.
- “Lucifer,” Fox (season 2)
- “Three Days of Terror: The Charlie Hebdo Attacks,” HBO (doc; account of Jan. 2015 terror attacks on Paris)
- “Right Now Kapow,” Disney XD (series premiere)
9 p.m.
- “The Good Place,” NBC (series premiere; mistaken identity in heaven comedy)
- “Kingdom of Shadows,” PBS (POV premiere; U.S.-Mexico drug war)
- “Mega Shippers,” Science (season finale)
Tuesday, Sept. 20
7 p.m.
- “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,” Fox (season 4)
- “NCIS,” CBS (season premiere)
- “Dancing with the Stars Results Show,” ABC (season 23)
7:30 p.m.
- “New Girl,” Fox (season 6)
8 p.m.
- “Scream Queens,” Fox (season 2)
- “Bull,” CBS (series premiere; trail consultant preps clients so they can win cases)
- “Defying the Nazis: The Sharps’ War,” PBS (doc; untold story of Waitstill and Martha Sharp left their children behind for mission to save Jewish refugees in Nazi-occupied Europe)
- “Strut,” Oxygen (series premiere; 5 transgender models chase dreams in world of fashion)
9 p.m.
- “This is Us,“ NBC (series premiere; several people connected by their birth dates; Read my Milo Ventimiglia interview here)
- “David Beckham: For the Love of the Game,“ BBC America (U.S. premiere; the soccer legend attempts to play seven soccer matches on all seven continents and return to Britain in time for his UNICEF fundraising match)
- “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” ABC (season 4)
- “NCIS: New Orleans,” CBS (season premiere)
- “Through the Wormhole,” Science (season finale)
Wednesday, Sept. 21
7 p.m.
- “Lethal Weapon,” Fox (series premiere; police odd couple fights crime, each other)
- “Blindspot,” NBC (night & time period premiere)
- “The Goldbergs,” ABC (season 4)
- “Survivor,” CBS (season premiere)
7:30 p.m.
- “Speechless,” ABC (series premiere; Minnie Driver family comedy)
8 p.m.
- “Empire,” Fox (season 3)
- “Law & Order: SVU,” NBC (season 18)
- “Chicago P.D.” NBC (season 4)
- “Modern Family,” ABC (season 8)
- “Unusually Thicke,” Pop (season 2)
8:30 p.m.
- “black-ish,” ABC (season 3)
9 p.m.
- “Designated Survivor,” ABC (series premiere; lowly cabinet member becomes president after attack)
- “Mr. Robot,” USA (season 2 finale)
10 p.m.
- “Falling Water,” USA (series preview; 3 strangers realize they are connected by a shared dream)
- “Comedy Knockout,” truTV (season finale)
Thursday, Sept. 22
Streaming
- “Easy,” Netflix (8-episode anthology series; creator Joe Swanberg explores diverse Chicago characters as they fumble through love, sex, technology and culture)
7 p.m.
- “Grey’s Anatomy,” ABC (season 13)
- “Rosewood,” Fox (season 2)
- “Superstore,” NBC (season 2)
7:30 p.m.
- “The Good Place,” NBC (night & time period premiere)
8 p.m.
- “Notorious,” ABC (series premiere; inspired by true stories of defense attorney Mark Geragos and cable news producer Wendy Walker)
- “Pitch,” Fox (series premiere; woman becomes first female Major League Baseball player)
- “Chicago Med,” NBC (season 2)
- “Huntwatch,” Discovery (doc; fight to end commercial seal hunt in Atlantic Canada)
- “Million Dollar Listing New York: Ryan’s Wedding,” Bravo (3-part series premiere; Ryan Serhant and Emilia Bechrakis plan wedding)
9 p.m.
- “How to Get Away with Murder,” ABC (season 3)
- “The Blacklist,” NBC (season 4)
Friday, Sept. 23
Streaming
- “Transparent,” Amazon (season 3)
7 p.m.
- “MacGyver,” CBS (series premiere; secret agent uses everyday items to save the day)
- “Hell’s Kitchen,” Fox (season 16)
- “Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon,” NBC (season 3)
- “Last Man Standing,” ABC (season 6)
- “Liv and Maddie: Cali Style,” Disney (final season premiere; twin sisters move to California where Liv pursues her acting career while Maddie tries for college basketball scholarship)
7:30 p.m.
- “Dr. Ken,” ABC (season 2)
8 p.m.
- “The Exorcist,” Fox (series premiere; Chicago family and two priests fight against a demonic possession)
- “Hawaii Five-0,” CBS (season 7)
- “Dateline NBC,” NBC (season 26)
- “Shark Tank,” ABC (season 8)
9 p.m.
- “Van Helsing,” Syfy (series premiere, 2 eps; Vanessa Helsing holds key to humanity’s survival against vampires: her own blood)
- “Blue Bloods,” CBS (season 7)
Saturday, Sept. 24
7:30 p.m.
- “Star Wars Rebels,” Disney XD (season 3; see SWR trailer here)
8 p.m.
- “Seeds of Love,” Hallmark (movie; woman trying to save an old oak tree and man hired to cut it down become close during standoff)
- “Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee,” Showtime (doc; mysterious life of visionary anti-virus entrepreneur John McAfee)
Sunday, Sept. 25
6 p.m.
- “Once Upon a Time: Evil Reigns Supreme,” ABC (special; look back at 5 years of the ABC series)
6:30 p.m.
- “Bob’s Burgers,” Fox (season 7)
7 p.m.
- “Poldark on Masterpiece,” PBS (season 2)
- “The Simpsons,” Fox (season 28)
- “Once Upon A Time,” ABC (season 6)
7:30 p.m.
- “Son of Zorn,” Fox (series premiere; animated warrior from a Pacific Ocean island returns to California to win back his live-action ex-wife and teen son)
8 p.m.
- “Family Guy,” Fox (season 14)
- “Secrets and Lies,” ABC (season 2)
- “Signed, Sealed, Delivered: Lost Without You,” Hallmark M&M (movie; team takes up investigation into lost package that seems to contain a bucket list)
8:30 p.m.
- “The Last Man on Earth,” Fox (season 3)
9 p.m.
- “Quantico,” ABC (season 2)
Tuesday, Sept. 27
8 p.m.
- “The Choice 2016,” PBS (Frontline premiere; what has shaped the two presidential candidates)
9 p.m.
- “Aftermath,” Syfy (series premiere; Copelands battle for survival after apocalypse against plague and supernatural creatures)
Wednesday, Sept. 28
7 p.m.
- “Big Brother,” CBS All Access (digital season premiere)
9 p.m.
- “Younger,” TV Land (season 3)
- “Cutthroat Kitchen: Tournament of Terror,” Food (5-episode tournament)
9:30 p.m.
- “Impastor,” TV Land (season 2)
10 p.m.
- “Star Plates,” Food (series premiere; stars cook on the line with their favorite chefs)
Thursday, Sept. 29
Check local listings
- “This Old House,” PBS (season 37; check thisoldhouse.com/tvschedule)
- “Ask This Old House,” PBS (season 15; check thisoldhouse.com/tvschedule)
Friday, Sept. 30
Streaming
- “Luke Cage,” Netflix (series premiere; the Harlem strongman protects his neighborhood)
- “Crisis in Six Scenes,” Amazon (series premiere; Woody Allen’s 1960s-set comedy about a guest who turns family’s life upside down)
8 p.m.
- “America Divided,” EPIX (doc series premiere; high-profile correspondents explore aspect of inequality related to their own lives)
9 p.m.
- “29th Annual Hispanic Heritage Awards,” PBS (special)
- “Death on a Comet: The Rosetta Mission,” Science (special; final chapter of the Rosetta spacecraft’s historic mission)