‘It’ returns, ‘Empire’ winds down, and 134 other September movies, TV shows, albums, and books to check out

There goes summer 2019 into history’s dustbin. So long, you big weirdo! You were filled with superhero movies (one of which was the highest-grossing film of all time), Disney live-action films, failed comedies, and decent horror movies—all of which were overall kind of unsatisfying. (Thanks for Once Upon a Time . . . in Hollywood and The Farewell, though!)

As most of the summer’s worst entertainment impulses (looking at you, Men in Black: International) recede into the rearview, it is time to welcome with open arms the most creatively fruitful time of year. Autumn is when the Oscar contenders begin to sprout, when network TV returns with a suddenly awakened fury, and when an unwieldy number of must-listen albums drop.

In order to cut through the clutter, have a look at Fast Company’s guide to the most promising movies, shows, albums, and books coming your way in September. If you somehow manage to get bored with all these options, well, frankly that’s impressive.

MOVIES IN THEATERS

It: Chapter Two, September 6
Becoming Nobody, September 6
Ms. Purple, September 6
Strange But True, September 6
Zeroville, September 6
The Goldfinch, September 13
Haunt, September 13
Hustlers, September 13
Can You Keep a Secret?, September 13
The Harvesters, September 13
The Sound of Silence, September 13
3 From Hell, September 16
Ad Astra, September 20
American Dreamer, September 20
Corporate Animals, September 20
Downton Abbey, September 20
Rambo: Last Blood, September 20
Where’s My Roy Cohn?, September 20
Judy, September 27
The Day Shall Come, September 27
The Report, September 27

MOVIES TO WATCH AT HOME

Bill Burr: Paper Tiger, September 10 on Netflix
In the Shadow of the Towers: Stuyvesant High on 9/11, September 11 on HBO
Mo Gilligan: Momentum, September 30 on Netflix

MUSIC

Bat for Lashes – Lost Girls, September 6
Chrissie Hynde – Valve Bone Woe, September 6
Frankie Cosmos – Close It Quietly, September 6
Lower Dens – The Competition, September 6
Miles Davis – Rubberband, September 6
The Highwomen – The Highwomen, September 6
Tinariwen – Amadjar, September 6
?Iggy Pop – Free, September 6
Charli XCX – Charli, September 13
Chelsea Wolfe – Birth of Violence, September 13
Cold – The Things We Can’t Stop, September 13
Devendra Banhart – Ma, September 13
Goo Goo Dolls – Miracle Pill, September 13
Gruff Rhys – Pang!, September 13
Jenny Hval – The Practice of Love, September 13
KAZU – Adult Baby, September 13
Korn – The Nothing, September 13
Metronomy – Metronomy Forever, September 13
Mike Patton & Jean-Claude Vannier – Corpse Flower, September 13
Pixies – Beneath the Eyrie, September 13
Puddle of Mudd – Welcome to Galvania, September 13
The Lumineers – III, September 13
Twin Peaks – Lookout Low, September 13
Blink-182 – NINE, September 20
Fitz and the Tantrums – All the Feels, September 20
Hiss Golden Messenger – Terms of Surrender, September 20
Keane – Cause and Effect, September 20
Liam Gallagher – Why Me? Why Not., September 20
M83 – DSVII, September 20
Vivian Girls – Memory, September 20
Zac Brown Band – The Owl, September 20
Girl Band – The Talkies, September 27
Hellyeah – Welcome Home, September 27
Opeth – In Cauda Venenum, September 27
Steel Panther – Heavy Metal Rules, September 27
Tegan and Sara – Hey, I’m Just Like You, September 27
Telefon Tel Aviv – Dreams Are Not Enough, September 27
The New Pornographers – In the Morse Code of Brake Lights, September 27

TV

Autopsy: The Last Hours of Garry Shandling, September 2 on Reelz
The Secret Lives of Cheerleaders, September 2 on Lifetime
Untouchable, September 2 on Hulu
Greenleaf, September 3 on OWN
Mayans M.C., September 3 on  FX
Joan Rivers: Behind Closed Doors, September 4 on Reelz
Wu-Tang: An American Saga, September 4 on Hulu
Elite, September 6 on Netflix
Good Talk with Anthony Jeselnik, September 6 on Comedy Central
Into the Dark: Pure, September 6 on Hulu
The Spy, September 6 on Netflix
The Deuce, September 9 on HBO
Mr. Mercedes, September 10 on DirecTV/AT&T
The I-Land, September 12 on Netflix
Mr. Inbetween, September 12 on FX
Room 104, September 13 on HBO
Unbelievable, September 13 on Netflix
Undone, September 13 on Prime Video
Comedy Central Roast of Alec Baldwin, September 15 on Comedy Central
A Little Late with Lilly Singh, September 16 on NBC
Conan Without Borders: Ghana, September 17 on TBS
American Horror Story: 1984, September 18 on FX
Between Two Ferns: The Movie, September 20 on Netflix
Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates, September 20 on Netflix
71st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, September 22 on Fox
Bluff City Law, September 23 on NBC
Bob ? Abishola, September 23 on CBS
The Good Doctor, September 23 on ABC
The Neighborhood, September 23 on CBS
black-ish, September 24 on ABC
Emergence, September 24 on ABC
Empire, September 24 on Fox
mixed-ish, September 24 on ABC
Buzz, September 25 on HBO
The Goldbergs, September 25 on ABC
It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, September 25 on FXX
Stumptown, September 25 on ABC
Carol’s Second Act, September 26 on CBS
Creepshow, September 26 on Shudder
Evil, September 26 on CBS
The Good Place, September 26 on NBC
Grey’s Anatomy, September 26 on ABC
How to Get Away with Murder, September 26 on ABC
Law & Order: SVU, September 26 on NBC
Mom, September 26 on CBS
Perfect Harmony, September 26 on NBC
Sunnyside, September 26 on NBC
Superstore, September 26 on NBC
The Unicorn, September 26 on CBS
Bard of Blood, September 27 on Netflix
The Politician, September 27 on Netflix
Transparent: Musicale Finale, September 27 on Prime Video
Bless the Harts, September 29 on Fox
Bob’s Burgers, September 29 on Fox
Shark Tank, September 29 on ABC
The Simpsons, September 29 on Fox

BOOKS

Stories Behind the Images: Lessons from a Life in Adventure Photography by Corey Rich, September 1
After the Flood by Kassandra Montag, September 3
Bill Cunningham: On the Street: Five Decades of Iconic Photography by the New York Times, September 3
Dominicana: A Novel by Angie Cruz, September 3
Quichotte by Salman Rushdie, September 3
The Testaments by Margaret Atwood, September 10
Autoportrait by Samuel Fosso, September 17
Drag: The Complete Story by Simon Doonan, September 17
Dublin by Evelyn Hofer, September 17
Muhammad Ali by Gordon Parks, September 17
Red at the Bone by Jacqueline Woodson, September 17
Sontag by Benjamin Moser, September 17
Ukraine – Stop Tanks with Books by Mark Neville, September 17
Brooklyn, The City Within by Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris Webb, September 24
The Dutch House by Ann Patchett, September 24
The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates, September 24
Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith, September 24

[Photo Illustration: Samir Abady; Hustlers: Barbara Nitke/STXfilms; 21 Bridges: Matt Kennedy/STXfilms; Ad Astra: Francois Duhamel/Twentieth Century Fox; Downton Abbey: Jaap Buitendijk/Focus Features; The Goldfinch: Macall Polay/Warner Bros. Entertainment; Judy: David Hindley/LD Entertainment and Roadside Attractions; Rambo: Last Blood: Yana Blajeva/Lionsgate; Wu Tang: An American Saga: courtesy of Hulu; The Deuce: Paul Schiraldi/HBO; Unbelievable: Beth Dubber/Netflix; Sunnyside: Colleen Hayes/NBC; Carol’s Second Act: Sonja Flemming/CBS; EVIL: Jeff Neumann/CBS; The Politician: courtesy of Netflix; Mayans M.C.: Prashant Gupta/FX]