September always carries a faint back-to-school feeling, even when the closest thing to homework is deciding what to stream next. Netflix seems happy to encourage the habit. This month brings glossy campus drama alongside the return of Guy Ritchie’s criminal aristocracy, before the mood takes a decidedly darker turn with Lizzie Borden. There is even a psychological thriller waiting in the wings for anyone already mentally decorating for Halloween. Canceling plans may be premature, although the argument is getting stronger.

Back to School Gets Considerably More Entertaining

A Different World returns on September 24, this time following Deborah Wayne, played by Maleah Joi Moon, as she arrives at Hillman College hoping to build a life beyond the considerable legacy of parents Dwayne Wayne and Whitley Gilbert. The sequel brings familiar faces back into the fictional HBCU while introducing a new generation, with Debbie Allen returning behind the camera.

For a campus experience with more choreography, Best of the Best arrives September 18. Maitreyi Ramakrishnan and Priyanka Kedia play childhood friends who join UCLA’s fiercely competitive Bollywood fusion dance team, where friendship meets the considerably less gentle business of winning a national championship.

September also marks the return of The Gentlemen. Season 2 is already streaming, with Theo James back as Eddie Horniman, now far more comfortable expanding the criminal empire he inherited than he was discovering it. Guy Ritchie has apparently created enough trouble to warrant a third season, which Netflix has already confirmed.

Spooky Season Is Arriving Early

The month’s most deliciously sinister arrival is Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story, premiering September 17. Ella Beatty steps into the infamous 1892 murder case for the fourth chapter of Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan’s anthology, with Rebecca Hall and Charlie Hunnam playing Lizzie’s parents. Sarah Paulson also appears as Aileen Wuornos, bringing another notorious female figure into the season’s exploration of violence.

For something quieter but arguably more unsettling, Not a Stranger arrives on September 17. Elçin Sangu plays Funda, a new mother trying to return to her career as a painter when a mysterious nanny enters her home. What begins as much-needed help slowly shifts into psychological unease, as the woman’s presence starts to disturb the life Funda shares with her husband. It is the kind of slow-burn thriller that makes a perfectly ordinary house feel suddenly unsafe.

And if murder feels excessive for a Wednesday night, Call My Agent! The Movie arrives September 10 with Camille Cottin’s Andréa attempting her directing debut while the old ASK crew inevitably finds its way back into the chaos. Fall television has officially begun misbehaving.