9 must-watch Netflix originals coming in September
SANTA MONICA, CA – APRIL 08: Comedian Norm Macdonald on stage with Mel Brooks at the Recording Academy Los Angeles Chapter presents Up Close & Personal With Mel Brooks, at the Recording Academy on April 8, 2008 in Santa Monica,California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)
Norm MacDonald Has a Show – September 14
Netflix doesn’t do very well with the talk show genre, having just canceled The Joel McHale Show with Joel McHale (basically The Soup but on Netlfix) and The Break with Michelle Wolf.
Netflix isn’t one to give up easily and they seem determined to conquer the format. Hence their newest attempt, Norm MacDonald Has a Show — a title that gets handily stuck in your head as you chuckle and scoff at the play on words.
The show has a lot on its side, what with David Letterman as a location scout and a solid line up of guests for the show’s first ten episodes (Drew Barrymore, David Spade, Judge Judy, David Letterman, Jane Fonda, Chevy Chase, M. Night Shyamalan, Michael Keaton, Billy Joe Shaver, and Lorne Michaels).
Norm MacDonald is also a really funny, charming, and intelligent host who just might have what it takes to draw in audiences. At the very least, his interviews with former SNL cast members and producer Lorne Michaels should be fascinating material.
Maniac / Image by Netflix
Maniac – September 21
Maniac is this month’s high profile standout with big names like Emma Stone, Jonah Hill, Sally Field, and Justin Theroux starring in this black comedy directed by Cary Fukunaga (True Detective).
This Netflix original series is based on a Norwegian show of the same name in which a mental patient lives out two narratives, one set in the real world and the other set in his internal fantasy world.
The official synopsis says the show is about “two strangers who find themselves caught up in a mind-bending pharmaceutical trial gone awry,” which sounds like a somewhat different take on the original.
The first look images do have the look of someone indulging a strange fantasy life, though, whatever the cause. Overall, it looks weird and fun and maybe a little bit twisted.