Posted by Siseko Tapile
15 Comments
One month, two headline series, and 127 films on day one. That’s how Paramount Plus plans to keep your queue full as summer fades. The streamer is mixing big franchise swings with comfort-watch library drops, live event specials, and family TV—basically, something for every mood.
The biggest swing is NCIS: Tony & Ziva, a fresh chapter for the global procedural that puts Michael Weatherly and Cote de Pablo back in the field together. The setup is simple and juicy: Tony and Ziva are living in Paris, co-parenting Tali, when Tony’s security firm is hit. That attack forces them into a European run-and-gun chase, balancing spycraft with parenting and old scars. The promise here isn’t just nostalgia—it’s a faster, more international NCIS tone with a personal stake baked in. The series premieres September 4.
If you’re here for muscle and mayhem, Tulsa King Season 3 lands September 21. Sylvester Stallone returns as Dwight Manfredi, now facing a rival that doesn’t play by the old rules: a deep-pocketed dynasty, the Dunmires. New faces join the storm—Robert Patrick, Bella Heathcote, Kevin Pollak, and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson’s character, Russell Lee Washington Jr., passes through Tulsa on his way to New Orleans, setting up the already greenlit spinoff Nola King. Translation: the Tulsa King universe is widening, and Season 3 is the bridge.
On the film side, early September brings the streaming premiere of Andrew Ahn’s The Wedding Banquet. It’s positioned as a romantic drama with a modern pulse, and it lands as counterprogramming to the month’s heavier genre fare.
About that genre fare: September 1 drops a wall of movies—127 in total—across horror, sci-fi, action, and the 90s/2000s classics that always seem to hit the spot. Horror fans get the first eight Friday the 13th films, The Woman in Black, Sleepy Hollow, and the From Dusk Till Dawn trilogy. Sci-fi purists can cue up Arrival and A.I. Artificial Intelligence. Action heads get Face/Off, the full Blade trilogy, and Cloverfield. And there’s range beyond the blockbusters: Fatal Attraction, Frida, and the always-quotable Scary Movie land the comedic and prestige beats.
Families aren’t left out. The Tiny Chef Show returns September 10 with Season 3, and The Adventures of Paddington drops its third season a week later on September 17. Both shows deliver warm, low-stress viewing for weekends or weekday wind-downs. If you prefer real-world stakes, Air Disasters is back that same day with Season 22—still detailed, still tense.
Live and live-adjacent programming serves as appointment anchors throughout the month. The 2025 Video Music Awards special airs September 7. One week later, September 14 brings coverage of the Primetime Emmy Awards—a timely snapshot of TV’s power players heading into fall. Music fans get a tribute night on September 22 with A GRAMMY Salute to Earth, Wind & Fire Live: The 21st Night of September.
The CBS unscripted staples also return to set the weekly rhythm. Survivor sails into Season 49 on September 24, followed by The Amazing Race Season 38 on September 25. And to close the month with the familiar drumbeat of Sunday night journalism, 60 Minutes (Season 58) and 48 Hours (Season 38) arrive on September 28.
Want the month at a glance? Here are the key dates:
The range is the point. Franchise TV for weekly suspense. Award shows for live buzz. Reality competitions for routine. A massive library load to fill the gaps. It’s a calendar built to keep you bouncing from one tile to the next without hitting a dead end.
Franchise expansion drives subscriptions in 2025, and NCIS: Tony & Ziva checks every box. It brings back two proven leads, shifts the action to Europe for a fresh look, and leans into an espionage chase that can hook viewers who’ve never watched an NCIS pilot. Longtime fans get the payoff of a relationship that’s been a slow burn for years; new viewers get a clean on-ramp with cinematic pacing.
Tulsa King’s third season suggests a maturing crime saga with a different kind of antagonist. Instead of street-level rival crews, Dwight is up against an entrenched family network with money and reach. That raises the ceiling on the stakes and opens the door to bigger arcs—exactly what you want before splintering off to a new city with Nola King. The casting additions aren’t just stunt names; they’re signposts that the world is getting bigger, weirder, and more dangerous.
The 127-title library drop on September 1 is a retention play disguised as a party. Bulk releases like this fuel weekend binges, theme nights, and spontaneous rewatches. Horror gets a head start with Friday the 13th, laying the tracks for a fright marathon well before October. Sci-fi and action are covered with Arrival, Cloverfield, and Blade. The mix of Oscar winners, cult favorites, and popcorn staples means fewer arguments when it’s your turn to pick.
Family content is usually the difference between a subscription that sticks and one that pauses. Paddington’s new season gives younger kids a warm, storybook vibe. The Tiny Chef Show brings tactile, cozy humor that works for mixed-age viewing. These aren’t headline-grabbers, but they reduce churn because they’re the shows that actually run in the background while life happens.
Award shows and specials turn a streaming app into a live venue, even if you’re catching it timeshifted. The VMAs bring a younger, social-first crowd. The Emmys land in the sweet spot between summer finales and fall premieres. The Earth, Wind & Fire salute adds a multi-generational music event with built-in nostalgia—and yes, the date is intentional.
The CBS unscripted backbone—Survivor and The Amazing Race—sustains a weekly ritual that streamers need. One premieres, the other follows, and both keep you returning midweek. Round that out with Sunday’s 60 Minutes and 48 Hours, and you have a simple watch pattern: big dramas for suspense, reality for comfort, news to reset.
If you like a plan, here are a few easy watch routes:
Scheduling-wise, the month is neatly staggered. The library bomb hits on the 1st to cover the long weekend crowd. The NCIS spinoff launches midweek on the 4th, giving it room to breathe before the first Sunday special. Week two blends family drops and a new series (The Reunion on Sept 12) with the Emmys. Week three stacks kids TV with Air Disasters, then unleashes Tulsa King. Week four brings the reality pillars, and the final Sunday closes with news heavyweights. There aren’t many empty days—and that’s deliberate.
Put simply: if you cycle through genres and watch with others, September is a great month to be on Paramount Plus. The headliners bring fresh storylines, the library drop fills the gaps, and the week-by-week cadence makes it easy to keep the streak going without getting stuck on what to pick next.
Comments
Divyaa Patel
In the grand tapestry of streaming, September reads like a deliberate brushstroke, a measured blend of nostalgia and novelty. The return of Tony and Ziva feels like a philosophical reunion, a dialogue between past and future selves. Yet the true drama lies in how these choices reflect our yearning for continuity amid change.
August 31, 2025 at 18:50
Larry Keaton
Yo, this lineup is lit af! They’re droppin’ so much stuff you’ll probs forget what you’re watchin’ next. Gotta love the VMA hype, it’s gonna be a wild ride.
September 1, 2025 at 08:44
Liliana Carranza
September on Paramount Plus looks like a celebration of every flavor of TV, and I’m here for it! From the high‑octane chase of NCIS: Tony & Ziva to the cozy comfort of Paddington, there’s a mood for every vibe. The film bomb on the 1st is a perfect excuse to binge classic horror with friends. And let’s not overlook the live specials-they’ll keep the social feeds buzzing. Grab your popcorn and get ready to ride the wave.
September 1, 2025 at 22:37
Jeff Byrd
Ah, another massive dump of movies-because nothing says “we care” like a spreadsheet of titles. Maybe we’ll finally see a Trojan horse of quality hidden among the noise.
September 2, 2025 at 12:30
Joel Watson
Paramount Plus has orchestrated a veritable symphony of content, each movement designed to satiate a distinct auditory palate of the modern subscriber. The resurrection of NCIS, now transposed to the romantic streets of Paris, invites a meta‑narrative of expatriate longing fused with procedural familiarity-an audacious gamble that could either rejuvenate the franchise or dilute its core identity. Tulsa King’s third season, bolstered by the gravitas of Samuel L. Jackson, signals an expansionist ambition, suggesting the creators envision a sprawling universe akin to the Marvel model. The inclusion of 127 films on a single day is not merely quantitative; it is a tactical deployment of nostalgia, targeting generational cohorts with specific touchpoints, from the slasher nostalgia of Friday the 13th to the cerebral allure of Arrival. The strategic placement of live events-VMAs, Emmys, and a GRAMMY salute-functions as temporal anchors, ensuring regular viewer re‑engagement amidst an otherwise on‑demand landscape. Family‑oriented offerings such as The Tiny Chef Show and The Adventures of Paddington serve as cultural glue, fostering communal viewing experiences that transcend the solitary binge paradigm. Meanwhile, the perpetual presence of reality staples like Survivor and The Amazing Race establishes a rhythmic cadence, punctuating the month with predictable yet comforting rituals. By weaving together genre diversity, intergenerational appeal, and live event immediacy, Paramount Plus constructs a layered ecosystem that resists the entropy of audience churn. However, the sheer breadth of this slate raises a paradox: an excess of choice may engender decision fatigue, prompting viewers to gravitate toward the familiar and overlook experimental gems. Yet the inclusion of esoteric titles such as Frida and The Wedding Banquet gestures toward a curatorial intent, suggesting a desire to cultivate a more sophisticated palate among its subscriber base. The overarching narrative here is one of calculated expansion, a deliberate attempt to evolve from a niche stream to a cultural hub. If the execution aligns with this ambition, September could be a case study in strategic content programming for the streaming era. Conversely, if the execution falters, the month may devolve into a chaotic collage, eroding the brand’s perceived value. In any event, the stakes have never been higher, and the audience’s response will serve as the ultimate barometer of success.
September 3, 2025 at 02:24
Chirag P
I appreciate the thorough analysis; it captures the strategic depth nicely. However, the true test will be whether the platform can sustain viewer interest beyond the initial hype.
September 3, 2025 at 16:17
RUBEN INGA NUÑEZ
Exactly, consistency is key.
September 4, 2025 at 06:10
Michelle Warren
The lineup sounds overhyped, i dont see the point.
September 4, 2025 at 20:04
Christopher Boles
Give it a chance, there are hidden gems that could surprise you.
September 5, 2025 at 09:57
Crystal Novotny
Maybe but streaming overload often drowns quality. Less is more
September 5, 2025 at 23:50
Reagan Traphagen
This massive dump is a ploy to mask the lack of original content. They're feeding us filler while the real creative talent is wandering elsewhere. Stay woke.
September 6, 2025 at 13:44
mark sweeney
Actually the filler is a strategic buffer, not a coverup.
September 7, 2025 at 03:37
randy mcgrath
Interesting perspective; perhaps both views hold some truth.
September 7, 2025 at 17:30
Frankie Mobley
Ultimately, varied content gives each viewer something to enjoy.
September 8, 2025 at 07:24
ashli john
Hope everyone finds something they love and keeps the community buzzing
September 8, 2025 at 21:17