The Hotness: Small Screen - September 2022

It's Spring time and this September you can look forward to...well, apart from birthday on the 8th (I accept all forms of monetary denominations, cake and anything pertaining to D&D, board gaming and Lotus biscuit spreads). Anyway, you can also look forward to some great small screen binge watching. Here's the hotness for September:

1. Amazon Prime Video: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

"Epic drama set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien's 'The Hobbit' and 'The Lord of the Rings' follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth"

The most anticipated fantasy series of 2022, the scope and production quality grand epic deserves it's worthy spot as the number #1 hotness this month. I have seen the first episode and it is a visual spectacle with some masterful story-crafting and world-building of the Middle Earth mythos. I am an avid fan of Tolkien's works, having read and re-read the Silmarillion a trillion (okay maybe not a trillion but it rhymes quite nicely) times. The flagship episode touches on a LOT of Tolkien's lore and I loved the way they set up the character back-stories for Galadriel, Elrond, Gil-Galad and...dare I say, Gandalf? The audio version of the Silmarillion, read by Martin Shaw, is also well worth checking out and is available on YouTube here.

2. Disney Plus: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law

"Jennifer Walters navigates the complicated life of a single, 30-something attorney who also happens to be a green 6-foot-7-inch superpowered Hulk."

The MCU engine is in full churn and cranking out some really great shows in the lineup to Phases 4, 5 and 6. She-Hulk hits all the right buttons for me: She's funny, she's green, she's super-hot and she's a freakin' Hulk! Also, there are loads of cameos but the shows definitely not about them. Definitely not.

3. HBO Max: House of the Dragon

"House of the Dragon tells the story of an internal succession war within House Targaryen at the height of its power, 172 years before the birth of Daenerys Targaryen."

Okay, I kinda feel like Jon Snow right now cos I haven;t seen it yet and I know nothing but it is on my lust to binge real soon. From the little I've heard about and seen (I am avoiding spoilers) it is really good and similar but also very different from the OG GOT.

4. Netflix: Stranger Things Season 4

"It's been eight months since The Battle of Starcourt, which brought terror and destruction to Hawkins. Struggling with the aftermath, our group of friends are separated for the first time - and navigating the complexities of high school hasn't made things easier. In this most vulnerable time, a new and horrifying supernatural threat surfaces, presenting a gruesome mystery, that if solved, might finally put an end to the horrors of the Upside Down."

So, Stranger Things Season 4 is my favorite series of 2022. Yes, The Rings of Power is a worthy contender and is number #1 on the hotness for September but July/ August was dominated by these geeky kids from Hawkins, Indiana. This is gonna sit on my hotness list for the rest of the year. If you haven't seen it yet or experienced the awesomeness of Eddie Munson shredding to Master of Puppets on a trailer roof in the upside down then you really need to stop everything you're doing and watch Stranger Things. 

5. Disney Plus: Only Murders in the Building

"Three strangers who share an obsession with true crime suddenly find themselves caught up in one."

This is my go-to comedy/ dramedy series currently. I mean it has freakin' Steven Martin and Martin Short and Selena Gomez as amateur investigators doing a podcast about a murder in their New York building, the Arconia. The humor, banter and dialogue is witty, clever and funny. Also, a cameo from Sting! 

6. Netflix: Cobra Kai Season 5

"Decades after their 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament bout, a middle-aged Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence find themselves martial-arts rivals again."

I'm a huge fan of the Karate Kid franchise and Cobra Kai. Season 4 had me venting and fuming and Terry Silver is such an epic villain that I'm just keen to seeing him get his ass handed to him this season.

7. Disney Plus: I am Groot

"A series of shorts featuring the seedling Groot along with several new and unusual characters."

The perfect short funnies to watch over your morning bowl of cereal.

8. Netflix: The Sandman

"Upon escaping after decades of imprisonment by a mortal wizard, Dream, the personification of dreams, sets about to reclaim his lost equipment."

Wow. This show surprised me with how well thought out and perfectly produced it was. It has an amazing storyline, excellent casting and a fantastic soundtrack that has been on my Spotify re-run for a few weeks now. Chilling, spellbinding and so, so good. A near-perfect adaptation of the graphic novels. "I am Morpheus, Dream... of the Endless..."

9. Netflix: Prey

"The origin story of the Predator in the world of the Comanche Nation 300 years ago. Naru, a skilled warrior, fights to protect her tribe against one of the first highly-evolved Predators to land on Earth."

Man, this Predator movie is hands-down one of the best movies in the survival-horror genre. It definitely has been trending with the interwebs abuzz with suggestion for the next predator movie set in feudal Japan.

10. Amazon Prime Video: The Boys Season 3

"A group of vigilantes set out to take down corrupt superheroes who abuse their superpowers."

Definitely not a show you want to watch around kids or your parents or your slightly squeamish friends, the Boys are back and Season 3 doesn't hold back. From the very first episode that will have you cringing and stabbing your eyes to the gore-sex fest that is Herogasm, this show delivers shocks and craziness amid the turmoil of superheroes being downright evil.

11. Disney Plus: Obi Wan Kenobi

"Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi has to save young Leia after she is kidnapped, all the while being pursued by Imperial Inquisitors and his former Padawan, now known as Darth Vader."

Well, Hello there! Okay, so another slightly older series but if you have not seen it yet then I strongly suggest you do. The Obi Wan/ Vader battle should go down in the Star Wars hall of fame as the greatest battle to ever grace the small screen. And Vivian Lyra Blair's Princess Leia is the most adorable. 

12. Netflix: Cyberpunk Edge Runners (September 13)

"A Street Kid trying to survive in a technology and body modification-obsessed city of the future. Having everything to lose, he chooses to stay alive by becoming an Edgerunner, a Mercenary outlaw also known as a Cyberpunk."

That trailer will make you eyes bleed. It's also Cyberpunk so I don't need to give you any reason to check it out.

13. Disney Plus: Moon Knight

"Steven Grant discovers he's been granted the powers of an Egyptian moon god. But he soon finds out that these newfound powers can be both a blessing and a curse to his troubled life."

Another contender that still on the hot list is Marvel's new vigilante series. Moon Knight is very different from any of the current MCU offerings and exists outside of the MCU timeline, making it a welcome break from the crazy continuity. The whole identity disorder situation between Steven Grant and Mark Spector is what makes this show really shine.

14. Disney Plus: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

"Doctor Strange teams up with a mysterious teenage girl from his dreams who can travel across multiverses, to battle multiple threats, including other-universe versions of himself, which threaten to wipe out millions across the multiverse. They seek help from Wanda the Scarlet Witch, Wong and others."

Available for streaming to all Disney Plus subscribers, the MCU's second latest offering features the pragmatic Doctor Strange accompanying America Chavez across the Multiverse while being pursued by a vengeful Scarlet Witch, intent on ending her life. So, it's kinda like Prey albeit with a much sexier Elizabeth Olsen as the predator.

15. Netflix: Lost Ollie

"A lost toy, searching across the countryside for the boy who lost him, and the story of the boy who lost more than a best friend."

Ah man, the feels on this makes it fitting for my binge-pull list. Also suitable for the younglings and a very Toy-Story like plot.

16. Disney Plus: Andor

"Prequel series to Star Wars' 'Rogue One'. In an era filled with danger, deception and intrigue, Cassian will embark on the path that is destined to turn him into a Rebel hero."

Rogue One was one of my favorite Star Wars movies in the entire franchise so I am really amped to see what befell Cassian Andor prior to the events of the movie.

17. Disney Plus: Thor: Love & Thunder

"Thor enlists the help of Valkyrie, Korg and ex-girlfriend Jane Foster to fight Gorr the God Butcher, who intends to make the gods extinct."

Ok, so I saw the latest Thor on the big screen and well, I wasn't really all that impressed. The humor felt forced, the storyline felt sketchy and the overall thrill not quite worthy of a hammer throw. But stream it on Disney Plus and decide for yourself.

18. Disney Plus: Ms. Marvel

"Kamala is a superhero fan with an imagination, particularly when it comes to Captain Marvel; Kamala feels like she doesn't fit in at school and sometimes even at home, that is until she gets superpowers like the heroes she's looked up to."

My overall favorite MCU Disney series so far, this offering hits all the right spots. Being Muslim and being into superheroes and comic book and all things geekery, makes this show so so relatable. The interaction and focus on family and on values is perfectly ingrained into the storyline that makes Ms. Marvel a really great watch for the whole family.

19. Netflix: Locke & Key

"After their father is murdered under mysterious circumstances, the three Locke siblings and their mother move into their ancestral home, Keyhouse, which they discover is full of magical keys that may be connected to their father's death."

The final season of Locke & Key is here. I don't watch Locke and key but my kids and a lot of friends do so I'm including it here...okay, happy?