Short answer: September 2024 was an unusually strong month on Max, led by The Penguin, The Boy and the Heron, Civil War, My Brilliant Friend Season 4, I Saw the TV Glow, and Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos. The service also added a substantial Studio Ghibli selection, Harry Potter films, classic movies, horror, and a large Scooby-Doo and Tom & Jerry collection.
This is a retrospective guide to the U.S. Max calendar for September 2024. It is not a claim about what remains available in August 2026. Dates and availability could vary by plan, provider, territory, licensing window, or later removal.
The seven best September 2024 picks on Max
Max’s September 2024 lineup was strongest when it combined major HBO storytelling with distinctive theatrical films and deep library programming. If you only have time for a short list, start with these:
| Title | Arrived | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| The Penguin | September 19 | A grounded Gotham crime saga |
| The Boy and the Heron | September 6 | Studio Ghibli fans and older children with their families |
| Civil War | September 13 | A tense near-future war thriller |
| My Brilliant Friend, Season 4 | September 9 | Viewers who want a literary, character-driven finale |
| I Saw the TV Glow | September 20 | Arthouse horror and surreal psychological drama |
| Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos | September 7 | The Sopranos fans and television-history devotees |
| Coming From America | September 5 | Unscripted stories about relocation and cultural adaptation |
The Penguin — September 19
The month’s biggest premiere was The Penguin, an eight-episode HBO Original limited series that continues the crime story established by Matt Reeves’s The Batman. Colin Farrell returns as Oz Cobb, also known as the Penguin, with Cristin Milioti playing Sofia Falcone among a large ensemble drawn from Gotham’s underworld.
#1 Best Overall
- CRYSTAL PROCESSOR: Powerful processor enhances colors and sharpens details for a vibrant 4K viewing experience. Experience every shade of color as it was meant to be seen in dazzling 4K. Plus, make your movies, TV shows, games and sports look even better with powerful 4K upscaling.
- ENDLESS FREE CONTENT: Watch 2,700+ free streaming options, including 750+ subscription-free channels on Samsung TV Plus. Enjoy news, sports, movies, kids' shows and reality TV — all without a subscription. Discover endless entertainment with new content added regularly, tailored to your mood and interests.*
- MOTION XCELERATOR: Experience clear picture and smooth motion in games and sports. Enjoy smooth motion and clear visuals with technology that estimates and adjusts frame transitions in real time. Whether gaming or watching sports, enjoy up to 4K 60Hz performance that brings every play, move and scene to life with realistic clarity and motion.
- COLOR BOOSTER: Supercharge your color. From fiery reds to sparkling blues, make every color come to life with intensity. Color Booster transforms your content into a visual masterpiece.
- 4K UPSCALING: Upgrades what you watch to crisp 4K clarity. Upgrade your favorite shows, movies and more. Experience incredible details and clarity in every frame, even from lower-quality sources, with advanced upscaling technology.
This is best approached as a crime drama rather than a conventional superhero show. Its central question is how Oz tries to navigate Gotham’s criminal power structure, so the appeal is the character work, gangland maneuvering, and bleak atmosphere as much as the DC connection. The premiere was available on HBO and Max on September 19, 2024, followed by new episodes weekly on Sundays.
For viewers who prefer to keep a favorite series on a shelf after streaming it, the The Penguin Season 1 Blu-ray was another natural collector option. Edition names, stock, and pricing are volatile, so a live retail listing should be checked rather than treating any particular release configuration as permanent.
The Boy and the Heron — September 6
Hayao Miyazaki’s Oscar-winning Studio Ghibli film made its U.S. streaming debut exclusively on Max on September 6. The Boy and the Heron follows Mahito, a boy who enters a fantastical world after his stepmother disappears. Its English-language voice cast includes Christian Bale, Dave Bautista, Gemma Chan, Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson, and Florence Pugh.
It is the clearest family-oriented recommendation in the month’s headline group, but the label needs qualification. Grief, war, death, and unsettling surreal imagery make the film a better choice for older children and adults than for very young viewers. Parents looking for a straightforward adventure may also find Miyazaki’s symbolism and dream logic demanding; that ambiguity is part of the film’s appeal for viewers prepared for it.
Streaming is convenient, but collectors who want to revisit Mahito’s strange journey without relying on a licensing window can look for the The Boy and the Heron Blu-ray. Home-theater viewers may also want the The Boy and the Heron 4K UHD; verify the exact edition and current availability before buying.
Civil War — September 13
Alex Garland’s A24 film began streaming exclusively on Max in the United States on September 13, one day before its HBO linear debut. Civil War follows military-embedded journalists racing toward Washington, D.C., as rebel factions move on the White House. Kirsten Dunst, Wagner Moura, Cailee Spaeny, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Sonoya Mizuno, and Nick Offerman lead the cast.
The most useful description is a political road movie crossed with a war thriller: the audience experiences a fractured near-future United States through the journalists’ journey. That framing is more precise than assigning the film a single political message that the available release material does not establish. Expect violence, tension, and an intentionally troubling portrait of a country in conflict.
Rank #2
- 4k Ultra HD (2160p resolution): Enjoy breathtaking HDR10 4K movies and TV shows at 4 times the resolution of Full HD, and upscale your current content to Ultra HD-level picture quality.
- High Dynamic Range: Provides a wide range of color details and sharper contrast, from the brightest whites to the deepest blacks.
- All-in-one: Get right to your good stuff. With Fire TV, you can enjoy a world of entertainment from apps like Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. Plus, stream for free with Fire TV Channels, Pluto TV, Tubi, and more. Access over 1.8 million movies and TV episodes. Subscriptions may be required. Feature and content availability may vary.
- Smart Home: Your smart home hub. Pair Fire TV with compatible smart home devices to see live camera feeds, use AirPlay, control your lighting and thermostat, and more.
- Free Content: Stream for free. Access over 1 million free movies and TV episodes from popular ad-supported streaming apps like Fire TV Channels, Tubi, and Pluto TV. Subscriptions may be required. Feature and content availability may vary.
My Brilliant Friend, Season 4 — September 9
The fourth season of My Brilliant Friend arrived on September 9 as the HBO adaptation’s concluding chapter. The ten-episode final season was released weekly and adapts Elena Ferrante’s The Story of the Lost Child, bringing adult Elena and Lila into a late-1980s story involving motherhood, careers, political violence, betrayals, threats, disappearances, and natural disasters.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteWindows Errors? Fix Them Before They Spread
Repair common Windows errors and clear accumulated junk for a smoother, more stable PC - no reinstall needed.Free scan · no reinstallThis is not merely another returning season. Its final-season status gives the whole release a sense of culmination, while Ferrante’s source novel makes it a particularly strong choice for viewers who value book-to-screen adaptations and long-form character development. It is also a commitment: newcomers should begin with the earlier seasons rather than treating Season 4 as a standalone entry point.
Readers who want to compare the adaptation with its literary source can pair the season with The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante, the novel on which this concluding portion of the story is based.
I Saw the TV Glow — September 20
Jane Schoenbrun’s A24 film began streaming exclusively on Max in the U.S. on September 20. I Saw the TV Glow centers on Owen, a suburban teenager whose classmate introduces him to a mysterious late-night television program. As the program begins to destabilize Owen’s understanding of reality, the film turns television nostalgia into a psychological and identity-focused nightmare.
Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Ian Foreman, Helena Howard, Fred Durst, and Danielle Deadwyler star. This is the month’s most distinctive surreal-horror recommendation, but it is not a conventional creature feature. Viewers looking for atmosphere, ambiguity, and a dreamlike examination of identity will find more to engage with than viewers expecting clear rules or familiar jump-scare mechanics.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →A24 also produced an official physical edition, making the I Saw the TV Glow Blu-ray a relevant option for arthouse-horror viewers who want to own the film. Any shopping or partner link should be verified separately rather than assumed from the existence of the official release.
Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos — September 7
Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos is a two-part HBO Documentary Films production directed by Academy Award winner Alex Gibney. It examines creator David Chase’s life and career as well as the making and cultural impact of The Sopranos.
Rank #3
- Breathtaking picture: Sharp 4K brings out rich detail on our 55" flat screen TV, while the QLED screen and HDR10 create bright, accurate colors. Roku Smart Picture cleans up incoming TV signals, optimizes them, and chooses the right picture mode.
- Seamless streaming: With fast Wi-Fi and apps that launch in a snap, Roku Select Series TVs get you to your entertainment quickly. You get excellent picture quality, clear sound, automatic updates, and more. It’s simple to use. Hard to outgrow.
- TV, simplified: With setup that only takes minutes, a simple-to-navigate Home Screen, and an uncluttered remote control that does all you need—Roku makes it easier to watch the TV you love.
- A world of free entertainment: Enjoy a huge selection of free live TV, news, sports, movies, shows, and much more—all just a click away.
- More streaming, less searching: With personalized picks right on your Home Screen, quick access to the sports and entertainment you watch most, and fast and easy search in one place—the days of endless scrolling are over.
The documentary’s strongest hook is access to Chase’s perspective, not a conventional episode-by-episode recap. It is therefore a good choice for viewers interested in how landmark television is made, how personal experience feeds a fictional world, and how The Sopranos changed television and popular culture. Fans who have already watched the drama will get the most from its behind-the-scenes and contextual approach.
Coming From America — September 5
Coming From America was the month’s notable Max Original unscripted launch. The six-episode series follows four African American families who move to Africa seeking opportunity while dealing with culture shock, work, housing, relationships, and the practical difficulty of adapting to a new environment.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
One episode arrived weekly from September 5 through October 10. It belongs in a different lane from the month’s scripted prestige dramas: the attraction is observing real families make complicated decisions and adjust to a new setting, rather than following a written crime, fantasy, or war narrative.
The complete Max September 2024 release calendar
The following is a retrospective U.S. calendar assembled from TV Guide’s September 2024 schedule and contemporaneous Warner Bros. Discovery release materials. It is a historical record, not a promise that these titles remain on Max now. Some dates represent new Max arrivals, while others represent episodes of returning unscripted or reality programs.
- September 1: 21 & Over; 90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days Season 7; Addicted; Anaconda; Batman: Gotham by Gaslight; Boogie Nights; Braddock: Missing in Action III; Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh; Care Bears: Unlock the Magic specials; Climax; Creator League Showdown episodes 10 and 11; Criminal; Disobedience; Everything Everywhere All at Once; Green Lantern: Beware My Power; the Harry Potter films listed in the schedule; High-Rise; Ice Age: Collision Course; Independence Day; Independence Day: Resurgence; Inherent Vice; Ismael’s Ghosts; Knight and Day; Marcel the Shell with Shoes On; Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates; Missing in Action; Missing in Action 2; Need for Speed; Paranoia; Pulse; Role Models; Shrek Forever After; Sunset Song; Tell; Tiny Furniture; To Have and Have Not; The Batman vs. Dracula; The Big Chill; The Big Sleep; The Birdcage; The Boss; The Exorcist; The Final Destination; The Martian; The Shining; The Three Musketeers; The Wolfpack; The Wrecking Crew!; Trick ‘r Treat; Troll Hunter; Vampires Suck; Venus and Serena; Viva; Whose Streets?; World’s Greatest Dad; and X-Men: Apocalypse.
- September 2: Bellator: Fight Week San Jose; Born Evil: The Serial Killer and the Savior; Drive My Car; Margarita Season 1; and Mini Beat Power Rockers.
- September 4: Bargain Block Season 4; How (Not) to Get Rid of a Body; Mecum Full Throttle: Monterey CA 2024; and Unsellable Houses Season 5.
- September 5: Coming From America.
- September 6: The Boy and the Heron and Restoring Galveston Season 6.
- September 7: Family Empire: Houston and Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos.
- September 8: Triple 9 and Love & Marriage: Huntsville.
- September 9: Bellator: Fight Week London; Cabin in the Woods; My Brilliant Friend Season 4; and The Real Murders on Elm Street.
- September 10: Doppelgänger: The Double.
- September 13: Civil War and In With the Old Season 6.
- September 14: Aloha! Scooby-Doo; A Pup Named Scooby-Doo; Baby Looney Tunes; Jonny Quest; Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase; Scooby-Doo and the Witch’s Ghost; Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island; The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo; The New Scooby-Doo Movies; The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries; The Tom & Jerry Show; Tom and Jerry: Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse; Tom & Jerry Tales; and Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.
- September 15: Have I Got News for You Season 1 and Sister Wives Season 19.
- September 16: Halloween Baking Championship Season 10; Naked and Afraid: Last One Standing Season 2; and Truck U.
- September 17: Body Cam Season 9; Exposed: Naked Crimes Season 2; and Road Rage Season 2.
- September 18: Graveyard Carz.
- September 19: The Penguin.
- September 20: Bodies Bodies Bodies; Building Off the Grid Season 13; I Saw the TV Glow; and Prisoners.
- September 21: Batwheels Season 2.
- September 22: Halloween Wars Season 14.
- September 23: Bob Hearts Abishola Season 5 and Yellowstone Wardens Season 5.
- September 24: Windy City Rehab Season 5.
- September 25: Impractical Jokers Australia Seasons 1 and 2.
- September 28: Mecum Full Throttle: Dallas TX 2024.
- September 29: Be My Guest with Ina Garten Season 5; Outrageous Pumpkins; and Uzumaki.
- September 30: Bellator: Fight Week Chicago Season 6.
The library additions worth finding
Studio Ghibli and other animation
The Boy and the Heron was the month’s major Studio Ghibli event, but the wider Ghibli selection made September especially useful for an animation-focused weekend. The official Max release material listed titles including Howl’s Moving Castle, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Ponyo, Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, The Wind Rises, Whisper of the Heart, Weathering with You, and Your Name, along with other animated films.
The release materials distinguished between streaming debuts and 4K debuts for selected titles. That distinction matters: a film being highlighted in the September announcement did not necessarily mean it was newly produced by Max or that every Ghibli title was making its first appearance on the service. For families and animation collectors, a Studio Ghibli Blu-ray collection or a carefully selected Hayao Miyazaki Blu-ray remains a useful physical-media alternative, subject to current edition availability.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →The September 14 animation block broadened the choice beyond Ghibli. It included Aloha! Scooby-Doo, A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Baby Looney Tunes, Jonny Quest, several Scooby-Doo films and series, The Tom & Jerry Show, Tom & Jerry Tales, and the Tom and Jerry films Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Batwheels Season 2 followed on September 21.
Rank #4
- 4k Ultra HD (2160p resolution): Enjoy breathtaking HDR10 4K movies and TV shows at 4 times the resolution of Full HD, and upscale your current content to Ultra HD-level picture quality.
- High Dynamic Range: Provides a wide range of color details and sharper contrast, from the brightest whites to the deepest blacks.
- All-in-one: Get right to your good stuff. With Fire TV, you can enjoy a world of entertainment from apps like Prime Video, Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, and HBO Max. Plus, stream for free with Fire TV Channels, Pluto TV, Tubi, and more. Access over 1.8 million movies and TV episodes. Subscriptions may be required. Feature and content availability may vary.
- Smart Home: Your smart home hub. Pair Fire TV with compatible smart home devices to see live camera feeds, use AirPlay, control your lighting and thermostat, and more.
- Free Content: Stream for free. Access over 1 million free movies and TV episodes from popular ad-supported streaming apps like Fire TV Channels, Tubi, and Pluto TV. Subscriptions may be required. Feature and content availability may vary.
Harry Potter and familiar film nights
The September 1 additions also created an easy franchise-night lane with the Harry Potter films listed in the schedule. Beyond that group, Max added or highlighted a wide variety of recognizable titles: Everything Everywhere All at Once, Boogie Nights, The Martian, The Birdcage, The Big Chill, Inherent Vice, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, Shrek Forever After, X-Men: Apocalypse, and Prisoners.
Genre viewers could choose among The Exorcist, The Shining, Trick ‘r Treat, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, Climax, Troll Hunter, Pulse, High-Rise, Cabin in the Woods, and the September 29 arrival of Uzumaki. Comedy and lighter options included Role Models, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, 21 & Over, The Boss, and Vampires Suck. The breadth of the library was one of the month’s quieter strengths: there was more to watch than the heavily promoted premieres.
How to choose what to watch
- Want the biggest event? Choose The Penguin, especially if you like crime dramas more than traditional superhero stories.
- Want animation? Start with The Boy and the Heron, then continue with Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Princess Mononoke, or the other listed Ghibli films.
- Want a serious film for adults? Choose Civil War for sustained war-thriller tension or Prisoners for a darker crime mystery.
- Want a long-form drama? Watch the first three seasons of My Brilliant Friend before beginning its ten-episode final season.
- Want something strange? I Saw the TV Glow is the clearest choice for surreal, identity-focused horror.
- Want television history? Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos offers creator-centered context for a landmark drama.
- Want reality rather than scripted drama? Try Coming From America, which released weekly and follows families adapting to life in Africa.
- Want a family marathon? The September 14 Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes, Jonny Quest, and Tom & Jerry additions provide more straightforward options than Miyazaki’s more mature fantasy.
What the September list does—and does not—mean
This calendar mixed HBO programming, Max Originals, A24 films, Studio Ghibli titles, licensed library movies, and shows associated with Discovery, HGTV, Food Network, TLC, OWN, CNN, Adult Swim, and other Warner Bros. Discovery brands. It would be inaccurate to call every title a Max Original or HBO Original.
The schedule should also be read as a U.S. snapshot from September 2024, not as a current availability guide. A title’s presence can differ by country, plan, provider, licensing window, or later removal. The official Max release list noted that its calendar might not be comprehensive and could change, while the TV Guide schedule was published or updated late in the month and therefore works best as a retrospective record.
Frequently Asked Questions
What were the biggest new releases on Max in September 2024?
The September 2024 Max schedule was led by The Penguin, which premiered on September 19, followed by The Boy and the Heron on September 6, Civil War on September 13, My Brilliant Friend Season 4 on September 9, I Saw the TV Glow on September 20, and Wise Guy: David Chase and the Sopranos on September 7.
What was the best family movie or show on Max in September 2024?
The Boy and the Heron is the most prominent family-oriented film, but its themes include grief, war, death, and disturbing surreal imagery, so it is generally better suited to older children and adults than to very young viewers. The September 14 additions of Scooby-Doo, Baby Looney Tunes, Jonny Quest, and Tom & Jerry offered more straightforward family viewing.
Are all of these titles Max Originals, and are they still available?
No. The calendar combined HBO and Max originals with A24 films, Studio Ghibli movies, licensed library titles, and programming from several Warner Bros. Discovery brands. The list was also a U.S. September 2024 snapshot, so availability could vary by territory, plan, provider, or later licensing changes.
Recommended Free Tools
The Bottom Line
For the strongest September 2024 Max lineup, prioritize The Penguin, The Boy and the Heron, Civil War, My Brilliant Friend Season 4, I Saw the TV Glow, and Wise Guy. Then use the full calendar for the quieter wins: Studio Ghibli, Harry Potter, classic films, horror, and a substantial September 14 animation block.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
