The Best in the World of Pop Culture This September

The Dandelion Chandelier Entertainment Calendar showcases the best in the world of pop culture. The notable new movies, TV shows, new plays and podcasts in September 2019. Plus new drops and tours launching in pop music, and the top music festivals in September 2019. For the full September 2019 Luxury Calendar, click here. And for a list of fantastic new books being published in September 2019, click here.

what’s happening in pop culture this september 2019?

September kicks off film festival season with the always glamorous Venice Film Festival.  This year, The Burnt Orange Heresy by Giuseppe Capotondi is the festival’s closing film. 

There are also some great films hitting theaters this month, including Downton Abbey and Judy.  On the small screen, you will find newcomers like Carol’s Second Act and The Politician joining the fall lineup. 

Several big names take to the Broadway stage, including Mary-Louise Parker in The Sound Inside and Jonathan Groff in the cult classic Little Shop of Horrors.  And when it comes to what to listen to, options include a new album from The Lumineers and several soon-to-be-true-crime-sensations on the podcast menu. So get those headphones ready.

the best in pop culture this september 2019

1. best new movies and film festivals in september 2019

Kicking off the movie festivals of September 2019 is the Telluride Film Festival, held over Labor Day Weekend every year.  This marks the 46th year for the fest – through Sept 2

Next up in the lineup of film festivals in September 2019 is the 76th annual Venice Film Festival – through Sept 7

The most influential of all of the September 2019 film festivals is the Toronto International Film Festival. This year’s festival will showcase A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood, starring Tom Hanks as Mr. Rogers.  The TIFF is one of the top ten most important film fests in the world – Sept 5 – 15

One of the most buzzed-about new movies in September 2019 features a girl squad. Jennifer Lopez, Contance Wu, Lili Reinhart, Lizzo and Cardi B star in Hustlers.  It’s inspired by a New York Magazine article detailing the true story of a group of former strip club employees who banded together to shake down their Wall Street clients – Sept 13

In Ad Astra, Brad Pitt journeys across a lawless solar system to find his missing father, a renegade scientist played by Tommy Lee Jones who poses a threat to humanity. – Sept 20

TV’s Anglophile-catnip series returns! Downton Abbey The Movie takes place in 1927. The family and staff are hosting a pair of distinguished guests: King George V and Queen Mary – Sept 20

Renée Zellweger stars as Judy Garland in Judy.  The film chronicles Garland’s final series of concerts in London the year before her death – Sept 27

The month closes out with the 57th New York Film Festival – Sept 27 – Oct 13

2. big television events in september 2019

The 10-episode limited series Wu-Tang: An American Saga on Hulu follows the formation of the legendary rap group. The members choose music over a life in competing drug gangs in New York during the 1990’s crack epidemic – Sept 4

After covering the likes of baseball, jazz, the Vietnam War and World War II, Ken Burns returns with Country Music on PBS. Viewers will see Dolly and Merle and Willie. And they’ll also hear about the music’s early days in southern Appalachia. Its life in the honky-tonks of California. And why Nashville became the industry’s epicenter – Sept 15

American Horror Story on FX returns with a 1980’s slasher inspired theme in American Horror Story: 1984.  AHS alums Billie Lourd, Emma Roberts, Cody Fern and John Carroll Lynch will be joined by fresh blood in the form of freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy, Glee’s Matthew Morrison and Pose’s Angelica Ross – Sept 18

Patricia Heaton stars as Carol, a woman who decides to become a doctor after she has raised her kids in Carol’s Second Act on CBS – Sept 26

The Politician is the first series to emerge from executive producer Ryan Murphy’s mega-deal with Netflix.  The series centers on a high school kid who is pathologically focused on getting elected class president. He sees it as the first step in getting elected president of the United States.  Ben Platt, Gwyneth Paltrow and Jessica Lang star – Sept 27

3. best new plays in september 2019

The hip-hop improv show, Freestyle Love Supreme, comes to Broadway’s Booth Theatre for a limited 16-week engagement after a sold-out run Off-Broadway earlier this year – Previews Sept 13, Opens Oct 12

Mary-Louise Parker returns to Broadway opposite Will Hochma in The Sound Inside at Studio 54, one of the best new plays of September 2019. It’s the story of an Ivy League professor Bella (Parker) and a student Charlie (Hochman) who become entangled in each other’s lives – Previews Sept 14, Opens Oct 17

Jonathan Groff brings succulent new life to the cult classic Little Shop of Horrors at the Westside Theatre Upstairs – Previews Sept 17, Opens Oct 17

Marisa Tomi stars in Tennessee Williams’s The Rose Tattoo at the American Airlines Theatre – Previews Sept 19, Opens Oct 15

To celebrate his 80th Birthday, Ian McKellen has been touring the UK playing 80 of his favorite theaters. All to raise money for British Theatre.  Now, he completes his epic journey by returning to the West End’s Harold Pinter Theatre for a strictly limited run of Ian McKellen On Stage. He talks Tolkien, Shakespeare and other iconic roles – Sept 20

4. best pop music events in september 2019

Kip Moore and Josh Turner are headlining the Long Road Festival in Leicestershire, UK – Sept 6 – 8

Brandie Carlisle will close out the Moon River Festival in Chattanooga, TN – Sept 8 – 9

III is the third studio album by American indie folk band the Lumineers.  Will one its songs make our monthly playlist?  Only time will tell – Sept 13

The annual iHeartRadio Music Festival returns to Las Vegas.  This year will see performance from Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, Chance the Rapper, Tim McGraw and more – Sept 20 – 21

Lizzo’s Cuz I Love You Too Tour stops at Radio City Music Hall for two nights – Sept 23 – 24

5. best new podcasts in september 2019

Charla Lauriston and Lauren Domino have a new podcast to check out in September 2019, The Secret Lives of Black Women.  Their mission is to reveal the secrets of daily and spiritual survival that allow black women to thrive in a society built on the premise that they should not.

New from BBC is the 13-episode Shreds: Murder in the Dock. The new September 2019 podcast explores one of the UK’s most notorious cases, the murder of Lynette White in 1988. It’s a deep dive into what is considered both the country’s most well-known case of wrongful conviction and its largest police corruption trial.

Today in True Crime publishes daily, with 20-ish minute episodes that delve into a story pegged to that day in history. It might be the conclusion of a sensational trial. The arrest of a cold-case suspect. Or even a serial killer’s birthday. Eeek.

Donald Sterling’s downfall is the subject of ESPN’s new 30 for 30 podcast, The Sterling Affairs.  The series is not only about Sterling and his bizarre relationship with the Los Angeles Clippers. But also about a power struggle, social justice and a crisis within sports that spilled across Los Angeles and into the rest of the country.

the best in pop culture this september 2019

That’s it. Our top picks for the best in the world of pop culture this September 2019. Let’s get it started.

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see other september 2019 events:

• Travel
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• Fitness, Wellness and Sports
• Fashion, Art and Design
• The Arts

 Jillian Tangen is the Head of Research at Dandelion Chandelier and a former Senior Research Analyst at McKinsey & Co and Analyst at Shearman & Sterling. She is an avid fan of Nordic design, having owned an independent lifestyle store and sales agency focused on emerging Scandinavian design. Jillian lives in New York and is married with three young children. She loves cross-country skiing, the New York Rangers, reading, travel and discovering new brands.

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