Student Special: The Essential Shows To Watch This New Academic Year

The Paper (Peacock, September 4)

This mockumentary-style Office spinoff lands with a stack of expectations heavier than your course, since it comes from Greg Daniels, the mind behind The Office and King of the Hill – but also the misfired Space Force, which suggests the paper’s margins may contain some smudges.

Set in a struggling Toledo newspaper, the story follows a group of eccentrics trying to breathe life into a dying institution, with Domhnall Gleeson, Tracy Letts and Ramona Young bringing sharp performances, while the familiar documentary crew returns to capture every cringeworthy staff meeting.

Peacock’s choice to release all 10 episodes in one drop instead of a weekly rhythm hints at a quick-impact binge strategy.

Slow Horses (Apple TV+, September 24)

British espionage has rarely been this deliciously messy, and Gary Oldman’s Jackson Lamb remains the anti-Bond we didn’t know we needed, unkempt and brilliant in equal measure. Season five returns with six episodes that combine the bite of political satire with pulse-racing spy action, set in a London where bureaucratic incompetence is as threatening as any foreign adversary.

Apple TV+ is releasing the first two episodes together then maintaining the weekly episodic rollout, letting the suspense simmer across September and October, so students can stretch the tension between assignments. For those who love sharp writing with self-aware humour, this is as close to a perfect binge as prestige TV allows.

Nobody Wants This (Netflix, October 23)

Kristen Bell’s Joanne and Adam Brody’s Rabbi Noah return with a love story that continues to find hilarity and heartbreak in the space between podcasts and pulpits.

All 10 episodes drop at once, making it ideal for a pre-Halloween binge, and this season expands the emotional palette with Leighton Meester joining as Dr. Andy, who complicates the dynamic with a fresh blend of charm and awkwardness.

Expect sharp, boundary-pushing conversations about faith, intimacy and identity, with Netflix leaning into the streaming model that allows you to consume it in one caffeinated night, or savour it like a seminar series across the semester.

Emily In Paris (Netflix , December 18)

Say au revoir to Paris and bonjour to Italy as Emily Cooper takes her flair for fashion and awkward romantic entanglements to Rome and Venice. The final 10 episodes drop just before Christmas, delivering chic escapism that pairs well with exam-season procrastination.

Expect glossy travelogue visuals, professional setbacks wrapped in couture, and a tangled love life that introduces a new Italian suitor, Marcello, even as old flames linger.

The Traitors Ireland (RTÉ One & RTÉ Player, out now)

Technically kicking off just before September, but designed for autumn obsession, this reality competition drops contestants into the lavish-yet-claustrophobic halls of Slane Castle, where host Siobhán McSweeney presides over deception, alliance and betrayal with a mischievous grin.

Like its UK and US cousins, the show is equal parts murder mystery, psychological experiment and campfire storytelling, but with the wit and warmth of Irish casting that offers its own flavour. With three episodes airing each week across September, it’s built for communal watching, whether in dorm common rooms or on TikTok recaps.

Abbott Elementary (ABC, October 1)

The darling of network comedy continues to prove that television can still be warm, smart and socially pointed without losing its humour. Quinta Brunson’s Philadelphia educators return with their mockumentary antics, finding new ways to expose the failures of public school funding, while maintaining the optimism that teachers radiate even when faced with chaos.

The weekly format keeps the characters in your life like classmates you check in with every Wednesday night, and its cultural resonance makes it the kind of show that sparks both memes and meaningful conversations in seminar rooms.

Stranger Things (Netflix, November 26 [Vol.1], December 25 [Vol.2] & Finale on December 31)

After nearly a decade of supernatural thrills, Hawkins is closing its gates, and the release strategy itself is a cultural event: episodes 14 arrive in late November, episodes 57 on Christmas Day, and the grand finale on New Year’s Eve.

Set in 1987, the story pits Eleven and her friends against Vecna and the looming power of the US military, blending nostalgia, horror and emotional closure. For students, this is the series many of you grew up alongside, and its conclusion will feel like the end of an era, perfect for communal binges.

The Pitt (Max, January 2026)

Arriving just after the holidays but worth saving space for, this medical drama refuses to drag its feet, delivering another season less than a year after its debut, with a remarkable 15 episodes covering a Fourth of July weekend shift.

Noah Wyle anchors a cast of doctors whose personal betrayals and professional obligations collide in the crucible of an emergency ward, with Dr. Robby and Dr. Langdon forced into uneasy collaboration after last season’s rift. By sustaining the annual rhythm of storytelling in a world where prestige dramas often vanish for years, The Pitt feels refreshingly urgent, making it the rare hospital series that matches the relentless energy of student life itself.

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