Contestants on Netflix competition series Wonka's The Golden Ticket were woken from marshmallow beds to face a candy sorting emergency in an exclusive premiere preview.
A warning blared over the loudspeakers telling contestants "sorting machine malfunctioning" and "candy levels critical" as they were led into the factory sorting room.
Choreographer Gabrielle exclaimed, "What kind of emergency could you have in a chocolate factory?" Meanwhile, bartender Jackson quipped, "This factory doesn't just produce chocolate and candy, it produces stress as well."
Resident Oompa-Loompas guided the group to a conveyor belt and a wall of giant tubes. Contestant Everett noted the sorting room looked like the set from the famous candy episode of the classic comedy I Love Lucy.
The series officially premieres on Netflix on Sept. 23, followed by a two-part finale on Sept. 30. The competition features 12 Golden Ticket winners who each select a partner of their choice to enter the factory.
Based in part on the 1971 movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory starring Gene Wilder, the show promises games, tests, and temptations. Netflix described the series as a high-stakes social experiment where players journey through an unpredictable landscape while adapting and strategizing. Netflix added that "in the end, only one contestant will have what it takes to earn Wonka's life-changing prize."
Daytime and Reality Television Premieres
The upcoming television lineup also features major daytime and reality premieres across multiple networks. The Jennifer Hudson Show kicks off season five on Sept. 14 on daytime television, with host Jennifer Hudson welcoming guests Tom Cruise, Doja Cat, and Jamie Foxx.
ABC debuts season 35 of Dancing With the Stars on Sept. 15, featuring Ciara Miller and Maura Higgins competing for the Mirrorball Trophy. On NBC, veteran coaches Adam Levine and Kelly Clarkson return for season 30 of The Voice on Sept. 21, joined by newcomers Riley Green and Queen Latifah.
Host Jeff Probst welcomes 21 first-time castaways to Fiji for a new open era of Survivor on CBS starting Sept. 23. Fox debuts season five of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test on Sept. 24, sending Candace Cameron Bure, Mauricio Umansky, Brandi Glanville, and Oliver Hudson to Malaysia. Netflix brings back The Great British Baking Show on Sept. 25 with judges Paul Hollywood and Nigella Lawson evaluating amateur bakers in Signature, Technical, and Showstopper challenges.
Dramas and Thrillers
Scripted drama debuts begin on Sept. 15 with ABC returning the drama R.J. Decker, starring Scott Speedman, for its second season. That same day, Investigation Discovery premieres Toxic, following Elizabeth Chambers as she speaks with survivors of toxic relationships, domestic abuse, and intimate partner violence across the country.
BritBox launches Agatha Christie's Tommy and Tuppence on Sept. 15, marking the first contemporary English language television adaptation of the author's stories. NBC debuts the new drama Line of Fire on Sept. 21, starring Peter Krause.
According to the show's description, "When a U.S. Marshal falls in the line of duty, a seemingly cut-and-dry case turns into a deadly conspiracy as a family of law enforcement agents become the target of a mysterious assassin." Additionally, MGM+ premieres psychological thriller American Hostage on Sept. 20, telling the true 1970s story of Indianapolis radio reporter Fred Heckman and hostage-taker Tony Kiritsis.
Comedy and Espionage Series
Apple TV releases season six of espionage drama Slow Horses on Sept. 16, with Gary Oldman returning as Jackson Lamb leading MI5 agents at Slough House while Diana Taverner embroils them in a game of retaliation. On Prime Video, Maria Sten stars in Neagley on Sept. 16, playing a Chicago private investigator and former military protege of Jack Reacher, played by Alan Ritchson, who uncovers evil after a friend dies.
Paramount+ premieres video game homage Golden Axe on Sept. 16, following warriors Ax Battler, Tyris Flare, and Gilius Thunderhead alongside inexperienced adventurer Hampton Squib fighting Death Adder in Yuria. Prime Video debuts romantic comedy The Love Hypothesis on Sept. 23, based on the novel by Ali Hazelwood, starring Lili Reinhart as Ph.D. candidate Olive, who fake-dates professor Adam Carlsen, played by Tom Bateman, after kissing him to convince her friend Ahn, played by Rachel Marsh, that she moved on from her crush Jeremy, played by Nicholas Duvernay.
Apple TV premieres the comedy Brothers on Sept. 23, starring Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson as fictionalized versions of themselves. Their friendship spirals after Woody's daughter's wedding falls apart and they travel to an Austin ranch, where Matthew's mother Ma Mac, played by Holland Taylor, reveals they might be brothers while Matthew considers a run for Governor of Texas.
Unscripted and Crime Features
Alan Cumming hosts competition series The Traitors: New Blood on Sept. 17 for NBC and Peacock, featuring 22 everyday Americans selected from over 80,000 applicants at a Scottish Highlands castle. Netflix debuts Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story on Sept. 17, following a repressed daughter and her rebellious maid escaping into a fantasy of sex, power, and revenge before unsolved murders shock the world.
HBO premieres eight-episode series Jay-Z in 8 on Sept. 18, featuring Jay-Z and Rick Rubin reflecting on iconic tracks including "99 Problems," "Brooklyn's Finest," and "4:44" marking 30 years since his debut album Reasonable Doubt. Paramount+ returns MobLand for season two on Sept. 18, where "the Harrigans struggle to show a unified front as rising rivals threaten their fractured criminal empire and Harry Da Souza, their street-smart and formidable 'fixer,' must walk a dangerous tightrope when tensions within the family intensify."
HGTV debuts a new season of Scariest House in America with Retta on Sept. 18, while Netflix releases sports comedy series Kevin Hart's Cold as Balls on Sept. 20. CBS broadcasts retrospective Judge Judy: Unfiltered, Unforgettable on Sept. 22, detailing Judge Judy Sheindlin's journey from Brooklyn and New York City Family Court to syndicated daytime television.
Returning Franchises and Historical Dramas
AMC+ debuts mystery series Yaga on Sept. 17, featuring Noah Reid as private investigator Rapp searching for missing fishery heir Henry Park, played by Hudson Williams, in Whittock alongside local detective Carson, played by Clark Backo, and professor Katherine, played by Carrie-Anne Moss. Bravo returns The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City for season seven on Sept. 16, featuring cast members Lisa Barlow, Mary Cosby, Heather Gay, Angie Katsanevas, Meredith Marks, Bronwyn Newport, Whitney Rose, Britani Bateman, and new friend Ashley Quai on trips to San Francisco and Hawaii.
Starz premieres season two of prequel Outlander: Blood of My Blood on Sept. 18, following Henry, played by Jeremy Irvine, separated from Julia, played by Hermione Corfield, at Craigh na Dun while Brian Fraser, played by Jamie Roy, and Ellen MacKenzie, played by Harriet Slater, face the 1715 Jacobite Rising. FX debuts American Horror Story: 13 on Sept. 24, reuniting Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates, Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, Gabourey Sidibe, and Jessica Lange under creator Ryan Murphy.
Paramount+ premieres Team Moms: Baseball on Sept. 24, following parents of athletes at Legendary Prep Academy in Scottsdale, Arizona. Starz debuts S.W.A.T. Exiles on Sept. 25 with Shemar Moore reprising his role as Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson leading young recruits. National Geographic releases documentary series Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time on Sept. 25, chronicling the 69-day rescue effort with cell phone footage and reporting from former ABC international correspondent Jeff Kofman.
