4 Best New TV Shows to Watch Right Now — A Green Lantern Mystery Drama, Jon Hamm Returns to the ’70s, and More Must-See Series

About a month ago, I wrote about five upcoming brand-new TV shows I was/am looking forward to this fall for our PaperCity “What to Watch” series. Two of them have premiered their first couple of episodes; one of them made the cut for this list. And, although I was hopeful, I’m not surprised that the new Brothers comedy series inspired by the rumor that Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson may be biological brothers fell short. Anyway, besides the new stuff, I’ve recently become obsessed with FX’s Adults, flying through seasons one and two in one weekend, and I eagerly await each new weekly episode in the sixth season of Apple TV’s Slow Horses.

For this round-up, I’m giving mini reviews of the 4 Best New TV Shows I think are worth watching right now. From a superhero series starring Kyle Chandler to a dramedy from Irish writer and actress Sharon Horgan, this is the top new television, available to stream currently.

Lanterns (HBO Max)

New episodes premiere on Sundays

Although I was completely unfamiliar with the DC comic Green Lantern, this new superhero TV series starring Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre quickly hooked me. The eight-episode series follows new recruit John Stewart (played by Pierre) and Lantern legend Hal Jordan (Chandler), who are two intergalactic cops who find themselves investigating a murder on Earth, in the normally sleepy town of Rushville, Nebraska, that leads to a bigger mystery. Although there is the superhero aspect, Lanterns is truly a fun murder mystery, with two lead characters that have a love-hate relationship with banter that I could watch all day. Especially Chandler, whose character is a cynical, aging Green Lantern who is desperately holding on to his legacy, but is incredibly charming at the same time.

Last Seen (Apple TV+)

New episodes premiere on Wednesdays

An Australian thriller led by Patrick Brammall, this new miniseries is an adaptation of Ryan David Jahn’s 2011 crime thriller novel The Dispatcher. The six-episode series follows Ian Ridley (played by Brammall), a former cop, now a police dispatcher, whose daughter, Maggie, disappeared 11 years ago at the age of three. Suddenly, a body is found in the woods that everyone assumes is Maggie, but the DNA doesn’t match. Ridley then receives an emergency call at work, which he believes to be his daughter, and he embarks on the journey to find her and discover her kidnapper. I’m two episodes in and immediately saw why Last Seen is being hailed as one of Apple TV’s standout shows of the year.

Youth (HBO Max)

New episodes premiere on Sundays

Sharon Horgan is one of my favorite Irish actresses. She first roped me into her charm with the TV series Catastrophe, which she wrote and starred in with Rob Delaney from 2015 through 2019. In 2022, Horgan played Eva Garvey in the Apple TV+ thriller series Bad Sisters, and since the second season wrapped up in 2024, I’ve been missing her on my television screen. Created by and starring Horgan, Youth is a new romantic comedy TV series that follows a 50-year-old divorced mom as she tries to get back into the dating scene (love Rupert Friend for this) while taking care of her aging parents and teenage son Rauri (Aran Murphy — yes, that’s Cillian Murphy’s son). Like Horgan’s other series, it’s realistic, somewhat hard to watch, but something you can’t help laughing at.

American Hostage (MGM+)

New episodes premiere on Sundays

So, I did purchase an MGM+ subscription just to watch this new TV series starring Jon Hamm. Adapted from the 2022 scripted podcast of the same name, American Hostage is an eight-episode psychological thriller. Set in 1977 Indianapolis, the story follows radio reporter Fred Heckman (played by Hamm) as he finds himself in the middle of a life-or-death crisis when Tony Kiritsis (Giovanni Ribisi) demands to be interviewed on his program after he takes his mortgage broker hostage. When Heckman agrees to be Kiritsis’ sole contact during the stand-off, the story becomes as much about him as it is about the disgruntled kidnapper. I haven’t heard the podcast or true story that it’s based on, so maybe that’s what makes the story all the more intriguing for me, but again, I will watch anything with Jon Hamm in it.