From Saddam Hussein to a Korean Showdown: What to Watch Next Week

The week of September 7 to 13 brings five notable series premieres and returning shows to television and streaming services. The selection ranges from a political thriller about Saddam Hussein to the final season of the historical neo-noir “Babylon Berlin.”

“An Especially Important Target,” premiering September 13, centers on the personality of Saddam Hussein, the former Iraqi leader who was overthrown. The series examines the unexpected consequences of the U.S. operation in Iraq, which the article links to political and social problems affecting Europe, America and Russia. Former CIA analyst John Nixon is described as the first U.S. citizen to reveal Hussein as a person rather than simply a fugitive military criminal.

The fifth season of “Babylon Berlin” arrives on September 10. Set in Germany in 1929, the neo-noir crime series follows police officer Gereon Rath, who comes to Berlin from Cologne, and Charlotte Ritter, known as a stenographer who works at night as a sex worker. Rath investigates a blackmail case involving people in law enforcement, while Ritter dreams of joining the police. Lead actor Liv Lisa Fries has said the fifth season will be the show’s last.

The second season of “Made in Korea,” released September 9, turns on a confrontation between Baek Ki-tae, a cold and ruthless manipulator who believes he can use state machinery for personal gain, and prosecutor Jang Geon-yeong, a principled defender of the law. After an initial defeat, the prosecutor spends nine years preparing revenge and studying his rival’s weaknesses. The week’s other two selections are the second season of “The Paper,” a comedy about a production crew making a show about efforts to save the print press, and a family comedy.