Spotlight on 14 New Shows and 6 Returning Favorites
As a TV junkie, I love when fall rolls around, because that means the new TV season is beginning. All of the major broadcast networks premiere their newest shows and bring back beloved favorites around this time, and it’s important to know which shows you should DVR and which ones you should skip. Here are 14 new shows you should definitely watch, as well as six you should continue watching.
NEW FOR FALL
From playing a womanizer in How I Met Your Mother to hosting the Tonys and starring as Hedwig on Broadway, is there anything Neil Patrick Harris can’t do? He wants to prove that he can bring the variety show back with this series, based on the British show Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. Premieres September 15 on NBC.
The latest offering from Ryan Murphy is this horror anthology TV series spliced with healthy doses of comedy. Lea Michele, Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels and Abigail Breslin star as sorority girls shaken to the core by a series of murders that may very well be connected with a past incident from 20 years prior. Premieres September 22 on FOX.
Most of us heard the tragic news this past summer: Kermit and Miss Piggy are breaking up! However will Kermit and Miss Piggy work together to produce her talk show Up Late with Miss Piggy? They’re forced to put their differences aside and put on a fabulous show! The other Muppet stars are seen in supporting roles. Premieres September 22 on ABC.
This show is based on the 2011 Bradley Cooper film of the same name, and takes place after the events in the movie. Brian Finch (Jake McDorman) has been administered a mysterious drug called NZT-48, and his IQ now tops 1000, allowing him to perfectly recall any past event in his life. Premieres September 22 on CBS.
Finally, another series set in South Florida! The very sexy Morris Chestnut stars in this comedy-drama as Dr. Beaumont Rosewood, Jr., a pathologist in private practice who finds himself heavily involved in the local law enforcement’s current cases. Premieres September 23 on FOX.
It was nearly ten years ago that “Save the cheerleader, save the world” was a mantra that drove America crazy, as millions flocked to the series Heroes. Now, this miniseries will aim to recreate the magic of the show’s first season, as normal people find they have extraordinary powers after a terrorist attack negatively impacts a Texas town. Premieres September 24 on NBC.
Bollywood goddess Priyanka Chopra moves from the Indian film scene to American TV screens in this terrorist thriller, revolving around the lives of recruits going through FBI training in Quantico, Virginia. They all become close, which makes it all the more shocking when one recruit is revealed to be siding with the enemy. Premieres September 27 on ABC.
Not exactly a new show, but it might as well be, considering it’s pretty much impossible to fill Jon Stewart’s shoes and proceed with business as usual! Stewart’s hand-picked successor, South African comic Trevor Noah, will lampoon current events and interview everyone from actors to Nobel Prize winners. Premieres September 28 on Comedy Central.
When you think of the acronym “GDILF,” does John Stamos come to mind? Probably not, which is the hook of this new comedy. Stamos plays a bachelor restaurant owner who learns in one fell swoop that he is father to a grown man, and that man has a daughter! (They’re in town to stay, by the way.) Premieres September 29 on FOX.
Head on back to the 1980s with Amazon Instant Video as the TV-on-demand service introduces audiences to Red Oaks, a comedy based on the experiences of a budding tennis player who works at a fancy country club during a summer break from college during the Reagan era. Premieres October 9 on Amazon.
The CW is betting the farm on this zany musical comedy. Inspired by a butter commercial on TV, heroine Rebecca (Rachel Bloom) insists she has to get her ex-boyfriend (from whom she’s been estranged for a decade) to fall in love with her again. She even makes the jump from New York City to California to follow him and “fulfill her destiny.” Premieres October 12 on The CW.
This series is loosely based on the real-life experiences of producer DJ Nash. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved by the Bell, NYPD Blue, Franklin & Bash) plays an idealist college professor who has to be continuously pulled down to Earth by his wife (Vanessa Lachey) and his best friends, stand-up comic Russell (Tone Bell) and his wife Angie (Bresha Webb) in this new comedy. Premieres October 16 on NBC.
This series is based on the DC Comics character Supergirl (Kara, played by Melissa Benoist), one of the last surviving Kryptonians. Taken in by the Danvers family after being cast out of Krypton as a teenager, she must now learn to use her superpowers for good, starting with a disaster that comes out of nowhere and impacts the people around her. Premieres October 26 on CBS.
Jane Lynch comes back to network television in the role of Amy, an eclectic and goofy “guardian angel” tasked to watch a dermatologist named Allison (Maggie Lawson). Originally mixing like oil and water, the two begin to form a bond, especially after Amy’s predictions for Allison’s life all come true. Premieres November 5 on CBS.
RETURNING FAVORITES
This drama, created by Lee Daniels and starring Terrence Howard as a hip-hop mogul, was easily the breakout hit of the winter, and a second season will premiere shortly, returning your favorite characters such as Cookie, Jamal, Hakeem and Anika to your TV screens and daily conversations. Second season premieres September 23 on FOX.
Debra Messing (Will & Grace, The Starter Wife) was a big hit last season in this comedy, revolving around a police officer who has to learn to play nice with her ex-husband, who is now her new boss. Expect more hijinks this season between Laura, her boss, and her co-workers. Second season premieres September 23 on NBC.
This funny and socially relevant comedy won America over last year, and if you haven’t had a chance to see it yet, here’s another chance to do just that. Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross star as married professionals who love each other despite their (many) differences. Their four children steal scenes on a regular basis (especially little Marsai Martin, who plays Diane). Second season premieres September 23 on ABC.
Shonda Rhimes hit paydirt again with this psychological murder mystery thriller, starring Oscar nominee Viola Davis as a law professor who has a few skeletons in her own closet. Her intern prospects must ensure they don’t incriminate themselves either, or they will be forced to give up their dreams for a lonely jail cell. Second season premieres September 24 on ABC.
The unique residents of Storybrooke will find themselves embroiled in another dilemma this season, as the characters hope to find the Sorcerer Merlin. He holds the secret that can free Emma (Jennifer Morrison) from the powers of evil. Will the group get to him in time to save Emma and humanity? Fifth season premieres September 27 on ABC.
Now that CSI is ending, this spinoff will be the last show left in the venerable CSI franchise. This season Patricia Arquette will be joined by Ted Danson, who is transitioning from the original series to this one, as he helps her and her team investigate cyber crimes across the country. Second season premieres October 7 on CBS.
Was I right on with the fall TV preview picks from last season? Check out how many shows progressed from last season to this one.
