TV Shows to Watch This Fall _ marycarver.com

All together now: How is it September already?

I know. I know, friends. Time flies, we’re all getting old, and how on earth are we just 14 weeks away from Christmas. The good news about summer flying by and September pulling into our driveway on two wheels, dragging seven bags into our guest room, and settling in? Aside from pumpkin spice everything and a reprieve from stupid hot weather? NEW TV SHOWS!

That’s right, we’re back to school and even if that means school night activities, I’m hoping for you it also means school night bedtimes — and a little time afterwards to sit back and relax with a favorite show. I’ve watched trailers and read early reviews and predictions for dozens of shows. (I’d joke about the sacrifices I make for you, but honestly, I love trailers — TV, movie, or even books — with all of my heart.)

Here are the 14 television shows premiering on network or cable stations this fall that I think you might like, complete with links to trailers and premiere dates. (They’re in alphabetical order and not necessarily my personal picks. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you which ones are at the top of my list!)

(Stay tuned for my next post about shows premiering on streaming platforms, and join my Facebook group, The Couch, for weekly reminders of which existing shows are returning each week.)

  • A Million Little Things (premiering 9/26, ABC) — This show is about a group of friends dealing with the suicide of one of their friends. It looks like thirtysomething meets This is Us. Or, This is Us for people without kids. Or, This is Us — but now with even more tear-jerking! It also stars James Roday, aka Shawn Spencer from Psych. But I guess he won’t be funny in this one? I don’t know if I’ll watch this one. It looks a little heavy.
  • All American (premiering 10/10, The CW) —  If Friday Night Lights and The OC had a baby, this might be it. I’m not saying I need a teen soap in my life but maybe I do. Despite the lack of hyphen in the show’s title (#nerdalert #butseriously #punctuationmatters), I’ll be watching this one for sure (and crossing my fingers it delivers better than last year’s Rise, aka FNL meets Glee).
  • Charmed (premiering 10/14, The CW) — I didn’t watch the original Charmed, and this reboot has had a whole bunch of drama around it. Apparently the original actors aren’t happy their show is being rebooted. From what I read, it’s a continuation rather than a revision; the new show will feature different characters in the same world. So, if you liked Charmed the first time around (or perhaps Buffy the Vampire Slayer), this might be fun. Or it could be for you if, like me, you are not up for the very dark Sabrina reboot and need your scary shows a little less scary. I’ll at least watch the pilot and see what I think.

  • God Friended Me (premieres 9/30, CBS) — Confirmed atheist, preacher’s son, and podcaster starts getting messages from “God” on Facebook. Messages lead to him saving lives and the like. It’s Touched by an Angel or Highway to Heaven in the social media era! Except the main character is not an angel. I guess it’s more like Joan of Arcadia? Either way, it looks like it could go either way — super cheesy or super awesome. My expectations and DVR are set for this one.
  • I Feel Bad (premieres 10/4, NBC) — This is a family sitcom produced by Amy Poehler about a mom who’s trying hard in every area of her life and feeling bad about it all. I’ve heard it compared to black-ish, and the trailer reminded me of Up All Night or American Housewife. I’m going to give it a try!
  • The Kids are Alright (premieres 10/16, ABC) — Have you been missing The Wonder Years? Or maybe That 70s Show? Then this show is for you. It follows an Irish Catholic family in the 70s and looks … like it has potential. I’ll give it a try and see if I want to add it to my (already pretty long) list of sitcoms I watch every week. (Side notes: This is not to be confused with the 2010 movie of the same, albeit spelled correctly, name. It’s not the same thing.)

  • Magnum P.I. (premieres 9/24, CBS) — This is where we really find out which side you’re on. The side who detests reboots and wishes FOR THE LOVE OF THE MUSTACHE we could come up with something new — or the side who thinks yes, that’s true, but look how cute the new Magnum is! and we still get Tom Selleck in Blue Bloods! and that trailer was fun! (I’m on that second side, and I’m only a teensy bit embarrassed to say so.)
  • Manifest (premieres 9/24, NBC) —  Did you watch Lost? Do you wish we had more mysterious, emotional, dramatic shows? Did you watch Lost? Because basically, that’s what this show is. A plane full of passengers disappeared five years ago and just reappeared. The people on board haven’t aged and have no idea they’ve been gone for half a decade. It’s either compelling or stupid, and I can’t tell which one yet…
  • Murphy Brown (premieres 9/27, CBS) — I didn’t know I’d been missing Murphy Brown. And maybe I wasn’t. But I have really enjoyed the trailers and ads for this reunion show, as well as remembering how much I loved the original show. I’ll give it a try, at least for nostalgia’s sake and to see if it’s worth making a regular watch again.

  • The Neighborhood (premieres 10/1, CBS) — An earnest, outgoing white family moves into a predominantly black neighborhood. Awkward, racial hijinks ensue, I guess? This feels cringe-worthy, but I didn’t hate the trailer either. That may be due to leftover affection for Schmidt (aka Max Greenfield, who plays one of the main characters), though, so I’m not sure. If you miss Schmidt (or the blonde girl from 2 Broke Girls) or enjoy Cedric the Entertainer, check it out. And then let me know what you think!
  • New Amsterdam (premieres 9/25, NBC) — This is a hospital show. About doctors and hospital things. I don’t really like hospital shows about hospital things, but I know lots of you do. This one looks like it’s planning to veer toward the heartwarming and inspiring — and is not to be confused with the vampire detective show of the exact same name from 10 years ago. It’s not the same thing.
  • The Rookie (premieres 10/16, ABC) — Nathan Fillion stars in this show about a middle-aged man going to the police academy. He’s an old! But he’s a rookie cop! I don’t know, guys. Honestly, this trailer was the biggest disappointment for me. I like my Nathan Fillion funny and this did not seem to be that. My husband is going to watch it anyway, so we’ll see.

  • Single Parents (premieres 10/26, ABC) — It’s like Modern Family but with divorced parents. It looks very takes a village-y. And it stars some actors I don’t love. So I don’t think I’ll be watching this one, but in case it looks better to you, now you have the info!
  • You (premiered 9/9, Lifetime) — This show already started and isn’t on one of the main networks. But I’ve heard it compared to Revenge and it looks interesting. The cute guy from Easy A (or whoever he was from Gossip Girl), Penn Badgely, plays a creepy stalker. Typical Lifetime plot, but it may have potential to be great. (However, that trailer starts with a train scene. Since I have a train phobia — or, fine, let’s be technical: an intense but not debilitating fear of trains — I’m out.)

So, those are the TV shows I think you might want to check out this fall. Tell me. Which ones will you be watching?

What should you watch next?

 

Every month, we are bombarded with new TV series and movies—and it can be overwhelming to figure out what to watch! (I know, I know, what a problem to have!) I'm here to help. My monthly Watch Guides list out all the returning series, new series, and new movies, along with premiere dates and where to watch them. Plus, I tell you my personal picks for the month to help you narrow it all down.

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