The Skinny: Upcoming Fall TV

Maybe it’s a little early to be getting amped up about fall TV shows since most of them don’t premiere for a while, but since one of the shows on this lists starts in mere days, I thought, “Why the heck not?” So here are the new and returning shows I can’t wait to see:

 #1: Doctor Who (Aug. 23)

Synopsis: “The further adventures of the time traveling alien adventurer and his companions.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: Okay, so technically this show is beginning in summer, not fall, but…Saturday! This Saturday! As many of you already know, I’ve grown to be a pretty big fan of BBC’s Doctor Who (see my review of the first seven seasons here and a write-up of the 50^th Anniversary Special here), but this season is going to be very interesting because a new actor, Peter Capaldi, is stepping into the role of the iconic Doctor as the 12^th (13^th?) incarnation of the character. And he seems…intense. I’m very excited to see where this show is going next. Season eight kicks off Saturday at 8/7C on BBC America, 7:50 PM on BBC One for my British buds, and…various other times and stations for the rest of the world. Sorry, guys—I’m not gonna Google all that. Haha.

#2: Sons of Anarchy (Sept. 9)

Synopsis: “A man in his early 30s struggles to find a balance in his life between being a new dad and his involvement in a motorcycle club.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: Normally, this FX show wouldn’t be my kind of thing, and I admit it isn’t one I’ve kept up with very well. But I’ve caught bits and pieces of episodes before, and it always seems great. And this is the last season! I’m half-tempted to binge-watch the first six seasons and get all caught up…but that would be a lot to manage in less than a month. Still, given how critically acclaimed this one, I feel safe recommending it. Can you really go wrong with Katey Sagal, Ron Perlman, and pretty, pretty Charlie Hunnam? I think not.

#3: Gotham (Sept. 22)

Synopsis: “The origin story behind Commissioner James Gordon’s rise to prominence in Gotham City in the years before Batman’s arrival.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: Of all the shows on this list, this is probably the one I’m looking forward to the most because I adore Batman. I’m obsessed with the Dark Knight Trilogy, I could play the Arkham video games all day every day, and the ‘90s Batman cartoon will always be among my favorite kids’ shows. Now Fox’s Gotham may be set in the pre-Caped Crusader days, but I’ve grown quite fond of Jim Gordon, too, and I’m interested in seeing how Ben McKenzie handles the role. But we’re not only getting an origin story for him—we’re going to encounter many of the villains, too! The Riddler, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, and the Penguin have all been confirmed for the series, but who knows who else will pop up? Simply put, I cannot wait.

#4: Sleepy Hollow (Sept. 22)

Synopsis: “Ichabod Crane is resurrected and pulled two and a half centuries through time to unravel a mystery that dates all the way back to the founding fathers.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: Fox’s Sleepy Hollow was a surprise last year. I had hoped it would be good, but the first episode was slightly disappointing for me (see my review of it here). Yet by the end of the season, I was hooked. Big time. It’s just a really fun mix of fantasy, horror, comedy, drama, and faux history. The lead characters, Lt. Abbie Mill (Nicole Beharie) and 250-year-old Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) have a great relationship—equal parts playful and sincere. And there’s a huge cliffhanger at the end of season one that I must see resolved! If you haven’t already, I highly recommend giving this one a shot.

#5: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (Sept. 23)

Synopsis: “The missions of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: This is another show that had a lackluster start—in fact, a lackluster first half of the season. It wasn’t that ABC’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was bad, but I think everyone just expected so much more from it. But the show started to kick into gear in January, and by “Turn, Turn, Turn,” an episode that tied in with Captain America: The Winter Soldier, it was pretty darn awesome. I love a lot of things about this show—its sleek visuals, its cast of quirky characters, the fact that it resurrects the wonderful Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg), but the show is at its best when it ties in with the rest of the Marvel Universe. So far it has brought in a handful of Marvel characters, including Lady Sif (Jaimie Alexander), Agent Hill (Cobie Smulders), and even Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). We’ll see who has a guest spot this season! P.S. No trailer yet, so please enjoy the season one blooper reel.

#6: Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Sept. 24)

Synopsis: “This show introduces the Special Victims Unit, a new elite squad of NYPD detectives who investigate sexually related crimes.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: Again, I’ve not been super about keeping up with NBC’s Law & Order: SVU, but I am a faithful watcher of the nearly constant marathons on USA, and I do keep up with some of the major plot points of each season—which is why I’m very interested in catching up. This show has gone through some pretty significant changes over the past few years, and I want to see how the new dynamic is. A few longtime characters have bowed out, and one fan favorite has accepted a big promotion. I do miss Det. Stabler (Christopher Meloni) quite a bit, but SVU is still an addictive show.

#7: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Sept. 28)

Synopsis: “Jake Peralta, an immature but talented NYPD detective in Brooklyn’s 99th Precinct, comes into immediate conflict with his new commanding officer, the serious and stern Captain Ray Holt.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: Of all the shows I haven’t kept up with, this clever, charming Fox comedy might be my biggest regret. Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s season one premiere was a very pleasant surprise last year, and from what I understand, it was consistently funny all year. Det. Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Capt. Holt (Andre Braugher) are a perfect comedic duo, but the cast as a whole is filled with quirky, genuinely funny characters. Cop dramas have been a dime a dozen lately, but in the midst of all that, this cop comedy is pretty refreshing.

#8: Gracepoint (Oct. 2)

Synopsis: “When a young boy is found dead on an idyllic beach, a major police investigation gets underway in the small California seaside town where the tragedy occurred.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: I’m a little confused/frustrated about the existence of this Fox show. From what I understand, it’s basically going to be a remake of BBC’s Broadchurch, which I want to watch since I’ve heard excellent things. That said, as a fan of David Tennant, I’m still on board—even though he is sans any kind of British accent and his hair is woefully flat. 😦 But this show looks tense and interesting, so I’d like to give it a shot.

#9: The Flash (Oct. 7)

Synopsis: “A TV show centered around scientist Barry Allen, who suffers a freak accident that turns him into a superhero with the power of incredible speed.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: This show is also very high up on my excitement scale. But after two awesome seasons of Arrow, how could it not be? The CW is on a roll with DC Comic material, and I have a feeling that The Flash will be fantastic. We’ve already been introduced to sweet, clever Barry Allen (Grant Gustin) through a couple of special Arrow episodes, and I can’t wait to see him in his own show. And the crossover potential! Green Arrow and Flash coming together to fight the bad guys is an exciting step toward the Justice League, y’all. Honestly, I think I’m much more excited about that than Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.

#10: Arrow (Oct. 8)

Synopsis: “Spoiled billionaire playboy Oliver Queen is missing and presumed dead when his yacht is lost at sea. He returns five years later a changed man, determined to clean up the city as a hooded vigilante armed with a bow.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: I kind of already gushed about this one above, but…you guys, ARROW. This is one of my biggest TV obsessions. Season one started out great, but season two took the show to new heights. All the action! All the drama! All the villains! All the pretty, pretty Stephen Amell (whom you can see in my list of TV crushes here)! I have big expectations for the upcoming third season. The CW’s Arrow is one of the most thoroughly entertaining shows on TV right now. If you haven’t already looked into it, I highly recommend you change that.

#11: American Horror Story: Freak Show (Oct. 8)

Synopsis: “An anthology series that centers on different characters and locations, including a haunted house, an insane asylum, a witch coven and a freak show.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: What I love about FX’s American Horror Story is that as an anthology series, the possibilities are endless. It can cover any number of scary topics, places, or creatures in any time and place in America. The show has covered a ton of interesting stuff, but now fans finally have what they’ve been clamoring for: a freak show. Personally, I think this is going to be so, so cool. It’ll be set in the 1950s in Jupiter, Florida. So far, I’ve heard the show will include conjoined twins (both played by Sarah Paulson), a bearded lady, a strongman, and a killer clown. It’ll even include the actual world’s smallest woman, Jyoti Amge. Cannot. Wait. P.S. The teaser is fanmade, not real, but it’s still very creepy and very much in AHS style.

#12: Grimm (Oct. 24)

Synopsis: “A homicide detective discovers he is a descendant of hunters who fight supernatural forces.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: Sadly, I’ve only seen a couple of episodes from the most recent season of NBC’s Grimm, but since I reviewed season one (which you can read here), this show has grown on me big time. It began as fairly formulaic—mostly cop show with a pinch of fantasy—but Grimm really came into its own during the second season. The show explores the supernatural aspects more, making everything more fun. From what I hear, the rest of season three is equally great if not better. Here’s hoping season four will live up! P.S. Nothing for the new season of Grimm yet, but the above video has my favorite character, Monroe (Silas Weir Mitchell), being his usual, hilarious self.

#13: Constantine (Oct. 24)

Synopsis: “A man struggling with his faith is haunted by the sins of his past but is suddenly thrust into the role of defending humanity from the gathering forces of darkness.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: I’m a little surprised to find myself interested in this NBC show. I’ve always thought the Constantine movie with Keanu Reeves was okay, but I’ve never been a huge fan or anything. For whatever reason, this TV show just seems so much cooler. Maybe it’s because this Constantine (Matt Ryan) seems to have a lot more personality than Reeves’ interpretation. Whatever the case, I’ll be tuning in to check out this demon-killing tough guy. Also, can I just point out that this is the fourth DC show on this list? Marvel may be killing it in the movie world right now, but DC clearly rules the small screen.

#14: Galavant (TBA)

Synopsis: “Prince Galavant’s quest for revenge over the King who stole his one true love.” –www.imdb.com

Why I’m Interested: No official premiere date for this ABC show yet, so we’ll all have to keep an eye out for it. I think the rumor is it’ll be filling the gap when Once Upon a Time goes on break. Personally, I think Galavant has the potential to be very funny. It’s a musical comedy, so it’s clearly not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but I laughed at the trailer quite a bit. The humor seems like Spamalot meets Psych…but maybe that’s simply because of Psych star Timothy Omundson’s role in it. We’ll just have to see, but I have high hopes.

So that’s what I’m looking forward to, but what about you guys? Any new or returning shows you can’t wait to watch? I’m always happy to hear recommendations! 🙂