fall preview 2018

33 New (and 16 Returning) Shows to Watch This Fall

The Romanoffs, BoJack Horseman, Charmed, and more.

Photo: All Courtesy of the Networks. Collage by Stevie Remsberg.
Photo: All Courtesy of the Networks. Collage by Stevie Remsberg.

Tis the season! While the Peak TV era means there’s always something out there to watch, that’s never more true during the fall months. No matter your tastes or tendencies, the latest crop of new and returning TV shows has something for everyone, from spooky witches (American Horror Story, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and very weepy families (This Is Us, A Million Little Things), to bawdy teen comedies (American Vandal, Big Mouth) and a couple of high-profile projects from TV’s prestige elite (The Deuce, The Romanoffs). Below, we spotlight the 49 shows we’re most excited to see this autumn, and when to watch them.

Editors’ Picks

Kidding Showtime, Sundays, 10 p.m.
After nearly 25 years, Jim Carrey returns to TV in this prestige series about a Mister Rogers–like children’s TV icon going through a personal crisis.

You Lifetime, Sundays, 10 p.m.
Gossip Girl star Penn Badgley is a bookseller who stalks his crush’s Instagram until he gets on her good side. Despite a veneer of charm, he’s more than willing to kill off a few of her friends to get the girl. (It’s Lifetime!)

The Deuce – HBO, Sundays, 9 p.m.
The first season of this David Simon– and George Pelecanos–created show about the sex trade in early ’70s New York took a gritty, journalistic approach to its subject while remaining grounded in its characters’ humanity (as might be expected from veterans of The Wire and Treme). Season two looks likely to keep that going, though it will doubtlessly be dogged by the question of whether or not viewers will be made uncomfortable by a series about sexual politics starring James Franco.

American Horror Story: Apocalypse – FX, Wednesdays, 10 p.m.
Apocalypse enlists the powers of American Horror Story’s signature coven: Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, Emma Roberts, Frances Conroy, Gabourey Sidibe, Taissa Farmiga, and Stevie Nicks.

Forever – Amazon, out now
Fred Armisen and Maya Rudolph star in this mysterious Amazon comedy from the Master of None creators. The SNL alums play married couple June and Oscar, whose lives are upended by a ski trip that leads on an unexpected path.

The First – Hulu, out now
Writer-creator Beau Willimon switches it up from Washington, D.C.’s swamp (House of Cards) to outer space. In the near future, NASA works with private companies to start interplanetary colonization on Mars. Sean Penn stars.

American Vandal – Netflix, out now
After (sort of) solving the mystery of “Who did the dicks?” in season one, American Vandal’s teenaged documentaries move on to “The Brown Out,” an incident of schoolwide food poisoning with no clear culprit and disgusting consequences.

BoJack Horseman – Netflix, out now
The soul-searing animated comedy set in an L.A. filled with animal puns and existential ennui returns for a fifth season that finds BoJack taking on a new project and Diane dealing with her new status quo.

Maniac – Netflix, 9/21
Superbad co-stars Jonah Hill and Emma Stone reunite in this dark comedy directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga. The pair play strangers in a mysterious pharma trial for a miracle pill that cures mental illness, even heartbreak. Justin Theroux is a bespectacled scientist, and Sally Field seems like an early skeptic.

This Is Us NBC, 9/25
Expect more mysteries and more tears in the third season of Dan Fogelman’s hit, chronologically tricky family drama.

Single Parents – ABC, 9:30 p.m., 9/26
New Girl creator Liz Meriwether returns with a comedy led by Saturday Night Live alum Taran Killam. A devoted dad, Killam gets tutored in the art of single parenthood by mom Leighton Meester, among others.

Murphy Brown – CBS, 9:30 p.m., 9/27
She’s back! After 20 years off air, Candice Bergen returns as Murphy Brown in a 13-episode revival. This reboot welcomes a new character, Brown’s equally hard-nosed journalist son, played by Jake McDorman.

The Good Place – NBC, 9/27
After hitting the reset button yet again at the end of season two, Michael Schur’s afterlife comedy returns with a season that seemingly undoes the premise at the heart of the show by bringing its once-dead characters back to Earth for a second chance.

Big Mouth – Netflix, 10/5
The filthy, funny coming-of-age animated comedy returns for another round of bodily-fluids jokes and hormone monsters.

Riverdale, – CW, 10/10
A series exploring the dark underbelly of beloved Archie Comics characters may once not have seemed like a great idea, but the series’ mash-up of milkshakes and film noir tropes has proven remarkably entertaining. The third season promo suggests the series will continue to tease out some elements of horror, too, possibly connecting it with Netflix’s Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

The Romanoffs – Amazon, 10/12
A bunch of people are convinced they’re descendants of the Russian royal family in Matthew Weiner’s massive Amazon anthology. The eight-part series will unfurl weekly instead of all at once. Maybe pregame this one with Anastasia.

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend – CW
The tunefully devastating series in which Rachel Bloom searches for happiness and emotional stability while dealing with mental illness begins its final season.

Camping – HBO, 10 p.m., 10/14
Jennifer Garner is back on TV! In this HBO comedy from Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner, Garner plays a super-uptight wife who tries to keep her cool when planning a camping trip for her husband and his friends.

Charmed – The CW, 9 p.m., 10/14
A reboot of the supernatural early-aughts hit, this time starring three Latinx actresses: Madeleine Mantock, Melonie Diaz, and Sarah Jeffery.

My Brilliant Friend HBO, November
The first book in Elena Ferrante’s “Neapolitan” series, about two girls growing up in 1950s Naples who go on to have a 60-year friendship, gets the HBO treatment. The show was shot in Caserta, Italy, and uses the authentic Neapolitan dialect.

Escape at Dannemora – Showtime, 10 p.m., 11/18
Think of it as the anti–Shawshank Redemption. Ben Stiller directs this series following the prison escape of two murderers who got a helping hand from a married prison employee with whom they’re both “sexually entangled.” Benicio Del Toro, Patricia Arquette, and Paul Dano star.

Outlander – Starz, 11/4
After moving the action from Scotland to France (then back to Scotland), Outlander’s fourth season will find Jamie and Claire navigating the dangers of the New World.

September

9/4

The Purge – USA, Tuesdays, 10 p.m.
Based on the Blumhouse movie series of the same name, the show picks up years later but has a flashback to the first Purge—an annual night when crimes like murder, theft, and arson are legal. The mini-series follows seemingly unrelated citizens of a small town reckoning with the violence.

Mayans M.C. FX, Tuesdays, 10 p.m.
The Sons of Anarchy spinoff follows Ezekiel “EZ” Reyes (J. D. Pardo), who’s just returned home from prison. As he rebuilds his life, EZ tries to join the roster of the Mayans motorcycle club.

9/5

It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia – FXX, Wednesdays, 10 p.m.
Season 13 could be titled “The Gang Tries to Get By Without One of Its Members,” thanks to Glenn Howerton’s departure to star in A.P. Bio (though Howerton will reportedly appear in many of this year’s episodes).

9/7

Atypical – Netflix, out now
Netflix won acclaim for the first season of this family dramedy starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Michael Rappaport as the struggling parents of two children, including an 18-year-old on the autism spectrum (played by Keir Gilchrist), which will be returning for another, longer, second season.

9/18

The Hunt for the Trump Tapes With Tom Arnold – Viceland, 10:30 p.m.
Comedian turned citizen journalist Tom Arnold is doing his best gumshoe reporting in this eight-episode series focused on unraveling some of Donald Trump’s most sordid secrets. A coterie of celebs and pundits are slated to make appearances, including Rosie O’Donnell, Judd Apatow, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Anthony Scaramucci.

9/21

The Good Cop Netflix
Josh Groban is (rather stunningly) not doing any singing in this Netflix sitcom from the creator of the much-loved Monk. Instead, he’s fussing with his father, a naughty ex-cop just out of prison, played by Tony Danza.

9/24

Manifest – NBC, 10 p.m.
After what feels like a routine flight, the passengers on Montego Air Flight 828 land to find they’ve actually been missing for five years and have all been pronounced dead.

Magnum P.I. – CBS, 9 p.m.
Jay Hernandez stars as the iconic investigator in this reboot. A Navy SEAL turned luxury security consultant (who moonlights as a private eye), Magnum works with (or sometimes around) Detective Gordon Katsumoto (Tim Kang) and his boss, Juliet Higgins (Perdita Weeks).

9/25

New Amsterdam – NBC, 10 p.m.
Ryan Eggold stars as the new medical director of a hospital inspired by New York’s Bellevue. He’s an earnest altruist—take that, Good Doctor.

9/26

A Million Little Things ABC, 10 p.m.
A group of best friends who first met while trapped in a Boston elevator haven’t done the best job of keeping up with one another’s trials and triumphs—until they’re faced with the suicide of the most decent member of the clan (Ron Livingston).

9/28

Last Man Standing Fox, 8 p.m.
On Tim Allen’s seventh season as sporting-goods employee Mike Baxter, he might talk Trump. After a year off air, the revival will add some new elements: Mike’s father, Bud (Robert Forster), has been killed off, and an Asian exchange student moves in.

9/30

God Friended Me – CBS, 8:30 p.m.
Ping! An obnoxious atheist played by Brandon Micheal Hall (Search Party) is friended on Facebook by none other than God. The nonbeliever is poked to help various friends, but where the Lord falls on Facebook and fake news, and privacy, remains unclear.

Bob’s Burgers, Fox
Entering its ninth season, Bob’s Burgers quietly continues to be one of TV’s most consistently great comedies.

October

10/1

The Neighborhood – CBS, 8 p.m.
Calvin Butler (Cedric the Entertainer) can’t stand the relentlessly cheerful conflict negotiator (Max Greenfield) who’s moved in next door. Meanwhile, of course, Butler’s family is absolutely charmed by the affable new neighbor.

Happy Together – CBS, 8:30 p.m.
Damon Wayans Jr. and Amber Stevens West are a couple who spend a typical evening unloading the dishwasher—until a tabloid-famous pop star (played by Felix Mallard; think Bieber, but with Harry Styles’s fashion and accent) moves in to try to escape the limelight. Various high jinks ensue.

10/4

I Feel Bad – NBC, 9:30 p.m.
A cool, overwhelmed mom (Sarayu Blue) deals with life’s daily questions: Is it wrong to pretend she doesn’t know her kids when they get rowdy in public? Why do she and her mom have the same taste in jean jackets?

10/5

Into the Dark – Hulu
Always the hot boyfriend, never the hot leading man, Dermot Mulroney gets his due in Blumhouse’s 12-episode horror anthology for Hulu. The episodes will be released the first Friday of every month, usually themed around the month’s big holiday.

The Man in the High Castle, Amazon
With a fourth season already announced, this third season of the Philip K. Dick–inspired series about an alternate America in which the Germans and Japanese won World War II can play the long game. Eric Overmyer (Bosch, The Wire) takes over as showrunner following the unexpected departure of series creator Frank Spotnitz midway through season two.

10/10

All American – The CW, 9 p.m.
In this Greg Berlanti–developed football drama, Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) transfers from South Crenshaw High to Beverly Hills High when he’s recruited by coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs).

10/14

The Alec Baldwin Show – ABC, 10 p.m.
In a spinoff of sorts from his podcast Here’s the Thing, Baldwin will hold court with celebrities and newsmakers such as Jerry Seinfeld and Kate McKinnon.

10/16

The Kids Are Alright ABC, 8:30 p.m.
No relation to the Annette Bening–Julianne Moore movie of the same name, this 1970s-set ensemble drama is about a working- class Irish-Catholic family with three bedrooms, one bathroom, and eight boys. Michael Cudlitz and Mary McCormack head the house.

The Rookie ABC, 10 p.m.
After he becomes an unexpected hero by foiling a bank robbery, a newly divorced man (played by Nathan Fillion) joins the LAPD in middle age.

The Conners – ABC, 8 p.m.
After Roseanne Barr’s firing, ABC announced a sitcom spinoff about the Conner family, sans its matriarch. John Goodman, Laurie Metcalf, Sara Gilbert, Lecy Goranson, and Michael Fishman are all returning.

Legacies The CW, 9 p.m.
Classes are beginning at the Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted in this spinoff of The Originals. Young vampires, witches, and werewolves presumably procrastinate and pout just like every other teen in high school.

10/25

Deutschland 86 Sundance
Moving the action up three years, the series formerly known as Deutschland 83 continues the story of an East German spy working in West Germany in the final years of the Cold War.

November

11/2

House of Cards – Netflix
The final season of Netflix’s political drama will turn the focus on Robin Wright after the dramatic behind-the-scenes departure of Kevin Spacey, following multiple allegations of sexual harassment and assault.

December

12/21

Marvel’s Runaways Hulu
Marvel’s series about teenagers who discover their parents are supervillains and hit the road in an act of rebellion returns just in time to binge over the holidays.

Full Calendar

Wednesday, September 5
9 p.m. Property Brothers, HGTV
10 p.m. It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, FXX

Thursday, September 6
12 a.m. I Love You, America, Hulu

Friday, September 7
12 a.m. Atypical, Netflix
12 a.m. Marvel’s Iron Fist, Netflix

Sunday, September 9
8 p.m. Rel, Fox
9 p.m. The Deuce, HBO
9 p.m. The Last Ship, TNT
9 p.m. Shameless, Showtime
10 p.m. Ashlee + Evan, E!
10 p.m. Kidding, Showtime
10 p.m. You, Lifetime

Wednesday, September 12
10 p.m. American Horror Story: Apocalypse, FX

Friday, September 14
12 a.m. American Vandal, Netflix
12 a.m. BoJack Horseman, Netflix
12 a.m. The First, Hulu
12 a.m. Forever, Amazon
12 a.m. Ingobernable, Netflix
12 a.m. Norm MacDonald Has a Show, Netflix

Sunday, September 16
8 p.m. The Circus, Showtime
8 p.m. Warriors of Liberty City, Starz

Tuesday, September 18
9 p.m. Sorry For Your Loss, Facebook Watch
10 p.m. Tosh.0, Comedy Central
11 p.m. The Hunt for the Trump Tapes With Tom Arnold, Viceland

Wednesday, September 19
9 p.m. Total Divas, E!

Friday, September 21
12 a.m. The Good Cop, Netflix
12 a.m. Maniac, Netflix

Sunday, September 23
8 p.m. 9-1-1, Fox
9 p.m. Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown, CNN

Monday, September 24
8 p.m. The Big Bang Theory, CBS
8 p.m. Dancing With the Stars, ABC
8 p.m. The Resident, Fox
8 p.m. The Voice, NBC
8:30 p.m. Young Sheldon, CBS
9 p.m. Magnum P.I., CBS
10 p.m. Bull, CBS
10 p.m. The Good Doctor, ABC
10 p.m. Manifest, NBC

Tuesday, September 25
8 p.m. The Gifted, Fox
8 p.m. NCIS, CBS
9 p.m. FBI, CBS
9 p.m. Lethal Weapon, Fox
9 p.m. This Is Us, NBC
10 p.m. NCIS: New Orleans, CBS
10 p.m. New Amsterdam, NBC
11:25 p.m. Mr. Inbetween, FX

Wednesday, September 26
8 p.m. Empire, Fox
8 p.m. The Goldbergs, ABC
8 p.m. Survivor, CBS
8 p.m. Chicago Med, NBC
8:30 p.m. American Housewife, ABC
9 p.m. Modern Family, ABC
9 p.m. Chicago Fire, NBC
9 p.m. Star, Fox
9:30 p.m. Single Parents, ABC
10 p.m. Chicago P.D., NBC
10 p.m. A Million Little Things, ABC
10 p.m. South Park, Comedy Central

Thursday, September 27
8 p.m. The Good Place, NBC
8 p.m. Grey’s Anatomy, ABC
9 p.m. Law & Order: SVU, NBC
9 p.m. Mom, CBS
9:30 p.m. Murphy Brown, CBS
10 p.m. How to Get Away With Murder, ABC
10 p.m. S.W.A.T., CBS

Friday, September 28
8 p.m. Last Man Standing, Fox
8 p.m. MacGyver, CBS
8:30 p.m. The Cool Kids, Fox
9 p.m. Hawaii Five-O, CBS
9 p.m. Hell’s Kitchen, Fox
10 p.m. Blue Bloods, CBS
10 p.m. Dateline NBC, NBC
12 a.m. Chef’s Table, Netflix
12 a.m. King Lear, Amazon
12 a.m. Made in Mexico, Netflix

Saturday, September 29
9 p.m. 48 Hours, CBS
11:30 p.m. Saturday Night Live, NBC

Sunday, September 30
7 p.m. America’s Funniest Home Videos, ABC
7:30 p.m. 60 Minutes, CBS
8 p.m. The Dorrells in Corfu, PBS
8 p.m. The Simpsons, Fox
8:30 p.m. Bob’s Burgers, Fox
8:30 p.m. God Friended Me, CBS
9:00 p.m. Family Guy, Fox
9:00 p.m. Poldark, PBS
9:30 p.m. NCIS: Los Angeles, CBS

Monday, October 1
8 p.m. The Neighborhood, CBS
8:30 p.m. Happy Together, CBS

Tuesday, October 2
9 p.m. Below Deck, Bravo

Wednesday, October 3
9 p.m. SEAL Team, CBS
10 p.m. Criminal Minds, CBS

Thursday, October 4
8 p.m. Superstore, NBC
9 p.m. Station 19, ABC
9 p.m. Will & Grace, NBC
9:30 p.m. I Feel Bad, NBC

Friday, October 5
12 a.m. Big Mouth, Netflix
12 a.m. Dancing Queen, Netflix
12 a.m. Elite, Netflix
12 a.m. Into the Dark, Hulu
12 a.m. The Man in the High Castle, Amazon
8 p.m. Fresh Off the Boat, ABC
8:30 p.m. Speechless, ABC
9 p.m. Child Support, ABC

Saturday, October 6
10 p.m. Versailles, Ovation

Sunday, October 7
8 p.m. Dancing With the Stars: Juniors, ABC
9 p.m. The Walking Dead, AMC
10 p.m. Madam Secretary, CBS
10 p.m. Shark Tank, ABC

Tuesday, October 9
8 p.m. The Flash, CW
9 p.m. Black Lightning, CW

Wednesday, October 10
8 p.m. Riverdale, CW
9 p.m. All American, CW

Thursday, October 11
8 p.m. Supernatural, CW

Friday, October 12
12 a.m. The Haunting of Hill House, Netflix
12 a.m. The Romanoffs, Amazon
12 a.m. Titans, DC Universe
8 p.m. Blindspot, NBC
8 p.m. Dynasty, CW
9 p.m. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, CW

Sunday, October 14
8 p.m. Supergirl, CW
9 p.m. Charmed, CW
10 p.m. The Alec Baldwin Show, ABC
10 p.m. Camping, HBO

Monday, October 15
8 p.m. Arrow, CW

Tuesday, October 16
8 p.m. The Conners, ABC
8:30 p.m. The Kids Are Alright, ABC
9 p.m. Black-ish, ABC
9:30 p.m. Splitting Up Together, ABC
10 p.m. Loudermilk, DirecTV / AT&T
10 p.m. The Rookie, ABC

Friday, October 19
12 a.m. Lore, Amazon
12 a.m. Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat, Netflix
12 a.m. Wanderlust, Netflix

Sunday, October 21
10 p.m. Wolf Creek, Pop
10 p.m. The Woman in White, PBS

Monday, October 22
9 p.m. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, CW

Thursday, October 25
9 p.m. Legacies, CW

Friday, October 26
12 a.m. Castlevania, Netflix
12 a.m. Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, Netflix
12 a.m. Deutschland 86, Sundance
9 p.m. Midnight, Texas, NBC

Sunday, October 28
12 a.m. Patriot Act With Hasan Minaj, Netflix
9 p.m. Ray Donovan, Showtime
10 p.m. Busy Tonight, E!

Sunday, October 31
12 a.m. Tell Me a Story, CBS All Access
10 p.m. Stan Against Evil, IFC

Friday, November 2
12 a.m. Homecoming, Amazon
12 a.m. House of Cards, Netflix

Sunday, November 4
8 p.m. Outlander, Starz

Thursday, November 9
9 p.m. Baroness Von Sketch Show, IFC

Friday, November 16
12 a.m. The Kominsky Method, Netflix

Sunday, November 18
8 p.m. Enemies: The President, the Justice, and the FBI, Showtime
10 p.m. Escape at Dannemora, Showtime

Monday, November 19
8 p.m. The Little Drummer Girl, AMC

Wednesday, November 28
9 p.m. Vikings, History

Wednesday, December 5
10 p.m. Deal or No Deal, CNBC

Friday, December 7
12 a.m. Dogs of Berlin, Netflix

Friday, December 14
12 a.m. Sunderland Till I Die, Netflix

Friday, December 21
12 a.m. Marvel’s Runaways, Hulu

Sunday, December 30
8 p.m. The Orville, Fox

*A version of this article appears in the September 3, 2018, issue of New York Magazine. Subscribe Now!

33 New (and 16 Returning) Shows to Watch This Fall