The fall TV season is upon us, and there are so many different new TV shows on offer this year. Whether you want a sitcom, a drama, a thriller or science fiction, you will find something to satisfy you in our list of 12 shows to watch for fall. We’re excited and curious about all of the series on this list, and hopefully our enthusiasm will spread to you as well…
Fall TV Preview: 20 New Series to Watch
by: Mike Halterman
The fall TV season is upon us, and there are so many different new TV shows on offer this year. Whether you want a sitcom, a drama, a thriller or science fiction, you will find something to satisfy you in our list of 12 shows to watch for fall. We’re excited and curious about all of the series on this list, and hopefully our enthusiasm will spread to you as well.
Sleepy Hollow
This modern-day retelling of Washington Irving’s short story has Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison, Parade’s End) awakening in the town of Sleepy Hollow in the present day, but the Headless Horseman has followed him through time and is now killing townspeople. He must partner with Sheriff Abbie Mills (Nicole Beharie, Shame, 42) to save the town. Premieres Monday, September 16 at 9 p.m. on FOX.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Andy Samberg jumps from Saturday Night Live into his own sitcom (he’s producing it too!), in which he plays an NYPD detective who’s far too laid back for his own good, causing friction with his new captain (Andre Braugher, Homicide: Life on the Street, Men of a Certain Age). Melissa Fumero (One Life to Live) and Terry Crews (Everybody Hates Chris) also star. Premieres Tuesday, September 17 at 8:30 p.m. on FOX.
Hostages
Jeffrey Nachmanoff (The Day After Tomorrow) develops a 15-episode thriller for television. A doctor for the President of the United States (Toni Collette, Little Miss Sunshine, United States of Tara) and her family are all kidnapped by a rogue FBI agent (Dylan McDermott, The Practice, American Horror Story), who vows to murder them all if she doesn’t kill the president during the next morning’s surgery. Premieres Monday, September 23 at 10 p.m. on CBS.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly) comes back to television with a series based on the comic books by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg, The New Adventures of Old Christine) has put together a small team of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents to tackle superhuman threats wherever they may be in the world. Also starring are Ming-Na Wen (Stargate Universe, Eureka), Brett Dalton (Killing Lincoln), Chloe Bennet (Nashville), Iain De Caestecker (Coronation Street, Young James Herriot), and Elizabeth Henstridge (Hollyoaks). Premieres Tuesday, September 24 at 8 p.m. on ABC.
Trophy Wife
Party girl Kate (Malin Åkerman, Childrens Hospital, Rock of Ages) got more than she bargained for 
when she wooed and won a man twice her age (Bradley Whitford, The West Wing, Lauren). Now she has to deal with stepchildren who don’t like her and two bossy ex-wives (Marcia Gay Harden, The Newsroom; Michaela Watkins, The New Adventures of Old Christine). Premieres Tuesday, September 24 at 9:30 p.m. on ABC.
Back in the Game
Terry (Maggie Lawson, Psych) is a perennial loser who is determined to lose no more, chucking her useless husband out of her life and, with her son, moves in with her father (James Caan, Las Vegas). Terry’s son (Griffin Gluck, Private Practice) wants to play baseball, which she doesn’t approve of initially as it reminds her of her own broken dreams. But when a group of inept kids get together and form a team, Terry finds herself coaching them. Premieres Wednesday, September 25 at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.
The Crazy Ones
Robin Williams returns to television for his first long-term sitcom role since Mork and Mindy. Williams plays Simon Roberts, a wacky advertising genius who works with his much more levelheaded daughter Sydney (Sarah Michelle Gellar, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Ringer). James Wolk (Mad Men), Amanda Setton (One Life to Live, The Mindy Project) and Hamish Linklater (The New Adventures of Old Christine) round out the supporting cast. Premieres Thursday, September 26 at 9 p.m. on CBS.
Junior MasterChef
MasterChef, with blustery English chef Gordon Ramsay at the helm, has entertained audiences in the U.S. for the past four seasons. Now, for the first time on American TV screens, 24 child chef hopefuls between the ages of 8 and 13 will compete for the title of MasterChef. Only 12 will go on to compete in the series, leaving quite a few sad children at the starting gate. The winner will receive $100,000 for future educational goals. Premieres Friday, September 27 at 8 p.m. on FOX.
Betrayal
This drama turns the anguish up to eleven as a photographer (Hannah Ware, Shame) and a lawyer 
(Stuart Townsend, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), both in loveless marriages, start a torrid affair. A murder trial also throws a wrench into their dalliance, as their families are pitted against each other. One outcome can spell political aspirations and a grab for power for one side, and a multitude of secrets being exposed for the other side. Premieres Sunday, September 29 at 10 p.m. on ABC.
Ironside
A remake of the 1960s TV series that takes quite a few liberties. A “sexy yet acerbic” police detective (Blair Underwood, Dirty Sexy Money, The Event) is forced to use a wheelchair after a shooting has left him a paraplegic. A far cry from acerbic yet not-that-sexy Raymond Burr in the original series. Supporting cast includes Brent Sexton (Life, The Killing), Pablo Schreiber (The Wire, Orange is the New Black), Spencer Grammer (As the World Turns, Greek) and Neal Bledsoe (Ugly Betty, Smash). Premieres Wednesday, October 2 at 10 p.m. on NBC.
Sean Saves the World
Sean Hayes, who we all know and love from Will & Grace, lands in this starring vehicle as a divorced
gay father who juggles having a successful career with the demands of raising a 14-year-old daughter (Sami Isler, Home Run) and dealing with a nagging mother (Linda Lavin, Alice). Megan Hilty disembarks the sinking ship that was Smash to play the role of Sean’s BFF. Hayes produces the series with James Burrows, a long-time Will & Grace producer. Premieres Thursday, October 3 at 9 p.m. on NBC.
The Tomorrow People
An American remake of the 1970s British series has ound its way to the fall schedule; it is about the lives of teenagers who possess special powers as a result of advanced evolution. Stephen (Robbie Amell, Revenge) can hear voices and teleport in his sleep. He encounters John, Cara and Russell (Luke Mitchell, Peyton List, Aaron Yoo), who have similar powers, and they must escape the grasp of paramilitary scientists in order to survive. Premieres Wednesday, October 9 at 9 p.m. on The CW.
Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
